How To Squeeze More Value Out Of Your CUR Points

 

My favorite flexible travel points are the Chase Ultimate Reward points. I used them to fly our family of five to Europe a few years ago. 

You can transfer them to dozens of airlines and a few hotel chains plus use them in the travel portal or just pay yourself back. 

Right now, the Chase Ink Business Preferred is offering 100,000 bonus points with a $8,000 minimum spend. Wow! That's $1,250 worth of travel. 

The secret here is to have the right mix of Chase cards to max the value out of the points. 

The Chase Ink Business Preferred and the Sapphire Preferred gives you 25% more for your points in the pay yourself back and Chase Travel Portal, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve gives you 50% more. 

How To Squeeze More Value Out Of Your CUR Points 

So here's the secret. Chase allows you to combine your points from one credit card to another. So you can easily move your points from your FREEDOM FLEX or Unlimited card to your Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve to get more value. 

 

• Just log into your Chase.com account

• Click on the earn/use points and you'll see this dashboard. It's expanded a lot since the pandemic started. One of the things I love about Chase is how user friendly the site is. You can see exactly how many points you have, how to use them, and how to earn them. 

• Click on combine points and you will see the option to move points from one card to another. You can also move points from one family member to another if your family member only has a no fee card or even a Preferred card. 

Chase will ask you how many points you want to move, review your order and bam, instant transfer. 

How To Squeeze More Value Out Of Your CUR Points 

Now you can use those points for travel or to pay yourself back for any qualified purchases you made in the past 90 days. 

If you decide to apply for the Chase FREEDOM Flex, Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Business Ink please consider using my referral link. You get the same bonus and I also get a small bonus for referring you. That's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel.com 

Only One Spot Left! Be A Beta Tester for my New FREE Travel Coaching Program!

       Awesome photo from Iceland's Diamond Beach to get your attention! 

Now that I have visited 54 countries and six continents, many of them with points and miles so travel was almost FREE, I'm ready to coach others on how to do this too. 

My goal is for everyone to be able to travel! This exclusive opportunity is perfect for women who love to travel and want to unlock the secrets of exploring the world on a budget.

Exclusive Opportunity: Seeking 5 Women as Beta Testers for my FREE Travel Coaching Program!

As Beta Testers, you'll have the chance to experience my revolutionary Travel Coaching Program before anyone else. Learn insider tips, tricks, and strategies to maximize your travel experiences while saving money. From finding the best deals on flights and accommodations to planning unforgettable itineraries, this personalized program has got you covered.

Are you ready to embark on this adventure? Apply now to secure your spot as one of the lucky 5 Beta Testers. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to transform your travel dreams into reality. Act fast, as spots are limited!

What does this program look like?

• You will get a four-part video series explaining points and miles basics in super simple terms 
• Then you will fill out a tracker with all of your points, miles and current credit cards (just the cards, no numbers LOL) so I can review where you are 
• Then we will meet over zoom for a 30 minute 1:1 coaching session to strategize

From there, you can join the optional monthly zoom coaching session with the cohort where we will support each other and plan a trip together and/or you can choose to continue 1:1 coaching sessions with me. 

In return, I will ask you for feedback on everything. 

Don't wait to sign up because this coaching program is going to be awesome and it will only be FREE for just a few beta testers! 

Unveiling the Money-Saving Magic of Priority Pass Lounge Access: Elevate Your Travel Experience!

 

If you are travelling this summer and it seems like almost everyone is, you may want to get Priority Pass Lounge Access to save money and just make the trip more comfortable. 

On a recent trip cross country, we had a quick layover in St. Louis. Even though it was only about one hour, with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, we were able to drop into the Priority Pass lounge, Wingtips, in Terminal 2 across from Gate E29. The Priority Pass lounge network features 1,300 lounges around the world and is a free benefit with the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card 

The benefit allows the card holder and two guests to enter. We also hold the Capital One Venture X card so that gets the rest of my family into the lounge. 

I always check to see if there are lounges available in the airports when I fly. Besides snacks, drinks, and a quiet place to charge cell phones, the lounges offer a place to sit down. The pass is good for the holder plus one guest. 

Sometimes the lounge may not be a lounge at all, it could be a credit at a restaurant in the airport. If that's the case, the pass is valid for $28 for the pass holder and their guest. Wow! 

A few years back I flew out of JFK to London Gatwick. There is an amazing restaurant in JFK Terminal 8 Bobby Van's Steakhouse that is on the lounge pass. My daughter and I feasted on a full dinner before boarding our red-eye flight across the pond. Our bill came to $5 and that's only because we ordered a dessert. 

On the way back, we stopped at the Grain Store Cafe and Bar in London Gatwick South Terminal. Whew, we had a hard time spending our $28 credit each. We ended up loading up on croissants and desserts to bring home to the family. 

Lounges vary from airport to airport in quality and offerings, but sometimes you luck out. 

The Priority Pass is a FREE perk with the following credit cards:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Capital One Venture X
• The Platinum Card from American Express
• The Business Platinum Card From American Express 
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card 

Note that the American Express cards do not have restaurant benefits. My favorite card which you probably know by now is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Right now, that card is offering 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in three months. It carries a $550 annual fee but includes a $300 travel credit, $100 global entry credit, 10x points on Lyft, and complimentary access to Door Dash, Instacart and GoPuff. If the Reserve is too expensive, try the Sapphire Preferred card, it does not include Priority Pass membership, but it is a great card. Though the offer has changed, you can read about why I love this card so much. 

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.