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If you’re looking to maximize your hard-earned airline miles by booking trips to multiple cities, or even countries, United MileagePlus is one of the best programs to do just that. The program allows for a longer stop in a city on the way to your destination, dubbed the Excursionist Perk, which lets passengers book a free one-way flight within a round-trip. Essentially, you can book three flights for the price of two if you do it correctly. A stop can be as short as 24 hours and as long as the calendar allows you to book.

Las Vegas and the Southern Nevada region are popular destinations for domestic and international tourists alike. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 42.9 million people visited Southern Nevada in 2016 and spent $35.5 billion in the process. While there’s certainly plenty to do and see at ground level, the folks at Maverick Helicopters want to show you the sights from a different perspective.

Say you’re planning a trip to a country for which you have a valid visa, but then you realize something: by the time you depart, your passport will have expired, but your visa will not have. What can you do?

The word cranky means given to fretful fussiness as well as full of twists and turns. Both describe the many of air travel experiences, so it’s easy to understand why Brett Snyder, author of The Cranky Flier, would use the term within the name of his award-winning blog as well as its sister travel service Cranky Concierge.

Los Angeles is one of the world’s biggest cities, so having one of the biggest and best zoos fits its personality. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens has been celebrating its 50th anniversary with a yearlong “ZooLAbration.” The zoo draws about 1.8 million visitors each year, is home to 1,100 animals representing 250 different species, and has more than 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants.

If you’re not already using Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue rewards program, you should start thinking about getting familiar with it. Flying Blue is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points and Starwood Preferred Guest points and offers some incredible sweet spots. Let’s take a look at some of Flying Blue’s best sweet spots.

While keeping children entertained is certainly a challenge on long road trips, it’s not the biggest source of stress for American families traveling the country by car. In fact, a recent survey of more than 1,000 parents with kids under the age of 18 found that “where to stop along the way” is actually the largest cause of anxiety and family strife.

Are you traveling in Athens and want to learn about ancient Greek philosophers? Are you on business in Tokyo and need a quick refresher course on Japanese business etiquette? Then learning website Quizlet is the perfect tool to use, wherever you may be.

Citi recently implemented a massive wave of changes to its flagship Prestige card. Most of these were announced last year year but did not become effective until this week. Just ahead of the July 23rd implementation, Citi announced some meager positive changes to put a positive spin on things. While most of these recent developments are barely worth mentioning, there is one legitimate bit of good news: the sign-up bonus on the Citi Prestige card has gone up to 75k points.

Now that the year is half over it’s a good time for savvy travelers to reflect on the awesome and free trips they’ve taken, on the miles they’ve flown, and on the status they’ve achieved or hope to.

When you’re traveling in style, you have to live in style. But you don’t have to conform to a run-of-the-mill hotel. That’s why Yotel offers luxury hotels designed around today’s modern traveler. Affordable rooms, which are referred to as cabins, come with the essential elements of luxury hotels — albeit with smaller, smarter spaces. They are available in top global destinations.

There are quite a few different hotel credit cards out there all offering lucrative sign-up bonuses. Some offer a number of free nights while others offer a certain number of points. It’s pretty clear how many nights you can stay for free with the first type of sign-up bonus, but the cards that offer points are a bit more tricky. Here are the main hotel credit cards currently available and the number of free nights you can get — plus the total number of nights you could live out of hotels if you got all of these cards at the same time (which I totally don’t recommend)!

Anyone can fly coach, but when you want to get somewhere and do it in style, look no further than PrivateFly.

United Airlines is one of the biggest airlines in the world, and therefore it’s no surprise that their loyalty program, MileagePlus, is also one of the most popular airline loyalty programs. It allows you to earn miles by flying on United Airlines flights, and redeeming those miles for free flights on United. But did you know that you can also earn United miles from your everyday shopping, through the MileagePlus X app?

In June 2016, Citi announced a massive list of downgrades to the Citi Prestige® Card that really eviscerated this card’s value proposition. However, existing cardholders were given over a year of lead time to absorb the changes and cancel their cards if they felt the remaining benefits no longer justified the $450 annual fee.

According to data from Packaged Facts, a consumer research company, American consumers spent $30 billion on gift cards last year. Chances are good that you were among them. Gift Card Granny, the Internet’s biggest gift card discount website, reports that nearly 93 percent of American consumers have either given or sent a gift card.

In the last year several banks have come out with new premium cards, and there are more to come. With an onslaught of ultra-expensive credit cards tempting us with huge sign-up bonuses, deciding which card to keep becomes a real dilemma. As of now, there are seven premium credit cards that you might want to hold due to their bonuses and other perks:

Sometimes the most memorable experiences are the ones that aren’t on any itinerary. The experts at Adventure Life, a custom travel company with headquarters in Missoula, understand this and allow for the serendipitous in every carefully crafted vacation they plan.

Chase makes great credit cards. The Sapphire Reserve and Preferred top just about everyone’s best travel credit card list, including mine. The Ultimate Rewards program is super-flexible, the points are uber-valuable and the cards have great earning potential. Unfortunately, Chase’s restrictive 5/24 rule can make it hard to get those great cards.
If you’re thinking about getting a Chase card, I’ve got you covered. Below is everything you need to know about the 5/24 rule. And if you’re looking for good alternatives to Chase cards, check out these suggestions.

What Is the Chase 5/24 Rule?

Simply put, Chase will not approve you for a card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts across all banks in the last 24 months. They introduced this rule several years ago to prevent card churning.
In other words, they don’t want you to get a bunch of credit cards just for the welcome bonuses.
The Bad News: All personal credit cards from any bank count toward your total open accounts. You can’t get around the 5/24 rule just by getting non-Chase cards.
The Good News: Some credit cards don’t count toward the 5/24 rule. There are exceptions! Don’t worry, I’ll cover those later.
It’s worth pointing out that you can still get credit cards from other banks even if you’re over five new cards in two years. Only Chase denies applications based on the 5/24 rule.

What’s the Big Deal About This Rule?

The list of Chase cards you can’t get if you’ve opened five accounts in the last two years is long. If these cards are out of your reach, you’re missing out. That’s why it’s important to understand the 5/24 rule.

These cards are subjected to the 5/24 rule:

• Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards:
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Credit Card
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve^® Credit Card
  • Chase Freedom (expired offer)
  • Chase Freedom Unlimited^® Credit Card
  • Chase Freedom Flex^® Credit Card
  • Chase Freedom Rise^® Credit card
• Business Ultimate Rewards Cards:
  • Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card
  • Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card
  • Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card
  • Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card
• Southwest Credit Cards:
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Plus Credit Card
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Priority Credit Card
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card
  • Southwest^® Rapid Rewards^® Performance Business Credit Card
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Premier Business Credit Card
• United Airlines Credit Cards:
  • United^℠ Explorer Card
  • United Quest^℠ Card
  • United Gateway^℠ Card
  • United Club^℠ Infinite Card
  • United Club℠ Infinite Card (former United MileagePlus Club)
  • United℠ Business Card
  • United MileagePlus Explorer Business (expired offer)
  • United Club℠ Business Card (ex  United MileagePlus Club Business)
• Marriott Credit Card:
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus (expired offer)
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful^® Credit Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card
• IHG Credit Cards
  • IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
  • IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
• Disney Credit Cards
  • Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card
  • Disney^® Visa^® Card
• World of Hyatt Credit Cards
  • World of Hyatt Credit Card
  • World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
• Other Airlines Credit Cards
  • Aer Lingus Visa Signature^® Credit Card
  • British Airways Visa Signature^® Credit Card
  • Iberia Visa Signature^® Credit Card
  • Aeroplan^® Card
• Other Co-Branded Credit Cards
  • Prime Visa
  • DoorDash Rewards Mastercard^®
  • Instacart Mastercard^®

When you can’t get these cards because of the 5/24 rule, here are some excellent alternatives.

Why You Want These Cards

There are a lot of reasons to want these cards. To start with, the Ultimate Rewards program is great and the points are valuable. The Sapphire cards in particular offer big intro bonuses worth hundreds of dollars. I couldn’t do without my Reserve card with its top-of-line perks:

• Free lounge access for me and a guest
• 50% bonus when redeeming through the Ultimate Rewards portal
• $300 travel credit annually
• Much, much more

Southwest Companion Pass

The Southwest cards are a must-have for domestic travelers for one reason: the fantastic Southwest Companion Pass. If you get two of the Southwest cards at the right time, you can get the pass with just the welcome bonuses. That’s how I’ve done it.
With the pass, you can take a family or friend with you for free on any Southwest flight. The pass can be used unlimited times and is good for up to two years!
I’ve saved thousands on family vacations with the pass. It’s simply the best deal in award travel right now.

New Marriott Bonvoy Cards!

The Marriott Bonvoy credit cards are brand new. As part of the upgrade, Marriott Bonvoy program now offers great welcome bonuses and other travel perks. Marriott’s reward program often flies under the radar, but it’s Hotel + Air Package deals are pretty great.
Today you can transfer Marriott points to 39 airline transfer partners at 3-to-1 ratio with most programs. Plus, you will bet a 5,000 miles bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer to frequent flier miles. Thus, with the transfer bonus, if you transfer 60,000 Bonvoy miles, you’ll get 25,000 miles in the airline frequent flyer program of your choice!
Most Bonvoy cards also come with a free night award on every card anniversary. But if you want to maximize your free night awards, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card should be on your wish list.

If You’re Above 5/24

You can still get plenty of cards if you’ve opened five or more accounts in the last two years. If it’s not obvious, cards issued by banks other than Chase are not limited by this rule. Those issuers may have their own restrictions, but the 5/24 rule is just for Chase cards.
Keep in mind that those cards will count toward your 5/24 total. If you’re not worried about getting a Chase card (or already have the ones you want), then start applying for your next Amex, Citi, Capital One, Barclays or U.S. Bank card.
Otherwise, you might want to get a card that doesn’t count toward the total (more on this below).

Exceptions to the Chase 5/24 Rule

If you’re above 5/24 and you’re waiting it out to apply for a new Chase card, you can still earn  intro bonuses. That’s because certain cards won’t show up on your credit report. They won’t count toward your total opened accounts, making them exceptions to the rule.
Which cards can you get? Just about any small business card is safe unless it’s issued by Capital One and TD Bank. Those issuers report business cards to the credit bureaus and they will show up on your report.
That means you can get business cards from American Express, Bank of America, Citi and even Chase.
Yes, I said Chase. You will have to be below 5/24 to get a Chase business card, but it won’t contribute to your total number of new accounts for future applications.
With all those issuers, there are a lot of great options to tide you over until you can get another Chase card. Bank of America issues a great Alaska Airlines business card and, as I’m sure you know, American Express has a whole lineup of excellent business cards (including the Business Gold Rewards card and the Business Platinum card).

What About Barclays Business Cards?

There has been a lot of discussion about Barclays business cards. They issue business cards for JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines and American Airlines, so it’s worth mentioning.
While most report that the cards don’t count, there are enough reports of them counting that I’d be wary of taking the chance unless I was okay with a hit to my 5/24 total. I personally haven’t applied for any of these cards for that very reason.

Almost Anyone Can Qualify for a Business Card

You might be thinking that you’d like to get one of those small business cards but you don’t run a business. You might be surprised at how easy it is to qualify for one of these cards.
If you’re like me, you probably sell some of your old stuff on eBay from time to time. If you do that a few times a year and make a few bucks, guess what? You’re a business owner. You can get a business card!
There is several ways to qualify. Do you do a little freelancing on the side? That counts. What about a small crafts business? Or maybe a little neighborhood landscaping? It might be worth selling a few things on Etsy or Ebay just get access to these cards. Think about it.

Don’t Become an Authorized User

Becoming an authorized user on someone else’s card will look like an open account on your credit report. In other words, Chase will see it and might deny you when considering your application.
I’d avoid becoming an authorized user for this reason, but you can always call Chase and explain the situation. They may reconsider your application. I don’t think it’s worth the risk, though.

Avoid Store Cards, Too

Store cards that are part of major payment systems like Visa and Mastercard have always counted toward your total number of open accounts. But Chase is now cracking down on lesser store cards that can only be used at one merchant.
So skip that Gap card next time the sales clerk propositions you during check out.

Can I Upgrade My Card?

Upgrading or downgrading your card within the same lineup shouldn’t count as a new card account. For example, if you decide to upgrade from the Gold Delta SkyMiles card to the Platinum SkyMiles card, you should be okay.
Though unusual, some issuers will do a hard pull on your account for upgrades. If there’s a hard pull, it will appear on your credit report and Chase will likely consider it a new account. So ask the issuer if they plan to do a hard pull on your credit before you upgrade or downgrade your card.

What Counts

To sum up, these cards add to your 5/24 total:

• All personal credit and charge cards
• Business cards issued by Capital One or TD Bank
• All store credit cards

What Doesn’t Count

These actions won’t impact your chances of getting a Chase card:

• Getting a business card issued by Citi, American Express, Bank of America and Chase (Barclays business cards might count)
• Upgrading or downgrading your card (but consult the issuer to be sure)

Are There Ways to Get Around the 5/24 Rule?

Chase keeps tightening the rules. There used to be a few ways to get a Chase card even if you had opened five (or more) accounts in two years. The most popular of these methods was applying after getting a pre-qualified or other special offer directly from Chase. But that doesn’t work anymore.

In-Branch Offers

A few readers have reported in the past that they’ve been able to go directly into a Chase branch with one of these special offers and get approved. This won’t work now.
Asking to be pre-approved, even in a branch location, often results in the agent checking online, which will trigger the rule. They’ll know you’re over, and you won’t get a card.
If you take a chance and give this strategy a try, Chase might decide to close all of your accounts because you’ve ‘cheated’ the rules. Is it really worth it?

Targeted Offers

If you get a targeted offer online, in an email or via old-fashioned snail mail, you may still have a chance of getting a card even if you’re over the 5/24 limit. Of course, there’s no guarantee that this will work. Be sure to use your personalized invitation code, if you got one with the offer.

Call the Reconsideration Line

It’s possible that Chase made a mistake! If you’ve been denied but you don’t think you’re over the 5/24 limit, don’t be afraid to call the Chase reconsideration line.
Be sure to ask for the reasons that you’ve been denied. It’s possible that they included a card that you’re just an authorized user on by accident or have made some other error.

How to Track Your 5/24 Status

Whether you’re waiting for a card to drop off your report so you can get a new Chase card or your just not sure how many accounts you’ve opened in the last couple of years, there’s an easy way to check.
All you need to do is to take a look at your credit report. There are a variety of places that allow you to do that for free, including Credit Karma and Experian.
Once you have access to your report, just look for accounts that have been opened in the last 24 months. They should be easy to find.
While you’re looking at your report, it’s always a good idea to check it over for any errors. Make sure all of the accounts (including mortgages and car loans) are yours, and that all of your payments are current.
If you find any errors (it happens more often than you think!) report it immediately to the credit bureau that issued the credit report.

There’s No Escape!

Chase’s 5/24 rule is here to stay. You can’t escape it. Chase has even tightened the rules over time.
So it’s important to know what does and doesn’t count before you apply for a new Chase card. Check your credit report and make sure Chase won’t turn you away. There’s nothing worse than a denied application and taking a hit to your credit score for no reason.
And if you are over five new accounts in the last two years, you might want to hold off on that new card. Unless, of course, you’ve been following along and know the exceptions to the 5/24 rule. I know I’m looking forward to the day I can apply for another Chase card or two. But if you’ve given up on getting more Chase cards in the near future, there are some great alternatives from other issuers too.

Although it’s probably hot enough for polar bears to wear sunscreen this summer, it’s never too early to start thinking about your winter vacation in a tropical climate.
The Caribbean and its beautiful islands, sandy beaches and festive umbrella cocktails are often the go-to destination for those looking to escape the snowy winter. Unfortunately, high demand also means high prices. So how do you avoid the hefty price tag when it comes to traveling to the Caribbean? Having a healthy balance of Ultimate Rewards can help. Let’s take a look at the possible redemptions with Chase’s transfer partners.