FAMILIES FLY FREE Private Podcast

In this fantastic webinar, three women, who met in Families Fly Free and worked together to plan their families' trips, share their points strategies for flying and staying free in Europe using points. It includes a family of 5, a family of 4 and a couples' getaway.

The webinar is filled with tips and strategies both for using points, as well as for navigating Paris, Disneyland Paris, Normandy, London and more from the Metro to gluten-free restaurants to how they handled overseas mobile phone use.

Download our 7-day Paris Itinerary

Here are some of the resources mentioned in the webinar...

• G7 Taxi Service
• Point.me
• PointsYeah
• Viator (for tours)
• Airbnb Experiences (be sure to connect Airbnb to your Delta account to earn free Delta miles!)
• City Mapper App
• Timeshifter App

Trip Reports:

• Michelle's Paris & Italy Trip Report
• Cheryl's England, Normandy and Paris Trip Report
• Justin's London, Paris and Rome Trip Report

RELATED WEBINARS

• Your Guide to Paris Part 1 With Lyn
• Your Guide to Paris With Lyn Part 2
• Finding the Best Accommodations in Europe
• Navigating Train Travel in Europe
• What First-Timers Need to Know Before Hopping Across the Pond
• How to Find the Best Flights to Europe
• Top Travel Apps for Your Next Trip

In this month's Q&A, Lyn reviewed the "hack" to get Southwest A-List status through November 30, 2024, as well as why you might want to consider Chase Sapphire Reserve versus Preferred.

She also answered:

• How to request a Luv voucher
• What is the best hotel card offer right now?
• How to earn more points for hotels and how to get the best value with your points?
• For the Chase Sapphire Preferred offer than came with a $300 travel portal credit, do you also still get the $50 hotel credit each year?
• Do IHG cards count toward the Chase 5/24 rule?

Resources:

• How to Combine LUV Vouchers and Travel Credits into ONE Transferrable Credit
• How to Request LUV Vouchers From Southwest
• How to Use a Southwest LUV Voucher
• Achieving Southwest A-List Status for 2024-2025

Wondering how to decide if you should add a new card to the mix? Should you take advantage of hot offers? In this webinar, Lyn walks through the considerations of when and why you might (or might not!) want to add a new travel card.

In the October Q&A Lyn answered questions including the below:

• Confirming when to complete one's minimum spend on Southwest cards to time the Companion Pass for 2025-2026
• How and why to get Southwest A-List for 2025
• On our last flight, we connected to Southwest's Wifi, but we couldn't watch movies. What happened?
• How far ahead to book flights to Europe
• What card to use for everyday spending
• Should I open new cards or stick with the Southwest cards and Chase Sapphire Preferred?
• If a charge is pending by the 3-month minimum spend deadline will it count toward the minimum spend?
• Is there any coverage we can get if we need to cancel a trip due to safety concerns at the destination?
• How often can we buy Southwest points at half off?
• Where can I find what benefits are left on my Southwest card?
• Is there a problem if I cancel a card I've used to pay for taxes and fees on future flights?
• Can I close my Southwest card after I earn my anniversary points but before the annual fee charges?

Resources:

• Caroline Makepeace webinar on travel insurance
• VIDEO: Achieving A-List Status for 2024-2025
• Allianz Cancel for Any Reason Policy

Families Fly Free member Trish Harpring shares her time-tested tips for packing a carry-on only, not just for short trips but for international trips up to 7 days as well.

In this webinar, Lyn reviews this tricky process step-by-step to ensure you don't make ANY mistakes especially in light of the 85,000-point Southwest personal card offer ending Oct. 9, 2024.

She discusses which Southwest cards to apply for when, exactly when you should meet those minimum spends and when to expect the points — and pass — to credit to your account. She also reviews common mistakes that we see people make every year, so you don't make them.

There are also lots of questions answered, including some video discussions with members with questions about their particular Companion Pass situation.

SUMMARY:

• Wait until Oct. 7 to apply for Southwest personal card
• Wait 30 days from approval and then...
• Apply for Southwest Business Performance or Premier (either offer works)
• Find out your close date for both cards
• Find out your 3-month minimum spend deadline
• Do NOT meet either minimum spend until after your Dec close date but BY your minimum spend deadline

In this Q&A, we talked about:

• The best way to save on emergency flights
• Timing a Southwest Companion Pass for May 2025
• If booking a multi-city itinerary can save using points and what are the downfalls of doing so
• What will Southwest's partnership with Icelandair look like? Will we be able to use Companion Pass?
• Chase's latest restrictions on approving small business card applications
• Does removing someone as an authorized user on your card affect their credit?
• And more!

Now that you know the basics of how to fly for free within the US and the Caribbean, we'll dip our toes into how you can use travel rewards to save on other parts of travel like getting free hotel stays, flying free to Europe and even how to get some luxury travel perks like airport lounge access.

In this video/podcast, I give a brief summary of the changes announced at Southwest's investment day and its impact on flying the airline.

Longtime Oregon resident Jerry Quinn shares an overview of some of his favorite travel destinations, local sights and points of interest in the state, including its outdoor adventures with waterfalls, high desert, oceans, mountains, as well as its fantastic wine country and microbrew scene.