Earn Bonus American Airlines Miles By Donating To The Red Cross

American Airlines announced this morning that any donation you make to the American Red Cross will earn you bonus miles on American Airlines. 

Many airlines partner with the American Red Cross, but American Airlines appears to be the first and only one to offer bonus miles for donations. 

American Airlines has done this before. Just a few months back, the company offered 10x miles for donations earmarked for the victims of the Nashville tornadoes. 

Not a huge surprise that the airline is once again offering 10x miles for any donation over $25 to help with the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Make sure you use your Advantage account information when you donate. 

Bonus miles post in 6-8 weeks. 

Hurry, Delta Bonus Credit Card Offers End April 1st

I know it pains me too to look at an airplane right now. Our family should have been at a condo overlooking the beach in Chile this weekend. But, instead of being down and having a pity party, let's collect those points/miles so that when we can travel again, we are ready. 

Delta Bonus Credit Card Offers

Right now, Delta American Express is offering giant mega bonus of 60-100,000 miles for bonus offers on a variety of their cards. All the offers end on April 1st so if you are in a position to apply now is the time. We don't know what the next offer will be, but this is one of the highest offers we have seen. 

All the cards award you 60-80,000 miles when you meet the minimum spend about $2,000 to $3,000 depending on the card you choose and the rest of the miles on your first anniversary. You can only apply for these cards once per lifetime, but there are several to choose from. The annual fees range from $95-$550 and are not waived. Some include a credit on Delta, Global Entry credit, FREE lounge access, FREE checked bags, priority boarding and more. You can compare benefits here and see what works best for your travel plans. 

Why I like Delta

The great thing about Delta miles is that they never expire. Even though Delta is shrinking during the COVID-19, it tends to offer some spectacular deals on flights with award flights starting at just 10,000 miles. 

How To Extend FREE Hotel Night Certificates

Just a few weeks ago, I was in Sedona, AZ looking at the beautiful red rocks. Amazing how the world has changed in just a few weeks. I stayed at the Best Western Sedona Arroyo Roble in order to take advantage of the stay 2 nights, get 1 FREE promotion. It worked and within a few weeks, Best Western sent me a certificate for a FREE night at any Best Western. 

I had planned to use it to visit colleges in April. But as we all know everything has changed. 

Don't figure that your hotel certificates will just go unused. 

I called Best Western and bam, they agreed to extend the certificate. They actually asked me to call back after it expires and said they will extend it at that point. 

I also had to move some flights around and Delta charged me a change fee. Now that you can reach someone at the airlines, I called back and bam, they waived the fee and refunded me. 

Marriott is next on my list. I have a certificate that expires in May. 

Use Your Chase FREEDOM card to buy groceries

Since travel is very limited right now due to the Corona Virus, the best thing you can do is figure out how to stockpile points for later. One of the best ways is to utilize the rotating categories on your Chase FREEDOM card. This no-fee card earns 5x points in rotating quarterly categories. 

The categories can include gas stations, supermarkets, Amazon, streaming services and more. 

Registration is now open for 2nd quarter, categories include grocery stores, fitness clubs and gyms. FYI, the 5x is not good at Target or Walmart.  

You register here. If you don't have this card yet, you can use this link to apply. This is one of my go-to cards because there is no annual fee and you earn 1% back on everything. Right now, if you spend $500 in the first 3 months, you will get $200 cashback. Pretty sweet! If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred, then you can use the Ultimate Rewards points for travel. If you don't you can use them for cashback.

Another Secret Way To Earn Points/Miles While At Home

Don't give up on collecting points and miles while you are stuck at home. It's time to develop the new habit of using portals when shopping online to rack up the points/miles. Online shopping portals which I covered in my last post are a great way to get bonuses on the shopping you are doing anyway. But there are more ways to do earn points/miles without flying. 

Here are a few ways to do it:

1. Use Rocketmiles.com to book hotels and earn miles/points on a variety of airlines. Look for hotels with bonuses of up to 10,000 points. A quick search shows hotels in New Orleans, LA in November with bonuses of up to 15,000 points for 2 nights. The points will take about two weeks to post. 

2. You can book a rental car and earn miles on a number of airlines

3. You can dine at restaurants or take food out and earn miles on Southwest, Jet Blue, United, Alaska, Delta or American. Remember to dine within 30 days of opening your dining account and post a review to get a new member bonus. Plus opt into email communication to get more points. 

4. You can even earn points for taking surveys at some airlines but this is pretty slow. 

Look for the points/miles to post in about 4-6 weeks. 

The Secret Way To Collect Points/Miles While Stuck At Home

While you are staying at home, you can dream of your next big trip AND rack up the miles/points needed to get there. So if you are not flying, how can you collect points/miles?

It's easy and a habit you should get into all the time. Otherwise, you are leaving lots of miles/points on the table instead of using them to go on fabulous trips. 

The Secret: online shopping portals 

Yep, online shopping portals. Southwest, American, United and Jet Blue offer shopping portals. Chase and Citi also offer them. There are a few cashback ones too, but I am going to focus on points/miles here. 

But what are shopping portals? Online shopping portals are a collection of merchants like Home Depot, Target, Walmart, Blue Apron, Old Navy and more that offer extra points/miles for your purchase if you access them through the airlines' marketplace. By using the portal when you make your purchase, you earn points/miles plus if you use a point-earning credit card to make the purchase you can double dip. If you want to get really crazy, look for American Express offers and you can triple dip. Fun! 

So how do shopping portals work exactly?

For example, you want to buy a new outfit at Macys.com. I always check cashbackmonitor.com to compare the offers from the different portals. You may want to stick with one airline or you may just want to go with the best offer. That will depend on your travel goals.  

Find the portal you want to use, login to your frequent flier account, click on marketplace or shopping, find the retailer you want to shop with and click on it. The website will tell you that your purchases are being tracked. When you are ready to make your purchase, be sure you did not accidentally open another window and kill the tracking. It will take about 4-6 weeks for your points to post to your account. 

Bam! Easy! 

TSA Changes The Rules For Hand Sanitizer In Carry On Luggage

The TSA announced today that it will increase the amount of hand sanitizer passengers may take with them in their carry on luggage. You were only allowed 3 oz of any liquid including hand sanitizer. But today the TSA announced that passengers will be allowed to carry up to 12 oz of hand sanitizer in their carry on luggage. This is in response to the COVID-19 virus. 

Using hand sanitizers like Clear Defense and wipes to keep your hands, seat, seatbelt and tray table clean during the flight will help fight the virus. Stats show that the virus can live hours and even days on hard surfaces. 

Check out my recent post about how to clean your seat when you fly. 

You may also want to take along an immunity booster and a probiotic. 

Supposed To Fly? What Should You Do Now?

Supposed to fly in the next few weeks? If so, you are probably wondering if you should go and if you will be able to go. And the big one, if you can't go or you decide you don't want to go, will you get your money back. It's a crazy time and with things changing daily as soon as I write this, it may be outdated. 

But let's try to sort the situation out and stay calm. 

If it makes you feel any better, I am in the same boat. We have a few trips planned in the next two months and are unsure right now what will happen. 

Supposed to fly in the next few weeks?

Whether you go on your trip as planned or you cancel is a very personal decision that you and your family must make together. Obviously, besides raising your risk depending on where you are going, you may also not be able to return in a timely fashion. So if you decide to go, take along enough medications just in case. 

If you decide to cancel or change your flight, the #1 thing to remember right now is that unless your flight is scheduled in the next 72 hours, please don't call the airlines. I know that's hard. We like certainty and things are anything, but right now. The airlines are trying to sort this out as fast as they can, but with things changing daily and even hourly, it's tough for them to keep up. 

I believe they will figure it out and everyone will get credit for their trips and/or a refund. But you need to have patience. 

So if you can't call the airline to cancel your flight, what do you do. 

The good news is as of today you can cancel your flight through the airline's website. So you don't even need to call. Login to your account, cancel your flight, keep records of the time and date you do everything, record locators and anything else you can think of. You may need the documentation when this is over to get your credit, refund or to rebook. 

If you are eligible to change your flight, you will see an alert when you log in to your account. 

The bottom line is to stay calm, flexible and keep on top of travel advisories, check the state department website. 

New Promotion From Chase: Earn 5x on hotels

New offer from the Chase Freedom and Freedom Unlimited credit cards! First, the Chase Freedom is my go-to personal card. The card offers rotating 5% cashback categories each quarter. For example, this quarter ending March 31st, you earned 5% cash back for every gas, streaming, internet, cable, and phone purchase. The second quarter categories will be announced on March 15th. 

A nice perk is that you can activate the offer anytime during the quarter until the new categories are announced and the offer is dated back to the beginning of the quarter. 

Earn Unlimited 5x Points On Hotels

If you book a hotel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal anytime in March (you don't have to stay in March just make the reservation) and pay with your Chase FREEDOM or FREEDOM Unlimited, you will earn 5% cashback up to $2,500. That could be as much as $125. Pretty sweet. 

And if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, then you can transfer your cashback points to those cards and get more value in the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. 

Keep in mind that any hotels you book through the portal will NOT earn hotel points or qualify for promotions like the current Wyndham bonus points and Best Western 2 for 1 offer. 

If you decide to apply for this card, use my referral link. You get a $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first 3 months. Both cards have no annual fee. 

Southwest Ticket Prices Slashed, How Can You Save

One of the best perks about flying with Southwest is that there are no change fees. In fact, you can change your flight up to 10 minutes before departure with no penalty. Amazing. Compare that to other airlines that will charge you up to $200 per ticket when you change. Crazy! 

Now with the threat of the Corona Virus, many airlines are waiving or canceling their change fees. BUT if you want to still fly or your flight not scheduled until summer, you might want to check to see if you can save some money. We have heard stories lately about prices dropping $100 per day for some flights. 

Here's how you do it on Southwest:

1. Click on my account
2. Click on change flight located just below the flight details

3. Select the flight you would like to change, don't worry, you can look without changing anything.

Love this! Southwest will show you how much more or less the flight will cost you if you make the change. 

4. Choose your new flight and select the new flight. Southwest will credit the points back to your account immediately. If you paid with a credit card, you will get a refund for the difference. These funds will be held as travel funds that you can use at a later date. They expire one year from the date of the purchase. 

Bottom line, when everyone is panicking, you can find awesome deals. So check those Southwest flights you already have planned and maybe book a few more! 
That's how we do it at almost FREE family travel! 

#1 Hike For Kids In Sedona, AZ

Looking for a great spring break getaway? Sedona, AZ is a great place to take the kids. It is considered by many to be a spiritual vortex. I'm not sure I felt any extra energy in the area, but the beautiful red rocks create a serene calming environment for sure. There are lots of hotels with pools and free breakfast, great for kids. I chose the Best Western Plus Arroyo Roble Hotel and Creekside Villas to take advantage of the two for one promotion. It's a great property and I'll be reviewing it soon. 

Sedona is just two hours from the Grand Canyon and two hours from Phoenix so it's a great stopover. The main street has dozens of shops including numerous psychics and crystals, reasonably priced restaurants local (Wildflower Bread Company, 89 Agave) and chains (Chipotle) and at least two ice cream stores. In February, the town seemed to close down at 8pm even the sit down dinner restaurants so keep this in mind when planning your day. 

So what's the #1 hike for kids in Sedona? 

My second favorite hike was the Airport Loop Trail. You can park at the top for $3, walk through the gate at the far end of the parking lot and down the hill. Then you can hike up the Summit to see the gorgeous view and/or hike around the Airport Loop Trail. The Airport Loop Trail is about 3 miles and doesn't end at the parking lot so keep that in mind. For kids, the hike from the parking lot to the Summit and back to see the sunset from the viewpoint is great. 

Now the #1 hike is Templeton Trail. Here's why. You access it from the parking lot for Cathedral Trail. Be sure to get there early to get a parking spot and then pay $5 for a permit. There is a machine and a bathroom in the parking lot. Start following the trail for the Cathedral Hike which is super impressive as you walk up steps towards the looming red rocks. As you reach the plateau, you need to veer off to your right. You will see a path leading towards the canyon. This hike is about 1.5 miles to reach the surprise that kids will love, water! 

Pack a bathing suit, picnic and blanket and plan to spend some time in this tranquil gorgeous river location. Yes, river! The beauty of this hike is that the terrain changes so much you could be in another state. 
That's how we do it at almost FREE family travel. 

Book Your Marriott Before The Categories Change

Hundreds of hotels are changing category on March 4th. That means a hotel listed now at category 5 may be moving to category 6. If we look on the positive side, a hotel might move from category 6 to 5 too. But we did a quick search and most hotels were moving up in category not down. 

Besides costing more in points or dollars, why is this so important?

Well, here's why. You can use a 35,000 FREE night certificate for a category 5 and below hotel. But NOT for a category 6. That will cost you a 50,000 FREE night certificate. So if your hotel changes category to the downside, you will be priced out.

So if you have been thinking about booking any Marriott hotels, do it now like today. Also do not use the points advance feature as this does not lock in the current rate. If you have any hotel reservations currently sitting with the points advance tool, you need to book those by March 4th also or they will adjust. The points advance tool lets you make a reservation even if you don't have enough points in your account. 

That's how we do it at almost FREE family travel, good luck! 

In Wake Of Corona Virus, How To Clean Your Airplane Seat

I have to admit I have always been a bit of a germaphobe when I fly. I mean, really, the airlines do a quick turnaround between flights so how well can they really clean the planes?
Now in light of the Corona Virus, others may want to follow suit.
I use Clear Defense Wipes, they are non-toxic, smell great and botanical. No chemicals, no alcohol. Inexpensive. 

As soon as I find my seat, I wipe down the armrests,  tray table, and locking mechanism, seat belt (both sides), entertainment screen if there is one and even the seat recliner buttons. 

Be sure to wipe down the headrest too. 
The magazines and the seat pocket are full of germs and you can't clean them so just don't touch them at all. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences studied your chance of getting sick from other passengers on planes. They found that you are most likely to be infected by those passengers sitting within 1-2 rows of your seat. 

Yes, I get strange looks even some half-smiles. But you know what, I hardly ever get sick after flying. I also carry Clear Defense hand sanitizer and use it often. 
And first stop after I get off the plane, yep, the restroom to wash my hands again. 
If you would like to try the Clear Defense wipes, follow me on Instagram or Facebook and use the word "cleardefense" in the comments and I'll send you a FREE sample. 
That's how we do it at almost FREE family travel.