AlmostFreeFamilyTravel.com

Thursday, October 29, 2026

New Southwest Card Offers Up to 90,000 Points: Your Last Shot at a Companion Pass ✈️

One credit card bonus can now get you most of the way to a Southwest Companion Pass, but only until December 2. After that, card bonuses stop counting toward the pass for good.

The New Offers 💳

All three Southwest personal cards have elevated welcome bonuses right now:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Card: 90,000 points after $3,000 in spending in 3 months
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card: 85,000 points after $2,000 in spending in 3 months
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Card: 80,000 points after $1,000 in spending in 3 months

Each of these gets you most of the way to the 135,000 points you need for the Companion Pass.

I don’t have referral links for these new offers. I always want to point you to the best deal, though, so I’m sending you over to my friends at The Points Guy.

The Fine Print: Apply by December 2 📅

You must be approved by December 2, 2026.
Your bonus still counts even if you finish the minimum spend in early 2027.
The pass is valid through December 31, 2027. You get one year instead of the usual two, but if you’re planning trips for next year, it can still save you a lot.
The two-card strategy still works. Pair one Southwest business card with one personal card, and apply for both by December 2.

Why the Companion Pass Is Worth It 🙌

The Companion Pass gives you buy-one-get-one flights anywhere Southwest flies. Your companion flies with you for just taxes and fees.

Pick anyone to be your companion, like a spouse, a friend, or a family member
Change your companion up to three times per calendar year

I’ve held the Companion Pass for the past 10 years. I’ve used it for college visits, family vacations, family events, and much more, and it has saved me thousands of dollars. 💰

Don’t Wait ⏳

These offers end December 2, and there’s no extension coming. Card bonuses won’t count toward the pass after that. If a Companion Pass would help with your 2027 travel plans, now is the time to apply.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Talk to me about your next trip and I'll figure out the best way to use your points and miles, 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 "LETSGO" 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 a College Student Flew to Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day on 13,000 Points ☘️

If you’re studying in Europe this spring, you already know: St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin is the trip everyone wants. That means flight prices climb fast.

Last week, a college student studying in Spain called me for help. She’d been looking at fares around $550 round trip, which is a lot on a student budget. 😬

What We Found 🔍

We searched award availability on seats.aero and found Aer Lingus seats for:

6,500 Avios + $27 in taxes each way
Only four seats left at that price, so we moved fast

How She Booked It ✈️

She had just earned 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points from a limited-time Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus. That offer has ended, but even the standard bonus covers this trip several times over.

Created an Aer Lingus AerClub account
Linked it to her Chase account
Transferred 13,000 Ultimate Rewards points to Avios
Booked her round-trip flights 🎉

Total cost: 13,000 points and about $54. That leaves her with 87,000 points for more weekend trips this semester.

Why Flexible Points Win 💳

This is why I love flexible points. Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Bilt, and Citi all let you transfer to airline partners. You aren’t locked into one airline, so you can book whichever one has the best deal.

Come March, she’ll be in Dublin with her friends, and she paid about the price of a pint for her flights. 🍀

Right now, you can use the promo code "LETSGO" 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.

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Earn 80,000 American Airlines Miles and Fly to Europe for Under $6 ✈️

Madrid for 21,500 miles and $5.60. American Airlines has been posting great award prices to Europe lately, and the card that can get you there has one of its best bonus offers right now. It won’t last, so read on if you’ve been dreaming about a trip.

The Offer 💳

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is offering:

80,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,500 in the first 4 months
$0 annual fee the first year, then $99
Ends soon

Apply for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card here

Where 80,000 Miles Can Take You 🌍

International (one way)

New York (JFK) to Madrid: 21,500 miles + $5.60
Denver to Paris: 21,500 miles + $5.60
Los Angeles to Japan: 35,000 miles + $5.60

Domestic (one way)

🤠 Los Angeles to Dallas: 9,500 miles + $5.60
🌴 New York (JFK) to Miami: 9,500 miles + $5.60

That’s enough for a round trip to Europe with miles to spare, or up to eight domestic flights.

Before You Apply

You won’t get the bonus if you’ve earned a bonus on this card in the past 48 months, or if you converted another Citi card into this one after earning a bonus on it within that window. Check your history first.

Right now, you can use the promo code "LETSGO" 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.

Thursday, October 22, 2026

4 Nights in Cancun for About $300 in Lodging: Here's How It Played Out 🌴

I just got back from a destination wedding in Cancun, and it was fantastic! When I booked, I wrote a post breaking down how I used points to cover the trip. Paying cash would have run about $500 per night at the wedding hotel (3-night minimum) plus $350 per night at a second hotel, for a total of over $2,000. Instead, I paid $300 for three of us to stay two nights at the wedding hotel, and nothing for the other two nights at the IHG Presidente Cancun in the Zona Hotelera. 🎉

So what was it really like, and did I end up paying for anything else? Here's the full rundown.

✈️ Getting there

We live in San Diego, so we walk across the Cross Border Express and fly domestically out of Tijuana. That lowers the cost and cuts the travel time. You can read about the Cross Border Express here. We took a direct flight, parked in the CBX lot, and paid the fee. Easy!

🚗 Getting around

On my last Cancun wedding trip, I learned that taxis are expensive. Uber and Lyft aren't available, and taxis are regulated by zone, so nearly every ride cost us about $60.

This time I rented a car. Budget quoted me $38 for 4 days. Honestly, I expected a tiny car or a bicycle. 😄 They honored the rate, though the counter upsell was serious:

Liability insurance: Credit card coverage isn't honored in Mexico, so I bought it.
SUV upgrade: The rep recommended one because of the recent rains.

Our total came to $192.50 for 4 people. Not bad!

🏨 Hotel #1: IHG Presidente Cancun (2 nights)

This hotel is beautiful. It sits in the Zona Hotelera, beachside from downtown Cancun, within walking distance of the tourist area near Señor Frogs. A few local Mexican restaurants are nearby too.

Free parking, which is a big plus with a rental car
Garden room on the first floor, since we booked with points and the $250 Chase hotel credit
No breakfast included
A basic room with two beds and a nice bathroom, toiletries included

The pool and beach were the highlight. Just gorgeous. 🏊

🥂 Hotel #2: TRS Coral, a Wyndham all-inclusive resort (2 nights)

After two nights, we moved to TRS Coral. The room cost 30,000 points per night, with no extra charge for our third person. Valet parking was free, and they handed us champagne at check-in. 🍾 Don't miss the chocolate tasting station in the bar area!

Early check-in perk: You can eat, swim, and drink before your room is ready at 3 p.m. They give you a bracelet that opens your door, gets you into the restaurants, and unlocks pretty much the whole resort.

The resort is huge:

Two hotels (one family, one adults only) plus a timeshare-style section
Six pools, a beach area, a gym, a spa, bars, and clubs
10 restaurants, including two buffets
Boats and golf carts to get around, plus a butler in every building
A wedding venue, with three weddings happening the weekend we were there

What I'd tell you before you go:

The app: The resort recommends it for booking activities and dining, but I found it hard to use and inconsistent. We tried to find a morning yoga class and spent a while searching. What we found turned out to be a 30-minute stretch session.
Specialty restaurants: They book up fast, so reserve early. We skipped them and stuck with the buffet.
Food: The pizzas at the pool bar were fantastic. The rest was mediocre, but the buffet is expansive, and the made-to-order omelets at breakfast and the ceviche bar at dinner were delicious. 😋
Rooms: Huge, with balconies, sofas, a coffee station, and a soaking tub. Upgrade (or get upgraded) and you can have a private pool attached to your balcony. Swanky!
What's included: Food, drinks, and all activities except motorized sports and the spa

💡 Is it worth it?

Yes. This is a beautiful resort and a great place to relax, and at 30,000 points per night, it's a strong use of Wyndham points. Bilt, Capital One, Chase all transfer 1:1 to Wyndham.

Right now, you can use the promo code "LETSGO" 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.

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Grab the Southwest Companion Pass Before the Door Closes ✈️

Southwest just made its best perk a lot harder to earn. Starting January 1, 2027, credit card welcome bonuses will no longer count toward the Companion Pass. If you’ve been on the fence, the next few weeks are your last window to use the credit card shortcut.

Why the Companion Pass Is Worth Chasing

The Southwest Companion Pass is basically buy-one-get-one airfare. Your companion flies with you for just taxes and fees, on as many flights as you want.

Unlimited companion flights while the pass is valid
Change your companion up to three times per calendar year

I just put this to work. My husband flew across the country as my companion. When I got home, I switched my companion to a friend and added her to my upcoming flights to New Orleans. 🎉The past 10 years, I've used the pass to take family members on college trips, family events and just plain fun vacations to places like Cuba.

What’s Changing in 2027

Here’s what the new rules look like:

Welcome bonuses won’t count. Credit card sign-up bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, and bonus-category points will no longer count toward the pass.
What still counts: flights and everyday spending on Southwest credit cards, which will earn 1 Tier Qualifying Point (TQP) per dollar.
The full pass will require Platinum status: 100 qualifying flights or 140,000 TQPs. That’s roughly $140,000 in credit card spending. Yikes. 😬
A smaller option: 75 flights or 95,000 TQPs gets you three Companion Pass trips, not unlimited. That’s still a big ask for most families.

Bottom line: if you want the Companion Pass, now is the time.

My Game Plan for Earning It Now

1. Apply for the Southwest Premier Business Credit Card FIRST,

Bonus: 80,000 points after $3,000 in spending within 3 months
Annual fee: $149
Offer ends November 2. Don’t wait until the last day. Chase is known for pulling offers early.
Your business income: side income like freelance work, consulting, or a small online shop can qualify you for a business card. You can include your salary too.

2. Then, before December 2, apply for a personal Southwest credit card.

Any personal Southwest card works, so the $99 Plus card is an easy pick
Minimum spend: $1,000

Hit the December 2 deadline. You must be approved on or before December 2, 2026 for the welcome bonuses to count. The good news is that they still count if you finish the minimum spend in early 2027.

Let’s Do the Math 🧮

Bonuses: 80,000 + 50,000 = 130,000 points
Minimum spend: about 4,000 points
Total: about 134,000 points

You need 135,000 qualifying points to earn the pass. That means you’ll need to charge roughly another $1,000 to either card to get over the line.

Once you earn it, your Companion Pass is valid through December 31, 2027. That’s a full year of BOGO flights.

Talk to Me Before You Apply

Please reach out before you hit “apply.” We need to confirm two things:

You qualify under Chase’s 5/24 rule and the 3/24 rule
Your timing works, because the deadlines here are tight and there’s no do-over

Right now, you can use the promo code "LETSGO" 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.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

Southwest Just Changed the Companion Pass: Here's What to Do Before December 2 ✈️

Southwest announced big changes to the Companion Pass today. It's been one of the best perks in travel: a buy-one-get-one airline pass that can last up to two years. 😮

The old strategy is ending. You could open two Southwest credit cards and use their welcome bonuses to qualify for the Companion Pass. Starting January 1, 2027, those bonuses won't count. If you were thinking about going for the pass using this hack, get approved by December 2, 2026. Southwest says welcome bonuses from cards approved by then can still count, even if you hit the spending requirement in early 2027.

❌ What stops counting toward the Companion Pass in 2027

Credit card welcome bonuses
Referral bonuses
Anniversary points
Bonus points from spending categories
Hotel and rental car partner points

Already have a Companion Pass valid through December 2027? It's still valid, and you can use it just like before. ✅

🆕 How you'll earn it in 2027

The Companion Pass is now tied to a new Platinum status. Southwest is still releasing details, and we're still sorting through them, but here's what we know now:

Platinum: 140,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) or 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year
Cardholder boost: Southwest credit cardholders get a 10,000-TQP boost when they reach 130,000 TQPs
New milestone reward: Three Companion Pass trips after earning 95,000 TQPs or flying 75 qualifying one-way flights. Details are still coming on this one.
Platinum perk: An unlimited Companion Pass

New status tiers: A-List becomes Silver, A-List Preferred becomes Gold, and Platinum sits at the top.

Credit card spending now counts. Every Southwest Rapid Rewards card, including the $99 card, will earn 1 TQP per $1 spent, so you can spend your way to status. That works out to roughly $130,000 in spending with the boost. We'll keep researching faster ways to get there.

🎉 The good news

November 2026: Redeem points on rental cars
Spring 2027: Redeem points on Icelandair, China Airlines, and Etihad
Late 2027: Use points to buy extra legroom seats
By the end of 2027: The first Southwest Icon Airport lounges open
Fall 2027: The entire fleet has Starlink WiFi 📶

Right now, you can use the promo code "LETSGO" 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.

Greenland Is Finally Having Its Moment ❄️

If you're craving a destination that still feels genuinely undiscovered, Greenland deserves a serious look. Now that airlines are flying into Nuuk, the country is just starting to open up to tourism — and the timing to go is good.

I recently sailed through the Arctic aboard the Quark Ultramarine expedition ship, and all I can say is: wow.

A Culture Unlike Anywhere Else

Greenland has a total population of just 56,000 people, and the culture here is distinct. The indigenous Inuit make up about 90% of residents, most living along the west and south coasts. The rest of the country is dominated by a massive ice sheet, framed by towering icebergs, deep fjords, and dramatic mountains. 🏔️

Top 5 Reasons to Put Greenland on Your Radar

1. You're seeing landscapes almost no one else has.
Greenland gets a tiny fraction of the visitors that Iceland or Norway do, despite being the world's largest island. Places like the Ilulissat Icefjord (a UNESCO World Heritage site) or the fjords around Uummannaq feel truly untouched — massive icebergs calving off glaciers, with barely another traveler in sight.

2. Real Inuit culture, not a staged version of it.
With Inuit making up roughly 90% of the population, the culture here — dog sledding traditions, hunting practices, Greenlandic cuisine, the language itself — is entirely its own. Towns like Ilulissat, Sisimiut, and Tasiilaq offer genuine cultural exchange, not a performance for tourists.

3. It's more accessible than you'd think. ✈️
With the new international airport in Nuuk (opened in 2024) and expanded routes from Copenhagen, Greenland is easier to reach than it was just a couple of years ago. It's no longer strictly an expedition-cruise-only destination.

4. An incredible range of experiences packed into one trip.
Dog sledding and ice fishing in winter. Whale watching, hiking, and midnight sun in summer. Northern Lights in the shoulder season. A single itinerary can include glacier hikes, fjord boat trips, and visits to Inuit settlements.

5. A trip with real substance.
Today's travelers want more than a photo backdrop — they want to learn something. Greenland's ice sheet, its role in the climate story, and its indigenous communities give this trip a depth that goes well beyond the scenery.

Planning Your Route

You can fly directly into Nuuk on the west coast, but the more remote east side is best reached by expedition ship — most of which depart from Iceland. I'd highly recommend building in some time in Iceland too. You can read about my trip here.

The 2029 Arctic season (June/July-September) opens soon. If this has you curious, reach out and I'll get you on the list for early-bird pricing. 🧊

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 "LETSGO" to get $50 off the program.

Or you can pay a travel planning fee and we will find all the best points and miles deals for your trip!

Or you can book a consulting call with us for just $100. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable.

***In honor of every new paid client, we will make a donation of 10% to one of our favorite charities.