Points Well Taken

There's a question that Lauren English and Keri Haverland, two Kansas City-area teachers and moms, used to ask themselves every time a dream trip came to mind: how do people actually afford this?

It wasn't for lack of trying. They saved when they could and still found that their teacher salaries couldn't stretch far enough to cover the kind of family travel they wanted to give their kids. Flights, hotels, the logistical cost of moving a whole family across the country or around the world — it added up fast, and the math rarely worked out in their favor.

Then they discovered the world of travel rewards points, and everything changed.

By learning to strategically use credit card points and miles — earned not through extra spending, but through the everyday household purchases they were already making — Lauren and Keri began booking trips they had once filed away as someday dreams. In the years since, they've each accumulated hundreds of thousands of points, traveled throughout the Midwest, across the United States, and internationally, all while carrying no debt, paying no interest, and actually improving their credit scores in the process.

What they found, though, was that the resources available online weren't built with Midwest families in mind. Most travel points communities were oriented around major hub airports and the travelers who have easy access to them. Kansas City families face a different set of logistics, and Lauren and Keri felt that gap acutely.

So they built something to fill it. What started as a small Facebook group for like-minded Kansas City travelers grew quickly into a community of more than 20,000 people across Facebook and Instagram as KC Savvy Travelers — a space where Midwest families swap tips, ask questions, and cheer each other on toward trips they once thought were out of reach.

At the heart of KC Savvy Travelers is a simple belief — the ability to travel and make memories as a family should not be determined by income. Lauren and Keri put their teaching backgrounds to work creating free guides, resources, and content that break the points-and-miles world down into clear, approachable steps. No jargon, no overwhelm — just practical information for real families.

If you find yourself in this boat, too, and want to turn your grocery runs and utility bills into your next vacation, Lauren and Keri have a few places to begin. Here are some tips and tricks they recommended to get started:

Stop using a debit card and use a travel rewards card on your everyday purchases. When you open a travel rewards card, you can earn points and miles to cover the cost of flights, hotel stays, even vacation rentals and cruises. If you are strategic about opening the right cards, you can save thousands of dollars without having to spend anything extra to earn those points! The key to earning is being strategic and opening a card every few months to earn the sign-up bonus (a huge chunk of travel points). When you learn how to turn normal household expenses into steeply discounted travel, it can help you save tons! Not only that, when you pay off your balance each month and open strategically, you can actually increase your credit score! We have several free resources on our website to help you learn more about this.
Keep an eye on your flights even after you purchase them. Many airlines let you easily cancel and rebook flights for a lower price (cash or points) if the price goes down after you book. Be sure to check the airline policy to see if you will get a refund, flight credit, etc. Points bookings usually allow more flexibility, but sometimes you can still get funds back when paying with cash. You can keep an eye on flight prices by checking the airline website every so often, but you can also set up alerts through Google Flights to help with this.
Use shopping portals to earn travel points or cash back. A shopping portal is simply a website you click through before shopping at the same stores you already plan to use. Many of these can be utilized using any credit card — you just have to sign up for an account. Check out our website or social media pages for more information about this!
Book trips with points rather than cash when you can to save even more. A lot of extra hotel fees can be avoided when booking with points. Many times, you don’t have to pay resort fees, taxes, parking costs, etc., when paying with points rather than cash.
Utilize the benefits on your travel rewards cards. Some come with trip and rental car insurance coverage, credits for TSA precheck or Global Entry fees, airport lounge access, as well as credits for Instacart, Doordash, and more.

At the heart of KC Savvy Travelers is a simple belief — the ability to travel and make memories as a family should not be determined by income.

If you want to turn your grocery runs and utility bills into your next vacation, Lauren and Keri have a few places to begin.

For more ways to save on travel, join the KC Savvy Travelers community online: