How To Score A Cruise At 40% Discount

At the San Diego Travel and Adventure Show @travadventure this weekend, I got a chance to talk with Unhooknow.com Wayne Dunlap. Wayne is one of the top travel bloggers in the country. So I was super excited to hear his tips for budget travel. 

Wayne's top tip for cruises is to check out vacationstogo.com.  According to Wayne, cruise companies know which weeks do not sell well and they make incredible deals with third-party companies to fill the ships. 

I entered February 2020 3-6 night cruises and here's what it pulled up. Some nice bargains. 

In fact, I did another search for longer cruises and I found a 30 day cruise that was cheaper than staying home! Wayne said he had been on a few of these cruises and they were great. He recommended repositioning cruises if you have the time. Other top tips from Wayne:

• follow the disaster - this sounds predatory, but think about it. If a natural disaster hits an area, tourism will drop. In order to bring the tourists back, there will be lots of deals. We booked a trip to Cabo San Lucas during the swine flu scare a few years back. Even though our trip was planned for months later, we got a great deal because tourism had dropped. 
• travel during shoulder season - you can google "what is shoulder season for a certain country". This is the season that the weather is nice, but the crowds are less. If you have the time or toddlers, this is by far the best time to travel. I just went to London in October, weather was awesome, flights were cheap and no crowds.

Next blog post, I'll share some of Wayne's favorite websites for budget travel. 

What You Need To Know To Apply For A Real ID

Starting October 1, 2020, you will need either a Real ID or a federally approved government document like a passport when you board a domestic flight or enter a federal facility. So the word of advice is to get this done now. Don't wait. The lines at the DMV will get long as we get closer to the October deadline. 
If you choose not to trade out your driver's license for a Real ID, then you will need to carry your passport, global entry card, military ID or other federally approved form of identification when you fly starting October 1, 2020. It's not the end of the world, but it is one more thing to remember when you travel. 
So if you decide to start the process now, here are the steps:

• Make an appointment to visit a field office (appts are booked 3 months out)
• Provide proof of identity (for example: U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, certificate of naturalization or citizenship, employment authorization document, permanent resident card, or foreign passport with an approved form I-94).
• Show two (2) forms of residency document (for example: utility bill, rental agreement, mortgage bill, medical document).
• Present proof of your Social Security Number (for example: Social Security Card, W-2 form, SSA-1099 form, Non-SSA-1099 form, Paystub (with full SSN).
• You will be prompted to fill out the application online before you arrive at the DMV. When you finish the application, it will give you a six digit code, you will need this code when you arrive at the DMV. 

The Real ID costs approximately $30 and will expire the same date as your current driver's license. If your current license is close to renewal, you will be issued a Real ID when you renew. Unless you are renewing your license, you should not be required to take a written or vision test. Check your local dmv website for exact details for your state. 

How You Can Earn The Southwest Companion Pass Fast

The Southwest companion pass is one of the best perks in the miles and points game. And now, Southwest has made it pretty easy for you to earn it quickly with a new 75,000 point offer on their family of credit cards Southwest Plus, Southwest Premier and Southwest Priority. 

Southwest Companion Pass

This could put you very close to earning one of the best perks in the business, the Southwest companion pass. The companion pass is a buy one, get one FREE on any flight for almost two years. You need to collect 125,000 Southwest points in a single calendar year to earn it. So if you apply for the credit card, you are more than halfway there.  You can earn the rest by flying, shopping in the portal, using the hotel and rental car partnerships, dining program and more. Wow! I have had the companion pass for years and I would value it at thousands of dollars. 

Southwest credit card 75,000 point offer

Here are the details of the new limited-time offer available across all three personal cards:

• Spend $1,000 for 40,000 points in the first 3 months 
• Spend an additional $4,000 in six months for an additional 35,000 points

You have three choices on personal cards. The differences between the Plus, Premier and Priority are: 

Plus

• $69 annual fee
• 3,000 anniversary bonus 

Premier

• $99 annual fee
• 6,000 anniversary bonus

Priority

• $149 annual fee
• $75 Southwest credit 
• 4 upgraded boardings 
• 7,500 anniversary bonus

I believe the Priority card is the best value because though the annual fee is higher, you also get a credit on Southwest. If you apply for one of these personal cards, you will earn 75,000 bonus points plus 5,000 points for your purchases. So you are looking at 80,000 points with one card. 

You need 125,000 points to earn the companion pass. You are only allowed to hold one personal card at a time. But you can hold a personal card and a business card at the same time. 

Southwest offers two business cards and here are the current offers:

Premier Business 

• 60,000 bonus 
• $3,000 spend 
• $99 annual fee 

Performance Business 

• 70,000 bonus 
• $5,000 spend 
• $199 annual fee
• $100 Global Entry credit 
• 4 upgraded boarding passes 

With all limited time offers, we do not know how long the offers will stick around, but we are hearing that this one will end February 10th. The companion pass is good for the year you earn it and the following year so the sooner you earn it, the better. Good luck and please use our referral links if you decide to apply for any Southwest credit cards. 

Apply For Chase Sapphire Reserve Now Before The Fee Increases

I wanted to give you a heads up. My favorite new credit card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, is increasing its annual fee on Jan. 12th 2020. The fee will increase from $450 to $550. Now, before you are stunned by the high annual fee, let me explain the perks and you will see why this one is worth it. I told you about the Doordash pass promotion, but there's more. 

Perks of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card:

• 3x points on dining and travel purchases 
• $300 travel credit - Check out my blog post on how to use the credit
• 1.5 point credit on the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal 
• Priority Pass Lounge membership 
• $100 Global Entry fee credit 
• 1:1 transfer to hotels and airlines 

And now, added perks will include:

• FREE Doordash pass membership value $120
• FREE Lyft Pink membership $289

I believe these new perks are just the beginning of the benefits of the Sapphire Reserve card. If you travel, this card has to be in your wallet. If the annual fee is too stiff, try the Sapphire Preferred which is my second favorite. As the airlines make it harder to find award travel, having a stash of points that you can use on multiple airlines and hotels are invaluable. And you can use the points in the travel portal where there are no blackout dates. 

The new fee will go into effect on Jan. 12th so apply now to lock in the old rate. You will still get the 50,000 point bonus and the new perks.  

Good luck! 

Southwest Credit Card Announces 75,000 Bonus Offer

New year and new limited-time offer from Southwest on their family of credit cards: Southwest Plus, Southwest Premier and Southwest Priority. This could put you very close to earning one of the best perks in the business, the Southwest companion pass. The companion pass is a buy one, get one FREE on any flight for almost two years. You need to collect 125,000 Southwest points in a single calendar year to earn it. You can do this by flying, shopping in the portal, using the hotel and rental car partnerships, dining program and more. Wow! I have had the companion pass for years and I would value it at thousands of dollars. 

Southwest credit card 75,000 point offer

Here are the details of the new limited-time offer available across all three personal cards:

• Spend $1,000 for 40,000 points in the first 3 months 
• Spend an additional $4,000 in six months for an additional 35,000 points

You have three choices on personal cards. The differences between the Plus, Premier and Priority are: 

Plus

• $69 annual fee
• 3,000 anniversary bonus 

Premier

• $99 annual fee
• 6,000 anniversary bonus

Priority

• $149 annual fee
• $75 Southwest credit 
• 4 upgraded boardings 
• 7,500 anniversary bonus

I believe the Priority card is the best value because though the annual fee is higher, you also get a credit on Southwest. If you apply for one of these personal cards, you will earn 75,000 bonus points plus 5,000 points for your purchases. So you are looking at 80,000 points with one card. 

You need 125,000 points to earn the companion pass. You are only allowed to hold one personal card at a time. But you can hold a personal card and a business card at the same time. 

Southwest offers two business cards and here are the current offers:

Premier Business 

• 60,000 bonus 
• $3,000 spend 
• $99 annual fee 

Performance Business 

• 70,000 bonus 
• $5,000 spend 
• $199 annual fee
• $100 Global Entry credit 
• 4 upgraded boarding passes 

With all limited time offers, we do not know how long the offers will stick around. The companion pass is good for the year you earn it and the following year so the sooner you earn it, the better. Good luck and please use our referral links if you decide to apply for any Southwest credit cards. 

Chase Teams Up With Doordash For FREE Delivery

Doordash.com is teaming up with Chase to offer select customers FREE delivery for up to two years. Wow! 

Chase adds benefit for Reserve and Preferred customers

Doordash.com offers an unlimited FREE delivery pass that usually costs $9.99 per month. But now it is offering Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve credit card customers FREE passes for at least 12 months.

Chase adds benefit for Freedom and Unlimited customers

Chase Freedom and Unlimited customers get a FREE pass for 3 months and then 50% off the monthly cost for the next 9 months. 

How to register. 

It's easy to activate the deal. Just sign up or log in if you already have a Doordash.com account, go into your profile, select payment cards and enter your Chase credit card. You have until Dec. 31, 2021 to activate the deal. If you already have your Chase credit card on file, you should delete it and re-add it. 

Remember to set a reminder to cancel 12 months from activation since it will auto-renew and start charging you at the end of the FREE period. And you do need to pay for the delivery with your Chase credit card. 

FREE Walking Tours Can Be Awesome Experiences

Amazing architecture in downtown San Diego

One of my favorite things to do is go on the FREE walking tours in the cities I visit. These tours are usually led by people who are passionate about their city, culture, and traditions. Next time, you are in San Diego, I highly recommend the FREE walking tour by the San Diego Women's Museum.
Our tour guide, Ann, was super knowledgable about the history of San Diego and specifically women in history. 

Ann leads the tour

The Women's Museum tour is scheduled on the third Saturday of every month at 10am and leaves from the Lyceum Theatre steps in the Gaslamp downtown. You need to make a reservation in advance online.
On the tour, Ann told us all about architecture in the Gaslamp, walked us through the Horton Grand Hotel and introduced us to two famous dogs.
The Gaslamp is home to 90 historic buildings so there is plenty to look at. The tour focuses on 4 square blocks so it's an easy walk. 

At the end of the tour, Ann took us inside the Macy's to get our parking validated. We ended the day with lunch at Cafe 21, a farm to table restaurant in the Gaslamp that I highly recommend. Fun day, for sure, and off the beaten path.