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In Pursuit of Points, Richmond, VA (2026)

07/27/2026

Just for fun! 😜

But seriously, my husband and I loved our two-night stay at the Alila Napa Valley. From the gorgeous pool, to the private balcony with a fire pit, to the luxurious all-marble bathroom with a Toto toilet, this Hyatt property is a show stopper!

It’s located in the charming town of St. Helena and is an easy walk to the downtown restaurants, shops, and art galleries. You can take your pick from the many wineries that are just a short bike or car ride away! 🍷

Instead of paying the insane cash rate of $1,300 per night, we used 40,000 Hyatt points per night for a totally FREE stay.

We accumulated these points by opening credit cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards and using them for our normal expenses. When we were ready to book the hotel, we simply transferred our Chase points to my Hyatt loyalty account! 👏

Would you like to earn more Chase points for a luxury getaway? You’re in luck!

My #1 recommended card, Chase Sapphire Preferred, has an increased welcome offer of 100,000 points after spending $5,000 in 3 months. But don’t delay! This offer ends on Thursday, July 30 at 9:00 a.m. ET!

Comment “CSP” below and I’ll send you the link to apply!👇

07/25/2026

WHYYYY would I pay $895 per year for a credit card I hardly use??? 😳

Let’s back up for a minute.

I like think of my credit cards as belonging to one of three categories:

✨Daily use cards. These are credit cards that I carry in my wallet and use regularly because they have high multipliers on daily spending categories, like groceries, gas, and dining out. They are my default cards when I am not working on meeting a minimum spend.

✨Sign up bonus cards. These are credit cards I open for the sign up bonus, but stop using after I meet the minimum spend. I’ll usually cancel or downgrade these after the first year.

✨Benefits cards. These are credit cards I keep open because the value of the benefits and credits that come with the card outweigh the annual fee. But…I don’t actually use these cards all that often!

The American Express Platinum card falls into the last category. While I do use it to pay for flights (5x points per dollar) and to use the various credits (Fine Hotels & Resorts, Resy dining, Lululemon, Hulu/Disney+, Walmart+, etc.), it doesn’t see the light of day otherwise!

I know it looks cool, but the Amex Platinum only gets 1x point per dollar on the vast majority of purchases, so it’s a pretty awful choice for everyday use.

Need help figuring out which card to add to your wallet next? 💳

Comment “PLATINUM” to get started with a free credit card consultation!👇

07/23/2026

What on earth is a mattress run?? 🏨

I’m so glad you asked! A mattress run is when you book a hotel stay that you wouldn’t otherwise book for the purpose of earning points and/or qualifying nights toward status with the hotel loyalty program.

It’s especially common at the end of the year, when business travelers and road warriors are getting set to lock in their status for the following year.

Last summer, I did something a little different. Hyatt had two promotions running simultaneously. For one, we could earn 8,000 bonus points after staying eight nights at a Hyatt House or Hyatt Place before 9/7. For the other, we could earn 10,000 bonus points after staying 10 nights at any Hyatt before 10/6. 🙌

My husband had already stayed six nights for work trips and has a couple more planned for this month, but he would have been two nights short to earn the bonus for either promotion.

Fortunately, he had three Category 1-4 Free Night Awards (“FNAs”) available, and two were set to expire relatively soon. 🤔

We used two of the FNAs to book a local Hyatt House, allowing us to earn 18,000 bonus points from the promotions that we otherwise wouldn’t have earned!

And yep, we brought an empty suitcase to check in so we looked legit! 🤣

Have you ever done a mattress run? Let me know your craziest story in the comments!

05/05/2026

What on earth is a mattress run?? 🏨

I’m so glad you asked! A mattress run is when you book a hotel stay that you wouldn’t otherwise book for the purpose of earning points and/or qualifying nights toward status with the hotel loyalty program.

It’s especially common at the end of the year, when business travelers and road warriors are getting set to lock in their status for the following year.

In my case, I did something a little different. Hyatt had two promotions running simultaneously. For one, we could earn 8,000 bonus points after staying eight nights at a Hyatt House or Hyatt Place before 9/7. For the other, we could earn 10,000 bonus points after staying 10 nights at any Hyatt before 10/6. 🙌

My husband had already stayed six nights for work trips and has a couple more planned for this month, but he would have been two nights short to earn the bonus for either promotion.

Fortunately, he had three Category 1-4 Free Night Awards (“FNAs”) available, and two were set to expire relatively soon. We had discussed squeezing in another trip this fall, but with our son adjusting to kindergarten and a holiday trip already planned, we didn’t have an immediate use for the FNAs. 🤔

Our solution? We used two of the FNAs to book a local Hyatt House, allowing us to earn 18,000 bonus points from the promotions that we otherwise wouldn’t have earned!

And yep, we brought an empty suitcase to check in so we looked legit! 🤣

Have you ever done a mattress run? Let me know your craziest story in the comments!

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Richmond, VA
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