How To Get 5% Cash Back On Every Fill Up

Chase just released its new Q3 5% cash back categories for the no annual fee Chase Freedom credit card. Drumroll, please. 

Q3 5% Categories:

• All streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Sirius
• Gas Stations 

Woohoo. Who doesn't like earning 5% back on every fill up. Chase Freedom is a great card to keep in your wallet since it has no annual fee and can earn 1% cash back on every purchase and 5% on rotating categories. You earn Chase Ultimate Reward points which you can cash in for cash back. If you have a Chase Sapphire or Reserve card, you can transfer those Ultimate Rewards to airlines like Southwest. Huge!
You need to activate your Q3 categories by clicking here and entering your last name, zip code and last four digits of your card or you can login to your Chase.com account.
You will have until almost the end of Q3 to activate the categories and it is retroactive.
If you don't have a Chase Freedom card yet, use this referral link to get $150 cash back after you spend $500 in the first 3 months.
If you have the Chase Freedom, think about opening a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred so you can transfer those great points to airlines.

Woohoo, Got My 100,000 Marriott Points Bonus

Back in February, my husband was offered 100,000 bonus Marriott points if he upgraded his Starwood American Express to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card and spent $5,000 in the first 3 months. The Brilliant also comes with a 50,000 point certificate for a free night on your anniversary, $300 credit at any Marriott and Global Entry. It carries a hefty $450 annual fee, but with the hotel credit and Global Entry, it's almost a wash. 

Since we had a big event coming up and needed to direct those purchases somewhere, we took advantage of this upgrade. 

I applied for Global Entry and we will use the $300 Marriott credit this summer. 

By the way, since we already had the Starwood American Express card, we would not be eligible to apply for the Brilliant card ever. 

Well, look what arrived in my inbox today:

Woohoo! Next year, we are heading to Santiago, Chile so these points will come in handy to get all four of us there and back for FREE. For every 60,000 Marriott points, we can get 25,000 airline miles. Marriott gives you a FREE 15,000 points for every 60,000 points you transfer to an airline. The transfer ratio is 3 points for 1 mile. 

So this bonus gets us really close to another round trip ticket. Woohoo! 

Always be on the lookout for upgrade offers, they can be super sweet! 

The current offer for the Brilliant card is 75,000 Marriott points with a $3,000 minimum spend plus the $300 Marriott travel credit, Global Entry and the 50,000 night certificate on your anniversary. 

If you would like to apply for this card, please consider using my referral link and help my family get to Chile. 

No More Cruises To Cuba, But You Can Still Go

Add caption

As of today, the Trump administration halted all US cruises to Cuba. The administration says they changed the rules due to Cuba's ongoing support for countries like Venezuela. Whatever the reason, the flow of cruise passengers to the island nation will hurt the thousands of Cubans who are trying to scrape out a living.
More than 800,000 passengers are being affected by this order. Most cruise lines have issued statements saying they will reroute future cruises and refund passengers if they would like to cancel. They are also rerouting ships that were en route to Cuba right now and refunding for paid excursions.
Since 2016, cruising to Cuba has been one of the most popular ways to visit. But here at almostFREEfamilytravel, we do things differently.  We like to spend time in a country, meeting the people, exploring the culture and really digging into the community. And you can still visit Cuba that way. Check out the series of blog posts we wrote last year about visiting Cuba. 

Here's how:

1. Southwest, United, and American fly from Fort Lauderdale to Havana. You can buy your ticket online. Flights in July on Southwest.com were running about $153 each way. Look for sales, tickets can go as low as $100 each way. And if you have the companion pass, buy one, get one FREE on Southwest, you can get a better deal. 

2. After you purchase your flight, the airline will prompt you to buy your visa. DO IT! It costs $50 per person and you will pick it up at the counter when you check in for your flight. Check the box for the "Support The Cuban people" category. Easy. Carry a copy of your itinerary just in case someone asks for it. Remember the rules are you can't lay on the beach in Cuba, you need to talk to the people, visit museums, art galleries, coffee farms and more. 

3. You cannot use credit cards or atms in Cuba so you need to book ahead or take cash. You can change money there, but the rate is the same at the airport or in town and the lines are long so go ahead and change your money at the airport and be done with it. 

4. You can't stay in hotels in Cuba, but you can stay in private homes called casa particulares. You can check my past blog post for my favorites. Book your accommodations on airbnb.com  If you don't have an account, use my link and you will get a discount on your first stay. For me, homestays are the best way to see a country. You are living in someone's home which gives you a chance to see what life is really like and hear the personal stories. Be sure to ask if the owner of the home will include breakfast for 4-5 CUC. Most of the time, they will prepare dinner for you as well for 10 CUC. You should get breakfast every day and at least try the dinner once. 

5. Eat at the paladares or family-run restaurants where a meal will cost you about $10 per person. You are not going to find many food stalls or grocery stores since the country operates on a ration system. Outside of the cities,  there is actually more food available. 

6. Book tours and take FREE walking tours in Vinales, Trinidad and Havana. Check out my blog posts about what to see and do in each city. Use the shared taxi system. 

Even though you can't cruise to Cuba anymore, you can still go and it's an easy country to navigate. And really you can get a more authentic experience by getting off the boat. 

Groupon's New Membership Rewards Program - Is It Worth It?

Groupon is launching a new program called Groupon Select that may save you some money if you shop at the discount website frequently. Groupon offers deals on services, goods, travel and experiences in many different cities. Be sure to look at the fine print on the deals because many involve blackout dates and redirect you to specific websites to register. 

Here's how it works:

1. Join the membership club for the 6 month trial - get the first month FREE and then you will be charged $4.99 per month for 5 months. If you don't cancel at the end of the trial, you will be charged $4.99 a month. My trial offer included a FREE $5 Starbucks card too. 

2. Your membership includes

• FREE Shipping on goods
• 10% off travel 
• 25% off local deals
• 10% off live deals 

Some merchants have opted out of this program. And Groupon says on its website

The following deal types are also not eligible for Groupon Select discounts:

• BeautyNow
• Groupon+
• Goods Marketplace
• Getaways Market Pick

But if this looks good for you, give it a try and let us know how it works. If do not have a Groupon account yet, use my referral code to get the FREE Starbucks offer. If you have a Groupon account already, log in and look for the select promotion. 

Southwest To Open Holiday Flights May 30

Southwest is one of the only airlines that opens its flight schedule on a rolling basis instead of 330 days in advance. This year, the Thanksgiving and Holiday flight opening has been delayed several times. But according to Southwest.com, the flights will open on May 30th. 
Right now, you can only book flights through Nov. 2nd. 
We will keep checking to see if they open early. 

If you are hoping to book flights to Hawaii during the busy holiday travel period, you need to be ready to book your flights as soon as they open. 

The Wanna Get Away (lowest priced tickets) will sell out quickly. Southwest doesn't always offer the cheapest fare, but if you buy your ticket and the price goes down, you can do an adjustment very easily. I am going to talk about how to do this in a follow-up post. 

National Park Not To Be Missed In An Unlikely Place

Did you know that only 4 US Presidents have been sworn in outside of Washington DC?
And would you believe me if I told you that one of them was sworn in in Buffalo, NY?
Probably not, but it did and the house where it happened is now Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. 
Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in just days after President McKinley was shot at the Pan American Games in Buffalo, NY in 1901. Now, there is a beautiful interactive museum in the home at 641 Delaware Avenue.
Tours are given every hour starting at 9:30am weekdays and 12:30pm weekends and are well worth scheduling into your visit. The museum is closed for all major holidays and open late on Tuesdays.
The museum entrance ranges from $12 per adult to $7 per child. It's $30 per family. But here's a tip, if you have a National Park Pass, it's FREE.
The tour starts on the Midway representing the Pan American Games and setting the stage for September 1901. You can even find out what type of business person you would be in the early 1900's by answering a few questions.

Be careful, this game will test your ethics.
The docents tell part of the story and then show a film to continue to set the scene.
After two shorts films, the docent leads the tour into the dining room, library where Roosevelt was sworn in and office.

If you have time, continue upstairs where you can find out if you agree with President Roosevelt's views on different bills and have your photo taken at his desk.
You will spend a delightful 2 hours at this museum and there's something for all ages.

FREE Money: Be Sure To Check Your Chase Offers

You know how much I love FREE money, right? Well, here's another easy way to get cash back on your purchases with just a bit of planning. 
It's called Chase offers. You may get an email alerting you of your offers or you can sign in to your account. 

The offers range from 3% to 5% cash back to your credit card from a variety of retailers including Starbucks, Michaels and more. There was even a $5 cash back from Stitch Fix. 

Most of the offers had a maximum of a few dollars cash back. 

So this isn't big money, but it adds up and the best part is it is FREE. 

Here are the offer details from Starbucks. Pretty straight forward. Check your email or your account, link the offers to your card and then forget about it. It makes paying $4 for a cup of coffee a bit sweeter.