How to Actually Use the Capital One Venture's $300 Travel Credit 🏨

The new Capital One Venture offer stacks a $300 travel credit on top of the 75,000-mile welcome bonus and up to a $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. That adds up to at least $1,000 in value. 💰 (You can read here about how to squeeze even more value out of those 75,000 miles.)

But how do you use the $300 credit?

Where the credit works

The credit is for hotel and vacation rental stays booked in the Capital One Travel portal. The portal works like any other third-party booking site.

How to use it, step by step ✅

1. Log in to your CapitalOne.com account
2. Click Rewards
3. Click Book Travel
4. Filter by perks like parking, breakfast, airport shuttle, and more
5. Select your room and add it to your cart
6. Look for the $300 credit in the box on the right, or in the payment section when you scroll down. That's where you choose between paying with miles or your Capital One card.

Hot tip: 🔥 Hotels booked through the portal earn 5x miles. So it can pay to charge the stay to your card, then use your miles to erase the purchase with the Purchase Eraser. You get the bonus earning and still put your miles to work.

Another hot tip: use your travel purchases to reach the minimum spend on this card which is $4,000 in 3 months. Capital One will give you the points BEFORE you pay the bill which means if you time it right, you can "erase" your travel purchase before you pay for it. Read more about how to do this here.

Fine print worth knowing ⚠️

• You can spread the credit across multiple bookings.
• It expires at the end of your first cardholder year, so don't let it sit.
• You must book through the portal. Booking directly with a hotel won't trigger the credit.

You can apply for the Capital One Venture credit card offer here. 

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. 

80,000-Point Offer on the Southwest Premier Business Card — But Should You Wait? ✈️

Chase just increased the welcome bonus on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business card to 80,000 points. The Performance Business card already offers 80,000 points as its standard bonus, but this new Premier Business offer keeps the $3,000 minimum spend and the $149 annual fee — a much easier bar to clear for the same point total. 👏

It's a good offer. Not the biggest we've ever seen, but good.

However — if you have your eye on the Southwest Companion Pass for 2027–2028, hold off. 🛑

The timing that matters

This offer ends October 26, 2026, and you'll have 3 months from approval to hit the minimum spend and earn the points.

Here's the catch: to earn the Companion Pass for 2027 AND 2028, your points need to post in 2027, not 2026.

So the play is this: if you can apply after October 15th, you'll have until roughly mid-January to meet the minimum spend, which gives your bonus a good chance of posting in early 2027 instead of 2026.

⚠️ Don't cut the timing too close. It's easy to accidentally post your points in 2026 and lose an entire year of Companion Pass eligibility.

A cautionary tale

Three years ago, a friend did exactly that. Luckily, she was well under 5/24 and was able to apply for another Southwest Business card to try again. These days, though, that safety net is shrinkier: there are widespread reports of Chase enforcing a stricter 3/24 for sole proprietor business applications, so it's much harder to simply apply again if your timing slips.

Bottom line: don't take chances with this one — watch your timing carefully. If you decide to apply, please use my referral link. 🔗

I am launching a Fall 2026 cohort to help you, it's FREE to join, but limited to just 10 people. I recommend that you purchase my points and miles course, but you do not need to. You can sign up here. 

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.

You Hit 100,000 Chase Points — Now What? 🎉

Two clients in the last two days have told me they either earned their 100,000-point bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred, or they're super close. But the very next question is always the same: now what?

And if you missed the 100,000 bonus offer from this card, you have a new option, the Capital One Venture credit card which is offering 75,000 bonus points and a $300 travel credit. 

So let's talk next steps. What can you actually do with 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points? Here are your options. 👇

1. Book travel directly in the Chase Travel Portal ✈️

This one's easy — it works just like any third-party booking platform. It's a solid option for booking Alaska Airlines and American Airlines flights. I don't recommend booking Southwest this way, though — you'll usually find better value if you transfer your points to Southwest directly instead (more on that below). You can also book hotels this way. It's a great option for booking independent hotels. 

Hot tip: 🚀 Look for the little rocket icon that signifies a Points Boost — it means your Ultimate Rewards points are worth more than 1:1 for that booking.

2. Transfer your points to an airline partner and book directly

Chase currently partners with 10 airlines, and several of those airlines belong to larger alliances with other carriers, so your options open up even more from there.

One of my favorite transfer partners is Flying Blue, the loyalty program for KLM and Air France. Sometimes you can snag economy seats from the West Coast to Europe for as little as 18,750 points.

Another favorite is Iberia. I just booked a flight from San Francisco to Madrid for 20,000 points and $154. 💸

Hot tip: 🔍 Check both the Chase portal and the airline's own website before you transfer any points. Transfers are one-way — once your points move, you can't get them back.

3. Transfer your points to a hotel partner 🏨

You can also transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to four hotel chains, including Hyatt. All of them transfer at 1:1 — except Hyatt, which is shifting to a 4:3 ratio on October 1st. So if you're eyeing a Hyatt reservation, now's the time to make the move.

👀Just a reminder, this card comes with a $100 hotel credit good in the Chase Travel Portal. You can read here about how to spend it. 

Hot Tip: 💕There are usually bonus points offers every month where you get a percentage more value when you transfer your points. 

4. Book rental cars, cruises, tours, and activities 🚗

You can book all of these directly through the Chase Travel Portal too. Just always weigh the value of your points against paying cash — sometimes cash is the smarter call.

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.

Reykjavik, Iceland: Hotspot for Bakeries, Food Halls and Ice Cream

When I was in Iceland three years ago, there were no Starbucks or food halls, and the dining options were pretty limited. That's changed fast. Reykjavik now has a serious lineup of bakeries, food halls, and ice cream spots — and on this trip, I made it my mission to try as much as possible so I could bring you a list.

I asked locals for their favorites, and one recommendation came up again and again: start at Valdis.

🍦 Ice Cream

Valdis is known for its ever-changing menu of unusual flavors, and the locals insisted I try the weirdest one on the board that day: Rye Bread. Not something I'd normally order, but I trusted the recommendation — and it was genuinely good. (I stuck to a small taste rather than a full cup, but no regrets.)

Other ice cream spots to try:

• Gaeto Gelato
• Skubb

Most of these are along Laugavegur, the main pedestrian shopping street, so it's easy to hop between them.

🍜 Food Halls

Reykjavik now has four food halls, each packed with stalls serving food from around the world. We went for Vietnamese and pizza, and most halls have outdoor seating too. Food halls are one of the few places in Iceland where you'll find real variety at prices that won't make you wince.

• Pósthús is often called the best of the bunch
• Hlemmur Mathöll was our pick — just a few blocks from our hotel
• Grandi Mathöll and Borg 29 Mathöll are also worth a visit

A few people on our trip did a food tour and loved it — check it out here.

Reykjavik has quite the dining scene as well. 

Try Hofnin at the waterfront for traditional Icelandic food, but make a reservation.

If you venture south to the Ring Road, be sure to stop at the famous tomato restaurant Fridheimar and Black Crust Pizza in Vik. 

🥐 Bakeries

Reykjavik has a bakery on nearly every corner, and it's hard to walk past one without stopping. I tried Hugge, which has several locations — the apple turnover was excellent, the coffee was even better, and the bread was some of the best I've had. Good news: most hotels serve it at breakfast, so you'll get your fill either way.

Other bakeries worth seeking out:

• Brauð & Co
• Sandholt
• Brikk

🎟️ Things to Do

Reykjavik's activity list has grown just as much as its food scene:

• Perlan Museum — glaciers, volcanoes, and a real ice cave
• Whale Museum — an up-close look at the largest mammals in the ocean
• Viking Museum — a solid history lesson, though a bit intense for younger kids
• Fly Over Iceland — genuinely fun
• Puffin Tour — a great option if you're not driving south to see them yourself
• Lava Show — I didn't make it this time, but I've heard great things

🛏️ Where to Stay

Right in the harbor area:

• The Reykjavik Edition
• Alda Hotel Reykjavik

A bit further out (and easier on the budget), near bus stop 13:

• Hotel Foss Lind
• Hotel Foss Raudara

Both areas are still walking distance to the food halls and Laugavegur. Bonus: the Flybus leaves from bus stop 13 every hour for the airport, so it's an easy trip out. Just book your tickets in advance — it runs about $30 per person, each way.

🚗 Getting Around

Planning to explore beyond Reykjavik? You'll want a car. I recommend Blue Car Rental — it's a local company with a downtown office, so you can drop off your car there instead of making an extra trip to the airport.

Do you want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? 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 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.

How You Can Earn 5x Points on Groceries and Dining

Chase Just Announced Q4 2026 Bonus Categories — Here's How to Cash In 🎉

Chase has officially unveiled the Freedom and Freedom Flex bonus categories for Q4 2026, and this lineup is a nice one for anyone heading into the holiday season. From October 1 through December 31, 2026, you can earn 5% cash back on:

• Grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart)
• Dining
• Donations to the American Red Cross

As always, the 5% bonus applies to up to $1,500 in combined purchases across these categories — after that, you'll earn the standard 1% back.

Don't forget to activate! This bonus isn't automatic — head to ChaseBonus.com to turn it on. ⏰ One thing worth flagging for readers: activation has to happen by December 14, 2026, even though the earning window runs through December 31. So don't wait until the last week of the year to flip the switch.

🙌Ultimate hack: Use Paze to pay for your dining take out order and earn 17x points on the purchase. 

With holiday hosting, grocery runs, and dinners out already on the calendar, this quarter's categories line up nicely with real spending — no need to go out of your way to hit the cap. 🛒🍽️

New to the Freedom Flex? It's one of the best no-annual-fee cards out there for everyday spending. Right now, new cardmembers can earn a $200 cash back bonus (or 20,000 points) after spending $500 in the first 3 months.

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.

How I Turned One Alaska Atmos Summit Card Into a Family Trip to Europe

Last year, I jumped on the 100,000-point sign-up bonus plus a 25,000-point Global Companion certificate from the Alaska Atmos Summit credit card. 🎉 It's been sitting in my wallet earning its keep ever since, so here's a rundown of how I've actually put the benefits to use.

Lounge Access: 8 Passes a Year

I've used my Alaska points here and there for short-haul flights, and I've made it into the lounge twice so far — once in San Francisco and once in Seattle. ✈️

The Summit card comes with 8 lounge passes per year (two per quarter), and here's something I didn't know until recently: you can bring two people under 21 into the lounge with you on a single pass. That's a nice perk if you're traveling with kids.

Both lounge visits were solid:

• SFO lounge: I got a welcome drink 🍹 — turns out I was actually entitled to two! Worth noting this benefit may go away in December 2026, so use it while you can.
• SEA lounge: No complaints here either.

Travel Delay Credit: $50 for Dinner

When my flight got delayed, the card dropped $50 into my digital wallet to cover dinner at the airport. 🍽️ That's the travel delay credit in action, and it made a frustrating delay a lot more bearable.

Free WiFi

I activated one of the in-flight WiFi codes just to test it out — it worked like a charm. 📶

The Real MVP: Global Companion Pass Stacking

Here's where things got interesting. The last benefit I needed to use before it expired was the 25,000-point Global Companion pass.

My timing worked out in my favor:

• Last year's pass had an expiration date of October 2026
• My new pass dropped into my account on September 1, 2026, when my $325 annual fee posted

That meant I suddenly had two active passes to use at once. 🙌

The Hack: It's Not Actually a Companion Pass

Here's the detail most people miss — this pass isn't a true "companion" pass. It's really a BOGO pass. The difference matters: the primary cardholder doesn't have to fly at all to use it. You just need to book flights for two people traveling together.

Putting It to Work for Our Europe Trip

This was perfect timing for us — we're planning a family trip to Europe next spring, and I had two companion passes ready to go:

• One pass for me and my daughter
• One pass for my husband and son

We're flying from Rome to San Diego, and thanks to the two companion passes, we booked all four tickets for just 22,500 Atmos points + $70 per ticket. Wow! 💸You can read about how to use Atmos points here, they are actually very flexible. 

And since another card benefit waives the partner booking fee, we saved an additional $20 per ticket on top of that.

How to Find Your Companion Pass

Fair warning: this one is a little buried in the Alaska app/site. Here's how to track it down:

1. Log into your Alaska account
2. Click your profile
3. Go to Discounts / Companion Fare
4. Click the code to activate your BOGO pass

One more thing to know: these passes expire one year after they're issued, but you don't have to travel by then — you just need to have your flight booked before the expiration date. 📅 

This card also comes with a $120 Global Entry credit if you need it. Nice perk, you can use this credit for anyone not just the primary card holder. 

Is the Alaska Atmos Summit card right for you? Let's talk before you apply and see if this is a good addition to your points and miles strategy. 

I offer three services: 

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.

Capital One Just Sweetened the Deal on the Venture Card 🎉

Capital One just dropped a great offer on one of my favorite travel credit cards. The Capital One Venture is a $95 annual fee card that punches way above its weight. 💪

The Offer

The new welcome bonus is 75,000 miles + a $300 travel credit for $4,000 in spend within the first 3 months.

This card earns 2x miles on every single purchase 💳 — no bonus categories to memorize — which makes it my go-to for anything that doesn't fall into a bonus category on another card.

The $300 travel credit has to be used through the Capital One Travel portal for hotels or vacation rentals, but hey — a free night at a hotel? Yes, please. 🏨✨

The Venture card also comes with up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® 🛂 — a nice perk if you haven't applied for either yet. This past week, TSA Pre Check announced the new Gateway program. 

What Can You Do With 75,000 Points?

Lots, actually! Here are your main options:

• Erase travel purchases — the easiest option, worth $750 toward past travel purchases
• Transfer to an airline or hotel partner — this is where you can unlock a lot more value. 🌍 I flew my family of 5 to Europe this way — read about how here
• Redeem for a statement credit — technically an option, but I don't recommend it since it gets you the least value for your points 👎

And here's a hack you'll definitely want to know: you can actually spend your Capital One points before your bill is even due. Read about that trick here 🤯

Good to Know Before You Apply

If you're after a flexible, everyday travel card, this is a strong pick. Just keep a few rules in mind:

• You can hold a maximum of five personal Capital One-branded cards at any one time
• You're only eligible for one new Capital One card every six months
• You won't earn the sign-up bonus on the Venture card if you've earned a bonus on that same card within the past 48 months — often called the 48-month rule

One more thing worth flagging: Capital One is known for pulling from all three credit bureaus when you apply, not just one, so keep that in mind before you submit an application. 📋

If you decide to apply for this credit card, use my referral link. 

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.