Showing posts sorted by date for query erase. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query erase. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

How To Visit National Parks With Points and Miles

 


Feeling uneasy about traveling internationally right now, there are so many beautiful places to visit right here in the US including National Parks. And yes, you can use points and miles to visit them. 

Recently, I visited Joshua Tree National Park, it is the 6th most visited park in the US with 3 million visitors every year. The park is located approximately 45 minutes from Palm Springs in the Hi Desert.

The top 10 most popular National Parks are: Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Yosemite, Acadia, Grand Teton, Joshua Tree and Olympic. 

And those are just the most popular ones. Some of the smaller yet amazing National Parks include: Canyonlands, Lassen Volcanic, Big Bend, Channel Islands and North Cascades. 332 million people visit the National Parks each year. 

You will need to pay the entry for each park so if you plan to visit 2-3 of them, you should look into purchasing the America The Beautiful annual pass for $80. For seniors, it's just $20 for an annual pass and $80 for a lifetime pass. The pass is FREE for military and fourth graders and their families. 


You could pay a lot to stay inside some of the parks OR there are a handful of hotel chains that are typically located just outside the entrances to the parks. Those chains include Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott, Holiday Inn Express by IHG and Sure Stay Plus by Best Western. These hotels usually qualify for FREE night certificates like Marriott's FREE night for 35,000 points. In addition, Holiday Inn is a stay 3, get the 4th night FREE and Marriott is stay 4, get the 5th night FREE. 

If there is no chain near the entrance or you don't have a FREE night certificate, you can also look in the Chase Travel Portal or the Capital One Travel Portal or you can "erase" the hotel with your Capital One Venture credit card. 


For Joshua Tree National Park, I used a FREE night certificate to stay at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Twenty Nine Palms. It is located about seven minutes outside the park entrance. There is a grocery store across the street from the hotel and a few restaurants nearby including a Chipotle and Starbucks. I prefer the Fairfield Inn and Suites hotels because the rooms can accommodate up to 6 people, there is a pool and includes breakfast. 

Most of these parks are located within driving distance from a city where Southwest flies so you can use points and your Southwest Companion Pass. For example, Joshua Tree National Park is approximately 30 minutes from Palm Springs, 1.5 hours from Ontario Airport and 2.5 hours from Los Angeles, Burbank, John Wayne Airport and San Diego. 

Yellowstone is located a few hours from Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho. Yosemite is located a few hours from Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and Fresno. The Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce are located a few hours from Las Vegas. You can also fly into Phoenix to visit the Grand Canyon. 


The biggest expense with a National Park trip is usually renting a car, but if you charge this purchase to your
Capital One Venture or Venture X credit card, you get rental insurance and can "erase" the purchase with points. Right now, the Capital One Venture credit card is offering 100,000 bonus points through my special link. You might also try booking your rental car through the Chase or Capital One Travel portal, but I usually find Costco has better rates. 

One of my clients told me she finds great rates through airline offers when she books her flights. But however you make the reservation, be sure to pay for the rental car with a credit card that earns bonus points for travel. Or use a credit card that you are working to earn a bonus offer like the Chase Sapphire Preferred 100,000 point offer or that you can erase the rental with points. 

Food options can be limited near the National Parks so it's a good idea to carry a cooler with you and stop at a grocery store on the way. Keep plenty of water with you as well since many of the parks can be hot and have long lines during the busy season. 


Some of the parks like Joshua Tree National Park offer ranger tours like the one I took to Keys Ranch, an original homestead inside the park. We spent two hours in a private area inside the park that is only accessible on the tour. The original house, equipment and cars are on the property and Ranger Tom had lots of stories about the miners and park back in the 1930's. The tour is only available October - April and costs $20 per person. 



If you are looking to stay closer to home or in the US this summer, National Parks offer a great escape from the city and are super affordable with points and miles. 

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. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 


Saturday, May 10, 2025

My Second Favorite Travel Card 100,000 Bonus Offer Ends May 12th

My second favorite travel credit card is ending it's 100,000 bonus offer on May 12th. My link will get you the 100,000 offer rather than a $250 credit in the travel portal. Way more value! 

This offer is for 100,000 bonus miles rather than a travel credit so you have the flexibility to use the miles any way you want like transferring to an airline or hotel, erasing travel purchases or in the travel portal. 

We love the flexibility of Capital One miles so 25,000 miles is much better than a travel credit.

What can you do with 100,000 Capital One miles?
  • Round trip flight for 2 or 4 people to Europe
  • Resort suite in the Algarve, Portugal for 3 nights 
  • 7 nights at a hotel in Japan 
  • First class seat to Sydney, Australia 

The minimum spend on this offer is $5,000 and the annual fee is $95. 

Other benefits included with the Capital One Venture card include:
  • 2x points on all purchases
  • $120 Global Entry/TSA credit 
  • Rental Car Insurance Coverage
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance



You are only eligible for this bonus offer once every four years. And just a sidenote, there is NO lounge access included with this card. Though card holders are eligible for a discounted lounge pass. 

This is offer ends May 12th so don't wait. As always, if you need more guidance, please join our Travel Coaching Program, you can find out more about our personal coaching here. Use FREETRAVEL for $50 off the cost. Or you can book a 30 minute consult for just $100. We would love to help you! 

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Capital One Venture Rewards 100,000 Point Bonus Offer

 


Woohoo! If you thought the recent bonus offer including a $250 travel credit was awesome, well, we just found an even better limited time offer. This offer is for 100,000 bonus miles rather than a travel credit so you have the flexibility to use the miles any way you want like transferring to an airline or hotel, erasing travel purchases or in the travel portal. 
We love the flexibility of Capital One miles so 25,000 miles is much better than a travel credit.
The minimum spend on this offer is $5,000 and the annual fee is $95. 

Other benefits included with the Capital One Venture card include:
  • 2x points on all purchases
  • $120 Global Entry/TSA credit 
  • Rental Car Insurance Coverage
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance

You are only eligible for this bonus offer once every four years. And just a sidenote, there is no lounge access included with this card. Though card holders are eligible for a discounted lounge pass. 

This is a limited time offer and we do not know the end date right now. As always, if you need more guidance, please join our Travel Coaching Program, you can find out more about our personal coaching here. Use FREETRAVEL for $50 off the cost. 




Wednesday, February 19, 2025

New $1,000 Bonus Travel Offer On Capital One Venture

 

Great new offer from Capital One! 

Apply for the Capital One Venture credit card and get $250 to use as a travel credit in the Capital One travel portal plus 75,000 points. That's $1,000 in free travel. Wow! The minimum spend is still $4,000 and the annual fee is just $95. 

This offer is equivalent to the Venture X offer, but the annual fee is $300 less. Amazing! 


This is my go to credit card for any purchases that don't earn bonus points on the Chase FREEDOM or Sapphire Reserve credit cards. The Capital One Venture card earns 2x points on all purchases. The beauty of these flexible points is you can transfer points to a dozen different airlines including my new fave FlyingBlue.com, a few hotel chains and of course, you can erase travel purchases. 

The travel credit is only good for travel purchases made in the Capital One Travel portal, but I have found that the portal has improved and is actually quite reliable and easy to use. 


I actually got this card when we were going on a family trip to Costa Rica. By family, I mean extended family trip, you know, like a group of 20 people. The deal was everyone had to pay for their own airfare, but then once in Costa Rica, the trip would be a gift. Pretty sweet! The only other catch is we all had to fly on the same Delta flight. Since I didn't have enough Delta miles for 5 round trip airline tickets, my husband and I each applied for the Capital One Venture card. We charged the plane tickets and everything else to those cards to meet the minimum spend and we ended up getting three of the tickets FREE. 


Now I still like this card, however, I like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards better. Here's why:
  • Capital One every purchase earns 2 points per dollar
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve - most purchases earn 1:1, but dining and travel earn 2:1 and there are categories where you can earn 5:1 if you have Chase FREEDOM, FLEX or INK cards. 
  • Capital One points value are 1:1 when you use them to erase purchases
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred values points at 1:1.25 if you use them in the travel portal or as a statement credit
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve values points at 1:1.5 if you use them in the travel portal or as a statement credit 
  • Capital One and Chase offer 1:1 transfer values to airline miles, but Chase offers way more partner airlines and hotels. 

I still think the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve offer more flexibility than the Capital One.  But if you already have the Sapphire cards or the airline partners on the Capital One list work better for you, this is a great option. 

If you decide to give this one a go, consider using my referral link. You get the same great bonus offer and I get a little something for referring you and can use it to bring you more great ideas on how to travel for Almost FREE. 

If you would like to join my travel coaching program, you can use this link.   I would love to help you and your family travel for almost FREE. Use the promo code FREETRAVEL for $50 off. 




Sunday, February 2, 2025

Lessons Learned From My 2024 Year End Summary

 


Even though it is already February, I wanted to share my 2024 year end summary. I recommend to all my clients to do a year in review to see what points they used,  how they used them and look for trends. 
This exercise will help you in planning your travel goals for the next year. 

During the January live group coaching session last month, we did this exercise as a group. One of my clients completed the task and said 

"Wow! I knew we saved a lot of money this year by using points, but until I did this exercise, I didn't realize how much." 

Amazing!

Lessons Learned From My 2024 Year End Summary 
 
I do the same exercise with my own points and miles journey because we are always learning. So when I look at the above summary, here are some things I notice:

Lessons Learned From My 2024 Year End Summary 

Reflecting on how I used points and miles this past year for travel:

What will I do differently or improve for 2025? I would like to keep better track of the benefits and FREE nights that come with my cards. I just realized that Lyft Pink membership comes with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and would have saved me $150. I also ended the year with one FREE night at an IHG hotel that almost expired without being used. 






Thursday, October 17, 2024

🌟 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


Thursday, September 5, 2024

How You Can Get Your Next Tour or Airbnb For FREE

 


Some places that you travel to like Diamond Beach in Iceland do not have chain hotels that you can book on points like Marriott, Hyatt or Hilton. Or maybe like our family of five, hotels are not a good choice because you need two rooms or you will be forced to eat out for every meal. 

How You Can Get Your Tour or Airbnb For FREE

So how can you get your Airbnb, Bed and Breakfasts and tours for FREE if you can't use points?
The secret is in the Capital One Venture credit card.  Current bonus offer ends Sept. 9th so read carefully. 
The Capital One Venture and Venture X credit cards include a travel eraser and travel credit through the Capital One Travel Portal. 

 

Let's explain: 

1. Travel Eraser - When you log into your Capital One account and click view rewards, cover travel purchases, you will see a list of qualified purchases. Any purchase that codes as travel will qualify to be erased like Airbnb, tours, rental cars etc. You can erase the whole purchase or just part of it. You can even erase some of the purchase and then when you have more points, erase the rest. You have three months to erase the purchase so start with the oldest ones first. The value is 1:1 so some would argue you can get more value out of your points by transferring them to an airline, but I believe this is personal to your strategy and goals. For example, I erased the hotel charge for our 5th person in Tahiti. We already had our flights and over water bungalow covered so this was a random travel purchase we could get for FREE. Worth it! 



2. Travel Credit in the Portal - The Venture credit card comes with a $250 travel credit with the current bonus offer which ends Sept. 9th and the Venture X always comes with a $300 travel credit when you purchase hotels or flights through the Capital One Travel Portal. In order to use this credit, you must book your hotel or flight through the Capital One Travel Portal which works great for independent hotels and bed and breakfasts. In the booking process, the portal will ask if you want to use your travel credit to cover the purchase. You do not have to use the entire credit on a single purchase.  
 


Some people are hesitant to book travel through third parties like the Capital One Travel Portal, but I have found it to work quite well. Even when my flight was cancelled due to weather last summer, I was notified by both the airline and Capital One of the cancellation and how to reschedule. 

Ending Sept. 9th, Capital One Venture credit card is offering a $250 travel credit, $100 Global Entry credit and 75,000 bonus points when you sign up. There is a $4,000 minimum spend and a $95 annual fee. So with the travel credit, you are actually making money on this card approximately $1,000. You can only get this bonus once every 4 years. We do not know how long this offer is going to last so don't wait. 


The Capital One Venture X card is a good option if you want airport lounge access for you and your authorized users. The current offer is 75,000 bonus points for a $4,000 minimum spend and a $395 annual fee, but it includes a $300 travel credit. 

If you need some help figuring out if this card will help you reach your travel goals, join my Travel Coaching Program. The next cohort launches September 15th and it's my personal goal to help my clients collectively save more than $100,000 in 2025. 


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

A Secret Gateway To Affordable Globetrotting – Language School!


This past summer, I tried something different in my travel journey....attending a language school. Yep, call it a short study abroad program at the Isla Spanish Language school in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Language Schools are a great way to deep dive into the culture and community of a country and they are super affordable. This was my second time attending one and I have already enrolled in a third.

 


Why San Juan? Well, the flight from the East Coast is short and cheap. Plus Puerto Rico intrigues me. It's a US territory, but its neighboring islands are independent countries. How did that happen? What is it like to be in a place that straddles both the US and the Caribbean? A place that is part of the US, but labeled a territory and not a state? Puerto Rico also has a huge problem with stray animals so I thought I might be able to lend a hand. You can read about that here. 

A Secret Gateway To Affordable Globetrotting – Language School!

San Juan is a US territory so you do not need a passport to visit just a drivers license to fly. Puerto Riquenos have US passports and are US Citizens, but residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote for the President of the United States and they have no representation in Congress. 

Isla Spanish Language School is located in the financial district of San Juan away from the tourist areas. The school conducts a placement interview before your arrival so they can put you in the appropriate class, beginner to advanced. The students were of all ages and included professionals, Spanish teachers, second generation Puerto Riquenos and ex pats. 

A Secret Gateway To Affordable Globetrotting – Language School!

At most schools, classes run 9am-12pm Monday through Friday with additional private classes offered in the afternoon. And the schools offer FREE cultural activities several times during the week. Cultural activities include dancing or cooking classes or excursions to a local site or art museum. 


Besides the classes, the schools offer a variety of affordable accommodations for approximately $330 per week including meals and laundry. There is a discount if you enroll for multiple weeks. You can choose from homestay with a local family, a dorm or private apartment. I opted to stay with a local family and it was lovely. Nayza is a widow and has been housing students for years creating an income stream for her. 


I had my own room with air conditioning and a shared bathroom. Nayza's home was within walking distance of the school. I had access to the kitchen and refrigerator, but not the stove. 

Reflecting on the experience, my language ability increased dramatically, but even more importantly, I felt like a local in San Juan and welcomed into the community. More like a traveler than a tourist. 

A Secret Gateway To Affordable Globetrotting – Language School!

Of course, we can make this experience even more affordable by using points and miles for the flights. Most language schools will not code as a travel so you cannot "erase" the purchase, however, I paid for the school with Paypal during the 5x bonus category with my Chase FREEDOM FLEX so at least I used the purchase to earn lots of points towards future travel. 

And while in San Juan, I booked tours of the rainforest, kayak in the biobay and snorkeled with the turtles and was able to "erase" all of these tours with points. 

If you would like help planning your next travel journey with points and miles, consider joining my travel coaching program. I would love to help you! 










Tuesday, February 20, 2024

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. 

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. 

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. 





Thursday, December 7, 2023

Point Triumph: Turning Capital One Rewards into a Mind-Blowing Free Tour!

 


While you are shopping for those holiday gifts, make each one count towards FREE travel. In my previous post, I shared my strategy planning for our trip to Tahiti next year. 
So far, I have the flights, the overwater bungalow and garden room, plus 3.5 days in the Airbnb for FREE. 
Though I earmarked the Capital One bonus points for the car rental, I still have more than 6 months to earn more points to erase that purchase. 
So when I saw an additional 10% off on the Lava Tube Canyoneering day tour we want to do while there, I jumped on it and then decided to go ahead and use Capital One points to erase it. 


Let's walk through that process so I can show you how valuable these points are. Some will argue you can get more value out of the points by transferring them to airlines or hotels, but my theory is like beauty, value is in the eye of the beholder. For me, erasing a $500 day tour is a good value. 
So how do you do it? First, you need to use your Capital One Venture X card to buy the tour or travel. Wait until the purchase is no longer pending and then you can click on "view rewards" and "cover purchases". 


The nice thing about Capital One is that you do not have to pay for the purchase to be able to erase it. In fact, you can erase the purchase before you pay for it. AND you can use the welcome bonus BEFORE you even pay the credit card balance that helped you earn the bonus. Quite a hack. 
It means you can use travel to earn the bonus and then erase the travel purchases with the bonus before you ever pay the bill. Crazy! 


When you click cover purchases, all of your travel purchases will come up. You have 90 days to erase them with points. You can erase the whole purchase or part of it, but in this case, I'll erase the entire tour purchase. 


It will take a few days for the purchase to drop off. You can keep ticking away at your travel purchases to get that almost FREE travel. 
For me, I will be using my Capital One Venture X card for all everyday purchases because it earns 2x points to earn enough points to erase the car rental. 

If you think the Capital One Venture X credit card should be part of your travel FREE strategy, please use my referral link. You will get an extra 15,000 bonus points for a total of 90,000 bonus points or $900 in FREE travel plus $300 travel credit, $100 Global Entry credit and Priority Pass Lounge Access. 

Now if this is confusing or scary or you just want some help deciding if this card is right for you and your travel goals, join my travel coaching program! I am launching the second cohort now and offering a Black Friday special of just $99. This is an incredible deal because it includes the video modules, the custom points and miles tracker, a 1:1 meeting with me and our monthly group coaching sessions for life. There are limited spaces available so don't wait! 






Sunday, November 26, 2023

Reminder on How to Travel Smart and Save Big This Cyber Week!

 



Just a reminder, be sure to check any tours, flights and hotels for Cyber and Travel Tuesday deals right now that may give you a discount or earn you bonus points and miles. These can be discounts on new reservations or existing ones that you modify. 

For example, I had been watching a Lavatube Tour for our trip to Tahiti next year. I checked and the company added a 10% off Cyber deal if you book now. 






So I went ahead and booked it even though it's early. Plus I paid for it with my Capital One Venture X credit card and plan to erase the entire purchase.  To learn how to erase travel purchases with your Capital One Venture X credit card, click here. 

Before you make any purchase, be sure to check cashbackmonitor.com for offers in shopping portals, Chase and Capital One offers to see if you can stack the purchase and save even more or earn bonus points and miles. 

That's how we do it here at almostFREEfamilytravel.com 

If you want support planning your next trip, join my new Travel Coaching Program, we are enrolling for cohort #2 right now. And right now, we are offering our own Cyber deal. It's just $99 for the entire program (video modules, custom tracker, 1:1 consult and live group coaching forever). I would love to help you travel for almost FREE.