How To Turn Your Stimulus Payment Into FREE Travel

 

I was at the grocery store today and the woman in front of me in line tried to pay with her debit card, it declined. She proceeded to ask the clerk how much was left on the card. The clerk said she didn't know and the woman asked if they could try again charging a smaller amount like $50. It worked. 

Before the woman took her groceries and left, I asked her if it was an Economic Stimulus Payment debit card and she said it was. I let her know that she can actually transfer the funds from the card to her bank account. She had no idea. 

I came home and checked the brochure and they don't tell you that you can just transfer the funds from the debit card to your bank account. Turning that $600 into thousands of points or miles and ending the headache of knowing your balance. Ha! 

Here's how you do it:

1. go to EIPcard.com

2. click on login now

3. register now

4. enter your debit card information and verify your account through various codes text to your phone and/or sent by email

5. click transfer funds to my bank account

6. enter your account number and routing number 

7. click transfer

Bam! Now you can spend $600 on your credit card and rack up some miles and points, just be sure to pay off the balance at the end of the month. Hope that helps!

Southwest Extends Companion Pass Again - Woohoo!

 

Yes, this is the best to see in your Southwest Airlines account. It's the BOGO Companion Pass and unlike other airlines, it's not just good for one flight, it's good for every flight you take for up to two years! What! 

The Southwest Companion Pass is the best travel perk in the industry by far and I've been fortunate to have earned it for the past six years and saved thousands of dollars in flights. You can check out how I earned the pass here. You don't even have to fly! 

Today, Southwest announced it is extending the pass until 12/31/2021. 

So for those of you who earned it in 2020 like I did, but haven't' been able to use it much, you get a whole extra year. 

From the Southwest.com website:

We’re extending Companion Pass benefits.

• For our current Companion Pass Members who received an extension of their earned Companion Pass benefits through June 30, 2021, we are extending your benefits another six months.* You can now enjoy Companion Pass through December 31, 2021.

*This does not apply to Members who earned a promotional Companion Pass or did not previously receive an extension through June 30, 2021.

For those of you who are trying to earn the pass in 2021, Southwest just made it easier for you. All Rapid Reward members who had an account as of Dec. 31, 2020 will receive 25,000 points towards the pass. That means you just need 100,000 to earn the pass instead of 125,000. If you are an A-list or A-list Preferred, you get more points towards the pass. 

Remember one of the best ways to earn the Companion Pass is to open a Southwest credit card, you have a number of different ones to choose from right now offering bonuses from 50,000-70,000 points when you spend a $2,000-$3,000 minimum and another 30,000 when you spend $10,000. Please consider using my referral code if you decide to apply for any of the cards. It costs you nothing and helps me continue to bring you great information about places to take your family. 

Woohoo! Thank you Southwest. 

Norwegian Airlines Cancels All Long Haul Flights

 

The Nordic budget carrier, Norwegian Airlines, announced today that they are canceling all long haul flights effective immediately. The airline has been struggling for years and the COVID crisis was the final straw. The company sent out emails this morning to all the rewards customers stating:

I've written articles in the past about this airline and specifically how I hopped a flight across the pond last October from New York to London for $150 with my daughter so we could visit The Making of Harry Potter.

It definitely had its strengths (low price) and drawbacks (baggage rules that were nuts). But it makes me sad to see it pull back and we can only hope that when travel returns, this airline expands again. 

If you had a flight reservation, check out this FAQ to get answers. and if you have Cashpoints or Rewards, those will not be affected. 

Another sad day in travel. 

New Marriott Promotion, Rack Up Bonuses Fast

 

New year, new bonus offers to urge travelers to return to hotels and airlines. This one is from Marriott and whether you are ready to travel or not, it's a good idea to at least register. 

You can check your email or the promotions tab in your Marriott account to see if you are targeted for this offer and click on the button to register. You need to register by March 31, 2021.  

The offer is similar to the one we saw last fall. The first stay earns you a bonus of 4,000 points, the second stay earns 6,000, and the third earns 8,000. This time, however, the stays must be over the weekend. A weekend night is defined as a Friday or Saturday night according to Marriott's website. 
You must book your stay through Marriott and not a third party. 

If you feel comfortable traveling or need to travel right now, racking up some extra points is pretty sweet. 

If you don't have a Marriott Bonvoy credit card right now, check out the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and it's 125,000 bonus offer, hurry, though this offer ends 1/13. 

125K Bonus Offer on the Marriott Amex Brilliant Ends 1/13

 

You only have a few more days to take advantage of the 125,000 bonus point offer on the luxury Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card. It's a great offer if you qualify and don't let the hefty annual fee scare you. 

Let's break it down. The offer:

• a $5000 minimum spend in the first 3 months 
• earn 100,000 points 
• earn a 25,000 point bonus on your one-year anniversary 
• plus earn the 50,000 points FREE night certificate
• $450 annual fee
• $300 Marriott hotel credit that's good for one year
• Priority Pass Airport Lounge Membership
• Global Entry $100 credit
• a monthly $15 Uber cash credit
• Platinum Elite status (bonus points on stays, room upgrades, a welcome gift which could be breakfast, bonus points or other amenities, hotel lounge access, late checkout, and enhanced wifi). 

This card comes with a lot of goodies which brings the hefty annual fee down to a reasonable rate. 

So what can you get with 125,000 Marriott points? I like Marriott points second only to Chase Ultimate Reward points. Marriott points are super flexible since you transfer them to dozens of airlines including United, American, Alaska, Delta, and more. And when you transfer 60,000 Marriott points to any airline, the points transfer 3:1, you get a bonus of 5,000 miles, so your 60,000 Marriott points are worth 25,000 miles on any airline. United actually gives you a 10% bonus on top of the 5,000-mile bonus. 25,000 miles can get you a round trip ticket across the US or one way to Europe or South America. 

Obviously, you can use the points to book hotel rooms at any of the Marriott Bonvoy brands which include Marriott, Starwood/Sheraton, Fairfield Suites, Springhill Suites, Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Courtyard, Aloft, Moxy and more. The rewards chart includes peak and non-peak rates: 

Marriott also offers a travel portal where you can use points for car rentals, cruises, and more, but check around because you may be able to get more value elsewhere. 

This American Express offer is only good through Jan. 13, 2021 so hurry. You can only get this card once in a lifetime so plan accordingly. You don't qualify for the bonus if you have had an active JP Morgan Ritz Carlton card in the last 30 days, you were approved for the Bold or Boundless in the past 90 days, you received a points upgrade from Marriott in the past 24 months, you previously had this card or the Starwood luxury Amex. 

If you aren't sure if you qualify, don't worry. American Express has a handy tool that will let you know when you are submitting your application if you are eligible for the welcome bonus. And at that point, you can continue with your application and American Express will pull your credit report or you can end the application without the hard pull. 

Pretty sweet! 

Amazing Daily Deals From American Airlines

 

In order to encourage travelers to fly again, American Airlines has launched daily deals. You can find the deal on this website. It launched on Monday, Jan. 4th with a kids fly FREE deal to the Caribbean. On Tuesday, there were cheap flights to warm places. 

You will have to check daily and move quickly to take advantage of this. Even if you aren't sure you want to fly right now, it might be worth purchasing one of these daily deals since American's flight change policy is so generous. 

Right now, American is waiving change fees on tickets purchased through Jan. 31, 2021 so you may have a lot of flexibility. 

Happy Holidays From All Of Us

 

As we approach the end of the strangest year I've ever experienced, I am humbled. This year, I have been forced to slow down, explore my neighborhood and my home city. My son put it best when we were considering heading to Hawaii over the holidays, he said "we live here, why do we need to go somewhere else?"

Yep, we live here. We are fortunate to live in San Diego and lots of people come here for vacation. So why do we want to explore somewhere else in the middle of a pandemic? Good point. 

So for now we stay put, explore our home town, enjoy time with our immediate loved ones, and watch a lot of sunsets. And when I have downtime, I look at travel websites and dream of a time when we can travel again. 

It's not too bad. So this holiday season, wherever you live, enjoy the moments, the treasures of your hometown like a tourist. And we wait together for better times in 2021.