Starwood/Marriott/Ritz New Promotion

Get extra points for your stays between May 27th and September 4th at these three brands.

Marriott will give you 2,000 bonus points for each stay after your first one.
Starwood will give you triple points for weekend stays and double points for weekday stays.
Ritz Carlton will give you double points for every stay.

Takes just a minute to register. I always register for these promotions even if I'm not planning to stay anywhere just in case. You don't want to miss out if your plans change suddenly. Remember we are just leveraging what we spend to our advantage. That's what we call almost FREE family travel!

Book New Low Cost Airline With Alaska Miles

And there's another low cost airline flying from the US to Europe, German airline Condor.  A quick check shows that Condor is similar to other low cost airlines. It's a way to get from here to there. No baggage unless you pay extra, no reserved seat unless you pay extra. If you manage these types of flights, they can save you money. If you let them nickel and dime you, then the flight could end up costing you more than a traditional airline.
The big plus with Condor right now is that you can use Alaska Airlines miles to book flights.

From MillionMileSecrets.com  , here’s what you can expect to pay for a one-way ticket:

• Continental US to Europe – Between 25,000 and 40,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 55,000 miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Northern Africa – Between 35,000 and 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 65,000 miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Southern Africa – Between 40,000 and 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 65,000 miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Middle East – 35,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach, 65,000 miles in Business Class

It's always good to have options especially when travelling as a family. So here's another option for you that may help you with almost FREE family travel. 

FREE Drink For New Starbucks Members!

Saw this yesterday at Starbucks so if you are not a Starbucks Rewards member yet, it may be a good time! Download the app, join as a new member and your first drink is on the house! Nice! By the way, the Starbucks app is pretty nifty. You can manage your Starbucks card and account, scan your phone instead of pulling a card out of your wallet and pre order drinks so you can just drive or walk up and your drink will be waiting.

50,000 Targeted United Explorer Offer

If you are planning a family trip for the holidays or next spring break or summer, the Mileage Plus Explorer card might be good for you. Right now, you get a bonus 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. There is a $95 annual fee which is not waived.
Other benefits of the card include 1 free checked bag, priority boarding, no foreign transaction fees, 2 United club one time passes and the card is chip enabled for security.
What can you do with 50,000 United miles? Lots. United allows you to book one way tickets with miles plus the airline has the Excursionist fare which is an amazing value. Excursionist fare means that you may be able to add a leg to your trip without using any miles at all.

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New AA shopping portal promotion!

If you are looking to top off an American Airlines account or earn a nice bonus, take a look at Rocketmiles.com. The site is offering first time users a 3,000 mile bonus when you book a hotel. A quick look shows most $100 room per night hotels giving about 4,000 miles per booking. 
Be sure to read the fine print though:

To be eligible for this promotion, the hotel reservation must be booked on www.rocketmiles.com using this promotional link (www.rocketmiles.com/aa-3k-bonus) or using promo code "AADVANTAGE" on the Rocketmiles app by 11:59PM CT on 30 June 2017. Limited to first time customers and subject to investigation post-purchase. Limit one per customer. Limit one per stay. Promotional offer cannot be applied to existing bookings or retroactively applied to bookings not made using the link above. This promotional offer cannot be combined with any other offers, including a sign-up from referral bonus. Rocketmiles reserves the right to retract a bonus at any time if it detects technical errors, cancel/rebooking activity (defined by identical search criteria), or any deceptive behavior attempted to circumvent the limits expressed above, including multiple accounts. Please allow 2 weeks for bonus points to post in a qualifying member's account after hotel stay is completed and the qualifying member has met the stated conditions.

So it must be a new booking and you can't cancel and rebook in order to qualify. But if you are still looking for that perfect hotel room for this summer, this might be a good deal for you. 
I am just 4,000 miles short of a free flight on American so I may take advantage of this deal to put me over the top. 
If you need miles on another airline, Rocketmiles works with American, Southwest, United, Jet Blue, Alaska Airlines and more. 
Great way to earn extra airline miles on your hotel stays. 

US Likely To Expand Laptop Ban To Europe Today

Bad news if you are heading to Europe this summer like I am. The Department of Homeland Security is considering expanding the electronics ban on planes to certain cities in Europe. This would affect United, Delta and American Airlines.
An announcement is expected today after DHS meets with airline officials.
The ban is already in place for flights originating in 10 airports in the Middle East including United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The ban restricts electronic devices on board planes to just smart phones. Laptops, tablets, kindles must be packed in luggage and checked.
There is debate against expanding the ban due to concerns about putting so many lithium batteries in the cargo hold of a plane.
For families, this is devastating news. Many flights do not have entertainment systems anymore and instead ask you to use your own device to access the inflight system.
So how will we entertain the kids on the long flight to Europe? I guess it's back to the old ways of cards, games, snacks, walks and naps.
If you haven't booked your flight yet, consider flying through Canada.

Alaska Airlines Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

If you are a fan of Alaska Airlines, then you may want to get in on this new promotion. Apply for the Alaska Airlines Credit Card, spend $1,000 minimum spend. It comes with a bonus of 30,000 points plus a companion ticket that costs $0 instead of the regular $99.
For families, companion tickets are huge! I have the Southwest Airlines companion pass until 2018 and I used it to fly my daughter to the East Coast 3 times and my son to the East Coast once and to Northern California once.
It has saved me thousands of dollars!
So if Alaska Airlines flies somewhere that you want to go, this is a great way to leverage the spending and get almost free family travel.