Showing posts sorted by date for query freedom. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query freedom. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Monday, December 16, 2024

Chase 1st Quarter 2025 5x Bonus Categories

 


Woohoo! Chase has announced the 5x bonus categories for the FREEDOM (not available to new customers) and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards for Q1 2025. 

The bonus categories rotate quarterly and offer 5x Chase points up to $1,500. It's an easy way to accelerate your earning power. I max out these bonus offers on both of my FREEDOM credit cards every quarter. 


Past categories have included Paypal, Amazon, Lowe's Walmart, pet services and more. 


For Q1 2025, the categories are:
  • Self Care, Nail and Hair Salon and Spa 
  • Grocery Stores - excluding Walmart and Target
  • Fitness and Gyms 
  • Norwegian Cruise Lines 

Besides the bonus categories, the Chase FREEDOM FLEX comes with a $200 bonus offer for a $500 minimum spend. This is a $0 annual fee credit card so it's a great everyday card to add to your wallet. 

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Holiday Shopping? The Magic of "Stacking" Rewards

 


Are you leaving free travel points on the table every time you shop online? Let me introduce you to a game-changing strategy that'll have you earning rewards like a pro!

What is a Shopping Marketplace?

Think of an online shopping marketplace like a digital mall that rewards you for shopping through their platform. Instead of going directly to a retailer's website, you can earn bonus points by taking a quick detour through these clever portals.

The Magic of "Stacking" Rewards

Here's where it gets exciting: you can potentially earn multiple layers of rewards on a single purchase. Imagine turning your everyday shopping into a ticket for your next vacation!

How It Works:

  1. Check Cashback Options: Before buying anything, visit cashbackmonitor.com
  2. Compare Marketplace Rewards: See which portal offers the most points. Most airlines, hotels and banks have portals, but the number of points you can earn varies. 
  3. Click Through the Marketplace: Log in and access the retailer's site
  4. Use Your Rewards Credit Card: Double or even triple your point earnings!

Real-World Example: Walmart Shopping


Let's break down a typical scenario:

  • You want to make a purchase on Walmart.com 
  • Check cashbackmonitor.com
  • Chase Freedom Marketplace offers 4x points
  • Your credit card adds 1-2x points
  • Total: Up to 5x points on a single purchase!

Pro Tip: Your Free Vacation Starts Here

By strategically routing your online purchases, you're not just shopping—you're building a travel fund. Every click could be bringing you closer to your dream destination.

So before you hit that "buy" button, take a moment to maximize those rewards. Your future self (lounging on a beach) will thank you! 🌴✈️💳

If you need more help, feel free to schedule a 1:1 coaching session with me or enroll in my travel coaching program. Both are super affordable and will help you be successful in traveling for almost FREE. 



Thursday, November 14, 2024

Guide To Getting Your First Credit Card

Watching the Northern Lights from inside an igloo in Lapland, Finland

For the second time in a week, a young person in their 20's has asked me how to get started using points and miles. When I ask them what credit cards they have, they look at me with a blank look. "I use my debit card." 

Guide To Getting Your First Credit Card 

So let's take a step back and talk about how to dump the debit card, build a credit score and responsibly use a credit card. This is the first step towards using points and miles to travel. 

I have published a guide to getting started with 5 easy steps and one bonus tip so here you go:

  1. Become An Authorized User - Ask your parents, partner, sibling or other trusted person if you can be an authorized user on their credit card. If they have a Capital One Venture X card, even better, because it’s FREE to add you and you get Capital One and Priority Airport Lounge access. But being an authorized user on any card will help you build a credit score. If you can't be an authorized user though, it's okay, just go on to step 2. 
  2. Open Your First Credit Card - I recommend walking into the bank where you have your checking account to open your first travel credit card. If you do not have a checking account yet, then walk into the bank where your parents have their accounts. Open a checking account and apply for your first travel credit card.
  3. Your First Credit Card - The first credit card should have NO annual fee. You will keep this credit card forever to boost your credit score. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Chase, Bank of America or Wells Fargo credit card. I recommend the Chase FREEDOM Flex, Unlimited or Rise no annual fee credit cards or the Bank of America Travel Rewards no annual fee credit card.
  4. Set Up Auto Pay - The most important thing to remember is to pay your credit card balance in full every month. Credit cards charge crazy 25% interest on outstanding balances and you want no part of that. The easiest thing to do is to set up auto pay so you don’t forget.
  5. Reach The Minimum Spend - Mark the date on your calendar that you opened the card and then mark a second date 90 days later. This is the date when you need to reach the minimum spend on the credit card to earn bonus points or cash.
  6. Bonus tip: You will need to continue to use your new credit card and pay the bill on time every month for approximately one year. At that point, you should have a healthy credit score and be able to open your next card.
If you need more help, feel free to schedule a 1:1 coaching session with me or enroll in my travel coaching program. Both are super affordable and will help you be successful in traveling for almost FREE. 

Thursday, October 17, 2024

🌟 Brand Loyalty: Friend or Foe?

 



We've all been there – falling head over heels for a particular travel brand. Maybe you're always flying with United, or you can't resist a Marriott stay. But is this unwavering loyalty serving you well? Let's break it down and see how flexible points can be a game-changer for family travel.

✈️ Flight Comparison: LAX to Tokyo

Imagine you're planning a family trip to Japan. As a United loyalist, you check their rates first:

  • United Airlines: 110,000 miles round trip
  • American Airlines: 70,000 miles round trip


That's a whopping 40,000-mile difference per person! For a family of five, that's a 200,000-mile saving. Talk about a loyalty tax!



🏨 Hotel Showdown in Tokyo

Now, let's look at accommodation options:

  • Hyatt Regency Tokyo: 15,000 Hyatt points per night
  • Moxy Tokyo (Marriott): 33,000 points per night (with 5th night free)

Both are great options, but what if you're locked into one brand? You might miss out on the best deal for your family.






💳 The Power of Flexible Points

This is where flexible points shine! With programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards, AMEX Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, or Citi ThankYou Points, you can:

  • Shop around for the best deals
  • Transfer points to various airlines and hotels
  • Use travel portals for bookings
  • Erase travel purchases with points

Flexible points give you the freedom to choose the best value for your family's needs.

🌟 Brand Loyalty: Friend or Foe?

Right now, I am recommending two credit cards for most of my clients:

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred - 60,000 bonus points plus $300 travel credit for a $4,000 minimum spend and a $95 annual fee. This card also comes with a $50 hotel credit  You can only hold ONE Sapphire credit card and you are only eligible for the bonus every 48 months. 

2.  Chase Ink Business Unlimited - $900 cash (it's really 90,000 points), $0 annual fee, $6,000 minimum spend. Be sure to apply for the Business Unlimited.  Popup will redirect you to the offer. 

If you would like help planning your next adventure or using points and miles to take a bucket list vacation, check out our website for travel advising and our new Travel Coaching Program. We would love to help you and your family make memories! 

#FlexiblePoints #FamilyTravel #TravelHacks #PointsAndMiles #AlmostFreeTravel


Monday, September 16, 2024

Maximize Your Rewards: Chase 5X Bonus Categories for Q4 2024

 


Are you looking to boost your credit card rewards? One of the most effective ways to earn 5X points from Chase is by taking advantage of the rotating bonus categories offered by the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom cards. Each quarter, Chase selects four purchase categories that earn 5X points instead of the standard 1X or 1.5X points.

Historical Bonus Categories

In previous quarters, Chase has featured categories such as:

  • Amazon purchases
  • Warehouse club stores
  • Gas stations
  • EV charging stations

Q4 2024 Bonus Categories Revealed

Chase has just announced the exciting bonus categories for the fourth quarter of 2024:

  1. McDonald's
  2. PayPal
  3. Pet shops and veterinary services
  4. Select charities

Maximizing Your Rewards

While dining at McDonald's frequently might not yield significant points, the other categories present excellent opportunities to boost your rewards:

  • Pet Expenses: With many people investing heavily in their furry friends, pet shops and vet services could lead to substantial bonus points.
  • Charitable Giving: The fourth quarter aligns perfectly with end-of-year donations, making the charity category particularly valuable.
  • PayPal Purchases: This category is a true winner! Use PayPal for most of your online shopping, especially holiday gifts, and watch your bonus points stack up.

Important Reminders

  1. Activation Required: Don't forget to activate your credit card by December 14th. You can do this by clicking here or logging into your online account.
  2. Earning Cap: There's a maximum of $1,500 in combined purchases across these categories that are eligible for 5X points.

Start planning your Q4 spending strategy now to make the most of these lucrative bonus categories!

If you don't have a Chase FREEDOM FLEX card yet, it might be a good addition to your wallet. It's a no annual fee card with a small bonus offer of just $150 for a $500 spend. 

But just a reminder, we never want to apply for the cards without a plan, join my Travel Coaching Program so we can design a custom plan for you to reach your travel goals. 














Friday, June 21, 2024

How You Can Earn 5x Chase Points This Quarter

 



One of the easiest ways to earn 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points is to activate the bonus categories on your Chase FREEDOM (no longer available) and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards. These cards are great no annual fee cards to have in your wallet. You can read here why I LOVE Chase Ultimate Reward points.  

Past 5x bonus categories have included Amazon, hotels and restaurants. 
This quarter the categories are gas stations (good for summer road trips), EV charging, select live entertainment and movie theatres. 


You can only get the bonus on $1,500 spent in all categories total, but that's a lot of bonus points! You must activate your card by September 14th. Purchases are retroactive, but it's better to activate before the bonus begins on July 1st. 

If you don't have the CHASE FREEDOM FLEX credit card yet, it's a good first card for your student or a good everyday card for you. You earn a $200 bonus on the first $500 that you spend. There's no annual fee and you earn 3x points on dining and drugstores. 

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Hot Tips: Maximizing Points and Miles to Slash College Costs


It's that time of the year, time to visit college campuses. If you are like me, you may be visiting campuses all over the country. This trek can cost thousands of dollars if you pay for hotels, flights, food and the car rental. Or you can save thousands by using points and miles. And since college tuition is closing in on $100,000, every penny saved is worth it. 

I just returned from a two week mega college campus visit and I'm going to break it down so you can see how I used points and miles to save. 



We started by flying Southwest Airlines exclusively because I earned the companion pass last year. This alone can make a huge difference. The Southwest Companion Pass is the best value around. BOGO for any flight, anytime for up to two years on Southwest Airlines. You can read about how I earned the pass here. 

My daughter and I flew from San Diego to New York to Nashville to Providence, Rhode Island and back to San Diego. Four flights paid for with Southwest points and my daughter aka my companion flew for FREE. The value on the flights alone was approximately $1,200. 



Now, let's talk about hotels. This was the Wyndham hotel we stayed at in Vermont. It was probably the nicest Wyndham I have ever seen. Two nights, one night I actually paid for because I wanted to earn a few more Wyndham points for my next trip. The second night was FREE with my Capital One travel credit. Here's the breakdown of where we stayed for the rest of the trip and how we paid for the hotels each night. 

  • 3 nights in New York - We stayed at a Marriott Residence Inn with an expiring FREE hotel night certificate and 40,000 Bonvoy points
  • 2 nights in Vermont - paid for one night at the Wyndham, used the Capital One travel credit for the second night.  
  • 2 nights in Nashville - 24,000 points transferred from Chase to stay at the Hyatt House for two nights
  • 1 night in Boston - stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites with a Hilton FREE night certificate 
  • 1 night in Connecticut - used 23,000 IHG points to stay at a Holiday Inn Express
  • 1 night in Washington DC - Holiday Inn Express booked through the Chase Travel Portal with 13,000 Chase points
  • 1 night in Pittsburgh - 12,000 points transferred from Chase to Hyatt to stay at the Hyatt House 

10 nights in hotels cost me $170. The savings are approximately $1,800. And guess what, all the hotels included FREE breakfast. Another savings of approximately $200. 


We visited one Priority Pass lounge during our trip at the Pittsburgh Airport and ate at two restaurants included in the Priority Pass; The American Tap Room at Reagan National Airport in Washington DC and Providence Provisions at the Providence Theodore Francis Green Airport. Unfortunately, restaurants will be dropped from the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card in July 2024. 
These visits saved us another $100 in meals. 


The car rental was $700 for the two weeks. I paid for it with the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card so I earned 3x points and got great car rental insurance. If you had a lot of Capital One points, you could have paid for the car rental with that card and erased it. 
I paid for the gas with my Capital One Venture X card for 2x points. I paid for meals with my Chase FREEDOM Flex card which gets 5x points on restaurants this quarter due to the rotating bonus categories. 
We took a few Lyft here and there which I paid for with my Chase Sapphire Reserve for 10x points. 
So in summary, this trip could have cost approximately $5,000. 
  • $1,200 for flights 
  • $1,800 for hotels 
  • $500 for meals 
  • $700 for the car rental 
  • $200 for gas 
  • $100 for Lyft 
But with points and miles, this trip cost $1,200 and I earned thousand of points and miles to use on my next adventure. 

If you would like support with your own points and miles planning, join my travel coaching program. It's affordable and you get one on one support, a customized tracker, live group coaching forever and my points and miles video course. 















Friday, March 15, 2024

How You Can Earn 5x Chase Points on Amazon

 


Chase just announced the 5x points bonus categories for Q2. These rotating bonus categories are available with the Chase FREEDOM (not available) and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards. 
They are bringing back the popular Amazon, Hotels and Restaurants. Woohoo! 
Besides the Paypal category, Amazon is my fave. There are not many ways to get bonus points on Amazon purchases so the 5x points is huge! You can read here about why I love Chase Ultimate Reward points. 




Tuesday, February 27, 2024

A Secret Gateway To Affordable Globetrotting – Language School!


This past summer, I tried something different in my travel journey....attending a language school. Yep, call it a short study abroad program at the Isla Spanish Language school in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Language Schools are a great way to deep dive into the culture and community of a country and they are super affordable. This was my second time attending one and I have already enrolled in a third.

 


Why San Juan? Well, the flight from the East Coast is short and cheap. Plus Puerto Rico intrigues me. It's a US territory, but its neighboring islands are independent countries. How did that happen? What is it like to be in a place that straddles both the US and the Caribbean? A place that is part of the US, but labeled a territory and not a state? Puerto Rico also has a huge problem with stray animals so I thought I might be able to lend a hand. You can read about that here. 

A Secret Gateway To Affordable Globetrotting – Language School!

San Juan is a US territory so you do not need a passport to visit just a drivers license to fly. Puerto Riquenos have US passports and are US Citizens, but residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote for the President of the United States and they have no representation in Congress. 

Isla Spanish Language School is located in the financial district of San Juan away from the tourist areas. The school conducts a placement interview before your arrival so they can put you in the appropriate class, beginner to advanced. The students were of all ages and included professionals, Spanish teachers, second generation Puerto Riquenos and ex pats. 

A Secret Gateway To Affordable Globetrotting – Language School!

At most schools, classes run 9am-12pm Monday through Friday with additional private classes offered in the afternoon. And the schools offer FREE cultural activities several times during the week. Cultural activities include dancing or cooking classes or excursions to a local site or art museum. 


Besides the classes, the schools offer a variety of affordable accommodations for approximately $330 per week including meals and laundry. There is a discount if you enroll for multiple weeks. You can choose from homestay with a local family, a dorm or private apartment. I opted to stay with a local family and it was lovely. Nayza is a widow and has been housing students for years creating an income stream for her. 


I had my own room with air conditioning and a shared bathroom. Nayza's home was within walking distance of the school. I had access to the kitchen and refrigerator, but not the stove. 

Reflecting on the experience, my language ability increased dramatically, but even more importantly, I felt like a local in San Juan and welcomed into the community. More like a traveler than a tourist. 

A Secret Gateway To Affordable Globetrotting – Language School!

Of course, we can make this experience even more affordable by using points and miles for the flights. Most language schools will not code as a travel so you cannot "erase" the purchase, however, I paid for the school with Paypal during the 5x bonus category with my Chase FREEDOM FLEX so at least I used the purchase to earn lots of points towards future travel. 

And while in San Juan, I booked tours of the rainforest, kayak in the biobay and snorkeled with the turtles and was able to "erase" all of these tours with points. 

If you would like help planning your next travel journey with points and miles, consider joining my travel coaching program. I would love to help you! 










Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Unlocking the #1 Hyatt Points Sweet Spot

 


You already know how much I love flexible points like Chase Ultimate Reward points and Capital One points. You can use them in the portal, transfer them to dozens of airlines and hotel chains or just use them for a statement credit. 
One of the sweet spots is transferring Chase Ultimate Reward points to Hyatt. I wrote about an awesome redemption in Chicago last year, but here we go again. 


I was looking at Hyatt Place in Raleigh Durham and found one for just 5,000 points per night. Check out the cash price of $280 per night. Can you believe it? I couldn't. Now I didn't have any Hyatt points, but I had Chase Ultimate Reward points. 

Unlocking the #1 Hyatt Points Sweet Spot

So I transferred 20,000 CUR points to Hyatt. The transfer happened almost instantly. And then I could book four nights in the hotel at 5,000 points per night. 20,000 points = $1,140. Amazing! Remember, once you transfer the points, you cannot transfer them back to Chase, but you can cancel the reservation and the points will be returned to your account, in this case, to my Hyatt account. 


There are quite a few ways to earn CUR points, but the easiest is to open a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve credit card. The Chase FREEDOM UNLIMITED OR FLEX are no annual fee cards that are great to pair with the Sapphire cards. 

If this interests you, but seems confusing, let me help you. Enroll in my travel coaching program. We will explore your travel goals, review your credit cards and make a plan. Then you can join our monthly live coaching sessions for more support. 



Friday, February 2, 2024

Unveiling the Chase Ultimate Rewards: Why 23,363 Points in 2023 are Worth Celebrating

 


I love when I see my rewards summary in my inbox. Now you may look at this Chase Ultimate Rewards summary and say, wait, you only earned 23,363 points in 2023. But let me explain. 


What does that mean? FREE money! Woohoo! 


Unveiling the Chase Ultimate Rewards: Why 23,363 Points in 2023 are Worth Celebrating

I earned those 23,363 points on purchases that I was going to make anyway like gas, groceries, Amazon, Paypal etc. 
But I intentionally used this credit card when Chase offered 5x points on those types of purchases. 
Chase rotates the categories every quarter. This quarter the categories are groceries and gyms. You can activate the offer in your Chase.com account.





Unveiling the Chase Ultimate Rewards: Why 23,363 Points in 2023 are Worth Celebrating

The reason is that when you spend the points from your Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve account, you get 1.25% or 1.5% more when you book travel through the Chase Travel Portal and you can transfer the points to a dozen different airlines and three hotel chains. You can click here to find out how we use Chase points to book insanely cheap nights at Hyatt. 



 

Unveiling the Chase Ultimate Rewards: Why 23,363 Points in 2023 are Worth Celebrating

If you don't have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve credit card, you can read about these cards here. They are the key to our success, we love the flexibility of the Chase Ultimate Rewards points for almost FREE travel. 

Again, if you decide to add any of these card to your strategy, please use our referral links and if you would like support with your travel goals, join our Travel Coaching Program. 

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Are you getting 5x Chase Ultimate Reward points right now?

 



One of the easiest ways to earn 5x Chase Ultimate Reward points is to activate the rotating categories on the no annual fee FREEDOM Flex credit card. 
The categories rotate every quarter and are announced a few weeks before the quarter begins. 
For Q1 2024, the categories are groceries, gym memberships and self care, spa. 


You just need to activate the bonus categories and then you will automatically get 5x points. You are limited to $1,500 per quarter. Past categories have included gas stations, Amazon, and Paypal. 


The FREEDOM Flex is a no annual fee credit card that offers a $200 or 20,000 point bonus for a $500 minimum spend. 
If you decide to apply for this card, please use my referral link. 





Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Empowering Your Teen to Build Credit for a Brighter Future!

 


If you have teens, you need to listen up! In the past few weeks, I have heard from lots of you asking about your teens and building credit. I have created a simple formula and it has worked well for my three children. Not only to build credit, but also to create good financial literacy skills that will last a lifetime. That's not to say there isn't another way to do this, but I found this one successful. 

Let's start with the why. Why should your child build credit?

Empowering Your Teen to Build Credit for a Brighter Future!

The short answer is that unfortunately most big purchases are based on your credit history. So if your teen has no credit history, it will be tough for them to buy a car or house when the time comes.  

So how does a teen build credit? These are the steps that I took for all three of my children and it has worked well for them. 

1. 12-years-old - add teen as an authorized user on one of your credit cards.  
2. 16-years-old - teen opens their OWN checking account with a debit card 
3. 18-years-old - teen opens their OWN credit card. Some good credit cards that will approve your teen include Bank of America student travel or cash card, Chase FREEDOM Unlimited or Flex, Capital One Savor One Student Cash Rewards. Avoid the Discover card since it is only accepted on a limited basis outside the United States. The Chase FREEDOM Unlimited or Flex are my #1 choice since they offer a $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first three months and they have no annual fee. I also LOVE Chase Ultimate Rewards points so this would be a card your teen can keep forever. 
4. 20-years-old - teen opens their OWN Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. This card carries a $95 annual fee, but will make the teen's Ultimate Rewards worth more. Currently, it has a 60,000 point bonus which could pay for your teen's trip to Europe or Spring Break! And a $50 hotel credit! You may have to help your teen reach the minimum spend, but it's worth it. 

Empowering Your Teen to Build Credit for a Brighter Future!

After you follow these steps, your teen should have a credit score of approximately 800. Pretty good! 

Remember, you must pay off the balance on these cards every month! The best way to do it is to put the card on autopay immediately. 


Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Ultimate Guide to Maximizing Miles Through Shopping Portals!

 


The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are already popping up! So if you have your eye on something, now might be the best time to press that purchase button to get the best deal. 
But be sure that you are getting the most points and miles for each purchase. 
Not only can you get the points for the purchase, but you can also get bonus points. 
We have put together the ultimate guide to maximizing miles through shopping portals to help you get that next trip for free. 
You can think of a shopping portal like a marketplace. All of the retailers are listed on one website and when you access the retailer through the marketplace, you are rewarded with extra points or miles. These are IN ADDITION to the points you get for the purchase. We call this "stacking"


1. Before you buy anything, check cashbackmonitor.com. This website lists every retail store and which portals it is listed on so you can choose the best option for you. You click through to the portal from cashbackmonitor.com


Depending on your strategy, you may pick one portal over another. 

  • if you need to top off an account
  • you have points that are expiring and you need some activity
  • you are trying to earn enough points for a specific trip 

There are a lot of reasons to pick one portal over another. 
My go-to portal is the Chase Ultimate Rewards since I can transfer those points to dozens of different airlines, hotels, use them in the travel center or pay myself back. Points earned in the Southwest shopping portal count towards the Companion Pass. 
Sometimes the portals will offer bonus points too so if I saw a great bonus offer in another portal, I would head there. 
You can click on the portal out of cashback monitor and log in from there. Some of the portals require a separate login from your regular airline mile account. 
Then make your purchase just like you would normally. The portal will track your purchase and a few days later you will get an email letting you know that your purchase is being tracked. 


Now one more thing before you push the button to make that purchase and after you click through to a shopping portal, be sure you use the right credit card. If you have a Chase FREEDOM FLEX card, then check your bonus categories. If the store you are making a purchase from is listed, then use that credit card to get the bonus on top of the portal bonus. For example, Q4 2023 bonus categories include Paypal. Can you use Paypal to pay for this purchase? Many retailers offer the option, then do it and collect 5x bonus points on top of the portal points. 

If not, is the retailer an office supply store? If so, use your Chase Ink credit card to earn 5x points and so on. Amazing and happy shopping!