The holidays always feel far away… until suddenly flights are expensive, hotels are filling up, and everyone is trying to travel at the exact same time. If you already know you’ll be traveling for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Booking earlier can give you: ✈️ More flight options and better departure times 🏨 More hotel availability 💺 A better chance of getting the seats you actually want 💰 More time to compare prices instead of panic-booking 🎟️ More options if you’re planning to use points or miles And while we’re talking about the holidays… 🛍️ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝗮𝗸𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴! If you’re already buying gifts online, check Rakuten before you check out. Depending on the store and offer, you may be able to earn additional cash back or Membership Rewards points on purchases you were already going to make. 👉 JOIN RAKUTEN FOR SHOPPING DISCOUNTS You’re buying the gifts anyway — 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽. 😉 Holiday travel hack: 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 + 𝗺𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴. Who already knows where they’re going for the holidays this year? 🎄✈️

I have tried to exclusively purchase gas for my family's vehicles at Shell. I do this because I like to know how much I spend on gas each month and annually. As long as I can remember, I have distributed Shell cards to my family members. Recently, Shell moved me from one card to another without my having any say in the matter. They moved me to a Shell Imprint card, and I just noticed that I am earning back 4% on all my Shell purchases! In my first month. I have earned back over $34, not bad! I also earn $0.10 off every gallon because I grocery shop at Mariano's (Kroger's) I still need to figure out the redemption, but hey this is not bad!

Whenever timeshares come up, there are usually plenty of people ready to jump into the conversation and say, “Timeshares are a scam!” And while I somewhat understand that perspective, I think one of the biggest problems is that many people enter into a timeshare transaction without fully understanding what they are buying, how the system works, or what their long-term costs will actually be. That knowledge gap can lead people to spend far more than necessary or buy something that doesn’t fit the way they travel. However, when you understand how to use them strategically, timeshares can potentially help lower your long-term travel costs—especially if you frequently travel with your family, a group of people, or even solo. I personally own three timeshares, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Some lessons were definitely learned through experience! 😅 My favorite ownership is Hilton Grand Vacations. One thing many people don’t realize is that you can often purchase timeshares on the resale market for a fraction of what you may be offered during a timeshare presentation. For example, a salesperson might present an ownership package for $50,000—but depending on the property, points, annual fees, and contract details, you may be able to find a comparable resale ownership for just a few thousand dollars or even less. The key is knowing exactly what you’re looking for, understanding the ongoing maintenance fees, and learning how to maximize the ownership before you buy. Timeshares aren’t necessarily the right fit for everyone, but I also don’t think they are automatically a bad deal. A lot depends on what you pay, what you own, and whether you actually use it. Now I’m curious: 🏝️ Do you own a timeshare? ✈️ Do you actually use it? 💰 Do you feel like it has saved you money—or do you regret buying it? Share your experience in the comments! 👇

✈️ Travel Hack: Stop Searching Airline Websites First—Use Google Flights Instead If you're still opening individual airline websites every time you want to book a trip, you're making the search process much harder than it needs to be. One of the first places I always start is Google Flights. It lets you compare fares across many airlines in seconds, see how prices change by day, and quickly figure out whether you're getting a good deal. Here are a few of my favorite tips: ✅ Use the Calendar View Instead of locking yourself into one departure date, click the calendar. Sometimes flying a day earlier or later can save you hundreds of dollars. ✅ Check the Price Graph Google Flights shows pricing trends over time so you can easily spot the cheapest travel dates. ✅ Set Price Alerts Not ready to book? Turn on price tracking and let Google notify you if fares go up or down. ✅ Explore Destinations Don't have a destination in mind? Use the Explore feature to see where you can fly within your budget. It's a great way to find inspiration for your next trip. 📅 When should you book? While there's no magic day of the week to buy flights, research consistently shows that booking 1–3 months in advance is often a sweet spot for domestic travel, while 2–8 months ahead tends to work well for international trips. If you're traveling during holidays, spring break, or peak summer dates, it's usually worth starting your search even earlier. One thing I don't recommend is waiting until the last minute hoping prices will drop. For leisure travel, last-minute fares are often some of the most expensive. 💡 Bonus Tip Before you book, check whether paying with airline miles or transferable credit card points gives you a better value than paying cash. Sometimes a flight that's expensive in dollars can be an excellent points redemption. Do you use Google Flights when planning a trip, or do you have another favorite flight search tool? Share it in the comments!

🚨 Stop Booking Travel Through the Credit Card Portal This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make when they first get into travel points. They earn a bunch of Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards points... and then immediately book through the Chase or Amex travel portal. Can you? Absolutely. Should you? Usually not. Here's why... When you book through the travel portal, you're essentially using your points like cash. The problem is that those portal prices are often higher than booking directly with the airline or hotel, so your points don't stretch nearly as far. Instead, transfer your points to one of the airline or hotel partners. For example: ✈️ Chase → United, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, Hyatt, and more. 🏨 Amex → Hilton, Marriott, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and many others. This is where the real magic happens. Not only can you often book the exact same flight or hotel for fewer points, but banks also regularly offer transfer bonuses. Imagine transferring 1,000 Chase or Amex points and receiving 1,200, 1,300, or even 1,500 partner points during a promotion. That's free value before you even make the booking. I rarely use the travel portals unless there's a very specific reason to do so. Instead, I: ✅ Search for award availability with transfer partners. ✅ Watch for transfer bonuses. ✅ Move my points only when I'm ready to book. That's how you can turn the same number of points into business-class flights, luxury hotel stays, and thousands of dollars in travel value. Question: Have you ever transferred your points to a travel partner, or have you always booked through the credit card travel portal?