The holidays are one of the easiest times of the year to earn cash back, the kind that lowers your bill, pays for groceries, or helps cover last-minute gifts. And honestly, that’s sometimes more helpful than saving for a future trip.

My life is busy and my brain is usually really full, so I was looking for an alternative to save money and make my life easier.

Which is when I discovered just how helpful Capital One Shopping can be.

It doesn’t ask me to suddenly become organized, which would be a struggle! It doesn’t require planning or spreadsheets. It just quietly helps me spend less in the background while I live my life.

Rakuten isn’t some gimmick. It’s just one of those boring-simple tools that quietly saves you money while you live your life.

I fell into using travel portals kind of by accident. Prices were high, award seats were gone, and the travel portal had exactly what I needed for a better price and bookable with points. One click. Done.

If you’re like me, you probably shop online constantly, from groceries and school clothes to that last-minute birthday gift. I used to click “buy” without a second thought until I realized how many points I was leaving behind.

Up until now, Bilt points have been notoriously hard to earn; you could basically do it through rent and one card. Within a week, Bilt announced two big shifts: you can earn through Rakuten right now, and starting in February, you’ll be able to earn on your mortgage too.

*Advertiser Disclosure: The Rewards Mom has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Rewards Mom and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.* I’ve never loved paying cash for flights, and that’s a huge reason I dove headfirst into points and miles. But even with a good stash of rewards, […]

Cruises don’t usually pop up in the same way flights and hotels do when you’re looking for award travel. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use points—or cashback—to make one way more affordable.

My first minimum spend was like $3,000, and thinking I had to spend that amount kind of freaked me out. But here’s the secret, if you track your spending, you will find you probably spend that much anyway.

This is the behind-the-scenes of how I track our points, stay on top of payments, and plan trips without losing my mind.