Hopefully you are taking advantage of some of the strange low fares. I snagged a 6,000 point flight from San Diego to Seattle and pair that with my companion pass and wow!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You press the submit button for the Southwest credit card application and the wheel starts spinning and then you get the dreaded "pending review" message. Argh.
The next message says you will receive a letter in 7-10 days regarding your application decision. Argh
What To Do When You Get Pending On Your Credit Card Application
So now what? Lately, several of my clients have received these messages and then just this week, I got them too. Argh.
But don't give up. Here's what you need to do. There are a few reasons why your credit card application may end up in review.
1. Too much credit
2. Not enough income
3. 5/24 or too many credit cards opened
Reason #1 - the easiest to reconcile. If you call the reconsideration line for the Chase Southwest credit card 888 270 2127 and 800 278 8830, the representatives will usually advise you to move credit lines around or close a few cards.
Reason #2 - you can use both your salary, your partner's salary and your business income so let the representative know that you have more income you can add to your application.
Reason #3 - offer to close some credit cards. Never close your oldest card, but maybe some no annual fee cards that you just never got around to closing.
Then the representative will resubmit your application and you wait again.
What To Do When You Get Pending On Your Credit Card Application
Right now, you can get 50,000 - 80,000 Southwest points for opening a personal or business credit card. You can only hold one personal Southwest credit card at a time, but you can actually hold both business cards.
You can read here about the easiest way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass which is BOGO flights for up to two years. It's the best travel perk around and the way things are going with changes to Southwest, it may not be around forever.
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.
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.
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!
Southwest is out with a new one year companion pass offer. The companion pass is the best deal for domestic travel. It is BOGO flights on Southwest Airlines as many times as you want for up to two years. You can also change your companion up to three times.
Normally, you need to earn 135,000 points in a calendar year to earn the pass. But now Southwest is offering a companion pass and 30,000 points with a single credit card application for their personal credit card. You need to spend a minimum of $4,000 in three months on any one of their three personal credit cards. The companion pass expires Feb. 28, 2026.
Remember you can only hold one personal Southwest credit card at a time. These are the three personal credit cards and their benefits.
While the bonus seems attractive, here's why it could be problematic for Companion Pass aspirants:
Many eager travelers make this critical error: reaching the minimum spend too early. This can trigger the bonus in 2024 instead of 2025, potentially:
It's a significant setback in your travel hacking journey!
While the timing is tricky, it's not impossible. However, you may need expert guidance to navigate this credit card reward strategy successfully. Consider joining a Travel Coaching Program for personalized advice.
My goal is to help 25 people, including myself, earn the Southwest Companion Pass for 2025-2026. With the right strategy, you could be flying 2-for-1 for two full years!
Remember: Timing is everything when it comes to maximizing your Southwest Rapid Rewards and earning the Companion Pass. Don't let a hasty decision cost you thousands in potential travel savings!
Are you ready to master the art of credit card rewards and travel hacking? Join our community of savvy travelers and learn how to turn points into unforgettable experiences!
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
With all the changes Southwest Airlines is making next year like reserved seats, it makes me wonder if the Southwest Companion Pass is on the chopping block?
No one has mentioned anything yet, I'm just thinking out loud here. And wondering if this January may be the last time we can earn the companion pass for a full two years.
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best travel perks around since you can literally BOGO on any Southwest Airlines flight for up to two years. All you pay is $5.60 in taxes for the flight.
You can change your companion three times in a calendar year and your companion can be a family member, neighbor, friend or anyone else you would like to fly with you. They must fly with you on the same flight.
Is The Southwest Companion Pass Next On The Chopping Block?
The pass has saved me thousands of dollars. We have used it to fly to the East Coast dozens of times to places like Washington DC, New York, Florida, Nashville, Boston, Baltimore. We have flown to Cabo San Lucas, Cuba, Costa Rica, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Hawaii and so many more places.
Usually, you get the pass by earning 135,000 points in a single calendar year, but there are hacks to do this faster and way easier. I teach these hacks in my travel coaching program.
Is The Southwest Companion Pass Next On The Chopping Block?
The new cohort launches in September which is the perfect time to lay the groundwork for earning the Southwest Companion Pass for 2025-26. That's two years of BOGO flights!
In honor of 2025, my goal is to help 25 people earn the Southwest Companion Pass this January just in case this is the last chance. Consider joining this cohort if you are planning to travel to Hawaii or Disney or Costa Rica in the next two years. Enroll now in the Travel Coaching Program. The cohort launches Sept. 15th!