Cover tips

For me, the best part of traveling with points and miles is the planning. I love choosing a place I want to go and then carefully selecting cards with rewards that can take me there.

Oct 2, 2024 • 6 min read

Chances are you have a credit card that offers some type of travel insurance or trip protection. This could be for benefits like trip delay reimbursement or lost luggage insurance. With these protections, purchasing a travel insurance policy may seem unnecessary.

When you first see it, the term "negative balance" can make you think you made a mistake, like forgetting to pay your credit card balance. However, a negative balance on your credit card is actually a good thing because it means the bank owes you money instead of the other way around.

Once you've finally landed a passport appointment, printed out the paperwork, and filled out all the necessary forms, there's one last important step: check the passport photo requirements and snap a winning shot.

There are plenty of amazing leaf-peeping opportunities in the US. A romantic road trip to see the covered bridges of New England is one, taking an air balloon ride to see the foliage from above is another. But the most relaxed and nostalgic way to experience fall in all its glory is by train. There are multiple vintage railroads in the United States that will transport you back in time while you admire the fall colors, but few do it as well as the East Broad Top railroad.

Traveling well means being prepared for just about anything, from the time you leave until the moment you return, and this includes being intentional about all of the luggage needed for the journey. Much like with a suitcase or weekender, deciding on which shoulder bag to bring along on your travels requires a fair amount of thinking ahead. Not only is it usually dependent on the destination itself, but I’ve learned that considering the mode of transportation you’ll be using to get there is just as important.

Whether you are booking last-minute travel or simply want to try to save money on your next trip — and who doesn't? — make sure you browse the TopCashBack shopping portal first. (If you use our Tell-a-Friend referral link, you can get a $25 bonus.)

I found a great deal for a short-term rental on St. Thomas this past March: eight nights for me and my two kids at a villa at Marriott’s Frenchman’s Cove for $1,988 through Vrbo, booked two months in advance. I wrote to the owner five days before the trip and didn’t hear back, so I tried again. No answer. The day before departure, I contacted Vrbo, who got in touch with the owner, who canceled. Vrbo said it would be in touch about rebooking, but as we boarded the first flight of our trip from Denver, we still had no place to stay. To buy time, I agreed to be bumped from our next flight in the connecting city. Vrbo told me I could take a refund (and find same-day lodging in the Caribbean during spring break, no thanks) or reserve a hotel through their partner Expedia while they helped me book a new Vrbo property. They said I could spend up to $3,976 for the new booking — double what I had originally paid — but when I said that might not be enough, the agent told me she would advocate for covering additional costs. After a lot of stress, we ended up staying at a Westin resort for two nights via Expedia, at a Vrbo rental at the Ritz-Carlton resort for four nights and the final night at a Vrbo in town. The lodging cost was $4,147 on top of my original reservation, an amount that doesn’t include $200 in “environmental” fees at the Ritz, all the taxi fares and the loss of a vacation day. After lots of back and forth, Vrbo offered me $3,330. I think they should cover at least the full amount. Can you help?

Boeing is facing a strike that threatens to disrupt plane production, after workers overwhelmingly voted to reject a tentative contract their unions had reached with the company.

Vacations ... aren't they great? There's nothing like heading to a beautiful tropical island in the Caribbean, Florida or the Gulf Coast in the summer or fall. Vacation can be wonderful — that is, until a seasonal tropical weather event or hurricane hits your destination. Then a vacation can become a huge headache or something even worse.

New Zealand announced Tuesday it would nearly triple entry fees for tourists: On October 1, the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy will go from NZ $35 ($21.70) to NZ $100 ($62.20).

If you're ready to pop the question, congratulations! But first, you'll want to ask a different one: How will you actually pay for the ring?

“I tell my friends that I'm now midcentury modern,” the New York–based fashion designer Phillip Lim quips about turning 50. “And like the furniture, hopefully better with age.” Joking aside, Lim, who launched his 3.1 Phillip Lim label in 2005 and now sells his signature clean-lined clothing in shops around the world, saw the landmark birthday as a chance to take stock. “I heard somewhere that, with 50, you get a second dawn. I took that to heart.”

The 53-year-old multimedia artist Yto Barrada grew up in a blue two-story house in a verdant Tangier neighborhood that overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar. About a decade ago, the Moroccan French artist, who also lives in New York City, transformed part of the family compound — including several small structures, as well as an expansive botanical garden that provides the flora she uses to make natural dyes — into what she recently named the Mothership, an experimental arts center where she offers textile and other workshops and hosts artists’ residencies. One of its newest additions, in another small garden up the path from the main street, is a 95-square-foot single-room pinewood caravan, a 50th-birthday gift to Barrada from her husband, the American filmmaker and actor Sean Gullette. “It’s my favorite present ever,” she says.

United Airlines wants to help you cheer on your favorite team — in person.

Aug 20, 2024 • 7 min read

It might sound like an impossible request: a last-minute Labor Day getaway with gorgeous weather and minimal crowds that you can squeeze into a long weekend. There are good reasons many destinations across North America won’t fit the bill. Wildfires are burning in some parts of the West, tropical disturbances are brewing in the Caribbean, the East Coast’s coastal retreats are packed, and much of the South is sweaty and oh so steamy. But if you’re still hoping to stretch out the last days of summer, there are places that are not too hot, not too crowded and not necessarily that far away.

One of the first lessons I learned when I got into the points and miles hobby is to put everything possible on a travel rewards credit card. However, it's also important to choose the best card to make sure that you get the biggest bang for your buck. This is especially true when it comes to making a large purchase. So, today I want to discuss nine things to consider next time you plan on swiping your credit card for a significant amount of money.

Travel insurance is a great perk that comes with a number of travel rewards credit cards. If you're traveling and something goes wrong — like lost luggage, a trip delay or an unplanned medical emergency — there's a chance your credit card's travel protection could save you a lot of money.

I entered the world of credit card points relatively late to the game.