With June quickly approaching many families are starting to prepare for a summer vacation. In less than a month, many kids will be finishing up the school year and parents will be exercising some well earned vacation days.

At CreditShout, this means helping our readers maximize their travel points to make that trip a little more affordable. One of the most popular destinations for families redeeming their card rewards (or least the one we get the most questions about) is Disney. Every week around this time we get a few emails that look something like this:

Dear CreditShout,

My wife and I are starting to save for a Disney vacation. We aren’t “huge” spenders so probably won’t be relying solely on credit card points to pay for this but they will help! Which cards would you recommend using to help us start saving for the trip?

The good news is that here are plenty of cards with travel rewards programs to choose from. However because there are so many different programs, choosing the right one can be confusing especially when you aren’t a high spender – every point you earn matters!

In this situation, your first thought is to probably sign up for the official “Disney” branded credit card. However with credit cards, a little research usually goes a long way and the most apparent option isn’t always the best option. To demonstrate this, today we are going to compare the Disney Premier Visa with another popular option for those earning credit card rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

You’re cruising along the highway wondering how the driver next to you can text and eat without driving off the road. Next thing you know your engine light comes on and your car sputters. Oh well, time to call your credit card company and use that roadside assistance coverage, right? Hold your horses.

Although many credit cards come with roadside assistance coverage, it may not be all that it appears to be. Does your card offer roadside assistance? What does each program entail? What should you watch out for?

With the US dollar seemingly getting weaker by the minute, you may wonder how anyone can afford to travel abroad these days. Once highly valued by the outside world, the US dollar is now weaker than many other first-world currencies. With this in mind, you’ll probably want to minimize your expenses as much as possible while traveling abroad. Sure, you can find the cheapest flights, use credit card rewards and so on, but what you may not realize is that your bill could be several percent higher if you choose the wrong credit card. This is because of foreign transaction fees, which could add several percent to your tally while abroad.

Let’s take a look at how foreign transaction fees work and some good cards that do not have them.

Foreign transaction fees are simple. A set percentage is charged on purchases that you make abroad. A common rate is 3 percent, but this varies from card to card.

To illustrate how foreign transactions could affect your total travel expenses, suppose that you take a trip to Italy over the summer. Below is an example of the expenses that you may incur and how much extra you would have to pay with a foreign transaction fee of 1, 2 or 3 percent:

Yesterday it was reported that Apple sold in excess of three million 3rd generation iPads in the four days since launch. There is no doubt that this is one of the most sought after gadgets ever.

If you’re looking to upgrade or are buying an iPad for the first time don’t overlook the thousands of credit card points you may have accumulated over the years! Many people are surprised to find out they can get redeem their points for the latest Apple gadgets. However not all rewards programs were created equal and today we are going to compare the various programs.

We’ll assume that you are looking for the 16GB with Wi-Fi and 4G version of the new iPad, which is listed at $629 at the Apple Store. Most credit card points are valued at $0.01 so we will use that number for our comparison as well.

Let’s take a look at how many points you’ll have to use with each issuer to get the a 3rd generation iPad (when they become available through the respective programs).

Do you feed your family and your vehicle with Kroger food and gasoline? If so, let’s hope that you put food on the table and gasoline in the vehicle, as any other combination could cause a problem. Also, you can get points for doing so, which is probably why you are here.

To earn points at Kroger, you’ll need a Kroger Plus card. This is just like any other grocery store credit card out there. You’ll have to fill out an application and they’ll give you a card on the spot. Sounds easy, huh?

When using your Kroger Plus card, you’ll earn 1 point per dollar spent on items in Kroger stores. It is important to note that only in store items qualify for points, as fuel purchases do not earn points.

You’ll earn 2 points per dollar spent on gift cards. You may want to look into buying gift cards and then buying groceries with those gift cards, as you’d earn more points by doing that. It would be humorous to see the look on the cashier’s face as you buy gift cards, go get some groceries and then pay with those gift cards. I don’t have firsthand experience going this route and I‘m not even sure if you can purchase groceries with those gift cards, so exercise caution if and when you try this out.

Finally, you’ll earn 50 points per non-federally funded prescription that you have filled at Kroger. So, if Uncle Sam isn’t footing the bill, you can earn a cool 50 points with each prescription that you fill.

Note: You can earn and use points at the Kroger Family of Stores, which includes Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Fry’s Food Stores, Gerbes, King Soopers, Quality Food Centers (QFC), Smith’s and, you guessed it, Kroger. So, any of those that have fuel stations should work just well for using fuel discounts. You can also get discounts through Shell.

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As of March 3rd, Continental OnePass merged into United MileagePlus. However, all the talk and action regarding the merger between Continental and United really doesn’t require much of you and won’t cause too much of a stir in your financial life.

What will the merger mean for you? Will your rewards be safe? Let’s find out!

Will I Have to Manually Transfer My Account?

Alright, you’re going to have to listen to a robot tell you to select from a bunch of options, wait on the phone forever and talk to an overwhelmed customer service representative to switch over to the MileagePlus plan, right? Maybe you’ll have to fill out a load of paperwork, too, while walking backwards across a tightrope. This is going to be a hassle, isn’t it? Not exactly.

As of March 3rd, you’ll automatically be enrolled in United MileagePlus. Your OnePass account number will become your MileagePlus account number.

If you are a loyal member of the Starwood Preferred Guest program, your benefits will be better in 2012 than ever before. The company has announced major additions to the program. The changes will take effect on March 1.

According to the company, 2 percent of their guests are responsible for 30 percent of their profits. As a result, Starwood has chosen to focus mainly on their most loyal customers – which includes you if you have spent (or will spend) at least 50 nights at Starwood locations.

So, what enhanced benefits can you expect as of March? Let’s find out!

The Internet has revolutionized just about every aspect of modern life. Fortunately, the credit card industry has adapted to this fact of life and many related online shopping portals have sprung up. Users of such portals often qualify for enhanced rewards, typically in the form of higher points, miles or cash back than is offered through traditional shopping outlets.

So, without further ado, let’s compare two of these online shopping portals. We’ll take a look at the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall and ShopDiscover. Each offers unique benefits to Chase or Discover customers, respectively. Which is better? Let’s take a look.

Of course, a major piece of the rewards pie is the value of the rewards.

In this regard, ShopDiscover offers a greater benefit than Chase Ultimate Rewards. When using ShopDiscover, customers earn from 5 to 20 percent back on their purchases through over 200 retailers.

On the other hand, Chase customers can earn from 1 to 10 points per dollar spent on each item in the Ultimate Rewards Mall. These points can be exchanged for cash back, just as ShopDiscover customers earn cash back. However, as each point is worth one cent, this effectively amounts to a savings of 1 to 10 percent on purchase, which is less than Discover’s mentioned offer.

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If you are in the market for a rewards credit card, you’ve probably heard of the Capital One Venture Rewards Card and the Chase Sapphire® Preferred Card. Each has plenty of strong benefits to offer. However, as you probably don’t want to overload your wallet with plastic, you probably want to know which is better? Let’s find out!

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card comes with double the amount of bonus points that Capital One offers. With the Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll receive 40,000 bonus points if you spend at least $3,000 within the first three months. With Capital One’s offer, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus miles after spending at least $1,000 within the first three months.

Basically, if you intend to spend at least $3,000 over three months – something that most people do – then Chase offers a must better upfront bonus.

If you are a fan of United Airlines (which recently merged with Continental), United miles are an excellent tool to save money on future flights. Each mile is worth one cent toward a future flight, so the more the better.

There are a few credit cards that offer a large upfront bonus of United miles. Let’s take a look at some cards that you can use to build up United / Continental miles quickly.

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Very Good

The 10,000 bonus miles offer is good each year, so you can get up to 10,000 bonus miles in the following years. That’s worth $100 toward a United flight, which certainly can’t hurt these days.

Each purchase from United or Continental with this card qualifies for two points per dollar spent. All others earn one point per dollar spent.