How To Get A FREE Roundtrip Flight on American Airlines

 

Here's a tip on an amazing bonus offer right now! Barclays American Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard is offering 70,000 miles with just one purchase. There is a $99 annual fee. 

What does 70,000 American Airlines miles get you? We went ahead and put in a sample itinerary to New York from Los Angeles. When we entered the round trip, it gave us a flight for 39,000 miles. Not bad, but we wondered what would happen if we looked at one way flights. 

And wow, one way LAX to JFK, it gave us a flight for just 10,500 miles. So we decided to see what the return would be like. 

And wow, we could get a return for 16,500 miles. Total would be 27,000 miles round trip. 

That means the 70,000 miles would get us almost three round trip flights from Los Angeles to New York City. Amazing. 

Even though I have opened quite a few credit cards both personal and business over the past year, I was instantly approved for this Barclays credit card. And a day later, I got an email alerting me that my credit score went UP. 

My husband also applied since we are trying to collect enough American Airlines miles for a big family trip next summer. His application is pending approval so I'll keep you posted. 

If you decide to apply for this credit card, here is the link. We do not have an expiration date yet on this offer. 

Unlocking the Future of Travel: Mastering Your Dream Vacation with AI Planning Tools

AI or artificial intelligence is changing just about everything we do. It's a fantastic tool and we can use it to unlock the future of travel too. 

A new study conducted on behalf of GuideGeek by Southpaw Insights indicate that an overwhelming majority of us, in fact, 63% of those surveyed have had a negative experience while planning a past vacation. Of those, a quarter said that they had ultimately regretted their choice of destination. 

Oh no. If you are going to spend points or miles or cash, eek, you should enjoy the trip. 

So how can AI help make planning easier and help you pick the best destination for your next vacation. Here are the top four ways I'm using AI right now to plan my next vacation. 

1. Intelligent Recommendations: AI-powered travel platforms can analyze your preferences, past travel patterns and online behavior to provide personalized recommendations for destinations, accommodations, attractions and activities that align with your interests. 

For example, I asked Chat GPT for a recommendation of a warm, affordable destination with lots of outdoor activities and here's what it found. 

Well done, I've taken my family to Thailand and we loved it! Yep, warm, affordable and lots of outdoor activities. 

But what if we preferred to stay in the US. 

Okay, Arizona. Maybe Sedona. Sure that could be an option. You could ask it to reply again with specific places. Apparently, it thinks Tucson would be the best option. Now I could do more research to see if I think so too. Remember this is just a first step. 

2. Smart Itinerary Generation: AI algorithms can create optimized travel itineraries based on factors such as your desired destinations, available time, budget and preferences. 

Since according to the study, 30% of respondents said planning the vacation was too difficult. 

For example, I asked Chat GPT to design a two week trip to Tahiti for a family. Here's what it designed for me: 

I've heard that Bora Bora is very expensive so I asked ChatGPT to redesign the itinerary without Bora Bora and it obliged. 

Again, this is a great tool to start your research. I asked for recommendations for budget accommodations in Tahiti. ChatGPT only has information up to 2021 so keep that in mind. There may be some newer locations open that won't be listed. 

3. Intelligent Chatbots like Guide Geek can provide instant assistance and answers to travel related questions.

  Since 28% of respondents said they weren't happy with their choice of activities while on vacation, chatbots could help with that too. Whether you need information about visa requirements, local transportation or recommendations for dining options. These chatbots can quickly provide accurate up to date information. I tried asking Guide Geek for some things to do in Puerto Rico. 

4. Language Translation and Assistance: AI powered translation tools can help bridge this gap by providing real time translation services, enabling you to communicate effectively with locals. Examples include apps like iTranslate and Google Translate. Google Translate is awesome because you can use your camera to translate signs, menus and more. 

I'll keep updating this post as more tools come online. 

Time to Activate the 5x Points On Your Chase FREEDOM Card

 

One of the benefits of the Chase FREEDOM and FREEDOM FLEX cards are the rotating 5x points bonus categories. And take those points and transfer them to your Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve and you can really get an amazing value! You can see how that works here.  

Chase just announced the categories for Q3 and they are: 

• Gas stations - excludes truck stops, marinas and oil distribution. 
• EV Charging - for the first time, get bonus points when you charge your electric vehicle. 
• Select Live Events - this excludes bowling alley, movie theatres, gambling and third party vendors. 

Past bonus categories have included Amazon, Walmart, Ebay, grocery stores and more. 

Time to Activate the 5x Points On Your Chase FREEDOM Card

To activate the 5x earning, you need to either login to your Chase.com account and click or just click here and enter your last name, last four digits of your card and your zip code. 

Chase does limit you to the bonus on just the first $1,500 spent in all the categories, but if you max it out, that's 7,500 points. Nice! Once you activate the bonus, there is nothing more you need to do. You can always check your rewards activity in your Chase.com account. 

You can hold both the FREEDOM and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards, both are FREE with no annual fee. However, the FREEDOM card is closed to new applications. The current offer for the FLEX card is a $200 bonus when you spend $500 on the card. There is no annual fee with this one so it's a great everyday card. You also earn 3x points on dining and drugstore purchases. If you decide to apply for this card, please consider using my referral link. 

Time to Activate the 5x Points On Your Chase FREEDOM Card

Chase Ultimate Rewards are so valuable because they are flexible. You can transfer them to Marriott, Hyatt and IHG and a dozen airlines. You can also use them to buy flights, hotels, car rentals and experiences in the Chase Travel Portal. 

Check Out Your Booked Southwest Flights to Uncover Amazing Price Changes!

 

If you have any flights booked on Southwest Airlines August through December, you should check to see if you can get some points or cash back. 

I just checked a round trip flight I have booked in October and I got back a whopping 14,000 points. Wow! 

It just takes a few minutes and I'll show you exactly how to do it.

Step 1: Log into your Southwest.com account

Step 2: Click on the Book by Thursday in the promotional graphic at the top of the page so that the promo code 40OFF is applied

Step 3: Find the trip that you already booked in my accounts

Step 4: Click on change flight, check the box that indicating you would like to change the flight. Don't worry, you are not changing anything yet. 

Step 5: Scroll down and adjust the filters, then click explore options. 

Step 6: All the available flights will be displayed with the points adjustment. Plus means it will cost you more points and a minus sign means it costs less points than you originally paid and you will get points back. Woohoo! 

If you find one that makes sense, click it, confirm and purchase. The points will go back to your account in just a few minutes. You can do this as many times as you want so check it every few weeks or whenever you see a sale. 

Check Out Your Booked Southwest Flights to Uncover Amazing Price Changes!

If you didn't buy your flight with points, you will get a credit either as a travel credit or a refund to your credit card. 

But we always recommend buying flights with points since it's FREE and the points go right back into your account, easy. 

If you would like to start earning Southwest points, you can open a Southwest credit card. Right now, all three personal cards come with 60,000 points and 30% off every flight you book through October 2024. Pretty sweet! 

Remember you can only have one personal Southwest credit card at a time and you can only get the bonus once every 24 months so if you are thinking about getting the companion pass in January 2024, do NOT hop on this deal. 

If you decide this deal fits with your plans, please consider using my referral link. Thank you. 

Visiting Sydney Australia On Points and Miles

Welcome to Sydney, Australia. I wasn't really sure what to expect from Sydney and I was pleasantly surprised. This cosmopolitan city reminded me of my hometown of San Diego, but with a twist. Full of modern buildings and beautiful waterfront, Sydney feels like it could be in California until you see a package of Vegemite.

It's quite easy to stay in Sydney on points and miles. There are dozens of hotels with lots of award availability. We chose the Four Points Sheraton in Chippendale for 25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for one night and 1 FREE night certificate. It was in a great central location with a Starbucks and local coffee house across the street. However, it did not offer FREE breakfast, but the hotel did leave some yummy chocolates in our room for Easter.

The highlights and most touristy, but must see sights in Sydney are: 

1. The Opera House - I recommend booking the official tour. You must buy tickets in advance. Tours cost $43 per adult and $23 per child. There is a family ticket that includes two adults and two children for $109. The tour is offered multiple times per day in various languages. You can purchase this tour with your Capital One Venture X credit card and erase it with points. 

2. The Sydney Harbour Bridge - You can opt to do the Bridge Climb which is expensive, but I hear an amazing experience. We opted for the FREE walk across the bridge. You can find the trail alongside the entrance to the bridge on the Rocks side. Once you walk to the middle the bridge, there is a lookout and museum for an entry of $20 per person. 

3. The Rocks - The first settlement in Sydney is now a shopping district with some historical sites so it's definitely worth a walk through. 

4. The Royal Botanic Garden - This garden is FREE and absolutely stunning. You can also get an amazing view of the Opera House from here.  You can also get a close up view of the Australian White Ibis, otherwise known as the trash chicken and rubbish rooster that roam all over the city. 

The good news is you can see all four of these sights in the same day even with jet lag. You can find other Sydney tours and experiences here. Plus be sure to look at FREE walking tours. I love FREE walking tours and we try to take at least one of them right when we arrive to get an overview and history. 

A museum that you won't find on the top sights list, but I think it should be is the Hyde Park Barracks. It is FREE entry and on the day we visited, there was a craft you could make at the exit. The barracks were the holding buildings for the first prisoners brought to Australia and not only tell their story, but also that of the Indigenous People who were affected and displaced by their arrival. It's a well presented story of all peoples. 

After you check out the sights, you might want to grab a bite to eat. There are plenty of places and types of food to choose from on the harbor and in the Rocks area. We found a wonderful hidden street with food stalls featuring dishes from all over Asia. It's called Spice Alley and it's located in Chippendale. 

If you are hoping to see kangaroos and koalas, you will have to head to the Sydney Zoo or Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park either by car or with a day tour. We chose the Blue Mountains Day Trip which we booked through Viator with the Capital One Venture X card and activated the offer of 12% discount. You could also apply the $300 credit to this purchase to erase it. 

It was a bus tour, which we usually avoid, but you have two options to visit the Blue Mountains and Featherdale. You can rent a car or take a day trip bus tour. 

For us, the bus tour made the most sense. 

The first stop on the tour was Featherdale Wildlife Park. You can buy some kangaroo food on the way in. Look for the kiosk which operates on an honor code so you can just drop a dollar or two in the box. The park is full of animals, some roaming free and others in enclosures that are all found in Australia. 

The second stop was at a small town for lunch. There were several take away restaurants to choose from. 

The third stop was at Scenic World which offers sky views of the Blue Mountains, Three Sisters, various waterfalls and a walk on an elevated boardwalk through the Rainforest. 

You can also ride the world's steepest railway. It used to be used to reach the coal mine, now you can ride it down to the rainforest. But watch out it's steep! 

The Blue Mountains tour ends at the ferry dock where the company gives you a ticket or cash to buy a ticket to get back to the harbor via ferry. Sounds touristy, but the ferry is used by locals to commute and super enjoyable. 

Sydney is a great city that you can easily do on points and miles. Enjoy! 

 

How I Earned 150,000 Hilton Points And A FREE Night In Less Than A Week

 

Oh yeah! It's just so easy! I really don't understand why everyone doesn't collect miles and points. At this point, I don't even know how I'm going to use these Hilton Honors points. But I've used Hilton points before to stay in Panama City, Panama for 10,000 points per night with breakfast included and a rooftop pool. 

I've used Hilton points to stay in Krakow, Poland for 5,000 points per night with breakfast included. I've used Hilton points to stay in Warsaw, Poland for 10,000 points per night with breakfast included within walking distance of the castle. 

So how did I earn these points in one week? In fact, I haven't even paid the credit card bill yet and they already dropped the points into my account. Amazing. 

This offer for the American Express Hilton Honors Business Card is for 150,000 bonus points and one FREE night at any Hilton brand hotel for a $4,000 minimum spend within 3 months. It is an American Express card which means you can only earn this bonus once in your lifetime. 

I had a big purchase coming up so I knew I wanted to use it to earn a bonus, but which one? Since I got the Southwest Companion pass this year, I am not eligible to apply for another Chase card right now due to the 5/24 rule. Chase will only approve you for 5 credit cards in 24 months. 

How I Earned 150,000 Hilton Points And A FREE Night In Less Than A Week 

So I looked at other options, American Express, Citi, Capital One etc. 

I like Hilton points when I travel internationally. So I applied for this card, was approved on the spot and the card arrived 5 days later, just two days before the purchase payment deadline. Within a week of using the new credit card to make the purchase, I received the email alerting me I had earned the FREE night certificate and the points dropped into my account. 

There is actually no payment due yet on the credit card because the statement hasn't even closed yet. 

This is a business card, but any small business can qualify like selling items on Ebay or Etsy. The offer ends July 19th 2023. 

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

Iceland In A Week Off The Beaten Path

 

Okay, I promised off the beaten path and we will get there. But first, most flights from the US arrive into Reykjavik early in the morning. Customs takes about 5-10 minutes to pass through and the question is now what?

Day 1, Three recommendations for you:

Iceland In A Week Off The Beaten Path 

1. Before you enter the duty free area in the airport on your way out to the car rental shuttle, you will pass through a food court. This is actually for departing passengers, but they will serve you. I suggest grabbing some breakfast here. They have a variety of items hot and cold, well priced and you can eat up a little time before you head to the next stop. 

Restaurants in the Reykjavik Airport 

2. Make a reservation for the Blue Lagoon or Sky Lagoon. You can check out endless posts debating the pros and cons of these spas. I chose the Blue Lagoon, it's iconic. But you can't go wrong with either one. And after a red eye flight, it's a dream. The Blue Lagoon has a luggage hold, but you will probably have a rental car anyway. You can make a reservation for 9am or 10am and they are fine if you arrive early. Plan to spend a few hours here. 

Iceland In A Week Off The Beaten Path 

3. If you are heading to Iceland between May and August, then you definitely want to see a Puffin while there. You can try scheduling a stop in the south to the Westman Islands, but plan for a whole day or if you have more than a week, there are a few popular spots in the north. OR you can book a ticket on the Puffin Express out of Reykjavik. It's a one hour express boat to a small island popular with Puffins. It's a sure thing. I booked it because we needed to stay awake and I figured that way we didn't need to chase spots during the trip or be disappointed when we didn't get to see them. You can book online through Viator.  

Okay, if you still have time, you can buy some groceries at Costco and/or Bonus Grocery store or pick up dinner at a gas station and then get a good night's sleep and be ready to hit the off the beaten path road. 

Hot dogs, pastries and more at the gas station 

Day 2: You can read all about the Golden Circle and Ring Road everywhere. But if you want to go off the beaten path where the tour buses aren't, you might want to spend a few days on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in the small town of Grundarfjordur. It has population 900 and is located in the shadow of Kirkjufell Mountain, made famous by Game of Thrones. 

We chose to go kayaking in the bay with Vestur Adventures, but you can also hike or fish. After dressing up in warm dry suits, we paddled across the bay, checked out a waterfall and tried some Icelandic seaweed. Apparently it's a delicacy. When we returned to the dock, the guides served hot chocolate. Beautiful experience. 

Iceland In A Week Off The Beaten Path 

There are also plenty of hikes in the area including this one on the left of the road just before you enter the town. Watch for the gravel parking lot. 

Gravel parking lot for the waterfall hike 

Then you walk to the gate and enter through a small door in the fence. Once you cross the field, you walk along the fence to the river and walk along the river towards the fall. Depending on the time of the year and waterflow, you will see how close the fall you can get. 

There is a hostel in this town that has shared bathrooms and a kitchen. We cooked up a delicious pasta dinner. 

Day 3 - We drove west around the peninsula to the town of Olafsvik. This is the only place in Iceland where you have a chance of seeing Orcas in the wild. We booked a whale watching tour with Laki Tours. Again dressed in warm dry suits, we headed out for a 3 hour tour with fingers crossed. 

Day 3 - From Olasvik, we drove several hours to the Highlands. The main town is called Husafell and it's where you can find the largest Lava Cave in the world, glacier, hikes and a Natural Canyon Bath. You can book the tours through the Hotel Husafell. There is one hotel in this town, one guesthouse, one gas station and a small convenience store so come prepared. 

Standing in front of the Lava Cave

Inside the Lava Cave

We spent two nights and a full day in Husafell. It was nice to relax before hitting the road again. 

Day 4 - On our way to the Southern Ring Road, we stopped at the hot river in Reykjadalur Valley. To get to the river, you park in the lot where there is small store, cafe and bathrooms. You will pay to park when you leave. Then set off to hike about 1.5 hours mostly up hill. But once you reach the geothermal and hot river, it's worth it. The changing rooms are rustic so be prepared. But laying in the river with the mountains of Iceland surrounding you is amazing!

Day 5-7 - We explored the Southern Ring Road which is a must do though it is definitely NOT off the beaten path. There are several popular waterfalls and of course, Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach which I highly recommend. To explore this area and feel like you are off the beaten path, you might want to stay in guesthouses instead of hotels. You can book through hostel world or Chase or Capital One travel portals. 

Guesthouse near Vik on the Southern Ring Road

Most have shared kitchens and include breakfast. Don't be afraid of shared bathrooms either. The guesthouses are not your typical hostel. 

Breakfast includes meats, cheese, yogurt, bread and oatmeal. Very filling! 

Day 7 - Drive back to Reykjavik and perhaps make a quick stop at the place where the European and Asian tectonic plates meet. The Bridge is an alternative off the beaten path to going into the national park. 

Remember to use the right credit cards so you either earn points or can erase your travel purchases. That's how we do it at AlmostFREEfamilytravel.