Why I Just Booked a Day Trip To San Francisco on Southwest

 

This is one of the best promotions we have ever seen and it's the reason I just booked a day trip to San Francisco. It doesn't take much to convince me to head to SF anyway for clam chowder and bread bowls from Sabella & La Torre seafood stand on Fisherman's Wharf. 

But with $49 fares from San Diego to Oakland, this seems like a no brainer. 

Here's how it works:

• You have to register for the promotion at this link 
• Purchase your ticket by Thursday, September 24th 
• Travel by November 15th. 

If you do all of that, you will earn a mini companion pass good for almost two months of BOGO travel. 

I have had the Southwest Companion Pass for the last five years, yep, you read that right. It has saved me thousands in airfare. From trips to research colleges for two children, move-in dates, family weekends, family trips. vacation in Cuba, Mexico, Costa Rica, Washington DC several times, my companion pass has gotten a lot of use. 

Now because I have the companion pass already and Southwest extended the expiration date to June 2021, I bought my daughter's flight to San Francisco and used points for my flight. My daughter will qualify for the companion pass since there is no age limit. 

I'm not sure where we will go in January or February, but now with our family of 5, two people will fly for FREE. Woohoo! 

Remember you have to book your flight by Thursday! 

Find Out How You Can Get A BOGO On Southwest

Amazing offer from Southwest Airlines! 

 If you have never had a Southwest Companion Pass before which is probably the best deal in travel, here's your chance to try it out. The companion pass is BOGO for two years. You need to earn 125,000 points in a calendar year to earn it. You can check out my past post to see how it works. Let's walk through this offer because the details are very specific.  

1. You must register by logging into your Southwest Rapid Rewards Account

2. You must buy your ticket by September 24th, this Thursday! 

3. You must travel by November 15th

4.  If you do both of those things, you will get a companion pass good for one companion pass for unlimited flights between January 6, 2021 and February 28, 2021. You can even change your companion up to three times during the promotional period. 

If this fits with your travel plans, it's a good deal and could save you some dollars. Remember to use your Southwest Airlines credit card to purchase the ticket so you get 4-6x points. 

4th Quarter Rotating Chase Categories Announced

 

It's that time of the year, time for the announcement of Chase 4th quarter rotating bonus categories for 5% cash back. Drum roll, please. This year, 4th quarter includes:

• Walmart 
• Paypal 

The new categories start October 1st, but you can activate your card now by clicking this link. 

There is a note on the website that if you use Paypal at Walmart, you still earn only 5%. 

The new FREEDOM FLEX card is offering a $200 bonus when you open the card and spend $500 in the first three months. This is a no annual fee card that earns 5x points (5% cash back) on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, 3x points (3% cash back) at drugstores and restaurants, and 1x points (1% cash back) on everything else. 

Personally, the FREEDOM card (not open to new applicants) has been my go-to personal card for years, but now I'm considering switching to the new FREEDOM FLEX. And if you have the Sapphire Preferred which is offering a huge 80,000 point bonus right now or the Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer the Ultimate Reward points to dozens of airlines, a few hotel chains or get a discount in the Chase Ultimate Reward travel portal. 

Chase Pay It Back Tool Ends on 9/30

 

Chase  Pay Yourself Back tool is ending Sept. 30th so you might want to take advantage of this in the next two weeks. 

Since travel is so limited, Chase added a way to use your Ultimate Rewards points to erase grocery and dining purchases. 

So what does this mean and why is it so exciting? Here is your step to step guide. The Chase Sapphire Reserve, Preferred, Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, and Ink credit cards all earn Chase Ultimate Reward Points. Personally, these are my favorite points right now just for their flexibility and for the travel portal. They are flexible because you can transfer the points to dozens of airlines, hotels and you can use them to book travel through the Chase travel portal. 

And if you are a Preferred or Reserve credit card holder, you get a bonus. Chase will actually offer you extra value on the points so instead of 1:1, you get 1:25:1 for Preferred credit card holders and 1:50:1 for Reserve credit cardholders. 

You can check out my previous blog post that outlines exactly how to use this tool. Any purchases made in the past 90 days are eligible. 

Two New Chase Credit Card Offers Available Now

 

Two great new offers from Chase today! Probably the highest ever bonus offer we have ever seen for the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, 80,000 points. Wow! 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be worth up to $1,000 in travel or right now, $925 in FREE groceries. 

So who is eligible for this card? According to Chase, if you have never held a Sapphire credit card before, you are eligible OR if it's been at least 48 months since you have held a Sapphire credit card, you are eligible. 

The fine details include a $95 annual fee which is not waived for the first year and $4,000 minimum spend in the first three months. 

The Sapphire Preferred is one of my favorite travel cards because Ultimate Rewards points are so flexible. You can transfer them to dozens of airlines plus several hotel chains. You can also use them in the Chase travel portal with a 25% bonus. Through the end of the month, you can also pay yourself back by using the points at a 25% bonus to erase grocery purchases. 

If the $4,000 minimum spend is to much for you, then take a look at the new Chase Freedom Flex. The new Freedom Flex comes with a $200 bonus after a $500 minimum spend in the first 3 months also. Plus 5% on groceries up to a max of $12,000 in the first year, unfortunately, Target and Walmart are excluded from the bonus. There is no annual fee. It will also include the rotating 5% cashback categories and the new bonus categories included with the Unlimited card. 

The Flex card is considered a new product since it will be a Mastercard instead of a Visa so if you currently have a Freedom or Freedom Unlimited card, you are eligible to apply for this card as a new customer rather than upgrade and secure the bonus.

Two great offers from Chase, which one are you going to take advantage of?

How You Can Get FREE Tickets On Southwest

 

If you are ready to fly for FREE, here's an easy way to do it. All three Chase Southwest credit cards are offering a bonus 65,000 points when you reach the $2,000 minimum spend. Wow! This is the highest offer we have seen. What will 65,000 points get you on Southwest? 

• Well, it could get you more than halfway to earning the Southwest Companion Pass, one of the best deals in travel. The companion pass is a buy one, get one on Southwest anywhere you fly. You can check out my past post. 
• It could get you two round trip tickets to Hawaii when you are able to fly there again. 
• It could get you four round trip tickets to anywhere in the continental US. 

That's pretty sweet. 

So let's look at the three different cards so you can choose the one that makes the most sense for you:

1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus - $69 annual fee, 3,000 anniversary points each year, 

2. Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier - $99 annual fee, 6,000 anniversary points each year, no foreign transaction fees.  

3. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority - $149 annual fee, 7,500 anniversary points each year, no foreign transaction fees, $75 Southwest travel credit, 4 upgraded boardings.

Right now, all three cards carry the 65,000 bonus so which one is the best deal? All three cards earn 2x points on Southwest Airlines purchases and 1x on all other purchases. Personally, I think the Priority card is the way to go if you plan to fly anytime in the next year due to the $75 Southwest credit. Once you use the credit, the annual fee drops to $74, you get an extra 1,500 points and if you use the upgrades now the annual fee is $0. 

While you can only get one personal Southwest card and you can only get one every 24 months, you can apply for a business card at the same time which would give you enough points to earn the companion pass. 

This offer started on August 14th and has no end date right now. But offers like these disappear as quickly as they arrive. 

Why I'm Applying For The New Chase Credit Card

 

It's unusual for credit card companies to launch a new credit card product and especially to launch one now during a global pandemic, but Chase has announced the new Freedom Flex coming Sept. 14th. The current Freedom credit card will be discontinued. But the Freedom Unlimited card will continue to be offered. This straightforward cashback card earns 1.5% on all purchases. 

Now, the Freedom card is my fall back personal credit card, and the Freedom Unlimited card works the same way. Both earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points which are super versatile since you can transfer them to dozens of airlines and a few big hotel chains. Plus you can use them in the Chase Travel Portal. And if you hold a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve card, the points are now valued at 1:1.25 or 1:1.5 in the portal or cashback. 

A big perk of the current Freedom card is the quarterly rotating 5% cashback categories such as Amazon, gas stations, streaming services, groceries, and more. If you max out those categories, it's a huge benefit. 

The Freedom Unlimited card will offer some new benefits:

• 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3% back on dining
• 3% back at drugstores

There’s no activation required — all three will become available beginning Sept. 15. The Freedom Unlimited currently offers $200 bonus after a $500 minimum spend in the first 3 months. 

The new Freedom Flex comes with a $200 bonus after a $500 minimum spend in the first 3 months also. Plus 5% on groceries up to a max of $12,000 in the first year, unfortunately, Target and Walmart are excluded from the bonus. There is no annual fee. It will also include the rotating 5% cashback categories and the new bonus categories included with the Unlimited card. 

The Flex card is considered a new product since it will be a Mastercard instead of a Visa so if you currently have a Freedom or Freedom Unlimited card, you are eligible to apply for this card as a new customer rather than upgrade and secure the bonus 

So if you have a Chase Freedom card like I do, it probably makes sense to switch to the new Flex card. If you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, the only difference is that that new Flex card is a Mastercard instead of a Visa. Mastercard comes along with World Elite Benefits that include free shipping with ShopRunner, $10 credit with Lyft when you take 5 rides in a month, and more. You can read about all the benefits here. 

So it probably makes sense to switch to the new Flex card for you as well. If you are over Chase 5/24 rule (you have opened 5 credit cards with any company in the past 24 months), you can call and ask for a product change. You won't be eligible for the welcome bonus, but you will get all the new credit card benefits. If you are under 5/24, you need to decide whether it makes sense for you to use one of those slots for this card. 

Watch for the new Flex card coming Sept. 15th.