An Easy Way To Get A Southwest Mini Companion Pass.....Fast!

 

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best perks in travel! It's BOGO travel for up to two years for you and a companion. To earn it, you need to collect 135,000 Southwest points in a single calendar year. You can click here to see how we do this. 

And starting in October, we will talk about how to earn the pass for 2024-25. 

But while you are waiting, if you are planning travel for early 2024. You might want to hop on this  MINI Southwest companion pass offer. 

I hopped on this offer back in 2021 to bridge the gap so to say. I got the chance to visit with a friend in Phoenix for the day and bam, earned the mini pass. I used the pass to fly to the east coast a few times in early 2022 before my real companion pass kicked in. 

If you decide to hop on this offer, follow the directions carefully. 

• You must register before you buy your flight. Flights you already booked do NOT count unless you register and rebook them. 
• You must buy your flight. You cannot use points. My recommendation is to find an inexpensive flight. 
• You must buy your flight by August 30th. 
• You must travel by September 30th 

Register for this promotion here. 

Cracking the Code to Redeem 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Like a Pro!

 

Near Santiago, Chile

The Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card is offering a huge 100,000 Ultimate Rewards bonus right now, but the question is what can you do with all those points? What value do they hold for you and your travel goals?

Let's break down the different ways you can redeem 100,000 CUR points. 

I love CUR points because of their flexibility. You can:

• transfer them to dozens of different airline loyalty programs 
• transfer them to several hotel chains (Marriott, IHG, Hyatt) 
• use them to buy hotels, flights, activities and car rentals in the Chase Travel Portal 
• pay yourself back for groceries, gas and the annual fee
• get a statement credit 

100,000 points equals $1,000, however, if you use them in the Chase Travel Portal or to pay yourself back, you get 25% more value making them worth $1,250. And if you combine the points with your Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, then they will be worth 50% more in the Chase Travel Portal for a whopping total of $1,500. 

Like this redemption in the Chase Travel Portal through my Chase Sapphire Reserve account, this Hilton in Moorea has rooms at $938 dollars or 62,554 CUR points. 

And if you transfer them to an airline or hotel, the points could be worth even more depending on the specific flight or the number of rewards needed per night.

Plus if you transfer points to IHG and buy three nights, you get a fourth FREE so that could be very lucrative. 

Hyatt hotels usually fall in the sweet spot of redemption value as well. 

The key is to identify your travel goals and then decide if CUR points will help you achieve it. Of course, this is also a business card so you will need at least a side hustle to qualify. You can click here to find out what types of businesses qualify. 

If they will and you can swing the hefty $8,000 minimum spend, then you will want to jump on this offer soon. We are hearing it will end September 23rd.  If this offer is for you, please consider using my referral link. 

 

Navigating Travel Delay Expense Claims

My flight from Boston to San Juan, Puerto Rico was cancelled due to strong storms this summer. Jet Blue had issued a weather waiver the day before so I was able to go on the app and switch to a flight the next day. But that meant I was spending the night in Boston. I booked a hotel with an airport shuttle and returned my rental car. After I returned home from the trip, I wondered if I could get reimbursed for this expense?

This summer, we have seen lots of travel delays. Some due to weather, others due to pilot shortages. Sometimes when your travel is delayed, you may need to get a hotel room, rental car or food. The question is how can you get reimbursed for these purchases?

Navigating Travel Delay Expense Claims

If your flight is delayed or cancelled due to maintenance issues then the airline should cover your expenses. But if the airline is not cooperating, then if you bought travel insurance, that would be the next step. 

But the other option is looking at the credit card benefits you bought the flights with. Several credit cards include travel delay, interruption, and cancellation benefits. My favorites are the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Preferred, Ink and the Capital One Venture X credit cards. Let's break it down and see what they each cover. 

• Chase Sapphire Preferred 
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance 
• Trip Delay Reimbursement 
• Travel Accident Insurance  
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement
• Baggage Delay Insurance 
• Travel and Emergency Assistance 
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver 
• Roadside Dispatch 

• Chase Sapphire Reserve

• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance 
• Trip Delay Reimbursement 
• Travel Accident Insurance 
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement
• Baggage Delay Insurance 
• Travel and Emergency Assistance 
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver 
• Roadside Dispatch 
• Emergency Evacuation and Transportation 

• Chase Ink Business Preferred
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
• Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance 
• Travel and Emergency Assistance 
• Roadside Dispatch 

• Capital One Venture X 
• Primary Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance 
• Trip Cancellation 
• Trip Interruption 
• Trip Delay Reimbursement 
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement 
• Travel and Emergency Assistance including translation, luggage locator and more. 
• Travel Accident Insurance 

**This card doesn’t have baggage delay coverage, emergency medical and dental coverage, or emergency medical transport and evacuation insurance

Navigating Travel Delay Expense Claims

In my situation, since JetBlue cancelled my flight due to weather, the airline was not planning to reimburse me.  BUT I purchased the flights with my Capital One Venture X credit card in the Capital One Travel Portal so I decided to see if the trip delay/interruption insurance would apply. 

I opened a claim on this website and uploaded the requested documents. In about 5 days, I received an email asking for more documents. Several of the documents I had already uploaded, but I played along and uploaded them again. 

I asked for Capital One to cover the hotel room in Boston, the airport shuttle $10 each way, and the non refundable hotel room in San Juan that I never used. Grand total $406. 

After another 5 days, I got a phone call asking for another document. I uploaded that one and 5 days later, I got an email saying that Capital One would cover the hotel room in Boston and the airport shuttle, but not the room in San Juan. Grand total $209.73. 

On hindsight, I may have been better off if I had used my Chase Sapphire Reserve, but I also got reimbursed for the hotel and shuttle so I call that a win. 

What I learned from the process is to keep all your documentation so you can provide it and practice patience. 

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.