Global Entry For Kids Will Be FREE Come October

 

We just returned from 3 weeks in Tahiti, it was amazing! Be sure to follow my blog in the next few weeks where I'll share inside tips on how to travel to this island using points and miles. 

But right now, I need to talk about Global Entry. Wow! I'm not sure there is anything else out there that helps as much with summer travel. 

We usually fly in and out of Los Angeles International Airport when we fly international because there are more flights and it's way easier to find award availability than our home airport. But whichever airport you use to fly in and out of the United States, Global Entry works the same way. 

You are pre approved to enter the United States. The pre-approval means you can scan your passport at a kiosk or allow the kiosk to snap your photo and you walk right through passport control. 

No lines! No waiting! Really, it takes all of five minutes and you can be on your way. 

Global Entry costs $100 right now, the cost will increase to $120 in October. And Global Entry is FREE with your Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, Capital One Venture (lowest annual fee) and the Capital One Venture X credit card. You can use this benefit for you or anyone else, just use the credit card to purchase the Global Entry. 

Here's the change, starting in October, your Global Entry can also include your children under 18 years old. Wow! 

Even though the price will increase, you can enroll your children for FREE. This applies to current members and new applicants. 

• apply for Global Entry here. 
• create an account
• enter your passport information
• pay 
• submit

If it is your first time applying, you will be prompted via email to schedule an interview which can be done at the airport and at various retail stores. 

Once you are approved, you will receive a Global Entry card which you do not need to carry with you. But you MUST enter your Global Entry or "known traveler number" into your  flight information BEFORE you check in. 

Global Entry includes TSA Precheck which means shorter security lines when you fly within the United States and you don't have remove your shoes! Yay! 

Two NEW Great Bonus Offers $1,000 FREE Travel

 

Just got back from Tahiti and all I can say is Wow! I'll share more on how to enjoy Tahiti using points and miles. This trip would have cost my family of 5 more than $20,000, but we spent three weeks in the islands for just $5,000. I saved approximately $15,000 on this bucket list trip. 

There are two great offers out right now that I need to share with you because these two cards are key to my success using points and miles to take my family on amazing adventures. 

Two NEW Great Bonus Offers $1,000 FREE Travel 

• Capital One Venture - 75,000 bonus points with a $4,000 minimum spend and $95 annual fee. Right now, you can get an additional $250 travel credit for use in the Capital One Travel Portal. So this offer is now worth $1,000 at the very least. 
• Chase Ink Business Preferred - 120,000 bonus points for $8,000 minimum spend and $95 annual fee. This bonus offer is worth at least $1,200 and maybe more if you use our trick. This offer ends September 3rd. 

Which is better for me?

Chase Ultimate Reward points and Capital One points are both considered flexible points which means you can use them on dozens of different airlines and several hotels. You can read about why I love flexible points here. 

But which one is better for you? That is a great question and the answer is that it depends on various factors including your travel goals, who and where you plan to travel, when you plan to travel and how you plan to travel. 

If you want support in making the best decision, join my Travel Coaching Program, the new cohort will start in September. There are only 10 spots so don't wait to enroll. Hope you will join us! 

Get $20 FREE Amazon Gift Card For Prime Day

 

Are you ready for Amazon Prime Day? It's coming July 16-17 and usually promises big discounts! 

Now you can get a $20 credit good on Amazon Prime Day just by uploading one photo. 

Here's how it works:

1. See if you are eligible through this link You must be a current Prime member and first time Amazon photos customer. Trial members not eligible. 
2. download the app to your mobile or desktop 
3. upload one photo 
4. within four days, you will receive an email with a $20 credit and instructions on how to redeem it. The credit is good on purchases of $40 or more. 

Amazon photos allows you to store up to 5GB for FREE. You must also be a Prime member. 

Woohoo! Another Client Success Story

 

I love using points and miles to save on travel, but what I love even more is to help others save on travel. 

So far, dozens of people have joined my Travel Coaching Program and saved thousands! You read about the honeymoon couple who used points to score FREE flights to Italy or my client who saved more than $3,000 on a month long trip to Iceland and Italy  

Now we have another client success story! 

This time, our client saved $3,200 on a 2-week trip to Kenya and Tanzania Africa.

The client paid for a National Geographic Photographic Safari, but was able to get her flights for FREE.

This is a list of what she was able to get for FREE: 

• Flights and seat upgrades round trip to Africa for 2 Los Angeles to Nairobi, Arusha to Los Angeles 

If you want to learn how to use points and miles to travel for FREE, consider joining my Travel Coaching Program. You get five short videos explaining the basics, a personal tracker and then 1:1 with me where we talk travel goals and set a plan in action. Then you can join our monthly live coaching session forever for FREE!

We look forward to helping you plan your next trip! 

Woohoo! Another Client Success Story

 

I love using points and miles to save on travel, but what I love even more is to help others save on travel. 

So far, dozens of people have joined my Travel Coaching Program and saved thousands! You read about the honeymoon couple who used points to score FREE flights to Italy or my client who saved more than $3,000 on a month long trip to Iceland and Italy. 

Now we have another client success story! 

This time, our client saved $3,200 on a 3-week trip to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. 

The client spent two weeks in Spain, one day in Morocco and one week in Portugal. 

This is a list of what she was able to get for FREE: 

• $1,200 flights to Europe
• $30 walking tour 
• $336 Cave daytrip in Portugal
• $25 boat tour 
• $100 Jeep tour 
• $150 day trip 
• $89 flight to Porto
• $399 hotel in Lisbon
•  $22 Wine tour 
• $109 flight to Madrid
• $700 hotel in Madrid

If you want to learn how to use points and miles to travel for FREE, consider joining my Travel Coaching Program. You get five short videos explaining the basics, a personal tracker and then 1:1 with me where we talk travel goals and set a plan in action. Then you can join our monthly live coaching session forever for FREE!

We look forward to helping you plan your next trip! 

How You Can Earn 5x Chase Points This Quarter

 

One of the easiest ways to earn 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points is to activate the bonus categories on your Chase FREEDOM (no longer available) and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards. These cards are great no annual fee cards to have in your wallet. You can read here why I LOVE Chase Ultimate Reward points.  

Past 5x bonus categories have included Amazon, hotels and restaurants. 

This quarter the categories are gas stations (good for summer road trips), EV charging, select live entertainment and movie theatres. 

You can only get the bonus on $1,500 spent in all categories total, but that's a lot of bonus points! You must activate your card by September 14th. Purchases are retroactive, but it's better to activate before the bonus begins on July 1st. 

If you don't have the CHASE FREEDOM FLEX credit card yet, it's a good first card for your student or a good everyday card for you. You earn a $200 bonus on the first $500 that you spend. There's no annual fee and you earn 3x points on dining and drugstores. 

Is The New 85,000 Southwest Bonus Offer Right For You?

Southwest launched a new whopping 85,000 bonus offer this week on all three of its personal credit cards! First, I'll tell you about the offer and then I'll tell you why you may NOT want to jump on this. 

The new offer is for 85,000 bonus Southwest points when you spend $3,000 on any of the three personal credit cards. 

• The Plus with an annual fee of $69 
• The Premier with an annual fee of $99
•  The Priority with an annual fee of $149 

Each card comes with slightly different benefits like early bird check in, FREE upgrades, $75 Southwest credit and bonus anniversary points. 

To decide on which card, you have to decide which benefits you will actually use. My favorite is the Priority card because although it has the highest annual fee, it comes with a $75 credit making the annual fee just $74 and you get four upgraded boardings per year. Love these when I forget to check in right at the 24 hour mark. 

Here comes the catch! You can only hold ONE personal credit card at a time and you can only get the bonus every 24 months. 

So with this offer, you have to decide whether or not you plan to earn the Southwest Companion Pass for 2025-26. The Companion pass is the best travel perk around. It is BOGO flights on any Southwest flight. No hidden charges, no fees, no limited availability. If there is a seat available on the plane, you can add your companion FREE. Well you do have to pay the $5.60 taxes. 

I have had the Companion Pass for the past 10 years and used it to fly to Hawaii, Cuba, Florida, New York, Washington DC, and many more. It has saved me thousands of dollars in FREE flights. 

Hyatt Kaanapali, Maui

BUT here's the catch! The best time to earn the Companion Pass is at the beginning of the year because the pass is valid for the year you earn it AND the following year. 

So if you earn the pass in January 2025, it is valid for all of 2025 and 2026. BUT if you earn the pass in September 2024, then it's good for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025. A full 6 months less! 

Make sense?

You earn the pass by collecting 135,000 Southwest points. The new 85,000 bonus offer puts you closer to earning the pass and if you read our Companion Pass plan, then you will know how to earn the pass quickly. 

And you can only earn the bonus once every 24 months. 

So timing is everything. But if you don't need the Companion Pass, this is a great offer! 

 If you decide to apply for this new offer, consider using my referral link here. 

If would like help deciding what to do with this offer or future travel, join my travel coaching program.