Why You Might Want To Jump On This Capital One Offer

 

You may have seen this offer announced this week for the Capital One Venture card. 100,000 points with a $20,000 minimum spend or 50,000 points with a $3,000 minimum spend. I have to admit I got this card several years ago because you can use the points to erase any travel purchase. That means that instead of transferring points to an airline or hotel, you simply use your Capital One Venture card to pay for the purchase and then use the points for a statement credit. Easy. 

Now Capital One has added transfer partners too. And during the last year, it added a benefit so you could use your points as statement credits for takeout, steaming, Amazon and Paypal since not many people were traveling. 

I actually got this card when we were going on a family trip to Costa Rica. By family, I mean extended family trip, you know, like a group of 20 people. The deal was everyone had to pay for their own airfare, but then once in Costa Rica, the trip would be a gift. Pretty sweet! The only other catch is we all had to fly on the same Delta flight. Since I didn't have enough Delta miles for 5 round trip airline tickets, my husband and I each applied for the Capital One Venture card. We charged the plane tickets and everything else to those cards to meet the minimum spend and we ended up getting three of the tickets FREE. 

Now I still like this card, however, I like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards better. Here's why:

• Capital One every purchase earns 2 points per dollar
• Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve - most purchases earn 1:1, but dining and travel earn 2:1 and there are categories where you can earn 5:1 if you have Chase FREEDOM, FLEX or INK cards. 
• Capital One points value are 1:1 when you use them to erase purchases
• Chase Sapphire Preferred values points at 1:1.25 if you use them in the travel portal or as a statement credit
• Chase Sapphire Reserve values points at 1:1.5 if you use them in the travel portal or as a statement credit 
• Capital One and Chase offer 1:1 transfer values to airline miles, but Chase offers way more partner airlines and hotels. 

I still think the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve offer more flexibility than the Capital One. Now, all that being said, I have NOT canceled my Capital One and have no intention to do so. You can only get this card once in a lifetime and I'm not ready to give it up. 

If you decide to give this one a go, consider using my referral link. You get the same great bonus offer and I get a little something for referring you and can use it to bring you more great ideas on how to travel for Almost FREE. 

https://capital.one/3dMOtkP

Yes, You Can Win Miles Playing Promotions

 

I'm a sucker for FREE. Yep, guess that's why I write this blog so I can help you take advantage of the points and miles that are offered out there for FREE so you can travel for almost FREE. Lots of people take surveys to earn points and miles, I don't usually go that route. It's time-consuming and a pretty slow way to earn in my opinion. However, I do like to take advantage of hotel and airline promotions. Those I find can be pretty lucrative. They can also help top off an account if you need to stop points and miles from expiring or sometimes even to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. See my past post about this awesome travel perk. 

So the latest promotion is from American Airlines. It goes through May 3rd, you can play once a day, and only takes a few minutes, but can be pretty lucrative. I've already earned 800 American Airlines miles. 

You just click on a few links to earn globe spins. Then spin the globe. If the globe stops on the US, you lose, but if it stops anywhere else in the world, you win some miles. According to the contest rules, there are 230,000 "400 mile" instant prizes, the most common prize since I've won twice so far. But there are also 35,000 "4000 miles" instant prizes. Now we are talking. There also appear to be some memberships and gift card instant prizes as well. 

 Even if you lose the globe spin, you are entered into a grand prize drawing for one million miles. 

For a few minutes of your time, this may be worth it. 

Yosemite Day Passes On Sale Now

 

Due to Covid, you will need a day pass in order to gain entry into Yosemite National Park this season starting May 21, 2021. Passes went on sale today at reservation.gov  You are limited to one pass per person/car and the cost is $35. The pass is good for three days. 

The fee is your park entry. So if you have the annual pass, you do not need to pay the $35, but still need to get a reservation. I always recommend looking at the National Park annual pass if you plan to visit more than one park or one park for multiple days. The pass costs $80 and is good for one year from the day you buy it. You can purchase the pass at the gate of any national park, REI and online (allow two weeks for the pass to be mailed to you). 

If you have a reservation at a campground, hotel, or lodge inside the park, you do not need a day pass. 

Check Out The Only Marriott Hotel On The NC Coast

 

Once in awhile, you can find a Marriott hotel gem. And if it's a category 5, that's a bonus. Welcome to the Courtyard Marriott Carolina Beach near Wilmington, NC. This hotel brands itself as the only Marriott on the North Carolina coast and it is right on the beach. 

In fact, when this hotel was built 17 years ago, they put all the rooms on the beach side with balconies and views of the ocean. So smart! 

This pic above is the view from our 6th floor room. Pretty sweet. 

Check Out The Only Marriott Hotel On The NC Coast

Since it's a category 5, you can use your free night certificates for it except during peak pricing. Regular rates range from $149-$410 or 40,000 points. Rooms include two queens or a king and sofa bed, fridge and coffee maker. No breakfast since it's a Courtyard, however, there is a bistro in the lobby that serves Starbucks coffee. There are also plenty of restaurants within walking distance. There is also a supermarket less than a mile away. 

There is a place next door where you can rent boogie boards, surfboards, wetsuits, paddleboards, kayaks and bikes. Havanas and Kates are right across the street and offer amazing dinner and breakfast. 

Fort Fisher, a historic civil war landmark, is located just down the road in Kure Beach. Kure Beach is also home to the North Carolina Aquarium. And be sure to check out the Carolina Beach State Park. It is the only place in the world you can see the Venus Fly Trap. 

This carnivorous plant is native to this area and in fact, it's the only place in the world that the plant can live. There are cameras in the park to protect it from poachers. We searched and couldn't find it. But it's a beautiful park located on the banks of the Cape Fear river. 

If you don't have a Marriott credit card yet, you have a few options. 

• Brilliant - 125,000 bonus offer for a $5,000 minimum spend, $450 annual fee, $300 Marriott hotel credit, $200 restaurant credit, Priority Pass, 6x at Marriott hotels, 3x on travel purchases. 
• Boundless - 75,000 bonus offer for a $3,000 minimum spend, $95 annual fee, 6x points at Marriott hotels, 2x on travel purchases, 2x points on everything else, FREE night certificate on your anniversary worth 35,000 points. 
• Bold - 30,000 bonus for a $1,000 minimum spend, $0 annual fee, 3x points at Marriott hotels, 2x on travel purchases, 1x points on everything else. 

If you decide to apply for a Marriott credit card, please consider using my referral link. You get a great bonus offer and I get a little something to help keep this blog going and continue finding great deals for you. 

Delta Extensions, Chase Sapphire Extensions, Alaska Officially Joins

 

So much travel related news today, I just had to send you another email this morning. As travel rebounds, airlines and travel credit cards are luring people back to the sky. Today, Delta, Chase Sapphire and Alaska Airlines all made big announcements so here you go:

1. Delta - extends travel voucher expiration dates to Dec. 2022. All voluntarily cancelled flight tickets purchases anytime this year will also be extended to Dec. 2022. Delta will resume booking the middle seat May 1st and resume snack and drink service April 14th. 

2. Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve extends its pay yourself back feature through September 2021, it was set to expire in June. Plus the travel credit can be used for grocery and gas purchases through Dec. 2021. 

3. Chase FREEDOM, FLEX and INK adopted a similar Pay Yourself Back feature for charitable donations and it's extended to December 2021. 

4. Alaska officially joined OneWorld Alliance today so you can now search the British Airways website for Alaska Airlines flights. You can use British Airways Avios to buy Alaska flights which for short haul trips usually offer a better value. 

5. Southwest Airlines is set to release flights through November  5th. Look for that to happen anytime. 

Chase Sapphire Preferred is offering a bonus right now of 80,000 Ultimate Reward Points, that's a $1,000 value plus a $50 grocery credit. It's a $4,000 minimum spend in the first 3 months. The annual $95 fee is not waived. 

If you decide to apply for this card, please use my referral link. You get the same great offer and I get a little bonus for referring you. 

As usual, I'll keep you posted on all the news. Watch for lots more to come as people get back to traveling. 

CA Theme Parks Start To Reopen April 1st

 

After being closed for about a year, California's theme parks are set to reopen starting April 1st. The parks will limit capacity and only allow California residents to participate. So here's the rundown of opening dates for our most popular parks:

• SeaWorld in San Diego - already open due to being classified as a zoo
• Six Flags Magic Mountain, Southern CA - open April 1st
• Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Northern CA - open April 1st
• Universal Studios - open April 16th, preview day for annual pass members April 15th, tickets go on sale April 8th
• Disneyland - April 30th
• Knott's Berry Farm - reopen in May, no exact date has been announced yet 

Advance reservations will be required for all the parks and capacity will be limited. Tickets are only available to California residents. The parks are using a new GPS system that will verify residency. 

We will keep you posted as ticket purchase information becomes available. 

How You Can Earn 20% Bonus Southwest Points - Targeted Promotion

 

Just a reminder, if you have not registered for this Southwest promotion yet, get moving! This is an easy way to earn 20% more points on every purchase. It is a targeted promotion so check your account or your inbox for an email with the subject line "Register for a 20% bonus". The best part, the points count towards the companion pass which is by far the move valuable travel perk out there. It's a buy one, get one FREE companion pass for every flight you fly for up to two years.

I have had the pass for about 6 years and have saved thousands of dollars. 

For this promotion, you just need to register your credit card and then the bonus points will apply automatically to every purchase you make through May 31, 2021. 

Pretty sweet.