Why You Should Jump On This Bonus Offer Before It Ends

 

We are hearing that the increased bonus offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cards is ending "soon." 

Though we don't know exactly when soon is, if you are thinking about jumping on this offer, you should do it sooner rather than later. 

These cards are my favorites because Chase Ultimate Reward points are so flexible. You can transfer points to dozens of different airlines, hotels, use them in the Chase Travel Portal or even pay yourself back though I don't recommend doing this.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve cards also offer great benefits and should have a primary spot in everyone's wallet and travel strategy. The Sapphire Preferred credit card is also an excellent card for a student once they have built enough credit to qualify. 

Right now, you can earn 75,000 CUR bonus points with a $4,000 minimum spend. The Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee and the Reserve has a $550 annual fee, but the Reserve card also comes with a $300 travel credit, $100 global entry credit, Priority Pass membership and an increased value for the points in the Chase Travel Portal.

I love CUR points because of their flexibility. You can:

• transfer them to dozens of different airline loyalty programs 
• transfer them to several hotel chains (Marriott, IHG, Hyatt) 
• use them to buy hotels, flights, activities and car rentals in the Chase Travel Portal 
• pay yourself back 
• get a statement credit 

75,000 points equals $750, however, if you use them in the Chase Travel Portal with your Preferred credit card, you get 25% more value making them worth $1,000. And if you combine the points with your Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, then they will be worth 50% more in the Chase Travel Portal for a whopping total of $1,250. 

If you don't have one of these in your wallet yet, this is the time. If you decide to apply, please consider using my referral link. 

Thank You Southwest For A Surprise LUV Voucher

 

Flew home from the East Coast a few weeks ago on Southwest Airlines. All was going well. The first flight took off on time, but the connecting flight was a different story. We arrived in Denver to change planes and found that our flight was delayed about three hours and now scheduled to leave after midnight. 

The gate crew said it was a weather delay due to unstable weather in Florida where our plane was coming from.  We had checked to see if there was another flight leaving Denver earlier that we could request to hop on, but no luck. So we waited. 

The good news was that there was a Capital One Lounge in Denver and a restaurant included in the Priority Pass. The Priority Pass is a benefit included in the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. You can read about this amazing perk here. 

Our flight eventually took off and we arrived home late, but safe. 

My experience with weather delays is that you are usually out of luck for compensation.

So imagine my surprise when I received this email a few days later.

Woohoo! Two $100 vouchers for the delay. Nice! But why? This google search may provide a bit of an answer. 

Why did Southwest give me a voucher?

Flyers can receive a Southwest LUV Voucher if their flight is canceled or delayed within seven days of departure, they arrive three or more hours later than planned, and the delay or cancellation was caused by something Southwest could control, such as maintenance or staffing.

In my case, the gate crew told us it was a weather related issue. However, reading further there is another issue if your delay is pushed past midnight and/or three hours. Both of which were true in our case so that may actually be the reason we were awarded the vouchers. 

As promised, a few days later this email showed up with a voucher number. The voucher had also been added to my Southwest account, 

The voucher is a travel credit that has to be applied to a cash ticket. However, now that you can pay cash and points for a flight, you can actually use multiple forms of payment for the same ticket. So in theory, you could use the voucher and then use points to buy a flight. Once you cash in the voucher, it is non transferrable. But the first time you use it, you can actually use it to buy a ticket for anyone. 

Thank you Southwest! Nice to be compensated without having to ask. 

Why You Should Apply For This 75,000 Bonus Offer

 

Two of the best credit cards for Chase Ultimate Rewards just increased their bonus offer! Woohoo! 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve cards offer great benefits and should have a primary spot in everyone's wallet and travel strategy. 

Right now, you can earn 75,000 CUR bonus points with a $4,000 minimum spend. The Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee and the Reserve has a $550 annual fee, but also comes with a $300 travel credit, $100 global entry credit, Priority Pass membership and an increased value for the points in the Chase Travel Portal.

I love CUR points because of their flexibility. You can:

• transfer them to dozens of different airline loyalty programs 
• transfer them to several hotel chains (Marriott, IHG, Hyatt) 
• use them to buy hotels, flights, activities and car rentals in the Chase Travel Portal 
• pay yourself back 
• get a statement credit 

75,000 points equals $750, however, if you use them in the Chase Travel Portal with your Preferred credit card, you get 25% more value making them worth $1,000. And if you combine the points with your Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, then they will be worth 50% more in the Chase Travel Portal for a whopping total of $1,250. 

Like this redemption in the Chase Travel Portal through my Chase Sapphire Reserve account, this Hilton in Moorea has rooms at $938 dollars or 62,554 CUR points. 

And if you transfer them to an airline or hotel, the points could be worth even more depending on the specific flight or the number of rewards needed per night.

Plus if you transfer points to IHG and buy three nights, you get a fourth FREE so that could be very lucrative. 

Hyatt hotels usually fall in the sweet spot of redemption value as well.  

You can only hold one of these cards at a time and you can only get the bonus once every 4 years. You can apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve here using my referral link. 

Woohoo! Another Client Success Story!

 

I love using points and miles to save on travel, but what I love even more is to help others save on travel. 

So far, dozens of people have joined my Travel Coaching Program and saved thousands! You read about the honeymoon couple who used points to score FREE flights to Italy. 

Now we have another client success story! 

This time, our client saved $3,200 on a month long trip to Iceland and Italy. 

The client spent 4 days in Iceland and 3 weeks in Italy. 

Here is how she used points to save:

Capital One Venture X Card

• $395 (charge $ 4,000 3 months)
• $300 Travel Credit (so card cost $99 but we split the charge)
• $100 Credit towards Global Entry (got entry card coming back from Venice @ LAX)
• 75,000 bonus miles
• Priority Lounge Access (used in Seattle and Venice)

American Express Delta

• Used points to buy a $500 gc (they were giving a 10% discount on gc) used GC towards plane ticket home. Plus miles I had so my ticket was FREE.

• Used points towards upgrade 2 passengers to Premium Plus coming home from Italy flew Delta Home

If you want to learn how to use points and miles to travel for FREE, consider joining my Travel Coaching Program. You get five short videos explaining the basics, a personal tracker and then 1:1 with me where we talk travel goals and set a plan in action. Then you can join our monthly live coaching session forever for FREE!

We look forward to helping you plan your next trip!