Author: tinsleymaggie

My family and I took an epic trip to Spain last summer, and this stay is one of my favorite examples of why I love points and miles.

We booked an almost $3,000 hotel stay for FREE.

When we walked into our room at the Hyatt Centric in Madrid, the kids’ jaws dropped — and honestly, so did ours. We were upgraded to a spacious suite with two beds, two bathrooms, and a beautiful view of the city. It felt luxurious, comfortable, and like the perfect way to kick off our Spain adventure.

What made it even better? This hotel regularly costs close to $1,000 per night during peak season. Paying cash would have been painful — but we didn’t pay that.

Instead, we transferred our credit card points to Hyatt and booked the room for 42,000 points per night. No cash out of pocket. No complicated tricks. Just knowing how to use points the right way.

This is exactly why I’m so passionate about teaching points and miles. Trips like this feel out of reach for so many families, but with the right starter strategy, they’re completely doable.

If you’re ready to get started, I recommend beginning with my favorite beginner-friendly credit card  — it’s the same type of card that helped make trips like this possible for us.

Hi, I’m Maggie.

I started learning about points and miles because I wanted to travel more — not just once-in-a-lifetime trips, but the kind of travel that becomes part of real life. Trips as a family, weekends away as a couple, adventures with friends, and yes… even the occasional glorious solo trip.

Like a lot of families, travel felt expensive and overwhelming at first. Flights, hotels, logistics — it all adds up quickly. So I dove into points and miles, learned the systems, made some mistakes, figured out what actually works, and slowly started turning everyday spending into meaningful trips.

I’m the one who handles the credit cards, redemptions, and planning so my family can simply enjoy the experience. The photo above is from our last big trip to Spain — a trip that felt huge when we first dreamed about it, but became completely doable with points.

This blog is where I share what I’ve learned along the way, without the jargon or gatekeeping. Here you’ll find:

• 💳 beginner-friendly points and miles tips
• ✈️ travel inspiration you can actually use
• 👶 honest, real-life family travel (the good, the chaotic, and everything in between)

If you’ve ever thought travel like this was out of reach, or you don’t know where to start with points, you’re in the right place. I’m glad you’re here.

Follow along on IG at @getthempoints and get ready to stop dreaming and start traveling!