Are you leveraging your spending for FREE travel?

I was in Trader Joes yesterday and everyone around me was paying with their debit card. Nothing makes me more frustrated than to see people paying for everyday items with cash or their debit card. Why you ask?
When you spend $5 on a coffee and pay with a debit card or cash, the money is just gone. Sure, you get the coffee so you are satisfied. But what if by spending that $5, you are now one step closer to a trip to Europe. What if you earn 3% cash back when you spend that $5. Wow, right?
Same $5, but now it's working for you. You are one step closer to almost free family travel or you just got a discount on that coffee. Both are a win.
I ask people why they pay with cash or debit and they respond with either I like to track what I spend or it hurts more when I pay with cash.
Those are great reasons, but when you pay with cash or debit, you are just spending. Imagine what life would be like if instead of just spending money, your money was actually working for you.
That's what I call leveraged spending.
Sure it's a bit of a change of mindset and habits, but it's worth it and anyone can do it.

Here's what you need to do to get started:
1. decide if you want cash back or if you want to travel and if you want to travel, where do you want to go. Then look at the top credit card offers out there and apply to 1 card to start. I recommend starting with the Starwood American Express, Southwest Rapid Rewards or the Chase Sapphire Preferred for travel and the Capital One or Chase Freedom card for cash back.
2. Once you get the card, set up the online account and put the card on auto pay. You do not want to incur late fees and you do not want to carry a balance.
3. Mark on your calendar the date 10 months from the day you opened the card. This is when you will need to review the card to decide if it's worth keeping or you want to cancel it.
4. Then start charging everything. Like my friend's husband told her "don't even pay cash for a pack of gum."

And you are on your way. Remember, if you want to travel on awards, book early! If you are earning cash back, look for the credits coming back to you or the check in the mail.
And if you shop online, be sure to utilize a cash back or airline portal so you can double dip. Good luck!

100,000 Hilton Bonus Points Offer

Hilton Honors is offering a 100,000 bonus through July 27th 2017 when you open the American Express Hilton Honors card . Now Hilton points are not the most valuable out there, but you can get some sweet deals. This deal was supposed to end on May 31st, but it was extended.
I scored this bonus a few years ago and have used my points to stay in Quito Ecuador at the downtown Hilton for 20,000 points per night, 1 night in Paracas Peru at the Doubletree Hilton for 30,000 point per night, 2 nights in Krakow Poland for 5,000 points per night and one night in Warsaw Poland for 10,000 points per night. Plus I still have 30,000 points left.
Pretty sweet.
Minimum spend is $3,000 and the $75 annual fee is not waived.
Depending on where you are planning to go, this card might help you get there with almost free family travel.

What do I do with leftover Amex Rewards?

American Express Rewards is a super flexible program with airline partners, hotel partners and more. You can even buy gift cards, donate to charity and travel with your points. So what to do if you have some leftover points sitting in your account? You need to spend them before you close your card or you will lose them.
So here are some options:
1. You can use your points to buy a gift card. The point values are a bit strange and differ depending on each store. For example, a $25 Starbucks gift card cost 3,571 points and a $50 cost 7,143. But a $50 Nordstrom gift card cost 5,882. So you will have to search around to find your best value. No matter what you do, it's less than a penny per point. Gift cards range from retail to travel to entertainment to dining.
2. You can transfer your points to about a dozen different airlines including Delta, British Airways, Jet Blue, Aero Mexico, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia and a few more. Most are 1,000 Amex Rewards = 1,000 in miles, but some of the programs are not equal so be sure to look carefully. For example, 250 American Express points equals 200 British Avios.
3. You can transfer your points to Hilton and Starwood. Hilton is 1,000 American Express rewards to 1,500 Hilton points. The number of Hilton points needed for a free night stay varies from 5,000 to 80,000 depending on the location. For example, I am staying in a Hilton in Krakow Poland for 5,000 points per night this summer. Last year, I stayed in a Hilton in Quito Ecuador for 20,000 points per night. Starwood gives you 333 points per 1,000 American Express rewards which might not be the best option unless you are trying to top off your account. However, you can transfer from Starwood to Marriott at 1:3 so those American Express reward points actually transfer to Marriott at 1:1. And remember, once you transfer to Starwood, you can transfer to dozens of airlines and for every 20,000 points you transfer, you will earn a 5,000 bonus.
4. You can use your American Express rewards points to book flights and hotels. You can even pay cash and points.
5. You can link your Amazon account to your rewards account and use your points to pay for your purchases.

Bottom line, there are lots of ways to use these points so don't lose them. Just figure out what's the best value for you and your family. That's how we do it at almost free family travel.

Starwood/Marriott/Ritz New Promotion

Get extra points for your stays between May 27th and September 4th at these three brands.

Marriott will give you 2,000 bonus points for each stay after your first one.
Starwood will give you triple points for weekend stays and double points for weekday stays.
Ritz Carlton will give you double points for every stay.

Takes just a minute to register. I always register for these promotions even if I'm not planning to stay anywhere just in case. You don't want to miss out if your plans change suddenly. Remember we are just leveraging what we spend to our advantage. That's what we call almost FREE family travel!

Book New Low Cost Airline With Alaska Miles

And there's another low cost airline flying from the US to Europe, German airline Condor.  A quick check shows that Condor is similar to other low cost airlines. It's a way to get from here to there. No baggage unless you pay extra, no reserved seat unless you pay extra. If you manage these types of flights, they can save you money. If you let them nickel and dime you, then the flight could end up costing you more than a traditional airline.
The big plus with Condor right now is that you can use Alaska Airlines miles to book flights.

From MillionMileSecrets.com  , here’s what you can expect to pay for a one-way ticket:

• Continental US to Europe – Between 25,000 and 40,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 55,000 miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Northern Africa – Between 35,000 and 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 65,000 miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Southern Africa – Between 40,000 and 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 65,000 miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Middle East – 35,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach, 65,000 miles in Business Class

It's always good to have options especially when travelling as a family. So here's another option for you that may help you with almost FREE family travel. 

FREE Drink For New Starbucks Members!

Saw this yesterday at Starbucks so if you are not a Starbucks Rewards member yet, it may be a good time! Download the app, join as a new member and your first drink is on the house! Nice! By the way, the Starbucks app is pretty nifty. You can manage your Starbucks card and account, scan your phone instead of pulling a card out of your wallet and pre order drinks so you can just drive or walk up and your drink will be waiting.

50,000 Targeted United Explorer Offer

If you are planning a family trip for the holidays or next spring break or summer, the Mileage Plus Explorer card might be good for you. Right now, you get a bonus 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. There is a $95 annual fee which is not waived.
Other benefits of the card include 1 free checked bag, priority boarding, no foreign transaction fees, 2 United club one time passes and the card is chip enabled for security.
What can you do with 50,000 United miles? Lots. United allows you to book one way tickets with miles plus the airline has the Excursionist fare which is an amazing value. Excursionist fare means that you may be able to add a leg to your trip without using any miles at all.

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New AA shopping portal promotion!

If you are looking to top off an American Airlines account or earn a nice bonus, take a look at Rocketmiles.com. The site is offering first time users a 3,000 mile bonus when you book a hotel. A quick look shows most $100 room per night hotels giving about 4,000 miles per booking. 
Be sure to read the fine print though:

To be eligible for this promotion, the hotel reservation must be booked on www.rocketmiles.com using this promotional link (www.rocketmiles.com/aa-3k-bonus) or using promo code "AADVANTAGE" on the Rocketmiles app by 11:59PM CT on 30 June 2017. Limited to first time customers and subject to investigation post-purchase. Limit one per customer. Limit one per stay. Promotional offer cannot be applied to existing bookings or retroactively applied to bookings not made using the link above. This promotional offer cannot be combined with any other offers, including a sign-up from referral bonus. Rocketmiles reserves the right to retract a bonus at any time if it detects technical errors, cancel/rebooking activity (defined by identical search criteria), or any deceptive behavior attempted to circumvent the limits expressed above, including multiple accounts. Please allow 2 weeks for bonus points to post in a qualifying member's account after hotel stay is completed and the qualifying member has met the stated conditions.

So it must be a new booking and you can't cancel and rebook in order to qualify. But if you are still looking for that perfect hotel room for this summer, this might be a good deal for you. 
I am just 4,000 miles short of a free flight on American so I may take advantage of this deal to put me over the top. 
If you need miles on another airline, Rocketmiles works with American, Southwest, United, Jet Blue, Alaska Airlines and more. 
Great way to earn extra airline miles on your hotel stays. 

US Likely To Expand Laptop Ban To Europe Today

Bad news if you are heading to Europe this summer like I am. The Department of Homeland Security is considering expanding the electronics ban on planes to certain cities in Europe. This would affect United, Delta and American Airlines.
An announcement is expected today after DHS meets with airline officials.
The ban is already in place for flights originating in 10 airports in the Middle East including United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The ban restricts electronic devices on board planes to just smart phones. Laptops, tablets, kindles must be packed in luggage and checked.
There is debate against expanding the ban due to concerns about putting so many lithium batteries in the cargo hold of a plane.
For families, this is devastating news. Many flights do not have entertainment systems anymore and instead ask you to use your own device to access the inflight system.
So how will we entertain the kids on the long flight to Europe? I guess it's back to the old ways of cards, games, snacks, walks and naps.
If you haven't booked your flight yet, consider flying through Canada.

Alaska Airlines Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

If you are a fan of Alaska Airlines, then you may want to get in on this new promotion. Apply for the Alaska Airlines Credit Card, spend $1,000 minimum spend. It comes with a bonus of 30,000 points plus a companion ticket that costs $0 instead of the regular $99.
For families, companion tickets are huge! I have the Southwest Airlines companion pass until 2018 and I used it to fly my daughter to the East Coast 3 times and my son to the East Coast once and to Northern California once.
It has saved me thousands of dollars!
So if Alaska Airlines flies somewhere that you want to go, this is a great way to leverage the spending and get almost free family travel.

Earn 3,000 Jet Blue Miles When You Join Amazon Prime

If you fly Jet Blue or want to fly Jet Blue and you are NOT an Amazon Prime member, you might want to join now. Jet Blue will give you 3,000 miles valued at $42 in flights on Jet Blue when you join Amazon Prime. Prime costs $99 a year so with the bonus, the cost is decreased to $55 almost half price.
Lots of benefits to Amazon Prime including FREE 2-day shipping, FREE streaming music and video, storage and more.
Personally, I use cash back portals for most of my shopping, but I turn Amazon Prime on and off depending on the time of year. On during the holidays for gifts, off January. But for half off, I would be very tempted to to take this offer.
Use this link to access the offer, I do not get any benefit, this link is just for your convenience. You must join Jet Blue True Blue club to access the offer.
By the way, if you join True Blue, book a flight and fly by 4/16/2017, Jet Blue will give you a bonus 5,000 miles. A quick check shows that 20,000 Jet Blue miles equals about $290 dollars.

How to get to Fiji and New Zealand.....cheap!

A client asked me this week if I could help her get to Fiji and New Zealand in October. My first response, of course, was "why did you wait so long to plan?" Remember the #1 rule of almostfreefamilytravel is to plan early. Airlines open reservations 330 days before the travel date and that's the best time to use your miles because you have the best options available.
But let's work with what we have. My friend has 53,000 American Airlines miles available.
So we start the research by asking basic questions:
1. Who flies to Fiji and New Zealand? Fiji Airways and New Zealand Airline
2. Are the airlines partners with American? Fiji Airways is a partner
3. How many miles is an airline ticket to Fiji and New Zealand? Economy tickets are 40,000 each way
4. Are there any seats available on the flights? Yes!!! Woohoo
5. Does the airline offer a stopover in Fiji? Yes, Fiji Airways appears to offer stopovers on the way to Auckland.
6. Since my friend has limited miles, whats the cost of a one way ticket? One way tickets cost the same as round trip. Oh no, this puts a wrench in our plan.
7. Can we use miles for a ticket from Fiji to Auckland? Yes, one way is 17,500 miles.
8. 53,000 miles would get us 3 one way tickets, so how much does it cost to buy 17,000 miles to purchase the last one way ticket? American just started a 40% off promotion so it's around $500 for 17,000 miles, I'm not a fan of buying miles, but in this case, it may be worth it depending on the price of the one way. Or you could buy the one way ticket or you could spend 35,000 miles for 1 round trip and then buy the other for $600.
8. How much does it cost to buy a plane ticket from San Diego to Fiji? $899 per person round trip

So the best plan from this research would be to buy 2 round trip tickets on your Barclays Arrival Plus credit card which would get you close to the minimum spend of $3,000 and then return you $500 cash back on the plane tickets. Use 35,000 miles for 1 round trip Fiji to Auckland. Then either use miles for one way ticket Fiji to Auckland and buy the other one way OR buy 17,000 miles to purchase the second round trip for miles. Just depends on the rates when you are ready to buy. Anything you buy, charge to the Barclays card to help you reach your minimum spend.
This is how we do it on short notice! With a little more advance planning, my friend could have purchased all these flights with miles and that's how we do almostfreefamilytravel.

Alaska Airlines 30K plus $100 credit bonus offer

Alaska Airlines launched a new offer this morning you might want to check out. The offer is 30,000 miles for a $1,000 minimum spend and $100 statement credit. Which is nice, but they sweeten the deal and give you a free companion on your next flight if you fly in the first year. Usually they give you a $99 companion pass, but they are waiving the $99 and now you only pay taxes and fees.
To access this deal, log into Alaskaair.com and make a dummy reservation. When the payment page comes up, you should see this offer. If you joined the Alaska Air loyalty program in April, you will be rewarded with an additional 5,000 points if you fly by September 30, 2017.
Alaska Airlines is a partner with more than a dozen different airlines including American Airlines so you have a lot of different ways to use the miles. Their website is also a great search tool.