How to make sure you get the Southwest seat you want

How to make sure you get a seat and overhead bin space

With Southwest’s new seating structure rolling out, getting an assigned seat—and space for your carry-on—takes a little planning. Here’s how to stack the odds in your favor 👇

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1️⃣ Hold a Southwest credit card

Southwest credit cards now come with different seating perks, so it’s worth choosing the one that fits how (and how often) you fly.

• Plus – Select a standard seat within 48 hours of departure
  Annual fee: $99

• Priority – Select a standard or preferred seat within 48 hours of departure
  Annual fee: $149

• Premier – Select a preferred seat at booking
  Annual fee: $229

• Business Premier – Select a standard or preferred seat within 48 hours of departure
  Annual fee: $149

• Business Performance – Complimentary preferred seat at booking
  Annual fee: $299

💳 Current offers:

• Personal cards: 50,000 bonus points after $1,000 minimum spend

• Business cards: 60,000 points with $3,000 spend or 80,000 points with $5,000 spend

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2️⃣ Book with points and choose the right fare

If you’re booking with points (as you should 😄), your fare class determines what kind of seat you’ll get.

• Basic – Standard seat assigned at check-in

• Choice – Standard seat included

• Choice Preferred – Preferred seat included

• Choice Extra – Extra-legroom seat included 🦵✨

The higher the fare, the earlier your seat is locked in—and the better your chances of snagging overhead bin space.

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Saying goodbye to Southwest boarding positions 

3️⃣ Use A-List status if you have it

A-List status still matters, especially for seat upgrades.

• A-List – Can move to extra-legroom seats within 48 hours of departure

• A-List Preferred – Can choose extra-legroom seats at booking

🎒 Bonus perks:

• A-List members and Southwest credit card holders get a FREE checked bag

• Boarding order matters:

  • A-List boards in Group 2

  • Credit card holders board in Group 5

  • Basic fare flyers board last

Right now, passengers in extra-legroom seats are also getting extra snacks and complimentary premium drinks 🍹🍿

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One last thing about carry-ons

We’re hearing consistent reports that overhead bin space is tight. Hopefully this smooths out as the new system settles, but until then, earlier seat selection and boarding are your best defense.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Book a 1:1 consulting call, download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process.

Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the coaching program. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 

*For every new client, we will donate 10% of the proceeds to one of our favorite charities. 

New Offer On One Of My Favorite Flexible Point Cards

Capital One just rolled out a surprisingly strong bonus on the reliable Venture Rewards Credit Card, and it’s worth a closer look 💳✨. This has long been one of my favorite “workhorse” cards because it earns 2x points on every purchase, no categories to track. It pairs especially well with cards that only earn 1x on everyday spending, like non-bonus Chase purchases.

One of the biggest advantages of Capital One points is flexibility ✈️🌍. You can transfer them to more than a dozen airline partners, including favorites like Flying Blue (Air France & KLM) and Air Canada Aeroplan which are my favorite ways to get to Europe.

Prefer something simpler? You can also use points to “erase” travel purchases at a 1:1 value, which is an easy and effective option. I don’t recommend using points for a statement credit, though—the value drops to just 0.5 cents per point, which isn’t great.

There’s also a lesser-known Capital One trick I love: you can sometimes use points before the purchase is even paid off 😮🎉. Yes, really—and it’s as satisfying as it sounds.

Current Capital One Venture Bonus Offer

Here’s what’s included with the latest offer:

• 75,000 bonus points after $4,000 in minimum spend 🎁

• $250 Capital One Travel portal credit - read about how to use this credit here 🏨

• $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit 🛂

• $95 annual fee

All in, this is a very solid offer on a card that’s easy to keep long term 👍. If you’re thinking about applying, you can use this link to see if you’re pre-approved—no impact on your credit score to check.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Book a 1:1 consulting call, download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process.

Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the coaching program. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 

*For every new client, we will donate 10% of the proceeds to one of our favorite charities. 

TSA PreCheck Just Got Better!

 

If you have TSA Precheck, security just got even easier! A new Touchless ID option is being offered to those who already have TSA Precheck. With this new option, you don't need to show your ID or boarding pass, security is done with facial recognition. 

There may even be a separate line for those who have opted in. 

So how does it work?

• Enroll: Link your Known Traveler Number (KTN) with a participating airline and opt-in via their app, uploading your passport info. At this point, we are not sure if you have to opt in for each airline or just once. 
• Check-in: Look for the "TSA PreCheck Touchless ID" indicator on your mobile boarding pass
  . The icon will not show up on a printed boarding pass. 
• At the checkpoint: Find the dedicated lane, show your mobile pass, and look into the camera for a facial scan.
• Verification: The system compares your live photo to your passport photo. If it matches, you proceed without showing documents. 

Currently, the program is available in 15 airports and the following airlines Delta, 

United, Alaska, American and Southwest.

According to TSA, the program will expand to 65 airports in 2026. 

Several credit cards offer a Global Entry credit which includes TSA Precheck. 

My favorites are the Capital One Venture X and the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cards.

Both cards are offering bonuses right now. 

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Book a 1:1 consulting call, download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process.

Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the coaching program. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 

*For every new client, we will donate 10% of the proceeds to one of our favorite charities. 

How You Can Use Your Sapphire Reserve Credits For A Vegas Holiday

Since the refresh of the Chase Sapphire Reserve last year, figuring out how to actually use the card’s growing list of credits has been top of mind. With such a high annual fee, you really don’t want those credits expiring unused—but how do you use them without spending a ton of extra cash?

I kept seeing Las Vegas mentioned as an easy win, so I decided to test it myself. My credits were expiring December 31, 2025, which gave me a perfect excuse to plan a quick midweek escape. I started researching what 48 hours in Las Vegas could realistically look like—and whether the math would actually work in my favor.

Below is exactly how I used the credits, and what the weekend ultimately cost. 🎰✈️

Chase Sapphire Reserve Credits (Current Lineup)

The Chase Sapphire Reserve currently includes the following credits:

• $500 Edit Hotel Credit – $250 per two-night stay booked through the Chase Travel portal

• $300 Restaurant Credit – valid through Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Dining

• $300 StubHub Credit – must be activated in your Chase account before purchase; split into two $150 credits (Jan–June and July–Dec)

• $250 Chase Hotel Credit – valid on select hotel brands (Omni, IHG, Montage, Pendry, Virgin, Minor, Pan Pacific) booked through the portal; two-night stay required

• $300 Annual Travel Credit – automatically applied to eligible travel purchases charged to the card

The credits I specifically needed to use before they expired were:

• $150 Dining Credit

• $250 Edit Hotel Credit

• $150 StubHub Credit

Booking the Hotel 🏨

I logged into the Chase Travel portal and found a solid midweek deal at Park MGM: Tuesday–Thursday in mid-January for about $145 per night, plus a $100 property credit. After booking, the $250 Edit Hotel Credit posted the next day. The hotel was well located, room was large and beds were comfy. Added bonus, there is a tram that connects the hotel to the Bellagio saving your feet from more walking. 

Total out-of-pocket for the hotel: $41

Using the StubHub Credit 🎭

Next stop: StubHub. I noticed The Wizard of Oz was playing at the Sphere—seeing a show there was already on my wish list. Midweek 5:00 pm tickets were about $189 per ticket including fees and taxes.

After activating the StubHub credit, I booked the tickets. The $150 credit posted immediately.

Total out-of-pocket for the show: $229

Dining with Chase Exclusive Tables 🍽️

I checked Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables and snagged a reservation at Hell’s Kitchen. Dinner came to $175 including tax and tip, and the dining credit applied seamlessly. And by the way, dinner was delicious. Highly recommend! 

Total out-of-pocket for dinner: $25

Property Credit Meals & Extras 🥢☕

We used the $100 Park MGM property credit for dinner at La La Noodle and breakfast at Primrose Café. The front desk confirmed the credit only covered food—not tax or tip, but was valid at any of the restaurants inside the hotel except Crack Shack. 

We also split a sandwich from Eataly before the show. 

Total out-of-pocket for additional food, tax and tip: $45

Since that used up the property credit, we picked up breakfast at the airport before our flight home in the Capital One Lounge which is a benefit of the Capital One Venture X credit card. Yum! 

Capital One Lounge Las Vegas

Flights & Transportation 🚗

We flew to Las Vegas on Southwest using points and my Companion Pass. I did park my car at the San Diego airport for $36.

We skipped renting a car in Las Vegas and used Lyft instead. I applied the $10 monthly Chase Sapphire Reserve Lyft credit for the airport ride, and paid for the return trip.

Total out-of-pocket for parking and rides: $51
(If I still had my $300 travel credit available, this would have been fully covered.)

Beautiful light and fountain show in front of the Bellagio Hotel

Final Tally 💸

Was this a completely free Las Vegas trip? No—not technically. But for 48 hours in Vegas, a hotel stay, a Sphere show, multiple restaurant meals, and flights on points, we spent about $250 out of pocket total.

More importantly, I used credits that otherwise would have expired—and turned the Chase Sapphire Reserve “coupon book” into a genuinely fun, low-stress getaway. For me, that’s exactly how these credits should work. If you are interested in applying for the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred credit cards, use this link. 

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Book a 1:1 consulting call, download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process.

Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the coaching program. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 

*For every new client, we will donate 10% of the proceeds to one of our favorite charities. 

Bilt’s Latest Update: What You Actually Need to Do (and Decide) 🧾💳

Bilt’s Latest Update: What You Actually Need to Do (and Decide) 🧾💳

You’ve probably seen the recent updates from Bilt. The era of effortless rent points may be winding down—though there’s still hope it’s not entirely over 🤞.

For now, if you currently have a Bilt credit card, there’s an important action item:

⏰ Choose Your Card by January 29

You must select one of the new card options in the Bilt app or at bilt.com/card.

Each card comes with different benefits and annual fees. If you’re not excited about the paid perks, the simplest move is to choose the free Bilt Blue card.

Why keep Bilt at all?

• Bilt points still transfer to American Airlines, Alaska, United, Southwest, and more ✈️

• Hotel partners include Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton 🏨

What Happens If You Don’t Choose?

If you take no action, you’ll automatically receive the Wells Fargo Autograph card (no annual fee).

What it offers:

• ❌ Cannot be used to pay rent

• ✅ Earns 3x points on travel, dining, transit, and streaming

• ✅ Transfer points to airlines like Air France/KLM, JetBlue, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Iberia

Quick guidance:

• Want to stay in the Bilt ecosystem or use Bilt’s airline partners? → Choose Bilt Blue

• Prefer Wells Fargo’s airline partners or want something simpler? → Wells Fargo Autograph is fine

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If You Stick With Bilt: How Housing Rewards Will Work 🏠

After some initial confusion, Bilt clarified that you’ll have two reward options for rent or mortgage payments.

Option 1: Points on Housing

• Pay rent or mortgage with no transaction fee

• Earn up to 1.25x points on housing

• Your earn rate depends on how much non-housing spend you put on the card

Option 2: Bilt Cash + Points

• Pay rent or mortgage with no transaction fee

• Earn 4% back in Bilt Cash

• Earn points on everyday spending

• Use Bilt Cash to “buy” points on housing payments

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Important Things to Keep in Mind ⚠️

• You should continue paying rent via ACH, not floating rent on your credit card—no change there

• It’s still unclear whether Bilt Cash → points will be automatic or manual

• When prompted, always choose “no transaction fee”

• Paying a 3% processing fee is almost never worth it

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What This Looks Like in Practice (Examples)

Using an example from NerdWallet:

Example 1: $2,000 Mortgage

• Transaction fee to earn points: $60 (3%)

• If you have $60 in Bilt Cash → you earn 2,000 points

• If you only have $45 in Bilt Cash:

  • You earn points on $1,500

  • To earn the remaining 500 points, you’d need to pay $15 out of pocket

• You cannot use Bilt points to cover transaction fees

All Bilt cards earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on non-housing spend, so earning $60 in Bilt Cash would require about $1,500/month in other purchases—which is exactly the behavior Bilt is encouraging.

Example 2: $5,000 Rent or Mortgage

• Required Bilt Cash: $150

• That could mean $3,750/month in non-housing spending

• Possible? Sure—for some households. Worth it? That depends.

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One Easy Win: Rakuten + Bilt 🛍️✨

If you do any online shopping:

• Sign up for Rakuten

• Link it to your Bilt account

• Earn free Bilt points on purchases you’re already making

Right now:

• Spend $50 → get 5,000 Bilt points

• This partnership may end May 2026, so it’s worth setting up sooner rather than later

How To Make Travel Chaos Easier On You

 Quick flight home

from San Francisco this week turned into travel weather chaos but I learned a few things that helped me navigate the changes more quickly.

I was notified of the changes for my Alaska Airlines flight through email, but there was a serious lag. I was actually sent a free $50 airport voucher for food and drinks BEFORE I found out my flight was delayed. That's when I decided to check the board to confirm the delay and saw my flight was actually cancelled. Hmmmm.

The app and flightaware.com still showed the flight delayed.

The Alaska Lounge rep told me to head to the Alaska service center, but the line was 50 deep so I hopped on the app.

The app immediately offered me several alternative flights to cities within 70 miles of my intended destination. I could check the flight board at the airport to see if those alternative flights were still taking off and I was able to rebook myself on an American Airlines flight leaving in an hour. Alaska even refunded 8,000 points when I booked the new flight.

That American Airlines flight ended up getting delayed as well, but I still departed that night instead of spending the night in San Francisco.

While I was changing flights, I was trying to help a woman in the service center line, but she had not downloaded the app and didn't have her confirmation code or loyalty number so we were not having much success. The Alaska rep ended up rebooking her on a flight leaving the next day and she was forced to pay for a hotel near the SFO airport. Sidenote, she had also checked her bag and could not get it back. Bummer.

I had access to both the Alaska Lounge with the Atmos Summit credit card lounge passes and The Club at SFO through Priority Pass with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card.

I was disappointed with the food at the Alaska Lounge though the Whiskey Sour welcome drink was pretty tasty!

There was a waiting list for The Club at SFO so I spent the $50 voucher from Alaska on a sandwich, yogurt and protein bar from one of the restaurants. Since I still had a balance available, I bought some chocolate and pretzels. The credit showed up instantly on my credit card.

Then I got off the waitlist at The Club and my flight got delayed again so I went in and found a quiet place to work.

So lessons learned from this experience:

Always download the app for the airline you are traveling with. I was able to rebook myself from a cancelled Alaska flight to an American flight on the app and skip waiting in the huge line. The Alaska rep was surprised! She could only rebook on Alaska flights and Alaska refunded my miles thru the app

Check your credit card benefits, Atmos Summit sent me a $50 voucher to use in the airport during the delay

Lounge access is awesomea welcome drink and free food makes the delay much easier

Be flexible. I ended up flying to LA and renting a car for $32 instead of spending the night in a hotel

Another reason not to check bags. My carryon stayed with me.

The flight cancellation notice from Alaska Airlines eventually came through and cited Air Traffic Control Restrictions as the reason for cancellation. Since I did have to rent a car and pay for a half tank of gas, I filed a claim with Alaska Airlines. Stayed posted to see if I get reimbursed. If I had paid for my flight or just the taxes with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, I could have filed a claim with Chase under trip delay reimbursement. But since I used my Atmos Summit credit card to pay the $6 taxes for this flight, I was awarded the $50 trip delay voucher to use in the airport.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Book a 1:1 consulting call, download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process.

Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the coaching program. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 

*For every new client, we will donate 10% of the proceeds to one of our favorite charities. 

Last Chance To Get 100,000 Capital One Bonus Points

 

We just got word that this offer is ending January 5th! If you have been thinking about this one, don't wait.

 🔥 Capital One Venture X has a whopping 100,000 point bonus offer! Wow! This is the highest offer we have seen for this card. The minimum spend is also high at $10,000, but you have 6 months to reach that spend. 

Capital One Venture X Launches A 100,000 Bonus Offer

We love the Venture X because the annual fee is $395, but you get a $300 travel credit in the Capital One Travel Portal, 2x points on every purchase, $120 Global Entry credit, 10,000 bonus points on your anniversary valued at $100 and Priority Pass and Capital One lounge access. 

What can you do with 100,000 Capital One points? Oh so much. You can read about how I have used Capital One points in the past here. 

1. If you spend them in the portal or use them to erase travel purchases, they are worth $1,000 in travel

2. If you transfer the points to any of the dozen or so airlines and hotels,  they can be worth so much more. For example:

• 18,750 points on Flying Blue (KLM and Air France) from the US to Europe in economy 
• 16,000 Iberia Avios from the US to Spain (transfer to British Airways or Finnair and then transfer to Iberia)

Capital One Venture X Launches A 100,000 Bonus Offer

That's just a start to the incredible travel savings! If this card is too hefty, the Capital One Venture card carries just a $95 annual fee and right now offers a bonus of 75,000 points for a $4,000 minimum spend. 

We don't have an end date on this offer yet. 

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Book a 1:1 consulting call, download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process.

Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the coaching program. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 

*For every new client, we will donate 10% of the proceeds to one of our favorite charities.