Why Southwest's Big Changes Don't Matter To Me

 

I'm seeing that a lot of people are very angry and upset over Southwest Airlines big announcement regarding baggage fees and the way we earn points when we fly. 

Why Southwest's Big Changes Don't Matter To Me 

Southwest announced that they are joining other airlines and starting May 2025 will be charging for checked bags. We don't know the price yet, but the going rate is $35 per bag. Only A-List and Business Select fares will get two FREE checked bags. 

If you are a Southwest credit card holder, you will also get a FREE checked bag. Right now, you can apply for any Southwest personal credit card and get 30,000 bonus points plus a companion pass valid through February 28, 2026. This is a good offer, but I can show you how to get 135,000 points and the companion pass for almost two years in my Travel Coaching Program. Bonus, anyone on your reservation including your companion on your pass will get their own FREE checked bag. 

Southwest announced that it is modifying how many points you earn when you fly. In fact, this started already on March 4th 2025. 

Why Southwest's Big Changes Don't Matter To Me 

But for me and my clients in the Travel Coaching Program, these changes don't matter much. Let me tell you why. 

First, we don't check luggage. Yes, I know sometimes, you have to if you are moving a child across the country or moving things to other places. But in general, we believe that traveling lighter is better. So we are on TEAM CARRYON all the way. In fact, we recently tried traveling to a conference with just a personal item. You can read about that adventure here. And if you really need a checked bag, don't worry. Since we help our clients earn a Southwest Companion Pass, the best travel perk around, that would equal two FREE bags. You are right, it's still less than the four bags you get currently, but it's more than zero. 

Second, we don't pay cash for flights. Period. As a rule, we also don't earn points for flying on Southwest because we fly for FREE. So whether passengers earn 2 points per mile or 6 points per mile, it doesn't matter to us since we don't earn any points when we fly. We earn points in different ways. 

If you are interested in learning more about how we earn points and fly for FREE or how to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, check out my Travel Coaching Program. I would love to meet you! 

Chase Ink 90,000 Bonus Ends Thursday

 

This amazing offer ends on November 7th at 6am pst. If you haven't applied for this one yet, you should really consider it. 

90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth $900, but could be worth even more if you already hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve credit card because you can use them in the travel portal and/or transfer them to dozens of airlines and several hotel chains.  

This offer is:

• 90,000 bonus points 
• no annual fee for this card 
• $6,000 minimum spend

The Ink Business Unlimited is a business card, but Chase is very lenient on the definition of a business.  Types of businesses that qualify include dog walker, selling items on Ebay or Etsy or rental property.

This offer ends Thursday so don't wait and if you do apply, please consider using my referral link. 

What Is A Transfer Bonus And How Can It Mean Big Savings For You

 

One of the top reasons, we love Chase Ultimate Rewards points is because they are so flexible. You can use them in the travel portal to buy flights, hotels, car rentals and even cruises. You can also transfer them to dozens of different airlines and several hotel chains. 

And sometimes, Chase offers bonus points when you transfer your Chase Ultimate Reward points to specific partners. You can get as many as 100% bonus points. When the bonus offer coincides with a fare sale, then wow! 

Like right now, Virgin Atlantic and FlyingBlue are doing a fare sale and Chase is offering a 40% bonus to Virgin. 

What does this mean? Take a look at some of these fares being offered by Virgin. 

• Heathrow to LAX for just 9,000 Virgin points. 

If you were to take advantage of the transfer bonus, just 7,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points would equal approximately 9,000- 10,000 Virgin Atlantic points. Wow! You could transfer a few more points and fly Premium or Upper Class.

To transfer Chase points:

• Login to your Chase.com account
• Click on redeem points 
• Hover over travel and click on transfer to travel partners
• Click on the partner you want to transfer points TO
• Enter your membership information
• Your name must match exactly! 
• Enter the number of points you want to transfer (must be in increments of 1,000)
• Confirm
• The transfer should happen almost immediately

Word of advice, do NOT transfer points until you know how you are going to use the points. You CANNOT get them back. 

Chase transfer partners are a great way to make that bucket list trip affordable.

One of our favorite Chase Ink Business cards, the Business Unlimited, has a points promotion ending on November 7th. The minimum spend is $6,000, there is no annual fee and the bonus is 90,000 points which equals $900, but if you hold a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred card, you can squeeze more value out of this one. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is also offering a bonus $300 travel credit right now which is an amazing offer. 

If you would like help planning your bucket list trip, reach out to me. I'll help you use points and miles to make your memorable trip affordable. 

You Got Capital One Lounge Access, Now What?

 

Enjoying an alberol spritz in the Capital One Lounge in Denver! So even though my flight was delayed, I was able to charge my phone, do some work, enjoy a drink or two and a nice meal. 

Lounge access comes with my Capital One Venture X credit card. In fact, I added my three children as authorized users which is FREE and they get lounge access too. Well worth, the $395 annual fee. 

But while I was waiting in line, I heard so many people confused about how lounge access works and how much it costs. 

So let's try to sort this out. 

You Got The Capital One Venture X Lounge Access, Now What?

For simplicity, I am going to focus on the Capital One Lounges (currently in Washington DC Dulles, Denver, Dallas and coming soon to Las Vegas) and the Priority Pass (a network of 1,600 lounges worldwide). I know there are other lounges out there for business class and various airlines, but we are just going to focus on these. 

First question, how do you get lounge access:

• Capital One Lounge - Capital One Venture X credit card holders get unlimited lounge access for Capital One Lounges. They can also bring two guests with them. Capital One Venture credit card holders get 2 lounge passes per year. 
• Priority Pass Lounge - Capital One Venture X credit card holders get membership included as a benefit for the card holder and authorized users. Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card holders get membership for the card holder only. Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cards holders also get membership included. Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex and Capital One Venture X card holders can bring two guests. 

The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card used to include a restaurant benefit as well which was awesome, but it dropped that benefit in July 2024. 

You Got The Capital One Venture X Lounge Access, Now What?

Once you activate your membership online to the Priority Pass, you will get a card in the mail and a digital card that you show at the lounge entrance along with your boarding pass. You can download the app and find lounges worldwide. 

You can only visit the lounge while you are waiting for a flight departure and not  upon arrival unless you are connecting to another flight. 

For the Capital One Lounges, you show your boarding pass and your Capital One credit card. Since there are only three lounges currently, they are packed and often have a waitlist. 

It's a good idea to get on the wait list, but it's a bit tricky to find in the app. 

You Got The Capital One Venture X Lounge Access, Now What?

• Login to your Capital One account
• Click on Explore rewards and benefits
• Click on Lounges in the upper right corner
• Click on the lounge
• You will see the current capacity and then a button to join the waitlist 
• Once you do that, you will get a text when it is your turn to enter 
• You have 10 minutes to show up or you will lose your turn and have to join the waitlist again

Both the Capital One Venture X and Venture card come with a 75,000 bonus for a $4,000 minimum spend. The Venture X carries a $395 annual fee, but you get a $300 travel credit, $120 Global Entry credit, Priority Pass membership and Capital One lounge access for the card holder and up to 4 authorized users for FREE. The Venture card only carries a $95 annual fee and comes with 2 lounge passes each year. 

The Chase Sapphire Reserve carries a hefty $550 annual fee, comes with a $300 travel credit, $120 Global Entry credit, Priority Pass lounge access and 1.5 to 1 value for Chase Ultimate Rewards points in the travel portal. 

Both Capital One and Chase Ultimate Reward points are considered flex points and can be transferred to dozens of airlines and hotels. 

If this sounds interesting to you, I recommend going through my points and miles course which includes a 1:1 strategy session with me, a custom tracker and ongoing group coaching. Let's get you traveling for almost FREE and making those priceless memories! 

🌟 Brand Loyalty: Friend or Foe?

 

We've all been there – falling head over heels for a particular travel brand. Maybe you're always flying with United, or you can't resist a Marriott stay. But is this unwavering loyalty serving you well? Let's break it down and see how flexible points can be a game-changer for family travel.

✈️ Flight Comparison: LAX to Tokyo

Imagine you're planning a family trip to Japan. As a United loyalist, you check their rates first:

• United Airlines: 110,000 miles round trip
• American Airlines: 70,000 miles round trip

That's a whopping 40,000-mile difference per person! For a family of five, that's a 200,000-mile saving. Talk about a loyalty tax!

🏨 Hotel Showdown in Tokyo

Now, let's look at accommodation options:

• Hyatt Regency Tokyo: 15,000 Hyatt points per night
• Moxy Tokyo (Marriott): 33,000 points per night (with 5th night free)

Both are great options, but what if you're locked into one brand? You might miss out on the best deal for your family.

💳 The Power of Flexible Points

This is where flexible points shine! With programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards, AMEX Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, or Citi ThankYou Points, you can:

• Shop around for the best deals
• Transfer points to various airlines and hotels
• Use travel portals for bookings
• Erase travel purchases with points

Flexible points give you the freedom to choose the best value for your family's needs.

🌟 Brand Loyalty: Friend or Foe?

Right now, I am recommending two credit cards for most of my clients:

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred - 60,000 bonus points plus $300 travel credit for a $4,000 minimum spend and a $95 annual fee. This card also comes with a $50 hotel credit  You can only hold ONE Sapphire credit card and you are only eligible for the bonus every 48 months. 

2.  Chase Ink Business Unlimited - $900 cash (it's really 90,000 points), $0 annual fee, $6,000 minimum spend. Be sure to apply for the Business Unlimited.  Popup will redirect you to the offer. 

If you would like help planning your next adventure or using points and miles to take a bucket list vacation, check out our website for travel advising and our new Travel Coaching Program. We would love to help you and your family make memories! 

#FlexiblePoints #FamilyTravel #TravelHacks #PointsAndMiles #AlmostFreeTravel

Step #1 Towards Earning Your Southwest Companion Pass For 2025-26

 

It's the countdown towards earning the Southwest Companion Pass for 2025-26, yep, almost two full years. And I have challenged myself to help 25 people earn the pass. If you are ready, sign up here!  There is no cost to you, my coaching is totally FREE. 

Just in case you don't know what the pass is all about, here's a quick summary: 

• The Southwest Companion Pass is a BOGO flight pass for any flight, anywhere, anytime for you and one companion. No blackout dates, no restrictions. 

For comparison, Alaska Airlines offers its famous $99 companion pass which is good for one flight per year. 

American Airlines, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Delta Airlines offer a slightly different variation on the companion pass, but again it's just valid for one flight per year and costs up to $99. 

• Southwest is the ONLY airline that offers a companion pass for unlimited flights for up to two full years, it's an incredible deal. 

I have had the pass for 8 years and I estimate it has saved me thousands of dollars. I have used it to fly to Cuba, Costa Rica, Washington DC, New York, Puerto Rico, Florida, North Carolina, Washington State, Nashville, Chicago and so much more. 

• Southwest allows you to change your companion three times per calendar year. And your companion can be a partner, child, friend, family member or anyone else you would like to bring with you. 

So whether you have had the pass before or you are planning to earn it for the first time, let's talk about what we need to do now to get ready. You can also sign up to be one of the 25 people I am going to help for FREE to earn the pass. 

Step #1 Towards Earning Your Southwest Companion Pass For 2025-26

In very simple terms, in order to get the pass, we need to earn 135,000 Southwest points in a single calendar year. Once you earn the points, the companion pass will show up in your Southwest account and you can start using it immediately. The pass is good for the calendar year you earn it and the following year. Which means that if you earn the pass in January 2025, it is good for the rest of 2025 and 2026. 

That's the reason why we try to earn the pass as early in the year as possible. 

But if you are earning the pass for a second or third time or if you have received a Southwest credit card bonus before, you need to check a few things before you get started. 

1. IMPORTANT - Check the date that you last earned a Southwest point bonus. You can do that by logging into your Southwest account and checking your reward activity. You can see when I check my account, I earned a business card bonus in January 2023 and a personal card bonus in February 2023.  You can't apply for a new card until after those dates. So in my case, I cannot apply for another a Southwest Performance Business credit card until January 12th 2025 and I can't apply for another Southwest personal credit card until February 9th 2025.    

2. You earn 10,000 points on January 1st if you hold a Southwest Credit Card. These points are not valid for flights, but do count towards the companion pass. 

3. You can only hold ONE personal Southwest credit card at a time and you need to allow 30 days between closing the card you have and applying for another one. So now would be the right time to close your personal Southwest credit card if you plan to apply for another one in November. You can hold more than one Southwest Business credit card at a time so that's not an issue. 

4. Check your 5/24 status. Chase will only approve you for 5 credit cards every 24 months so confirm that you will eligible for a Southwest personal credit card. The business cards do not count towards 5/24. 

Step #1 Towards Earning Your Southwest Companion Pass For 2025-26

Make sure you do these steps so you are ready to hit the ground running in November to earn that pass. If you would like FREE coaching help, sign up to be one of the 25 people I am going to help earn the companion pass. 

How To Hack Southwest Airlines Flights For Less

One of the benefits of the relatively new fare class Wanna Get Away Plus at Southwest Airlines is the ability to change your flight day of for FREE. It's called the FREE day of standby change. 

How To Hack Southwest Airlines Flights For Less 

Saavy travelers have figured out that "day of" means 12:01am. 

So theoretically, you can book a cheaper flight and then change your flight the night before at midnight to the flight you really want. 

This hack may only cost you $20 per ticket or just a handful of points and you could save up to $50 per ticket or thousands of points.

This hack means you don't have to hope that you qualify for a FREE change due to weather or a schedule change. 

How To Hack Southwest Airlines Flights For Less 

The only catch with this hack is that there needs to be a seat available on the flight and you may get a lousy boarding position. If you do get a lousy boarding position, you can try using an upgrade boarding from your Southwest Priority credit card or your Southwest Performance Business credit card. Both come with 4 upgraded boardings per year. 

If you don't have a Southwest Airlines credit card yet, you can use my referral link here to apply. However, if you are interested in earning the Southwest Companion Pass for 2025-26, sign up for my Travel Coaching Program first. It's affordable and personal to your travel goals. And I'm challenging myself to help 25 people earn the pass this January. Don't wait, there are only a few spots left! 

 

buy the wanna get away plus fare and then day of you can switch flights for free to any flight on the same day that has room in the wanna get away plus and wanna get away fares

1500 points or $20 difference between fares bwi-san dec. 14

Dreaming About A Trip To Italy? Check This Out

Are you dreaming about a trip to Italy for next summer? I just helped clients Mackenzie and Michael plan a dream honeymoon in Italy for almost FREE. Yep! That's right. 

As soon as they return, they will share the details about how they used points and miles to pay for this trip in our monthly group coaching meet. Yay! 

Perhaps you are next! Dreaming About A Trip To Italy? Check This Out

The September cohort of the Travel Coaching Program is launching soon! There are only 10 spots available so don't wait to check it out and get started. We will be having two challenges coming up this fall as well, details coming soon! 

Right now, though, there are two bonus offers that are ending soon that played a part in Mackenzie and Michael's strategy. 

• Capital One Venture card offering a bonus $250 travel credit right now and 75,000 bonus points, all for just $95 annual fee and $4,000 minimum spend. 
• Chase Ink Business Preferred offering 100,000 bonus points. $95 annual fee with an $8,000 minimum spend. Offer ends Sept 3rd

If you aren't sure which card is right for you or how you will use the points, join my Travel Coaching program September cohort and I'll help you come up with a personal strategy to reach your travel goals. 

Two NEW Great Bonus Offers $1,000 FREE Travel

 

Just got back from Tahiti and all I can say is Wow! I'll share more on how to enjoy Tahiti using points and miles. This trip would have cost my family of 5 more than $20,000, but we spent three weeks in the islands for just $5,000. I saved approximately $15,000 on this bucket list trip. 

There are two great offers out right now that I need to share with you because these two cards are key to my success using points and miles to take my family on amazing adventures. 

Two NEW Great Bonus Offers $1,000 FREE Travel 

• Capital One Venture - 75,000 bonus points with a $4,000 minimum spend and $95 annual fee. Right now, you can get an additional $250 travel credit for use in the Capital One Travel Portal. So this offer is now worth $1,000 at the very least. 
• Chase Ink Business Preferred - 120,000 bonus points for $8,000 minimum spend and $95 annual fee. This bonus offer is worth at least $1,200 and maybe more if you use our trick. This offer ends September 3rd. 

Which is better for me?

Chase Ultimate Reward points and Capital One points are both considered flexible points which means you can use them on dozens of different airlines and several hotels. You can read about why I love flexible points here. 

But which one is better for you? That is a great question and the answer is that it depends on various factors including your travel goals, who and where you plan to travel, when you plan to travel and how you plan to travel. 

If you want support in making the best decision, join my Travel Coaching Program, the new cohort will start in September. There are only 10 spots so don't wait to enroll. Hope you will join us! 

How You Can Use Capital One Points To Erase Travel Purchases

 

Oh yes, the island of Moorea in French Polynesia is the picture of that perfect vacation. And what makes it even better is when you pay with points and it's almost FREE. 

If you would pay cash for this vacation, it would really put a dent in your wallet. 

Hopefully you have been following along as I walk through using points and miles for our family of 5 to spend a few weeks in French Polynesia. 

How You Can Use Capital One Points To Erase Travel Purchases 

First we secured flights for FREE for all five of us, then we secured the over the water bungalow and garden room. Next, we worked on the airbnb.com and tours. 

Now, we paid for the rental car using points. 

And this time, I used one of my favorite tricks. The travel eraser by Capital One. 

Some will say this is not the best use of your points since it really is a statement credit. But I believe that the value of points and miles is in the eye of the beholder and if I can get a $1,300 charge for the rental car down to $0, then it's worth it to me. 

How You Can Use Capital One Points To Erase Travel Purchases 

And the best part is that I never even paid for this purchase. Keep reading and I'll show you this trick. 

So we are assuming that you have already earned the bonus on the Capital One Venture or Venture X or Venture X Business cards and the points are in your account. You can access them by logging into your Capitalone.com online account and clicking on view rewards. 

If you scroll down, you will see "cover travel purchases." If you click there, you will see your travel purchases for the past 90 days that are eligible to be erased. It is a 1:1 value. 

You can choose to erase the entire purchase or just a portion. It can take a few days for the credit to post to your statement. If you can time the credit after the purchase and before the statement closes, you actually never pay for the purchase at all.

How You Can Use Capital One Points To Erase Travel Purchases 

If you look below, I made the purchase for the rental car on Feb. 2nd and then erased it on Feb. 4th and the credit posted on Feb. 6th. The statement closed on Feb. 8th with a balance minus the credit. 😊

Since I thought I would pay for the rental car closer to the actual trip, I had used some of my points to erase ferry tickets. But to get a $950 discount on the rental car, it's worth it. 

This is just one of the reasons why I love flex points like Capital One and Chase. 

If this interests you, but seems confusing, let me help you. Enroll in my travel coaching program. We will explore your travel goals, review your credit cards and make a plan. Then you can join our monthly live coaching sessions for more support. 

Is the Southwest Mini Companion Pass Offer a good deal?

 

Southwest launched its mini Companion Pass promotion today. The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best travel perks around. It is a BOGO for any flight for up to two years. You can also change your companion three times per year. 

Is the Southwest Mini Companion Pass Offer a good deal?

I have had the Companion Pass for the past 8 years and it has saved me thousands of dollars. I used the Companion Pass to take my husband to Cuba, my children to the East Coast multiple times for events and college trips and graduation, Chicago, Florida, Mexico and more. 

This offer is to apply for any Southwest Personal credit card, spend $4,000 minimum with annual fee of $69-$149 depending on which card you choose and get 30,000 points and a companion pass good through February 28, 2025. 

Sounds pretty good, right?

Usually, you have to earn 135,000 Southwest points to get the Companion Pass, but it's good for up to two years. 

Is the Southwest Mini Companion Pass Offer a good deal?

This offer may be a good deal for some people, but here are a few things to think about before you hop on it:

1. You can only get a bonus on the personal Southwest credit card once every 24 months so if you get the personal card now, your Companion pass will expire in February 2025 and you won't be eligible for the personal card bonus again until February 2026. You can only hold one personal Southwest credit card at a time. 

But you can apply for both Southwest business cards and get both bonuses so if you have a small business and can meet the minimum spend, you could go with that plan in January 2025 and then have the Companion Pass through December 2026 plus lots of points.

2. Many times, the minimum spend on the personal Southwest credit card is just $1,000 with a bonus offer of 50,000 points or higher. So the minimum is lower and the bonus points offer is higher, BUT you need to get two credit cards to earn the companion pass. Not everyone can qualify for the Southwest Business credit card. 

3. You only get 30,000 points, of course, you can always transfer points from your Chase Ultimate Rewards if you need more. 

Of course, everyone's situation is different so that's why this offer may be perfect for you and not for someone else. If you are not sure if this offer fits your plan, join my Travel Coaching program and I'll help you figure it out. There are only 4 spots left in the Spring cohort so don't wait. 

If you decide to jump on this offer, please use my referral link. Thank you for your support! 

 

Last Chance To Get The 90,000 Chase Ink Business Bonus

Chase appears to be ending the 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards bonus offer on the Ink Business Cash and Unlimited credit cards. We are hearing that both offers will end on January 18th. 

These annual fee business cash cards were offering 90,000 bonus Chase Ultimate Reward points when you spend $6,000 in the first three months. 90,000 points are worth approximately $900, but can be worth much more if you combine them onto another card. 

This is a great offer IF you already have or can also apply for a Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card. Why? Because the Ink Cash card does not allow you to take advantage of all the ways to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards on travel. 

But you can transfer your 90,000 points to another card that does offer the travel opportunities like the travel portal and transferring points to airlines and hotels. 

Make sense?

The Ink Business cash card also earns 5x points at office supply stores, streaming services, internet, cable and phone. 

So you may be asking what qualifies as a business? Lots of small businesses count like selling items on Ebay, Etsy and rental income. 

You are also allowed to hold each of the Ink Business cards so you may want to apply for one of the no annual fee cards with the bonus offer ending soon and then turn around an apply for the Ink Business Preferred credit card with its new 100,000 bonus point offer. This card does carry a $95 annual fee and a $8,000 minimum spend, but 100,000 points are at least $1,000 in travel and maybe more if you transfer the points to your Sapphire Preferred or Reserve credit card. 

You can read about how I use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for almost FREE family travel here. 

If you apply for any of the INK credit cards, please use my referral link so I can continue to help you travel for almost FREE. 

If you want help walking through this process, register for my Travel Coaching Program or book me for a 1:1 coaching session. 

 Ends Jan. 18th