How To Avoid The Long Lines At TSA

Skip the TSA Line With This Facial Recognition Shortcut ✈️

Want to breeze through airport security without the usual wait? A little advance planning is all it takes.

TSA is currently expanding a touchless pilot program at airports across the country — and the timing couldn't be better. With security lines growing longer by the day, this upgrade is a welcome relief for frequent flyers.

It's called the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program, and it uses facial recognition technology to get you through security without fumbling for your boarding pass or driver's license. Just step up to the camera, and you're on your way. 📸

I got to try it firsthand this week at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina — and the difference was striking. There was a small line for standard TSA PreCheck, a longer one for regular security, and zero wait at the Touchless ID lane.

Here's how to set it up:

Before you fly, head to the profile section of your airline's app or website. Look for the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID option, scan your passport, enter your Known Traveler Number, and hit submit. Note that you'll need to repeat this process for each airline separately — it doesn't carry over automatically.

One important requirement: you must already have TSA PreCheck to use this program. 🔐

Which airlines support it?

All five major U.S. carriers are currently participating: United, Delta, Southwest, Alaska, and American Airlines.

Where is it available?

Not every airport has it yet, but TSA plans to roll out the program to 65 airports by June 2026 — so keep an eye out next time you travel. 🗺️

And if you don't have TSA Precheck yet, a few of our favorite credit cards offer a $120 Global Entry credit like the Capital One Venture X, the Capital One Venture and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.  

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? I can plan your entire trip using your points and miles or offer a 30 minute consult to answer questions or you can  download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program.

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. 

Find Out How You Can Get 5x Points on Amazon

 

An easy way to rack up Chase Ultimate Reward points is to max the 5x bonus categories on the no annual fee Chase FREEDOM and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards. 

These are rotating bonus categories that have included gas stations, restaurants, pet stores, entertainment, Paypal and more. 

For Q2 2026, the categories are:

• Amazon 
• Chase Travel
• Feeding America
• Whole Foods Market

I am super excited about Amazon since it's difficult to max points at the online store. 

You need to activate your card here before you get the bonus, but the extra points are retroactive. And you are limited to $1,500 across the categories, but hey, I am happy to take an extra 7,500 points anytime. 

Right now, the Chase FREEDOM FLEX is offering a $200 bonus on a $500 minimum spend. This annual no fee credit card is a great compliment to the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve credit card too. If you don't have a Chase Sapphire credit card yet, the Reserve is offering 125,000 bonus right now and the Preferred is offering 75,000 bonus. Talk to me first though to confirm these cards make sense for you. 

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? I can plan your entire trip using your points and miles or offer a 30 minute consult to answer questions or you can  download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program.

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. 

Client Success Story! 100,000 Point Bonus Earned

 

Love getting emails from clients about their wins! This one made my day because it’s the first time this client has used points and miles for a trip—and it’s a big one. 🎉

They’re heading to Europe to celebrate their anniversary. The plan starts in Amsterdam during tulip season 🌷, then a flight to Prague, followed by a train ride to Vienna. Not a bad way to celebrate an anniversary!

Honestly, I wish I could tag along.

They reached out because they had some Chase Ultimate Rewards points but weren’t sure how to use them effectively. They wanted help turning those points into a memorable anniversary trip to Europe.

We talked through the best strategy: how to use their Chase points for flights, how to structure the itinerary, and how to leverage the rest of their travel spending to earn even more points that could offset additional costs.

Here’s what we put together:

✈️ Flights

• 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points covered two round-trip flights from LAX to Amsterdam

🏨 Hotels

• $300 Capital One Venture X annual travel credit applied toward a hotel stay

💳 Additional travel

• 100,000+ Capital One bonus points available for hotels and their flight from Amsterdam to Prague

We estimate this client will save approximately $3,000 on their anniversary trip! Woohoo! 😄

And that brings up a great question: What can you do with 100,000 Capital One points?

Quite a lot.

Depending on transfer bonuses and award availability, that balance could potentially cover multiple flights to Europe or several hotel stays.

Here are a few of the ways we like to use Capital One points:

✈️ Transfer to airline partners for award flights
🏨 Transfer to hotel partners for hotel stays
💳 Use the travel purchase eraser to offset travel charges
🌍 Book through the Capital One Travel Portal

You can read here about how I used Capital One points to get a free rental car and Lavatubing tour in Tahiti or how I used Capital One points for a 2 week family trip to Ireland. 

One thing we generally don’t recommend: redeeming points for gift cards or statement credits. Those options typically deliver the lowest value for your points.

If this is your first time using points and miles, this is exactly the kind of strategy that can turn a pile of credit card points into a memorable trip. And honestly, there’s nothing better than seeing it all come together. ✈️🌍

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.

Get $200 Instantly If Your Flight Is Delayed 3+ Hours

These days, a lot can go sideways when you travel: weather, mechanical delays, crew issues, schedule changes, strikes… and the occasional random snafu that nobody saw coming. 😅

Recently, one of my clients was traveling in Greece when a labor strike + high winds caused her ferry to be cancelled. She handled it like a pro: she stayed an extra night on the island she was already on and cancelled her next island stop.

But the changes came with extra costs:

• A new ferry ticket

• An extra hotel night

• And no refund for the original ferry ticket

(Thankfully, the hotel on the next island did refund her.)

Why this mattered: she had travel insurance

Fortunately, she had purchased travel insurance through Faye Travel Insurance.

Faye has been named one of the best travel insurance companies by U.S. News & World Report, and for about $100, my client was covered for her 3-month trip in Europe.

Besides emergency medical and evacuation coverage, Faye includes some really practical features:

What I like about Faye ✈️

• An easy-to-use app with:

  • Your policy info

  • Live chat + emergency numbers

  • A digital wallet

  • Real-time flight updates

  • Claim filing tools

• Virtual and in-person doctor visits worldwide

• Flight delay perks that kick in fast:

  • 3+ hour delay: $200 instantly for airport meals + a lounge pass

  • If there’s no lounge, you can buy a pass and get up to $50 reimbursed

  • No receipts required

  • Max $600 per trip

  • 6+ hour delay: an additional $100

Her Greece claim was seamless

For the ferry cancellation, she uploaded her receipts in the app, explained what happened, and Faye refunded her costs quickly. Done. ✅

And later in her trip, she needed a doctor. She opened the app, and within a few hours she had a face-to-face appointment with a local physician.

Want a free quote?

You can get a FREE quote here.

One quick tip: if you’re booking flights and hotels using points and miles, set your trip cost to the minimum of $1,000. You’ll still get solid coverage, but your insurance cost will usually be much lower. 💡

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? I can plan your entire trip using your points and miles or offer a 30 minute consult to answer questions or you can  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 To Get Thousands of FREE Airline Miles Without Spending Extra $

I talk about shopping portals all the time because they’re one of the easiest ways to earn airline miles and hotel points on spending you’re already doing. 🛍️✈️

Today I want to show you a few real examples — plus some bonus offers that can help you stack even more points and miles.

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Rakuten is my current favorite shopping portal 💻✨

Rakuten.com has become my go-to for earning extra rewards on everyday purchases.

For example: I buy cat food from Chewy.com every few months. If I take the extra step of starting at Rakuten and then clicking through to Chewy, I’m still shopping at the exact same website — but now I earn:

• 2% cash back from Rakuten

• Plus 1x–2x points from my credit card

Chewy is listed on a bunch of shopping portals, so it’s always smart to check cashbackmonitor.com before you buy. When I checked, most portals were offering 1x points or miles at Chewy… but the Chase Freedom portal was offering 2x. 👀

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The best part: Rakuten can pay out in points 🎯

Rakuten lets you earn rewards as:

• Cash back

• American Express Membership Rewards points

• Bilt points

I linked my Rakuten account to Bilt, so every 4 months my Rakuten rewards automatically transfer into my Bilt account.

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Quick Bilt refresher (because these points are legit)

Bilt points are a newer flexible currency — similar to Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex, Citi, and Capital One.

You can transfer Bilt points to airline and hotel partners like:

• Southwest

• Alaska

• Iberia

• Virgin

• Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)

• Hyatt

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A huge current Rakuten offer: Kraken 💰

Right now on Rakuten, the crypto platform Kraken is offering:

$150 back on a $225 deposit and purchase

If you’re earning in Bilt points, that’s essentially 15,000 Bilt points (since it transfers 1:1).

To put that into perspective:

• My last flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles cost 4,500 Alaska points

• The one before that cost 2,500 Southwest points

• And yes, I brought a companion along for free 😅

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Want to stack the deal even more? 🔥

If you open a Rakuten account using my referral link, you’ll get an extra 5,000 points after you spend $50.

So if you did the Kraken offer, you’d be looking at 20,000 Bilt points total.

And just to show how real this is: transfer those points to FlyingBlue.com and you can potentially book a one-way economy ticket on Air France from Los Angeles to Athens. Seriously.

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Not into crypto? Totally fair 😄

If crypto isn’t your thing, you can still use the referral offer and earn the bonus on a normal purchase.

I used it once to send flowers to a friend as a thank-you and earned the 5,000 points that way. You could also use it on something basic like… cat food. 🐾

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More bonus offers to earn points on everyday life ✈️🍽️🚗

United + Instacart 🛒

If you link your Instacart account with your United account and make a grocery purchase within 60 days, United will give you:

• 500 miles for free

If you’re a new Instacart customer and make 4 orders in 8 weeks, United will give you:

• 5,000 miles

I just did this and added another stack. I clicked on Rakuten.com which was offering 3x points on Instacart then placed an order with my Capital One Venture X to earn 2x points and 500 bonus United miles. Woohoo! 

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Lyft partnerships 🚙

Link your Hilton, Alaska, Bilt, or United account with Lyft and earn points every time you ride.

Prefer Uber? You can link Uber + United for extra miles too.

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Airbnb miles 🏡

• Book through Delta Airbnb to earn Delta miles

• You can also earn British Airways Avios on Airbnb stays through their earning portal

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Rental car miles 🚗

I’ve linked my Budget Rental account to my Southwest Airlines account — so every rental earns me 500 Southwest miles.

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VRBO + United 🧳

United also has a partnership with VRBO, so you can earn United miles on stays.

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Dining points through IHG + OpenTable 🍷

On the IHG website, you can access OpenTable and earn:

• 150 IHG points every time you dine out

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The takeaway

None of these require extra spending — they just require one extra click or a quick account link. And over time, these little wins can add up to real flights and hotel nights. 😎

There are even more offers like this out there, so check the websites (or social pages) for your favorite brands and see who they partner with for rewards.

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.

Why The Island of Malta Should Be Tops On Your Bucket List

Valletta, Malta

Malta may have a reputation as a Mediterranean sleeper hit, but that’s about to change. ✈️ In June 2026, Delta will become the first U.S. airline to launch nonstop flights from JFK to Malta. A quick points search shows economy seats pricing around 74,000 miles each way. You can get there for fewer points with connections, but for a brand-new nonstop route, that’s a compelling option.

On the island of Gozo

I was just in Malta, and I can confidently say this is a destination worth prioritizing. Here are five reasons it deserves a spot at the top of your list:

1. A surprisingly strong Michelin dining scene 🍽️

Since the pandemic, the Maltese government has invested heavily in food and hospitality, particularly in Valletta. Today, Malta boasts 42 Michelin-recognized restaurants. Even better, 25 are Bib Gourmand, meaning excellent food at moderate prices. I ate at two Bib Gourmand spots and found entrées averaging €20–25. The quality was outstanding—and unlike many major European cities, reservations aren’t always required. Walking in is often an option.

2. History you can actually see and touch 🏛️

Valletta, Malta

Malta’s position in the Mediterranean made it strategically important for centuries, most notably during World War II. That layered history is visible everywhere—from architecture to street layouts to cultural influences. Valletta, the walled capital city, is the standout. Limestone buildings, ornate door knockers, and colorful enclosed balconies give the city real character. I highly recommend a free walking tour of historic Valletta to put everything into context.

3. Three distinct islands, easy to explore 🚢

On the island of Gozo

Malta is made up of three islands:

• Malta (main island, airport, Valletta)

• Gozo (smaller, quieter, fishing villages and countryside)

• Comino (tiny, home to the famous Blue Lagoon)

Ferry to Gozo

An inexpensive ferry system connects all three, and tickets can be purchased online. You can also visit Gozo or Comino via catamaran or guided boat tour. If you go by ferry, it’s easy to grab a Bolt taxi (download the app) or take a public bus from the port up into town or out to the villages. This works well as a day trip, though Gozo is worth an overnight or two if you have the time.

4. The Hypogeum: plan ahead 🗿

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a prehistoric underground burial site unlike anything else in Europe. Only 80 people per day are allowed inside, so tickets must be booked well in advance. Adult admission is €35, and it’s an easy Bolt taxi ride from Valletta. If you’re even mildly interested in archaeology or ancient history, it’s worth the effort.

Ancient walled city of Mdina

5. Game of Thrones filming locations 🎬

Fans will recognize several filming sites, including Mdina, the ancient walled city that stood in for King’s Landing in season one. You can wander the narrow streets and walk along the city walls—no tour required. Even if you’ve never seen the show, Mdina is one of the most atmospheric places on the island.

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Luciano Valletta Boutique

Getting around and where to stay

Malta is refreshingly easy to navigate. From the airport, a Bolt taxi to Valletta costs around €20. At the moment, Uber and Lyft are not available, so Bolt is the go-to rideshare option.

Where you stay depends on your travel style:

• Valletta: Central, walkable, lively, and close to museums, restaurants, and ferry docks. I recommend Luciano Valletta Boutique, set in a restored limestone building with an excellent breakfast.

• St. Julian’s: More resort-oriented, with larger hotels and waterfront views.

• Sliema: Busier and more nightlife-focused, with shopping and clubs.

Malta manages to feel historic, affordable, and easy all at once—and with nonstop flights coming soon, it’s not going to stay under the radar for long 🌍

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 To Get A Southwest Companion Pass Fast

Southwest is back with another fast track to a Companion Pass 🎉

This time, you only need one Southwest personal credit card. Meet the minimum spend, and you’ll earn a Companion Pass valid through February 28, 2027 — plus a stash of Rapid Rewards points.

The exact bonus and spending requirement depend on which card you choose (details below). But first, a quick refresher.

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the strongest perks in domestic travel. It’s essentially a buy-one-get-one benefit: when you book a paid or award ticket with Southwest Airlines, your companion flies for just the taxes and fees. There are no blackout dates, and you can use it as often as you want. You’re also allowed to change your designated companion up to three times per calendar year.

Normally, you’d need to earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a single calendar year to qualify. This offer shortcuts that requirement.

I’ve used the Companion Pass to offset the cost of college visits, family trips, and quick weekend getaways — it adds up quickly. ✈️

Here’s how the current card options compare:

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

• Companion Pass valid through February 28, 2027

• 20,000 bonus points

• $3,000 minimum spend

• $99 annual fee

Key perks:

• First checked bag free

• Complimentary standard seat within 48 hours of departure

• 10% promo code

• 3,000 anniversary points

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

• Companion Pass valid through February 28, 2027

• 30,000 bonus points

• $4,000 minimum spend

• $149 annual fee

Key perks:

• First checked bag free

• Complimentary preferred seat within 48 hours of departure

• 15% promo code

• 6,000 anniversary points

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

• Companion Pass valid through February 28, 2027

• 40,000 bonus points

• $5,000 minimum spend

•  $229 annual fee

Key perks:

• First checked bag free

• Complimentary preferred seat at booking

• Extra legroom seat within 48 hours of departure

• 7,500 anniversary points

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A few important notes before you apply:

• You’re only eligible for a personal card welcome bonus once every 24 months, so double-check your timeline.

• Make sure a Companion Pass valid through early 2027 fits your travel plans. In some cases, it may make more sense to pursue the traditional Companion Pass strategy, which can stretch benefits close to two full years depending on timing.

If you already have trips in mind for 2026 and early 2027, this is a straightforward way to lock in significant savings. 💙

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? I can plan your entire trip using your points and miles or offer a 30 minute consult to answer questions or you can  download my ebook, custom tracker or Join my Travel Coaching Program.

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.