United Airlines New Promotion Bonus Up To 10,000 Miles (Targeted)

I opened my email this morning and found this new promotion from United Airlines in my inbox. MilePlay appears to be targeted and has several different offers depending on who is receiving. My offer was 4,200 miles if I take 1 trip by March 10, 2019 that cost more than $125.
Our friends over at Million Mile Secrets say they received several different offers:

• 6,000 bonus miles for 1 flight that costs at least $175
• 3,500 bonus miles for completing 1 flight that costs at least $175 plus complete various other tasks for 500-1,000 miles and get a bonus 5,000 miles. 
• 900 bonus miles if you fly in Economy Plus 1 time by March 10th

I checked various flights from San Diego (my home base) to see if it would be worth it to do a run to collect the miles.

• San Diego to San Francisco round trip costs $134 so that would qualify. 
• San Diego to Las Vegas round trip $154, but stops in San Francisco 
• San Diego to Los Angeles round trip $291

If you have a trip planned or need the miles to top off your account for a FREE flight, this might make sense. However, I could buy 4,000 United miles for $140 and I wouldn't have to spend 6 hours of my time flying. 

Marriott Bonvoy Giving New Members A FREE Stay

It's official Starwood and Marriott are now united as Marriott Bonvoy. Whatever you think of the name, the new brand is here. And it is awarding new members with a FREE night stay when you join and stay for 2 nights at any hotel between now and June 28, 2019. 

If you are already a member of Marriott or Starwood, you are out of luck on this one. But if you have a family member or friend that isn't a member yet, they may want to jump on this offer. 

The free night is good for any category 4 or less hotel and valued at 25,000 points. 

The FREE night certificate will be valid for one year from issue. 

You can sign up through this link. 

Good luck! 

How To Score A Major Bonus When You Send Valentine's Flowers

What are you going to send to your Valentine on Thursday? Chocolates? Candy? If you are thinking flowers, you could score a lot of bonus miles. All the shopping portals are offering huge bonuses and discounts when you send those flowers. 
Check it out. 

Southwest Shopping Portal is offering 1,750 bonus points if you use the code SW63. 
American Airlines Shopping Portal is offering 40% off and double miles at 20 miles per dollar. 
United Airlines Shopping Portal is offering the same deal. 

Ebates.com is offering up to 20% cash back. And if you use my referral link, you will get an additional $10 back. Woohoo! 

Remember, never buy anything online without using a shopping portal. You can rack up lots of points this way. That's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel.com. 

Last Day To Apply For The Starwood American Express Card

Today is the last day to apply for The Starwood American Express card. This used to be my hands down a favorite credit card. I have a personal card and the business version. The only reason I didn't jump on the new luxury card is that I wanted to apply for two Chase Southwest credit cards and it would mess up my 5/24. 

But since the merger of Starwood and Marriott last August, this card has lost its luster for me. The points were devalued and the business version lost the perk of free club access in hotels. 

BUT there is one perk left that still causes me to recommend this card for those looking to fly FREE. Starwood (soon to be Bonvoy) points can be converted to dozens of airlines at a 3:1 ratio plus a bonus of 15,000 points per 60,000 points transferred. 

So, for example, if you have 60,000 Starwood points, you can transfer them to American Airlines and get 25,000 Advantage miles. 

So you have until February 12th to apply for this card and then it will be closed forever to new applications. Right now, you can search the web for offers of a 75,000 point bonus for $3,000 minimum spend. It's a good bonus offer on its own and it doesn't stop you from earning other bonuses in the future since it will be a discontinued product. The official American Express application page is not currently showing the 75,000 offer so I would call American Express before you apply. I would also screenshot along the way so if you have to argue to get the bonus, you will have some proof. 

The annual fee is waived the first year, it will be $95 the second year and $125 the third year. It also comes with an annual night hotel certificate up to 35,000 points, and 6x points on spend at Marriott hotels. 

Once this card is discontinued, all Marriott cards will be issued by Chase so if you are over on 5/24, you might want to hop on this. 

Remember, last day to apply is February 12th. 

Last Day To Apply For The Southwest Companion Pass Offer

Today is the last day to take advantage of the Southwest Companion Pass offer. The Southwest Companion Pass is my favorite travel perk! We have saved thousands of dollars flying a companion for FREE over the past 4 years.

Now through February 11th, Southwest is offering an amazing deal and I don't want you to get left out. Sign up for ONE Southwest credit card, spend $4,000 in 3 months and you earn the companion pass plus 30,000 points. Wow!
Southwest has never offered this type of deal before and who knows if they will offer it again. Usually, you need to earn 110,000 Southwest points in a single calendar year to earn the pass. Which means, you probably have to open two Southwest credit cards and earn the bonus on each of them. 
For this deal, you have your choice of the Southwest Plus card, Southwest Priority card or the Southwest Premier card and I'll go over the differences for you.
The difference in the three cards is the annual fee and what you get for it. 

• The Plus has a $69 annual fee
•  The Premier has a $99 annual fee
•  The Priority has a $149 annual fee.

Before you cheap out and go for the Plus, consider the perks of each card. 

• The Priority actually offers you a $75 credit on Southwest, 7,500-anniversary points, 4 upgraded boardings valued at $15 each and 20% off WIFI and drinks. 
• The Premier offers you 6,000 anniversary points for $99. 
• The Plus offers you 3,000 anniversary points for $69. 

Now the one catch and there's always one, the pass is only good through the end of 2019 instead of being good for 2 years which is the norm. But if you are planning some travel this year and especially if Hawaii is on the agenda this year, it might be worth it. 

That’s how we do it at almost free family travel. 

Did You Get Your Southwest Companion Pass Yet? Last Day Is Feb. 11

The Southwest Companion Pass is my favorite travel perk! We have saved thousands of dollars flying a companion for FREE over the past 4 years. I took my daughter on a college search trip twice on the East Coast, and then took her to college in New York, flew to visit her at the New York college for family weekend, took my son to Boston, San Francisco and Washington DC, and took my husband to Cuba.  Whew, you get the idea.

Now through February 11th, Southwest is offering an amazing deal and I don't want you to get left out. Sign up for ONE Southwest credit card, spend $4,000 in 3 months and you earn the companion pass plus 30,000 points. Wow!
Southwest has never offered this type of deal before and who knows if they will offer it again. Usually, you need to earn 110,000 Southwest points in a single calendar year to earn the pass. Which means, you probably have to open two Southwest credit cards and earn the bonus on each of them. 
For this deal, you have your choice of the Southwest Plus card, Southwest Priority card or the Southwest Premier card and I'll go over the differences for you.
The difference in the three cards is the annual fee and what you get for it. 

• The Plus has a $69 annual fee
•  The Premier has a $99 annual fee
•  The Priority has a $149 annual fee.

Before you cheap out and go for the Plus, consider the perks of each card. 

• The Priority actually offers you a $75 credit on Southwest, 7,500-anniversary points, 4 upgraded boardings valued at $15 each and 20% off WIFI and drinks. 
• The Premier offers you 6,000 anniversary points for $99. 
• The Plus offers you 3,000 anniversary points for $69. 

Now the one catch and there's always one, the pass is only good through the end of 2019 instead of being good for 2 years which is the norm. But if you are planning some travel this year and especially if Hawaii is on the agenda this year, it might be worth it. 

That’s how we do it at almost free family travel. 

Last Few Days To Apply For The Starwood Amex

The Starwood American Express used to be my hands down a favorite credit card. I have a personal card and the business version. The only reason I didn't jump on the new luxury card is that I wanted to apply for two Chase Southwest credit cards and it would mess up my 5/24. 

But since the merger of Starwood and Marriott last August, this card has lost its luster for me. The points were devalued and the business version lost the perk of free club access in hotels. 

BUT there is one perk left that still causes me to recommend this card for those looking to fly FREE. Starwood (soon to be Bonvoy) points can be converted to dozens of airlines at a 3:1 ratio plus a bonus of 15,000 points per 60,000 points transferred. 

So, for example, if you have 60,000 Starwood points, you can transfer them to American Airlines and get 25,000 Advantage miles. 

So you have until February 12th to apply for this card and then it will be closed forever to new applications. Right now, you can search the web for offers of a 75,000 point bonus for $3,000 minimum spend. It's a good bonus offer on its own and it doesn't stop you from earning other bonuses in the future since it will be a discontinued product. The official American Express application page is not currently showing the 75,000 offer so I would call American Express before you apply. I would also screenshot along the way so if you have to argue to get the bonus, you will have some proof. 

The annual fee is waived the first year, it will be $95 the second year and $125 the third year. It also comes with an annual night hotel certificate up to 35,000 points, and 6x points on spend at Marriott hotels. 

Once this card is discontinued, all Marriott cards will be issued by Chase so if you are over on 5/24, you might want to hop on this. 

Remember, last day to apply is February 12th.