How I Scored 4 FREE Flights To South America

The mountains ring the city of Santiago, Chile

While you are relaxing on the beach or in the mountains this summer, you may want to start thinking about your next trip. That's the key to scoring FREE flights for your entire family. I started planning for our trip to 2020 Chile more than a year ago. So by the time the flights opened approximately 330 days before the departure date, I was ready with enough points for all the tickets. So how do you do it?

Let's break it down. 

1. Identify where you want to go and which airlines fly there - for South America, American Airlines and their partner, LAN, are the largest carriers. It doesn't mean that United and its network are not an option, American just has more options. Some airlines also charge less miles for the same ticket like Singapore Airlines so it's worth checking a few award charts. In this case, all the airlines were the same. So I chose to focus on American Airlines just for simplicity. 

2. How many points will you need to fly your family there and back. I needed 4 round trip tickets (my older daughter will already be there). Each ticket would probably cost me 60,000 points. You can check the award chart on American's website or just enter some dummy dates and see what pops up. If I got super lucky, it could be less, but 30,000 each way is pretty likely. 

3. So how do you collect 240,000 American Airlines miles? It can seem daunting, but don't despair. I already had 35,000 American Airlines miles in my account from various flights and an old bonus and my husband had 90,000 in his account from various flights and another old bonus. So that was a good start. We could use those for 2 round trip tickets. One of the benefits of Marriott Bonvoy is when you transfer 60,000 points to an airline, you get a bonus 15,000 points. So for every 60,000 Marriott points, you get 25,000 airline miles. If you transfer to United, you will actually get a bit more since those transfer with an additional 10% bonus. We needed just an additional 120,000 airline miles. Fortunately for us, we had lots of Marriott points from using our Starwood credit cards, staying at Marriott hotels and a 100,000 bonus for upgrading to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant credit card. We focused all of our spend on our Marriott credit cards and American credit cards to build up more points. And bam, we had enough to cover the tickets. Marriott Bonvoy is currently offering 75,000 points for a $3,000 minimum spend on the Brilliant card. The Brilliant card comes with FREE Global Entry and a $300 Marriott credit. It does carry a $450 annual fee. Please use our referral link for any Marrriott Bonvoy credit card. 

4. Now the challenge is to find 4 award travel economy tickets. I start looking as soon as the flights open approximately 330 days before the date. Be sure to open the full calendar because sometimes a reduced mileage ticket will pop up. Even if you can get 2 tickets at a reduced rate, it will save you something. 

Be sure to try different airports too. We usually fly out of Los Angeles because there are more options, but I always try San Diego to see if we get lucky. I also try different destination cities. We could fly into Santiago and return from Buenos Aires or we could fly into Buenos Aires and return from Santiago. In this case, it didn't make any difference. 
The other thing to remember is to be flexible with dates. Our first choice dates didn't show any economy award tickets. I even called American to ask about it and they were stumped. So, we decided to stay a few days longer. 

When I was ready to book, there was one more issue. I could only secure 2 return flights to Los Angeles International Airport at 30,000 miles each. However, a quick search, showed 2 return flights to John Wayne Airport in Orange County at 30,000 miles each. So,  2 of us will fly to LAX and 2 will fly to Orange County. Fortunately, Orange County is on our way home so we will just drive by and pick them up. 

A bit of an inconvenience, yes, but we just booked a trip that would have cost about $5000 for flights alone for about $350 in taxes. We also used the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit to erase $300 of those taxes. So really, we just booked all of our flights for $50. 

In my book, that's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel.com. In my next post, I'll show you how we scored flights from Santiago to Buenos Aires for FREE with a stop at the largest glacier in the world. 

Earn Delta Miles Or Avios When You Book Your Airbnb

I love Airbnb. For my family of 5 (three teens), hotel rooms no longer work for us. Sure, we could get two rooms, but that can be expensive or use a lot of points. We don't tend to spend much time in the room so it's really just a place to sleep. 

Up until now, it's been difficult to earn miles/points for your airbnb stays. But now you can earn Delta miles or British Airways Avios points. Delta miles never expire so that's a bonus. British Airways Avios are easy to use on dozens of different airlines plus you only need about 8,000 points for short haul flights. When we visited Peru, I used Avios for all of our domestic flights saving me $600 per leg for our family of 5. 

Here's how it works:

1. Use this website link  and be sure your cookies tracking is on. to earn Avios. 
2. If you would like to book, click on the book now button. Avios will give you 3 Avios per dollar spend plus a bonus 500 miles for your first travel booking. 
3. If you would like to host, click on the host now button. Avios will give you a bonus 8,000 miles for your first hosting experience. 
4. Enter your Avios member number 
5. Book your Airbnb

You should see a credit within 60 days. I compared rates on this site with airbnb.com and they were the same. Although, the fine print says they could differ. 

Delta's link works the same way. You earn 1:1 when you book through this link  though it will take 8 weeks for the miles to post to your account. 

You will need to create a British Airways Avios account, Delta Airlines account and/or Airbnb account before you begin the process. 

Remember to use a credit card that gets better points/miles for travel like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred or a card with a travel purchase eraser like Capital One Venture.

If you decide to open an airbnb account or apply for a Capital One Venture card, please use my referral links. It helps support this blog. Thank you! 

A Great Remodeled Marriott Cat 5 In San Diego

Looking for a great category 5 Marriott in San Diego? The San Diego Marriott Del Mar just underwent a huge remodel so you might want to check it out. Surprisingly, there are actually quite a few category 5's to choose from in San Diego. I was fortunate to be invited to the grand reopening and tour of this property. Though I was not paid for my opinion and the invitation did not affect my review of the hotel. 

Here is the list of category 5 Marriotts in San Diego :

Cost $200-$300
Townsplace Suites Downtown
Courtyard San Diego Gaslamp
Residence Inn Mission Valley
Courtyard San Diego Liberty Station 
San Diego Marriott Mission Valley
Courtyard San Diego Del Mar 
Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa 
Springhill Suites Oceanside 

Cost $100-$200
San Diego Marriott Del Mar 
The Courtyard Downtown, 
The Moxy San Diego Downtown, 
Residence Inn Downtown Gaslamp 
Residence Inn Downtown, 
Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, 
Fairfield Inn Old Town, 
Townsplace Suites Liberty Station, 
Courtyard San Diego Old Town
Courtyard San Diego Mission Valley
Springhill Suites Mission Valley 
Sheraton La Jolla 
Residence Inn La Jolla 


All of the Townsplace Suites, Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn and Springhill Suites include breakfast. 
Now you can see this newly remodeled Marriott Del Mar does not have the highest rates and it does not offer breakfast so you may be able to find better value at one of the other properties. But this hotel is located by the Del Mar fair, beach and racetrack. And of course, it is newly remodeled with a lovely pool area, excellent Arterra restaurant, and a Starbucks located inside. 

Although the rooms featured a lounge-type sofa and open closet, I was disappointed that the bathrooms still included small sample size shampoo and conditioner bottles instead of large size dispensers. California is moving towards requiring all hotels to use large dispensers by 2023. Many hotels are voluntarily installing the dispensers already to reduce waste and plastic. 

Now Category 5 hotels are important because if you hold a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card or the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex credit card, you earn a FREE hotel certificate each year on your anniversary good for a stay up to 35,000 points or you guessed it, a category 5. 
If you can maximize the value out of category 5, the certificate can be worth about $300. That's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel.com 

Score A Caribbean Cruise For Just $40 Per Day

A few weeks ago, President Trump ordered cruise ships to stop sailing to Cuba. The cruise companies changed their itineraries and added extra stops in the Caribbean. Some travelers stuck with the cruises, but many canceled. Now the cruise ships are trying to fill the boats and offering some great deals. 

Check out this 6-night cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean that stops in Key West and Cozumel, Mexico. An interior cabin will only set you back $258. That includes your room and food. Amazing. 

Or maybe you want to sail the Southern Caribbean and add a few more countries to your travel list. An interior cabin on the Azamara is discounted to $839 per person for a 7 night cruise. 

Dream of checking out Honduras? This 7 night cruise with MSC cruises is discounted to $299 per person. You are actually only in Honduras for 6 hours, but hey, it counts. 

All of these cruises sail in and out of Miami, Florida and do not include airfare. They are for select dates only. Most of them in August and September which is hurricane season. But there were a few with dates into 2020. You can check all of the offers on this landing page. Don't wait, I'm sure these will sell out quickly. 

Essential Items To Take With You When You Fly

Flying can be very hard on your skin and your body. Think jet lag, dry air and close contact with people and dirty surfaces. But there are some things you can do to fight back. 

Here are my essential items: 

1. Sanitizing Wipes - Yes, I am one of those people who wipes down the airplane seat, tray table and even the seat belt as soon as I board the plane. Yes, I get some strange looks. Yes, I get some thank you's when I tell my seatmate that I already cleaned the seat for them. But guess what, I hardly ever get sick after flying. I prefer Clear Defense Sanitizing Wipes. They are non-toxic and created with essential oils. 

2. Sustain - Electrolytes to keep me hydrated during or after the flight. Comes in a powder so I can just add it to water and no problem with security. 

3. Activate C - This is an immunity booster that helps my body fight against the germs and viruses that are so common in the close space aboard a plane. It works way better than off the shelf brands in my opinion. 

4. Renew Lotion - this lotion is amazing for dry skin, eczema, and psoriasis. On planes, it is incredible to help your skin battle the dry air. 

5. Essential Oil - I prefer lavender to help me relax on the plane. I either take a rollerball filled with lavender essential oil or the Renew lotion with lavender. Yum. 

6. Sei Bella Daytime/Nighttime Face Creme - Again, helps battle the dry air inside the plane and keep my face moisturized. 

7. SunShades Lip Balm - non-toxic made with essential oils and keeps my lips moisturized during the flight. It also has SPF so this is my go-to lip balm for everyday use. 


Whatever products you use, be sure they are moisturizing your skin and body plus helping your body fight off viruses and of course, be sure they are non toxic. If you would like to try any of the products mentioned above, email me and I will show you how to stop direct from the manufacturer so you get the best price. That's how we do it at almostfreefamilytravel.com 

Southwest Cancels All Flights To Newark Liberty

Southwest Airlines says it is pulling out of Newark Liberty Airport and focusing its efforts on New York's La Guardia airport instead. The airline cites issues with the 737 MAX 8 as the reason for the change. It is also planning to consolidate to maximize capacity. 

Flights to/from Newark will cease as of November 3rd, 2019. Any flights booked after that date will be refunded. 

Southwest had 20 daily flights to/from Newark servicing cities like San Diego, Denver and Chicago. 

If you are heading to New York, La Guardia will be your go-to option. Southwest also flies to the airport on Long Island. 

How To Score Bonus Miles For Your Back To School Shopping

Americans spend 26.5 billion dollars on Back To School shopping, according to the National Retail Federation. That's around $600 per child. You may spend less, but whatever you do spend, why not let those purchases pay for your next vacation? Now, we are talking, right?
I call it "leveraged spending". I know, it sounds like a boring financial term, BUT, let me show you how it can help you get your next vacation for almost FREE. And I bet that doesn't sound boring. 

Here's how it works: 
Several airlines like Southwest, Alaska and United offer shopping portals. A portal is like an online shopping mall. Lots of retailers are in that mall and offer discounts to the airline's customers. Easy. The discount is in the form of miles on that particular airline. Now, every once in a while, the airline will sweeten the deal and offer bonuses. 

Let's take a look at the Back to School bonus offers:

Southwest is offering 
250 bonus points if you spend $125
900 bonus points if you spend $300
2,000 bonus points if you spend $550


United is offering 
500 bonus miles if you spend $150
1,500 bonus miles if you spend $350
2,500 bonus miles if you spend $600 (the national average)

Alaska is offering
300 bonus miles if you spend $150
750 bonus miles if you spend $300
1,500 bonus miles if you spend $600 (the national average)

These deals get even sweeter because some of the typical back to school shopping retailers are offering their own increased miles for purchases. So you can essentially double dip. You earn bonus points from the retailer and then a bonus from the airline if you spend the required amount. Check this out:

Always check cashbackmonitor.com to see what each retailers is offering. 
Using shopping portals is easy. 

1. follow the airline portal link above
2. login with your airline loyalty account information
3. click on the retailer you would like to shop with 
4. the website will track your purchase and your account will be credit in 4-6 weeks

*Warning, do not open multiple tabs or you may lose the tracking. 

You do not have to spend the entire amount in the same purchase to get the bonus or even at the same retailer. You do have to spend by August 18th, 2019. 
You can also choose to buy online and pick up at the store to save on shipping. 

Also remember to use the right credit card for your purchases. Some cards will reward with extra points/miles for shopping at office supply stores, gas stations, grocery stores etc. Then you are triple dipping, woohoo!  

Happy shopping and watch the miles add up!