S2E9: Listener Travel Tricks: Your Best Tips for Saving Money and Maximizing Rewards

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<v Speaker 1>We are wrapping up Season 2 today with a roundup of tricks that you all taught me this season.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm so excited to share these extra tips I've learned from you so we can pass them on in our community.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome back to Points for Normal People.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Katie and I'm here because I know that travel costs add up, especially for a family, but I believe that travel isn't just for the rich.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why, on Points for Normal People, I share the tips and tricks that my family has been using for over a decade to help you use your everyday expenses and credit card welcome offers to supercharge your travel points so that you can pay for entire vacations every year.

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<v Speaker 1>I do my best to stay on top of Points News and the ins and outs of different programs, but obviously no one can do it all.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why I really love when I publish something and then people send me an email or leave a comment to teach me something.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why I really love when I publish something and then people send me an email or leave a comment to teach me something.

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<v Speaker 1>That's what I'm excited to share with you today.

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<v Speaker 1>This first tip came from Amanda, who shared with me how to check upgraded boarding credits that you've used on your Southwest cards.

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<v Speaker 1>This would also work for early bird check-in credits as well.

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<v Speaker 1>While Chase used to have a dashboard that made it really easy to track these credits, that was removed sometime in the past year.

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<v Speaker 1>That has made it hard to know how many credits you have left.

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<v Speaker 1>What's great about this trick is that it also helps you know exactly when your annual fee posted, which helps you determine when your credits will reset.

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<v Speaker 1>This would also work for the $50 hotel credit on the Sapphire Preferred card.

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<v Speaker 1>You're going to log into your Chase account either on the app or on the website.

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<v Speaker 1>You basically need to filter your transactions, so you need to click See All Transactions and then click Search, search or filters at the top.

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<v Speaker 1>That's going to let you change your time period that you're searching for, so you could do this from the past year.

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<v Speaker 1>But here's the main thing.

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<v Speaker 1>You need to go to transaction type and select adjustments.

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<v Speaker 1>Then you'll have to click search again.

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<v Speaker 1>This will then show you all the times Chase gave you a statement credit and adjusted what you owed, and it makes it really easy to count up your upgraded boardings or the early bird check-ins that you've used.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also use those filters to quickly find when your annual fee posted last, by filtering for fee instead of adjustments.

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<v Speaker 1>This will help you know when your credits will then reset.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you, amanda, for sharing this with us.

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<v Speaker 1>I know it was immediately helpful to me.

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<v Speaker 1>I also added screenshots of this in the upgraded boarding post.

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<v Speaker 1>If you'd rather see it with screenshots, we'll put that link down in the show notes if you want to follow along that way.

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<v Speaker 1>Next up, we have a Southwest trick that I forgot about and my friend Beth from the Instagram account VFamilyTravels reminded me of this out, and my friend Beth from the Instagram account TheFamilyTravels reminded me of this.

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<v Speaker 1>So this is a great way that you can earn 2,000 extra points, essentially for free, if you have either of the Southwest business cards.

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<v Speaker 1>So one of the perks of both of the business cards is that they will reimburse you up to $500 per year for point transfers that you make to other Southwest Rapid Rewards members.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, normally, I don't necessarily recommend that you make to other Southwest Rapid Rewards members.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, normally, I don't necessarily recommend that you make point transfers, as this costs one cent per point to transfer, but in this case here's why it makes sense.

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<v Speaker 1>So you're going to spend money to do this, to transfer the points, but that's going to be reimbursed because of this benefit that you have with your credit card.

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<v Speaker 1>So, again, this really only works in a two-person household.

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<v Speaker 1>But you can transfer 50,000 points to another person and that's going to cost you $500 to do that.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you have those business cards, you'll be fully reimbursed for that $500.

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<v Speaker 1>And since this is a purchase at Southwestcom, you're also going to earn four points per dollar.

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<v Speaker 1>So you're going to earn 2,000 points.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, 2,000 points is worth about $30 in flights, so for most people that won't necessarily be worth the hassle.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you need just a few more points to earn your companion pass, that 2,000 points may be just enough to get you there.

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<v Speaker 1>So thanks to my friend Beth for reminding me of this.

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<v Speaker 1>I also learned from Justin that there is actually one benefit to booking a round trip with Southwest that I had overlooked.

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<v Speaker 1>I said in my episode that was about finding the best prices, that we always book one ways because it's easier, and that there's no advantage to a round trip.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I was wrong.

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<v Speaker 1>If you listened to that episode, you also learned about the schedule change trick, which can help you switch a cheap flight to a more expensive one.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't want to rehash it here.

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<v Speaker 1>If you want to learn more about that, you should go back and listen again if you missed it.

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<v Speaker 1>But essentially, if you've booked a ticket with Southwest and the schedule of that flight changes even by a minute, they will allow you to change to any other flight within two weeks for free, even if it's a much more expensive or a more direct flight.

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<v Speaker 1>What I didn't realize is that if you have a round trip and only half of it changes so if only one leg of it changes you'll then be eligible to change either part of your ticket.

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<v Speaker 1>This means it doubles your chances of getting that schedule change and being able to switch your flight.

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<v Speaker 1>Looks like we'll be booking round trips from now on.

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<v Speaker 1>Next, we have a trick to get your TSA pre-check done faster now on.

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<v Speaker 1>Next, we have a trick to get your TSA pre-check done faster Now.

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<v Speaker 1>Generally, I recommend global entry and I went over all of the reasons for that earlier this season in the episode that was all about skipping airport lines.

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<v Speaker 1>But sometimes you may want to get a quick TSA pre-check appointment, especially if you're stuck in global entry purgatory waiting for conditional approval, as happens to some people.

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<v Speaker 1>Now you should be able to get an appointment for TSA PreCheck even at Staples, so it shouldn't be that hard.

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<v Speaker 1>But if that isn't convenient, I got another tip from Ram, who said that he was able to do this at the airport with a Clear Plus trial.

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<v Speaker 1>So he had applied for a Clear Plus trial membership.

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<v Speaker 1>So he had applied for a Clear Plus trial membership and then when he got to the Clear Plus kiosk he saw a sign advertising Clear Plus with TSA PreCheck.

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<v Speaker 1>He asked the employee if he could then add a TSA PreCheck application right there and the employee was able to fully enroll him right there for TSA PreCheck and do all the process there, and he paid the fee right there and he was approved right there.

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<v Speaker 1>Then he let his Clear Plus trial expire, so he didn't end up paying for Clear at all, but he still maintained that TSA pre-check for five years.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a great option if you have a trip coming up and you can just get to the airport 15 to 20 minutes early and just get that done.

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<v Speaker 1>Just be sure to sign up for the Clear Plus trial first before you get to the airport, and that should be something that's always available for free if you just Google Clear Plus trial.

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<v Speaker 1>When it comes to lounge access, I forgot to mention a great card option, and that is the US Bank Altitude Connect.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you to I'm going to probably butcher this pronunciation here, probably, but the handle was airmoons9711 for bringing this up to me the US Bank Altitude Connect actually is a $0 annual fee, but provides you a Priority Pass membership that gives you four Priority Pass visits per year.

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<v Speaker 1>So $0 annual fee but four lounge visits per year, and the best part is that these can be used for any priority pass option, even restaurants.

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<v Speaker 1>If you have space within your 524 strategy, this would be a great card to get and keep for those priority pass restaurants or if you just use a lounge once or twice a year.

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<v Speaker 1>This card also has a unique perk where it gives you a free eSIM for when you're traveling internationally and you want faster data service for your phone.

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<v Speaker 1>So for a $0 annual fee.

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<v Speaker 1>Both of these perks are really solid.

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<v Speaker 1>There's also a business version of this card that can give you that same perk of four Priority Pass visits per year and that could work for a year, as the annual fee is actually waived the first year, but after that first year.

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<v Speaker 1>That business card does cost $95 per year, so it's probably not worth it to hold on to.

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<v Speaker 1>After that point, and even though I just filmed that episode a few weeks ago, one of the cards I mentioned has already been discontinued, so that's the US Bank Altitude Reserve card.

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<v Speaker 1>So that card is now no longer available for new applicants.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're interested in learning more about lounge access for cards, I'll put a link in the show notes to our very comprehensive post.

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<v Speaker 1>That's all about deciding which card is best for you, based on the airports that you travel to.

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<v Speaker 1>So be sure to check that out if you're trying to figure out lounge access for you, because it really can vary person to person depending on where you live and where you travel.

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<v Speaker 1>For you, because it really can vary person to person depending on where you live and where you travel.

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<v Speaker 1>I also had a great question from Jacobs2243, which helped me to dig into some of the fine print on the VentureX and I need to clarify some of those travel insurances.

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<v Speaker 1>So he wrote looking at the VentureX guide to benefits, the trip cancellation coverage only mentions quote common carriers and defines them as transportation, but does not have wording for lodging.

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<v Speaker 1>Their document seems to exclude hotels, unlike other providers' guides to benefits.

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<v Speaker 1>To be honest, I had not really paid enough attention to this difference.

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<v Speaker 1>In contrast, the Chase Sapphire cards both offer trip cancellation protection for flights and cruises.

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<v Speaker 1>Both offer trip cancellation protection for flights and cruises, but also for rental cars and lodging, whereas the Venture X is only offering it for flights and cruises and other transportation.

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<v Speaker 1>With this in mind, it means I definitely recommend using the Sapphire over a Venture X if you're specifically using it for travel protections.

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<v Speaker 1>The coverage amount is more with the Sapphires too.

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<v Speaker 1>To be honest, this isn't an area I've paid much attention to for our personal travels, because most hotels we book are refundable or we're usually paying with some kind of points that are refundable.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think it's helpful for everyone to know going forward that if you're not using points to book a hotel and you have a Sapphire and a VentureX to choose from, I'd likely recommend choosing the Sapphire for the more comprehensive insurance benefits.

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<v Speaker 1>On the topic of benefits, I got a tip from Tom D for anyone who has Verizon and wants to be able to pay with a credit card and still maintain the auto pay discount that you only get for setting up an auto pay specifically with a checking account.

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<v Speaker 1>So this is a workaround here and this will be dependent on where you live, but it's a great tip if it's convenient for you.

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<v Speaker 1>He wrote in and said this.

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<v Speaker 1>He said hi, I found a workaround for getting the cell phone protection and the auto pay discount with Verizon.

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<v Speaker 1>I have my bill set up for auto pay via a checking account.

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<v Speaker 1>My bill is due on the 11th of the month, which is also the day I have autopay scheduled for, but the bill posts around the second of each month.

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<v Speaker 1>I pay my bill a few days later, usually the fifth or the sixth of the month, in the Verizon store.

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<v Speaker 1>You can do this at the kiosk in the corner of the store.

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<v Speaker 1>It takes cash or credit card and I've been able to retain the auto pay $10 a line discount.

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<v Speaker 1>He wrote that he uses the Chase Inc Preferred to pay this way and then he adds that he had to make a cell claim last month and can confirm that this worked easily.

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<v Speaker 1>All he had to do was submit his cell bill and his credit card statement to prove that he had paid the bill with that Inc card.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you have Verizon and you live near a Verizon store, it's definitely worth checking out.

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<v Speaker 1>I've also gotten a lot of questions how someone can get the Southwest Companion Passes year after year, so I wanted to outline that process a little bit more here.

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<v Speaker 1>Earlier episodes this season went into detail on different methods for earning a Companion Pass.

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<v Speaker 1>I also have a detailed timeline on my website with this information, as well as in my free course.

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<v Speaker 1>How you earn the companion pass perpetually will depend on the method that you're using to earn it.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, if you're trying to earn one companion pass at a time and you have two people in your household who could open credit cards to earn it, you're just gonna take turns opening these cards.

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<v Speaker 1>So this is what my parents do.

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<v Speaker 1>One year, my mom will open the business and the personal card to earn her 135,000 points, which earns the companion pass.

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<v Speaker 1>She will be sure to keep at least one of those cards open for two years and then, when her companion pass is getting ready to expire, she will refer my dad to two cards of his own so he can earn a companion pass.

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<v Speaker 1>After she gets her referral points, she can cancel her Southwest cards or she might keep them if she likes the benefits.

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<v Speaker 1>She will need to cancel them eventually, at the very least in four years when it's her turn to earn a companion pass again.

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<v Speaker 1>Now that's the basic strategy that most people are going to use to earn a companion pass perpetually for their household.

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<v Speaker 1>You'll just flip-flop who is earning the companion pass Again.

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<v Speaker 1>I do recommend keeping a Southwest card so you can refer your partner to it.

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<v Speaker 1>Usually that can give you 40,000 referral points this way and that's worth $600 of Southwest flights.

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<v Speaker 1>The advantage of this strategy of the flip-flop is that it gives you more options in your overall credit card strategy.

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<v Speaker 1>After you earn a companion pass, you could, for instance, go application crazy and go way over 524.

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<v Speaker 1>And then you just keep the next time you would be applying for the companion pass in mind and make sure that you're pausing on credit card applications enough so that you're back under 524 before that time comes up.

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<v Speaker 1>Just to illustrate that again right now it's December 2024.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's say I go out and apply for two Southwest cards and that puts me at 524.

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<v Speaker 1>So I can't go apply for any more Chase cards right now.

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<v Speaker 1>So maybe I go and apply for cards from a bunch of other banks like Citi and Barclay and Amex.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll earn my companion pass through December 2026 because I've already applied for those Southwest cards.

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<v Speaker 1>So I know mentally that my partner needs to apply for Southwest Cards in late fall 2026, two years from now.

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<v Speaker 1>So maybe he won't be applying for so many cards not as many as I am.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll be keeping this in mind to make sure he's under 524 in November 2026 when he's going to start that companion pass process.

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<v Speaker 1>At that point in late 2026, so two years after I earned a companion pass, I might decide to really slow down my applications Because I know two years after my partner gets the companion pass that it's going to be my turn again.

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<v Speaker 1>So again two years before it's going to be my turn, I want to start paying attention to 524 again.

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<v Speaker 1>So those are some considerations for a perpetual companion pass in two-person mode.

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<v Speaker 1>Now if you're in one-person mode, let's say you're trying to earn a companion pass perpetually but you just have one person in your household who can apply for those cards, in that case you'll need to always stay under 524.

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<v Speaker 1>I actually have a full lesson on one player mode companion pass in my free course because I wanted to detail how this strategy is a little bit different.

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<v Speaker 1>So if that's your situation, I recommend you check that out.

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<v Speaker 1>The link is in the show notes or you can go to learnkittiestraveltrickscom to sign up.

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<v Speaker 1>It's free.

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<v Speaker 1>The last method and this is probably what I get the most questions on is how to perpetually earn the companion pass in two-player mode.

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<v Speaker 1>So I wanted to walk through some more specifics here.

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<v Speaker 1>On the timeline First, let me say this you can't optimize everything.

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<v Speaker 1>You have to be okay with that.

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<v Speaker 1>You can't optimize the referral links and the timeline and all the offers.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just not possible.

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<v Speaker 1>You can pick which one of those is most important for you to optimize and I can't decide that for you.

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<v Speaker 1>It's different for every person To get on my soapbox for a minute slightly off topic, but this is important to keep going back to.

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<v Speaker 1>You can't optimize every point you earn and redeem if you're only calculating cents per point.

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<v Speaker 1>Every point you earn and redeem if you're only calculating cents per point.

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<v Speaker 1>I see so many posts on Instagram about how a huge mistake people are making is booking travel through bank travel portals like Capital One Travel, instead of transferring points and booking business class flights.

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<v Speaker 1>This is 100% true only for one very specific situation and that's if you plan to travel on specific business class sweet spot routes to international destination and if flying business class is a big priority for you.

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<v Speaker 1>If this is true, yes, you really need to learn to transfer your points and find those sweet spots to book those business class routes, and I celebrate that for you.

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<v Speaker 1>And find those sweet spots to book those business class routes and I celebrate that for you.

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<v Speaker 1>We celebrate all goals here.

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<v Speaker 1>But, as you know, this is a podcast for normal people and I have people all the time tell me sheepishly that they booked a flight or hotel through a bank travel portal and they often qualify it and act embarrassed because of all this point value shaming that's out there on the internet.

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<v Speaker 1>But booking in a bank travel portal can be one of the best options or the best in so many situations.

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<v Speaker 1>It can be the best if you want to book an independent hotel, or if cash prices for flights are low or if you don't want to have to pay airline taxes and fees out of pocket.

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<v Speaker 1>Again, you can't optimize everything, and that's okay.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't let anyone make you feel bad for the way you choose to use your points if it aligns with your goals and don't forget, you can mute and unfollow people who are making you feel bad instead of encouraging you.

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<v Speaker 1>I am the queen of muting.

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<v Speaker 1>It's one of the ways that I survive having to be on social media for my job.

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<v Speaker 1>If accounts make me feel judged or if I find myself judging them, or if it makes me compare myself, I mute and unfollow.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, back off the soapbox into the companion pass.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you want to earn two companion passes perpetually, you can't optimize everything.

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<v Speaker 1>You will have to have both people in your household under 524 all the time.

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<v Speaker 1>That may or may not be worth it for you.

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<v Speaker 1>Back when the 524 rule came out in 2016, I believe Mike and I sat down to discuss this for ourselves and we decided that it was not worth it for us to always earn two companion passes, because we personally didn't want to both be locked into staying under 524.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, our personal situation is now completely different and also, frankly, unrelatable at this point.

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<v Speaker 1>But I'm also all about transparency.

00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:48.915
<v Speaker 1>So I want to be clear that we don't earn our companion pass through opening cards anymore.

00:18:48.915 --> 00:19:05.611
<v Speaker 1>We did do that for many, many years, but eventually I started this business teaching points to other people, and now I end up renewing our companion pass each year just through people in this community, using our referral links and signing up for the credit cards.

00:19:05.611 --> 00:19:08.556
<v Speaker 1>That's not normal, but that's our reality.

00:19:08.556 --> 00:19:17.239
<v Speaker 1>But before that we had decided to only go for one companion pass at a time, so we would not be so restricted by 524 all the time.

00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:27.813
<v Speaker 1>If you don't mind staying under 524, maybe you'd rather optimize your life by keeping it simple and staying under 524 and always getting two companion passes.

00:19:27.813 --> 00:19:30.519
<v Speaker 1>If that's your situation, here's how I'd do that.

00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:38.111
<v Speaker 1>The first thing to understand is that the second time that you use the three card, two pass method, you don't have to do it all in the same order.

00:19:38.111 --> 00:19:48.400
<v Speaker 1>The three card method works because one person will earn their points by opening a card that earns at least 80,000 points, plus by getting two referrals.

00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:53.836
<v Speaker 1>Now this assumes that the referrals keep going at what they currently are, which is $20,000 per card.

00:19:54.671 --> 00:20:08.903
<v Speaker 1>The important timing for that person who is opening the one card is that, first of all, their 80,000 bonus points need to post in January or later, and next, it's important that their referral points also need to post in January or later.

00:20:08.903 --> 00:20:18.500
<v Speaker 1>They also can't open a card that has a big bonus of 80,000 points or more unless it has been 24 months since they got a bonus on that card.

00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:24.259
<v Speaker 1>So this is where you have to start to puzzle this together based on your specific situation.

00:20:24.259 --> 00:20:33.499
<v Speaker 1>Actually, as I was scripting this episode, I just got an idea for a new resource to help you figure this out, and I will work on that in the next few months to make that easier.

00:20:33.499 --> 00:20:36.960
<v Speaker 1>But some of this is just working out those dates for yourself.

00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:49.243
<v Speaker 1>If you open the business card with an 80,000 point bonus and you got your bonus on January 5th 2025, you won't be able to open that card again until January 6th 2027.

00:20:49.243 --> 00:20:52.078
<v Speaker 1>So you'll just need to keep those dates in mind.

00:20:52.769 --> 00:20:59.820
<v Speaker 1>Now, the one difference when you're doing this the second time around is that you will end up with one more referral bonus.

00:20:59.820 --> 00:21:07.576
<v Speaker 1>So whoever is the person that's opening the two cards, that person should still have one card from the first time they did this.

00:21:07.576 --> 00:21:19.160
<v Speaker 1>So that person, who we generally call person two in this scenario, can refer their partner to a card and you're going to end up with more points than when you did it the first time.

00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:29.451
<v Speaker 1>If you wait to do that very first referral until after their December statement closes, you'll optimize those points for companion pass earning for the next year, but that means you're going to be a little bit delayed.

00:21:29.451 --> 00:21:35.482
<v Speaker 1>You're going to be opening cards in mid to late December, so you won't earn the companion pass as early in the year.

00:21:35.482 --> 00:21:38.635
<v Speaker 1>This is what I mean about you have to choose what you optimize.

00:21:38.635 --> 00:21:44.383
<v Speaker 1>Do you want to earn the companion pass faster or do you want to earn it easier with lower card offers?

00:21:44.383 --> 00:21:47.211
<v Speaker 1>Depending on offers, it might not make any difference.

00:21:47.593 --> 00:22:01.732
<v Speaker 1>I know that audio or video isn't necessarily the best way to conceptualize these, because there are a lot of moving parts, so I do promise I'm going to work on that new resource that I have in my mind to help with that, and if you're on my newsletter list, you'll be the first to know when it's ready.

00:22:01.732 --> 00:22:06.972
<v Speaker 1>For action steps today, I'd suggest trying out some of the tricks I've mentioned that I learned.

00:22:06.972 --> 00:22:15.125
<v Speaker 1>If you have a trick that you'd love to share with more travelers, please send me an email and let me know, because I love learning and sharing these tricks with our community.

00:22:15.125 --> 00:22:20.567
<v Speaker 1>For action steps today, I'd suggest trying out some of these tricks that I mentioned that I just learned.

00:22:20.567 --> 00:22:32.142
<v Speaker 1>If you have a card with the Southwest upgraded boarding or early bird check-in benefits, use that trick to find out how many you've used, to make sure that you're using your credits or to know when they're going to reset.

00:22:32.142 --> 00:22:41.612
<v Speaker 1>If you're booking with Southwest and trying for the schedule change trick, try to start booking round-trip flights so that if you get a schedule change it will let you change either leg.

00:22:41.612 --> 00:22:51.838
<v Speaker 1>If you're a few points short for your companion pass and you have a Southwest business card, transfer some points to someone else in your household and get that reimbursement and some extra points.

00:22:51.838 --> 00:22:59.178
<v Speaker 1>If you're deciding between using the Chase Sapphire or the Venture X for travel insurance protections, you probably want to go with the Sapphire.

00:22:59.178 --> 00:23:09.192
<v Speaker 1>If you have Verizon and you want to maintain your auto pay discount while still getting free credit card protection for your cell phones, try paying in-store at the kiosk with a credit card that has that benefit.

00:23:09.192 --> 00:23:11.074
<v Speaker 1>Try paying in-store at the kiosk with a credit card that has that benefit.

00:23:11.875 --> 00:23:15.518
<v Speaker 1>And, as always, to stay up to date, sign up for my free weekly newsletter.

00:23:15.518 --> 00:23:17.179
<v Speaker 1>The link is in the show notes.

00:23:17.179 --> 00:23:20.260
<v Speaker 1>This is the last regular episode of season two.

00:23:20.260 --> 00:23:27.946
<v Speaker 1>I will probably, but possibly not, do one more episode with a Q&A, but if that is released, it won't be for a few more weeks.

00:23:27.946 --> 00:23:31.753
<v Speaker 1>If you have questions you'd like to see answered.

00:23:31.753 --> 00:23:35.365
<v Speaker 1>Send me an email at katie at katiestraveltrickscom and let me know what those questions are.

00:23:35.365 --> 00:23:40.498
<v Speaker 1>I'd also love to hear from you if you have specific topic requests for season three.

00:23:40.498 --> 00:23:45.479
<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much for being with me this year for seasons one and two of my podcast.

00:23:45.479 --> 00:23:53.375
<v Speaker 1>It's just been a delight to share this knowledge and to see some of the feedback, and I really appreciate you spending that time with me.

00:23:53.375 --> 00:24:00.000
<v Speaker 1>I look forward to seeing you more in season three, where we will continue to unlock these secrets of travel points together.