20% Bonus on Gift Cards With Amex Offers

Have some extra American Express Reward points laying around? If so, you could use them for gift cards and right now American Express Membership Rewards is offering a 20% bonus on some of the cards.
For example, usually a Home Depot gift card for $25 will cost you 2,500 points, but through June 30th, that same card will only cost you 2,000 points.
A $50 gift card usually costs 5,000 points, but right now it will only cost you 4,000 points.
Now normally this is not the best value for membership rewards points, but with the 20% bonus, it gets closer to being a good value especially if you have some leftover points that you don't know what to do with or you plan to close an account.
You must use the points before you close your account. Use them or lose them!

Are you leveraging your spending for FREE travel?

I was in Trader Joes yesterday and everyone around me was paying with their debit card. Nothing makes me more frustrated than to see people paying for everyday items with cash or their debit card. Why you ask?
When you spend $5 on a coffee and pay with a debit card or cash, the money is just gone. Sure, you get the coffee so you are satisfied. But what if by spending that $5, you are now one step closer to a trip to Europe. What if you earn 3% cash back when you spend that $5. Wow, right?
Same $5, but now it's working for you. You are one step closer to almost free family travel or you just got a discount on that coffee. Both are a win.
I ask people why they pay with cash or debit and they respond with either I like to track what I spend or it hurts more when I pay with cash.
Those are great reasons, but when you pay with cash or debit, you are just spending. Imagine what life would be like if instead of just spending money, your money was actually working for you.
That's what I call leveraged spending.
Sure it's a bit of a change of mindset and habits, but it's worth it and anyone can do it.

Here's what you need to do to get started:
1. decide if you want cash back or if you want to travel and if you want to travel, where do you want to go. Then look at the top credit card offers out there and apply to 1 card to start. I recommend starting with the Starwood American Express, Southwest Rapid Rewards or the Chase Sapphire Preferred for travel and the Capital One or Chase Freedom card for cash back.
2. Once you get the card, set up the online account and put the card on auto pay. You do not want to incur late fees and you do not want to carry a balance.
3. Mark on your calendar the date 10 months from the day you opened the card. This is when you will need to review the card to decide if it's worth keeping or you want to cancel it.
4. Then start charging everything. Like my friend's husband told her "don't even pay cash for a pack of gum."

And you are on your way. Remember, if you want to travel on awards, book early! If you are earning cash back, look for the credits coming back to you or the check in the mail.
And if you shop online, be sure to utilize a cash back or airline portal so you can double dip. Good luck!

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.