Written by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
INSIDER SECRET: Road trips can be meticulously planned or spontaneous. Just make sure you have the basics covered before hitting the road. When I recently asked a friend who lives in LA to meet me in Phoenix, she complained that the price of flights didn’t justify a weekend getaway. “Then just drive,” I suggested. Never …
Continue reading “Tips for Planning the Perfect Summer Road Trip”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
INSIDER SECRET: If you’re talking with customer service, there’s a good chance that the “no” you receive can be turned into a “yes” by just saying something like, “Let’s find a solution to this problem.” It’s all about strategy. Think of a time that you said “no” when someone asked you to do something. There’s …
Continue reading “Turn That No Into a Yes: How to Negotiate When You’re Talking to Customer Service”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
INSIDER SECRET: Perks like two free checked bags and the ability to book award tickets without blackout dates are just a few of the reasons many folks love Southwest. When I was growing up, my parents were really loyal to certain brands, and therefore, so was I. And like many families in the 1980’s we …
Continue reading “The #1 Reason I Prefer Southwest Airlines Has Nothing to Do With Rewards”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
INSIDER SECRET: You’ll double your potential rewards bonus when you and your partner maintain separate credit cards. If you have someone you think is the one, take them and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two of you to travel all over the world, to places that are hard to reach …
Continue reading “Here’s Why I’ll Never Share a Credit Card With My Husband”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
INSIDER TIP: Airlines want to keep their customers happy, and sometimes this means handing out monetary credits. Don’t be afraid to ask, you’ve got nothing to lose! There I was – a place that you’ve probably been several times before. Running through the airport in Atlanta and envying the leisurely paced walkers all around me, while …
Continue reading “Here’s How I Made $150 in 10 Minutes by Calling Delta”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
INSIDER SECRET: The Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard® comes with trip delay insurance, which reimburses you for certain travel expenses that result from a delay of just 6+ hours. That’s some of the best trip delay insurance in the business on a card with one of the lowest annual fees. With so many different credit …
Written by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
I’ve realized two important things about travel with credit cards over the years. The first is that although it might seem scary to commit to a credit card with a high annual fee, the rewards usually pay for themselves many times over, year after year. The second came after talking to a friend, who spent three …
Continue reading “Here’s why the Hilton Aspire is worth the annual fee — and $2,000+ the first year”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
Back in the good old days, Hilton used to publish an award chart that made it easy to figure out how many Hilton Honors points you’d need to book a room. That’s how several other hotels still operate, and I personally think looking at an award chart makes the process of determining what you can …
Continue reading “A Hilton award chart doesn’t exist – Here’s what they have instead”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
You know that moment right after a breakup when you have that strange combined feeling of freedom and panic? When you realize that you said the words and you are now actually on your own? And it’s not just another fight. You can’t take back that conversation, that instant when you said: “this is over, …
Continue reading “Here’s Why I Canceled My AMEX Delta Gold Card”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
INSIDER SECRET: Having a Delta credit card can take the sting out of basic economy flights because you’ll get priority boarding and a free checked bag on Delta operated flights. Anyone who is currently looking to apply for the Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express will notice that there’s a pretty enticing intro bonus offer right …
Continue reading “AMEX Delta Reserve Benefits and Perks You Might Have Overlooked”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
When you’ve got time to kill at an airport, it’s easy to find yourself mindlessly wandering through the gift shops. From small regional airports to international duty-free shops, I’ve spent plenty of time perusing the aisles of makeup and snacks, looking for the strangest and most unexpected items. These were the days before I acquired …
Continue reading “6 Most Unexpected Items I’ve Found Wandering Through Airports”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
There are so many different types of travel credit cards out there… That’s why we devote so much time to talking and writing about them! 🙂 But with options come difficult decisions. We can’t make that decision for you, but we can give some advice on how to think about what you’re looking for in a …
Continue reading “How to Choose a Travel Credit Card (There Are 50+ Amazing Options, After All!)”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
At MMS, one thing is abundantly clear – we love the challenge of figuring out how to travel for free by collecting credit card points. The concept is pretty straightforward — we’re looking at credit cards that offer something amazing when you open them and then continue to offer valuable benefits every time you use …
Written by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
Back in college, when I had a healthy fear of credit card debt (thanks, dad!) I owned one credit card and I kept it hidden somewhere in my closet. I had seen too many of my friends rack up tons of debt and was determined not to go down that road. It’s pretty incredible how those …
Continue reading “Southwest Plus card benefits: Here’s why I signed up”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
I’ll admit it. I used to cringe when realizing a travel credit card had an annual fee. I mean, who wants to pay an annual fee for simply owning and using a rewards credit card? “Shouldn’t I be reimbursed?” I would think. Isn’t that a huge waste of money? What am I even getting for this …
Continue reading “The Amex Hilton business card is worth more than the annual fee – Here’s why”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
TSA PreCheck is looking pretty good right now. When the US Government shut down on December 22, 2018, most people groaned about the proximity to the holidays, understanding that a minor inconvenience can seem like a bigger deal during that time of the year. I’m not sure anyone expected the shutdown to extend for over …
Continue reading “Why TSA PreCheck is a Game Changer During the Government Shutdown”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
Last year my husband and I flew to Myanmar. Well, to be more specific, we flew from Denver to Tokyo to Bangkok to Myanmar. This multi-day, multi-flight voyage was daunting, especially as I’m a person who is not the biggest fan of flying. On long haul trips, I can convince myself that one 12-hour flight …
Continue reading “Bring on the Long Layovers! How Airport Lounge Access Can Totally Change a Trip”
Read MoreWritten by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
In the era of extraneous airline charges, it can be surprisingly expensive to fly. Yes, you can often find incredible fare sales that seem too good to be true. It’s not uncommon to spot $20 one-ways from low-cost carriers like Spirit Airlines. But once…
Written by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
When I was living in Missoula, Montana, Delta was one of the few airlines that operated out of our very small (but charming and efficient) airport. So initially, I signed up for the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express because of the nice welcome bonus. With this card, you’ll currently earn 30,000 Delta miles when …
Written by Erin Lizzo @ Million Mile Secrets
I’m currently in the middle of a three-week road trip, taking advantage of some time off for the holidays. My husband and I (plus our dog!) are traveling from Boulder, Colorado to Santa Fe to Arizona, then we’ll continue on to camp out in the Mojave desert (with hopes of warm weather). This is one …
