Everyone in the points and miles game has heard of Chase’s lucrative Ultimate Rewards (UR) program. These UR points can be earned on a variety of Chase proprietary cards and combined to form a large pool of points. These points are highly valued because not only can they be transferred 1:1 to many other programs, but if you have a premium Chase card, you can redeem points for 1.25 cents or 1.5 cents each on travel purchases, depending on which card you have.

Do I really need to spend extra money on rental car insurance coverage? Despite being a very frequent traveler and car renter, I asked myself this question before my trip to Costa Rica. I pride myself in being an expert traveler who knows pretty much everything there is to know about travel, personal finance, credit, and loyalty programs. However, on this occasion, I had found myself scouring the internet and reaching out to friends and co-workers to understand the rules in Costa Rica.