Perk for families: Companion tickets

The most challenging part of traveling as a family is collecting enough points/miles to get the plane tickets. It's a lot of miles and points. To get my whole family to Peru last summer, we spent 225,000 American miles and then for domestic flights we spent 90,000 Avios.
That's a lot of work.
But there are a few credit cards that offer companion tickets which might help depending on where you are planning to travel.
I'll list them here in no particular order.

Delta Platinum American Express - in your renewal month, Delta will give you a certificate good for a domestic companion ticket within the 48 contiguous United States. The fine print says "Seats are only available in L,U,T,X,V classes of service and may not be available on all flights or markets. " The annual fee on this card is $195. But you also get a $100 statement credit for any Delta purchase. 

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card - Won't give you a free companion pass, but it will give you a $99 companion flight ticket upon approval of the card and again every year on your anniversary. If you look at the fine print, the voucher is good for $99 fare plus $22 in taxes so you would actually pay $121. The annual fee is $95, but it could be worth it if you live in or near a hub. Or maybe you are planning to take the family to Hawaii. $99 flight to Hawaii isn't free, but it's almost free. 

Southwest Airlines Companion Pass - This is the best deal out there. For the first time, you can earn it easily by opening 2 Chase Southwest credit cards. You may have to google 50,000 offer to reach a live link. Each card comes with a bonus of 50,000 miles, add in the minimum spend of $3,000 and you have already collected 106,000 Southwest miles. Charge another $4,000 and you have earned the companion pass. Southwest awards anyone who earns 110,000 Southwest miles in a calendar year, the pass. This allows you to bring a companion along free on any flight for the rest of the calendar year and the next one too. So if you earn this pass in January, you will have it for the next 2 years.
If you already have the Chase Southwest Credit Cards or you are not eligible for them, it is harder. However, you can collect Marriott points and then cash in for a Marriott vacation package. This deals ends March 31st 2017.  See my previous blog post on how to do this. The Southwest credit cards have an annual fee of $69 or $99, but Southwest awards you with 3,000 or 6,000 bonus miles on your anniversary.

If you know of any other cards that offer companion tickets, let me know.