Hawaii is our own special gateway to the exotic world of Polynesia. Because it’s part of the United States, we don’t have to pack our passports or worry about communicating with locals in a foreign language. It’s a tropical paradise right in our own backyard, and every island in the archipelago is special. That’s why so many frequent flyers want to use their miles to fly to the islands. We’re going to let you in on four of the best values to get to Hawaii on the cheap.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner was one of the most anticipated new planes when it was being developed in the early 2000s. The company was looking to replace its 767 aircraft with a more fuel-efficient midsize, long-range wide-body jet with twin engines.

American Express is one of the leading companies offering reward credit and charge cards. Some cards are branded and offer loyalty currency from airlines such as Delta and JetBlue or hotel chains like Starwood or Hilton.

Do you ever make it a point to do a bit of plane spotting when you’re at the airport? Most frequent flyers have a healthy respect for the aviation industry and are intrigued by the newest and most technologically advanced aircraft.

I’ll admit it. Ive missed out on some pretty terrific deals in the frequent flyer world for one reason and one reason only: I wasn’t prepared to take advantage of them. Sometimes a fare war makes a trip to a specific destination incredibly affordable. Or an airline may be offering reduced mileage rewards to certain destinations.

Now that we’ve looked at the best airport lounges in the United States and Asia, we’re heading to Europe with pit stops in Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Turkey. They all have excellent places to spend a few hours between flights. Here are our favorite spots.

Last month we looked at the Best Airline Lounges in the United States. This month we look at some of the best places to spend time in airports in Asia.

I don’t know anyone who didn’t want to steal away to a Caribbean island at some point during the past few months of bad winter weather. When you have a stash of miles and points, its easy to do just that. Here’s how my husband and I spent four days in Jamaica for just a few dollars.

I decided to take my own advice and book an award flight for the 2014 holidays. I just scheduled a week in Hong Kong culminating in the New Year’s Eve celebration.

Credit card companies have introduced some exciting offers in the past month or two. Citi made some waves with its offer for the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^®. Approved applicants were enticed with 100,000 American AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $10,000 in three months.

If you’re new to making airline arrangements or booking award tickets, you may not be familiar with all of the words and terms the airlines use. Here’s a quick reference guide to some of the lingo you should understand.

There are a few things that make air travel manageable. Airport lounge access is one of them. It’s nice to have a comfortable place with free Wi-Fi while you’re waiting to board or when you have a layover. There are usually complimentary drinks and snacks. Some even have restaurants.

In frequent flyer circles, airline elite status seems to be the Holy Grail. Everybody wants status because it comes with perks such as access to priority check-in and security lanes, the possibility of an upgrade, free or discounted baggage fees, lounge access, mileage multipliers and more.

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, but it’s not too late to get something shipped overnight. Chocolate and flowers are a safe bet for your special someone, but this year give a gift that your frequent flyer will really love. It’s okay to throw in some candy and flowers too!

There are two traits needed  if you want to excel at booking free airline award tickets and hotel rooms on points. The first is the knack for planning in advance sometimes up to an entire year. The second trait is the opposite: the flexibility to take advantage of spur-of-the-moment opportunities like booking a trip at the last minute within weeks or even days of departure.

With temperatures hitting record lows, you might be wishing you had a Caribbean island getaway planned. You may be lamenting that you missed out, but you haven’t yet. There are still plenty of seats on flights to Caribbean islands that you can snag with your miles.

As an avid collector of miles and points, it won’t take long before you notice something: frequent program devaluations. Changes to award rates happen occasionally in some programs and all too often in others. You’ve got to be aware of what’s going on in the loyalty travel market so you can best utilize the miles and points you’ve earned.

It’s no secret that credit card sign-up bonuses are the fastest and easiest ways to earn miles and points. However, opening up a dozen credit card accounts is fraught with problems if you’re not organized. Playing the points and miles game is only a good idea if you have excellent credit (730 or higher), you pay off your credit card balances monthly, never miss a payment and are organized enough to keep track of annual card renewal dates.

This is the ideal time of year to donate to your favorite charities. The holidays are upon us and it’s natural to give thanks for all we have and to want to help those who are less fortunate. Many nonprofits could really use an infusion of goodwill as the year comes to an end.

With Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday behind us, you just can’t hide. It’s time to do your holiday shopping. For miles and points hounds, picking up stocking stuffers and more expensive gifts offers a lucrative opportunity to earn rewards.