# Beginner Guides
What You Must Do After Buying a Plane Ticket
A few things you should always do after booking a flight: verify passenger information, make sure the ticket has been issued, choose a seat, check visa requirements, and watch for...
How a New Credit Card Affects Your Credit History and Credit Score
A detailed look at what happens to your credit report and credit score after you apply for a new credit card. It helps answer common concerns for people who are wary of credit card...
Hotel Hustle: A One-Stop Hotel Search for Point and Cash Bookings
Want to book a hotel, but one destination has so many hotel chains, and most chains also let you redeem points for free rooms? Not sure where to start? Hotel HustleToday we’re intr...
"Target Sold Out" How Much Can You Save Going from Raise to Target?
Before diving into a full guide on how to maximize gift cards, let’s start with a real example. Although this post focuses on going from Raise to Target, the same idea can be appli...
Award Ticket Tip: Use Wikipedia to Research Flight Routes
Many readers who know a bit about award tickets have probably noticed that for some itineraries—for example, a ticket from A to B—searching directly from origin A to destination B...
When Should You Pay Your Credit Card Bill?
If you’re new to credit cards, one of the most important things to understand is when to pay your bill. U.S. credit cards can offer generous welcome bonuses and strong everyday rew...
How Cashback Sites Work and How They Make Money
Savvy online shoppers in the U.S. often use cashback sites to earn a little money back while they shop. But many people wonder: why do cashback rates vary from one merchant to anot...
Useful Extension: Reveal Priceline Express Deals Hotels
Priceline Express Deals can be a great tool for booking hotels, but when you place an order through Express Deals, you can only see the general area and star rating of the hotel. Y...
Credit Card Tips: Switching Spending Categories
When banks launch a credit card, they often offer not only a generous welcome bonus, but also extra rewards in certain spending categories. For example, Chase Freedom offers 5X poi...
Credit Card Application Reconsideration Phone Numbers
In general, if your online credit card application is not approved instantly—whether it is directly denied, goes pending, or requires additional verification—the first thing you sh...
Which Airline Mileage Programs Should You Focus On?
There are tons of airline mileage programs out there, and every airline has its own program. Learning how each one works can take a lot of time. If you spread your earning across t...