100,000 Hilton Bonus Points Offer

Hilton Honors is offering a 100,000 bonus through July 27th 2017 when you open the American Express Hilton Honors card . Now Hilton points are not the most valuable out there, but you can get some sweet deals. This deal was supposed to end on May 31st, but it was extended.
I scored this bonus a few years ago and have used my points to stay in Quito Ecuador at the downtown Hilton for 20,000 points per night, 1 night in Paracas Peru at the Doubletree Hilton for 30,000 point per night, 2 nights in Krakow Poland for 5,000 points per night and one night in Warsaw Poland for 10,000 points per night. Plus I still have 30,000 points left.
Pretty sweet.
Minimum spend is $3,000 and the $75 annual fee is not waived.
Depending on where you are planning to go, this card might help you get there with almost free family travel.

What do I do with leftover Amex Rewards?

American Express Rewards is a super flexible program with airline partners, hotel partners and more. You can even buy gift cards, donate to charity and travel with your points. So what to do if you have some leftover points sitting in your account? You need to spend them before you close your card or you will lose them.
So here are some options:
1. You can use your points to buy a gift card. The point values are a bit strange and differ depending on each store. For example, a $25 Starbucks gift card cost 3,571 points and a $50 cost 7,143. But a $50 Nordstrom gift card cost 5,882. So you will have to search around to find your best value. No matter what you do, it's less than a penny per point. Gift cards range from retail to travel to entertainment to dining.
2. You can transfer your points to about a dozen different airlines including Delta, British Airways, Jet Blue, Aero Mexico, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia and a few more. Most are 1,000 Amex Rewards = 1,000 in miles, but some of the programs are not equal so be sure to look carefully. For example, 250 American Express points equals 200 British Avios.
3. You can transfer your points to Hilton and Starwood. Hilton is 1,000 American Express rewards to 1,500 Hilton points. The number of Hilton points needed for a free night stay varies from 5,000 to 80,000 depending on the location. For example, I am staying in a Hilton in Krakow Poland for 5,000 points per night this summer. Last year, I stayed in a Hilton in Quito Ecuador for 20,000 points per night. Starwood gives you 333 points per 1,000 American Express rewards which might not be the best option unless you are trying to top off your account. However, you can transfer from Starwood to Marriott at 1:3 so those American Express reward points actually transfer to Marriott at 1:1. And remember, once you transfer to Starwood, you can transfer to dozens of airlines and for every 20,000 points you transfer, you will earn a 5,000 bonus.
4. You can use your American Express rewards points to book flights and hotels. You can even pay cash and points.
5. You can link your Amazon account to your rewards account and use your points to pay for your purchases.

Bottom line, there are lots of ways to use these points so don't lose them. Just figure out what's the best value for you and your family. That's how we do it at almost free family travel.

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.