Priority Pass Strikes Again! Woohoo!

One of the perks of the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is a Priority Pass membership.  This membership gets you entry into 1,300 airport lounges around the world for you and two guests. Plus you get $30 for you and two guests at dozens of airport restaurants around the world. 

I've written about this benefit before because it's so awesome and makes it much easier to shell out the $550 annual fee for this credit card. Besides this benefit, you get the $300 travel credit, Global Entry credit and 50% more value for your points in the Chase Travel Portal. 

You need to activate the Priority Pass membership through your online Chase account. Then you can search airports on the Priority Pass app or website. It will list the available lounges and restaurants. 

For a recent trip to Providence, Rhode Island, we found the Providence Provisions Kitchen listed in the North Concourse on the website and headed there. We decided to take full advantage of our $30 credit per person since we were facing a 6 hour flight and had not eaten lunch. 

Dinner Feast! 

We ordered clam chowder, veggie and quinoa salad, veggie burger and a mac and cheese. Our bill came to $62.17 with tax and tip. The waiter applied our $60 credit and we paid $2.17 for our meal. Woohoo! 

You can use the Priority Pass and restaurant credits as many times as you want during your membership, there is no limit. 

By the way, there are several credit cards out there that include Priority Pass lounge membership, but Chase Sapphire Reserve is the only one that includes the restaurant credit. 

The current offer for the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is a 60,000 bonus for a $4,000 minimum spend plus the $300 travel credit, Global Entry credit, Priority Pass membership and 50% more value in the Chase Travel Portal. This card does charge a hefty $550 annual fee. 

You can read here about why I love this card and how to combine points for more value. 

If this card fits your strategy, please consider using my referral link. 

How You Can Help The Stray Puppies And Kittens in Puerto Rico Find A Forever Home

 

Goofy and I waiting for our flight from San Juan Airport

If you go to Puerto Rico, consider volunteering to transport a puppy or Kitten with Flight Angels℠ back to the mainland. I did it this past July. Goofy aka Sam was a great travel companion. I delivered him to his forever family in Boston.

Waiting to board the plane in San Juan

Puerto Rico has a problem with stray animals in the streets. While walking in San Juan, you can spot cats or gatos in the bushes, in the streets, and laying on the sidewalk. There are bowls of food and water as well. People are taking care of them, but at the same time, stray animals means kittens and puppies and lots of them. And to make matters worse, there are just not enough people in Puerto Rico to adopt all of these animals. 

That's where Flight Angels comes in. 

The group was created to help match volunteers visiting Puerto Rico with rescues who need transport to the mainland. There is some urgency to this because pets must fit inside the kennel that goes under the seat. That means that puppies could grow too big to be transported in just a few months. 

Goofy riding in the kennel under the airplane seat

It's an easy process. You just fill out the form on the website to volunteer. The form does ask for your flight information and confirmation for your flight. I have to admit I was hesitant to put my confirmation information in the form so I entered my flight number instead. Once they matched me with a rescue, they asked again for my flight confirmation number so they could add Goofy to my reservation. 

The group recommends filling out the form at least two weeks prior to your flight. And they are looking for volunteers to transport animals across the US. 

Flight Angels will pay the pet fee and to check your bag if needed. I recommend joining the Flight Angels Facebook group as well. 

Goofy with his new family

Once we arrived in Boston, we headed to baggage claim. Liz was there waiting for us and greeted Goofy with open arms. Mission accomplished! 

Southwest Early Check In vs Upgraded Boarding

 

Wow! Summer travel this year has been crazy! And if you travel on Southwest Airlines, then you know the value of the A boarding group. No middle seat! And if you are taking a carry one bag, then you are guaranteed a spot for it on the plane. 

I've seen more than a few people in that C group end up having to gate check their bag. It's still FREE, but it means you are delayed on the arrival waiting for that bag. And then, they end up sitting in the middle seat! 

So what can you do? Well, if you follow this blog, chances are you already have your Southwest Companion Pass, which means you have several options. 

Depending on how you earned your pass, you have one of the personal Southwest credit cards and a Southwest business card. Now each card comes with its own benefits of either FREE Early Bird Check In or FREE Upgraded Boarding. Both can help you!

First, the Southwest credit cards that come with 

• 2 FREE Early Bird Check In:
• Plus
• Premier
• Premier Business 
• 4 FREE Upgraded Boarding:
• Priority 
• Performance Business 

So what's the difference between the two and how do you use them?

Early Bird Check In - add this to your reservation at least a few days before your flight. The system will automatically check you in 36 hours before your flight which means you will get a great boarding position. Price starts at $15. 

Upgraded Boarding - purchase this after you check in to change your boarding position to A1-A15 depending on what's available. The price varies depending on your flight. 

To use either of these benefits: 

• login to your Southwest account via the website or app
• retrieve your reservation or click on my trips or click on check in (to use upgraded boarding)
• check the option and purchase with the credit card that has that benefit! 

Be sure to use the right credit card so you get the credit! The credit card will be charged and then you will see a credit applied within a few days.

Right now, the Southwest Premier Business credit card is offering 120,000 bonus points if you spend $3,000 in the first three months and then $15,000 in the first 9 months. It's a hefty spend, but you will also qualify for the companion pass. The pass is good through Dec. 2024 if you earn it now. 

 

Experience San Juan, Puerto Rico Like A Local

The view from La Perla in San Juan

I recently spent two weeks in San Juan, Puerto Rico attending Spanish classes, but it also gave me some time to go deep into things to do around the city that may be a bit more local. 

Here's my top 10 list in no particular order: 

Old San Juan

1. Take a FREE walking tour with William at Guruwalks.com - William is passionate about his city. He will take you a three hour tour of Old San Juan so wear your walking shoes. He will share the history, the culture, the politics and more with you. He will take you into La Perla (a community trying to hold onto its neighborhood against gentrification) and if you go on Friday, be sure to look for the musicians playing in the street. He will also take you by his friend's "store" to try some moonshine. This a FREE walking tour, but the guides get paid through the tips so plan on tipping $10-$20 per person. 

2. Snorkel with the turtles in Balneario Escambron. This is an amazing tour with Airbnb.com experiences. Cost is $39 and includes fins, snorkel and mask. The guide Leo showed us the turtles, sea urchins, and brittle stars. Amazing! The turtle conservationists have placed artificial reefs near the natural reefs here. The green turtles stay here because there is food and no predators. They do not lay eggs here, but several juveniles have come and stayed. There are around 50 turtles utilizing the space, and approximately 10 can be seen at a time. 

Snorkeling with turtles 

3. Kayak or paddleboard with the manatees in Condado Lagoon - You can rent a paddleboard or kayak with VIP Adventures for $30 per hour, book online. The manatees are most active on calm days in the mornings. The turtles are active in the afternoons. You can pay a bit more and get guide to take you, but it's totally not necessary. 

4. Beaches to have on your list - Carolina Beach, Ocean Park, Isla Verde and Pinones - Each beach has a slightly different feel. Pinones has a row of little beach kiosks where you can buy food and frappes. 

Rio Piedras

5. Rio Piedras - If you want to experience a real neighborhood in San Juan, visit Rio Piedras. Once a bustling center of activity, it is now filled with abandoned buildings, beautiful street art and a local fruit and vegetable market. You can hop on the local train to reach this community. The train costs $1.50 each way, but the machines only take cash. 

Jardin Botanico near Rio Piedras

6. Jardin Botanico at the University of Puerto Rico - FREE garden that includes hundreds of flora, fauna and a small lake with birds. Beautiful quiet oasis in the city. Open 6am-4pm Saturday and Sunday and 6am-6pm Monday through Friday. 

Yunque National Park 

7. Yunque National Park - You will need either car or a guided tour to visit this spot. It's not off the beaten path, but I highly recommend. You can book on Airbnb.com experiences or Viator.com or GetYourGuide.com. It's the only rainforest in the US and contains waterfalls, natural pools and waterslide for swimming and beautiful lookout tower. 

8. Luquillo Beach - Another beautiful beach with 50 kiosks selling all kinds of local Puerto Riqueno specialties like empanadilla, mofongo and more. I recommend kiosk #27 for a casual sit down lunch of mofonga and pina coladas. Yum! You can take an Uber to this beach or include it in the tour of Yunque National Park. 

Kayaking in the Bio Bay in Fajardo

9. Kayak in the bio bay Fajardo - There are three bio bays in Puerto Rico. Fajardo is the closest though it is a $60 Uber ride away from San Juan. There are numerous companies that lead kayaking through the mangroves to the bio bay. This is an experience since kayaking back from the bay is done in the dark. But the bio bay is absolutely incredible. Picture diamonds or glitter spilling over the kayaks, your arms and legs. Plus the sunset from the bio bay is magical. I booked my tour through Viator.com. 

10. Chinese food - locals say Puerto Rico has the best Chinese food in the world. Of course, that meant I had to try it and it was delicious. I tried the food at China Sun, but there are numerous Chinese restaurants in San Juan. 

Pina Colada at Barrachina in Old San Juan

A few more sites that did not make my top 10, but may top your list include La Factoria in San Juan for dancing and Downtown Cupey for salsa dancing (free salsa class at 7pm on Thursdays),  Barrachina for a pina colada, they claim to have created the drink and Costco, Supermax, Freshmart or Pueblo for vegetables and fruit.  

How You Can Snorkel The Great Barrier Reef Using Points and Miles

 

Wow! The Great Barrier Reef is extraordinary. The blue water, the coral, the marine life is absolutely amazing. It is truly a bucket list experience. So the question is can you do this trip with points and miles? The answer is yes. 

The snorkel day trips out to the reef are EXPENSIVE! You can book the tours through our partner Viator.com. But how can you get the tour for FREE? or can you? Yes, you can using the Capital One Venture X travel erase tool or you can use the purchase to reach a minimum spend for future travel. 

• You can use the Capital One Venture X credit card to pay for this tour. Then erase a portion of it with the Capital One points and travel credit. Plus activate the discount offer when you book through Viator.com
• You can also use the purchase to reach the minimum spend on the credit card you are working on. I used it to reach the minimum needed to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. 

How You Can Snorkel The Great Barrier Reef Using Points and Miles 

So yes, I paid for the trip, but I used the purchase to earn FREE flights for the next two years. 

The tours to the reef leave from Cairns and Port Douglas. You can fly on the budget airlines JetStar or you can use American Airlines miles on Qantas. Both great options. We flew on JetStar due to limited award availability on Qantas. I paid for the flights with my Capital One Venture X card and erased the purchase with points. So it was FREE. 

The unique luggage carousel at the Cairns Airport. So cute! By the way, we flew Qantas from Cairns to Darwin, Australia for a mere 10,000 American Airlines miles per person. So that's a good option for travel within Australia. And Australia is huge!

How You Can Snorkel The Great Barrier Reef Using Points and Miles 

It is actually as big as the United States so you will be flying. Something to consider is the Barclays Aviator Red Mastercard which is offering a bonus of 50,000 American Airlines miles with just one purchase and a $99 annual fee. 

This was the view from the balcony at the Doubletree Cairns. The hotel was offering standard rooms for 40,000 Hilton Honors points per night. If you have Gold or Diamond status with Hilton, then the room comes with FREE breakfast at the buffet. 

The buffet includes breakfast pastries, granola, yogurt, salads, meats, cheese and much more. The hotel is located right on the main road and just minutes away from harbor. You can earn 150,000 Hilton Honors points right now by opening the Hilton Honors American Express Business card. You can read all about it here. 

That's how we do it here at almostFREEfamilytravel. 

Empowering Your Teen to Build Credit for a Brighter Future!

 

If you have teens, you need to listen up! In the past few weeks, I have heard from lots of you asking about your teens and building credit. I have created a simple formula and it has worked well for my three children. Not only to build credit, but also to create good financial literacy skills that will last a lifetime. That's not to say there isn't another way to do this, but I found this one successful. 

Let's start with the why. Why should your child build credit?

Empowering Your Teen to Build Credit for a Brighter Future!

The short answer is that unfortunately most big purchases are based on your credit history. So if your teen has no credit history, it will be tough for them to buy a car or house when the time comes.  

So how does a teen build credit? These are the steps that I took for all three of my children and it has worked well for them. 

1. 12-years-old - add teen as an authorized user on one of your credit cards 

2. 16-years-old - teen opens their OWN checking account with a debit card 

3. 18-years-old - teen opens their OWN credit card. Some good credit cards that will approve your teen include Bank of America student travel or cash card, Chase FREEDOM Unlimited, Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards. Avoid the Discover card since it is only accepted on a limited basis outside the United States. The Chase FREEDOM Unlimited is my #1 choice since it offers a $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first three months and it has no annual fee. I also LOVE Chase Ultimate Rewards points so this would be a card your teen can keep forever. 

4. 20-years-old - teen opens their OWN Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. This card carries a $95 annual fee, but will make the teen's Ultimate Rewards worth more. Currently, it has a 60,000 point bonus which could pay for your teen's trip to Europe or Spring Break! And a $50 hotel credit! You may have to help your teen reach the minimum spend, but it's worth it. 

Empowering Your Teen to Build Credit for a Brighter Future!

After you follow these steps, your teen should have a credit score of approximately 800. Pretty good! 

Remember, you must pay off the balance on these cards every month! The best way to do it is to put the card on autopay immediately. 

Find Out If You Qualify for a Business Credit Card!

 

Chase just dropped the minimum spend for the Ink Business Preferred credit card to $8,000 in the first three months. This sounds high, but it is half of what it was at $15,000. So for business owners, this could be an easy 100,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points. You can read here about why I love these flexible points and how I use them for FREE travel. 

Do I Qualify For A Business Credit Card?

So the question is what qualifies as a business? You might be surprised. 

Obviously a business with lots of employees qualifies, but what about small businesses? 

Actually, most small side businesses can qualify. If you freelance, sell things on Etsy or Ebay, tutor, babysit, consult, blog, those all qualify for businesses. 

Plus Chase does not care if you use the credit card for personal or business expenses.

Do I Qualify For A Business Credit Card?

You can apply for a business credit card with an EIN number OR if you are a sole proprietor, then you can enter your social security number as your tax ID number. You do not need to become an LLC or Corporation. 

But you will need a credit score between 670-850. 

A few tips when filling out the application:

1. if you are a sole proprietor, your business name is your name. 

2. your business address can be your home address

3. type of business - Corporation, LLC or sole proprietorship

4. tax ID number - an EIN number if you have it, otherwise, use your social security number

5. annual business revenue - how much does your company make in a year

6. age of business - how long have you been in business

7. number of employees - you count as one employee

Do I Qualify For A Business Credit Card?

You can hold more than one Chase Ink credit card at a time so even if you already have one, you can still apply. 

This offer is for the Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card with an annual fee of $95. It comes with a few perks including 3x points on shipping, travel, advertising on social media and search engines and internet, cable and phone. CUR points are worth 25% more in the Chase travel portal so it's still better to combine points to your Chase Sapphire Reserve. 

What are 100,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points worth? Approximately $1,250 in the Chase Travel Portal and possibly much more if you transfer the points to an airline or hotel. You can learn more about the value of Chase Ultimate Reward points here. 

If you decide to apply for the Chase Ink Business Preferred, consider applying through my referral link here. You get the same great offer and I get a small bonus for referring you.