Former Category 8 Marriott hotels now off the charts: How I’m rethinking my high-end redemptions

Earlier this year, I published an article about how I’m redeeming the 5 million Marriott points I earned from placing students in hotels earlier in the pandemic when university dormitories were closed. My redemption strategy has been simple: Use points at Marriott properties where cash prices are preposterously high. Subsequently, I’ve been able to often get 1.5 cents per…

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How 3 credit card bonuses got me a week in London

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. Recently, I set my sights on London. Even with the best points and miles strategy, I knew it would be a challenge to cover…

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Japan reopens to the world, but its hotels aren’t ready

As Japan reopens to global tourism, its hotel industry faces a problem shared by many countries in the West: staffing shortages. Japan plans to reinstate visa-free travel to dozens of countries, including the U.S., Tuesday after more than two years of stringent border controls to combat COVID-19. The country plans to lean on tourism to revive its economy, according…

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