My New Credit Card--United Explorer Card

A couple of months ago, I opened my second credit card of the year. This one came with an 80,000-point bonus, the largest I've ever seen for this card. I once received a 70,000-point bonus on the same card before the pandemic, but it had been several years since I'd had the card. 

This card was the United Explorer card from Chase. As I'd only applied for a couple of credit cards (one of them a business account) over the past couple of years, I knew that I was well below the 5/24 limit. Also, I knew that I was past the limit for earning the bonus on this card again. 

The minimum spend requirement was $3,000 over a three-month period. 

United Explorer Card from Chase

With gas and grocery purchases, that's not a bad amount of spending, and I hit it. The 80k bonus hit my account as advertised. This will be earmarked for (hopefully) an international trip within the next couple of years. I burned through a bunch of Chase Ultimate Rewards to fly on a return trip for four passengers from London on LOT and United. I had a few MileagePlus miles, but the vast majority of that flight were transfers from Chase. 

This card does not come with spectacular bonus categories after the initial signup bonus hits. It hits 2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, along with dining and hotels. I think I had to pay the $95 annual fee immediately, but the current offer comes with a waived annual fee for the first year. The current bonus is 60,000 miles, and you can sign up here with my referral link from Chase refer-a-friend. There are other options for United cards at the link as well, but for the waived annual fee, I think the Explorer would be the best for most people. 

One additional benefit that I like when I have this card is the two annual lounge passes. This is a great benefit if you have a fairly long layover in a major airport. My wife and I were able to spend some time in the lounge in Newark a few years ago before taking a trip to Prague via Munich. It beat sitting by the gate for several hours, and we had views of the Manhattan skyline to boot. I've also spent some time in the lounge in Cleveland (not as impressive) and Chicago, the latter of which allowed me to relax when my flight got delayed for about four hours. 

My Newest Credit Card

I recently signed up for a new credit card. This card was the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Mastercard. This card came with a 65,000 signup bonus for spending $4,000 over the first three months. I spent basically all of my American Airlines points for a trip to Europe last summer. Here is a video review of this card that I recorded: 

Earn 60,000 bonus points with either Chase Sapphire® card. THIS should be your FIRST CARD! I can be rewarded if you apply here and are approved for the card. https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19m/EHFBVJK8JI

Easy Southwest Companion Pass

This site has referral links that could compensate me. Thank you for your support.

I flew to LA with Rapid Rewards Points--Statue of Jerry West outside the Staples Center

One of my favorite domestic airlines is Southwest. Why, you might ask. First is the friendly staff. They tend to be much less uptight than people who work for some of the other major airlines in the US. Another reason why I really like Southwest is the fact that two bags fly for free. From Denver, where many of my flights take off from, there are many places that are pretty cheap. I went to Puerto Vallarta a few years ago. It cost me about 5,700 Rapid Rewards points and $77 each for four people. That came up to about 23,000 points and $300. Not bad.

One of the best deals in the travel hacking industry is the Southwest Companion Pass. Usually, it takes 110,000 Rapid Rewards points that come from Southwest's credit cards and any bonuses they offer and from actually flying. People who fly frequently and who get a signup bonus can hit this. I've never come close. I've never had one of the Southwest credit cards. All of my points with Southwest have come from putting my butt in a seat in one of their planes or from Ultimate Rewards transfers from my Chase Sapphire Preferred card. I've used Southwest for flights to LAX and Puerto Vallarta, among others.

For a limited time only, Southwest is offering a Companion Pass through the rest of 2019 to people who get the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority or Premier cards through February 11, 2019. The cards come with a 30,000 signup bonus and the Companion Pass if you can come up with $4,000 in the first three months after opening your account (not the date that you actually get the card). This could be a good idea if you're looking to fly to Hawaii with Southwest. The carrier is supposed to start flying to the middle of the Pacific this year.

However, if you're looking for the normal Companion Pass, you'd do better to wait for a 50,000 or 60,000 point bonus. These are fairly normal, and if you can get the additional points needed for the Companion Pass, it'll be good for the calendar year you earn the Pass and the whole next year. If you want to take a couple of trips this year, the 30,000 bonus points and the promotional Companion Pass could pay off.

When you have the Companion Pass, you can choose a fellow traveler (your "companion") to travel with you for free. You only pay the taxes, which can range from $5.60 each way on domestic flights to around $100 on round-trip international flights to Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean. If you use points to get your flights, your companion costs no points. You still only pay the taxes. That's why this is such a great deal. If you live close to an airport that has flights with Southwest, you might want to check it out.

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Saving Money On Presidential Library Visits For Families

I'm a nerd. I used to try and hide this fact when I was a youngster in school. Then I went to college and stayed in higher ed for a very long time. I've come to embrace my nerdiness.

That means that my kids have the good fortune (or maybe misfortune) of having a dad who likes to visit all sorts of historical museums. Alamo? Check! Louvre? Check! Various and sundry little museums off the side of random Interstates? Check! Check! and Check! This post will show you how to visit as many of the official presidential museums you can or want to visit within a given year for the low cost of $45.

Some of my favorite museum visits are related to the presidential libraries. When I was driving through Kansas a few years ago, I decided to visit the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Ike is one of my favorite presidents, so I really wanted to stop. This was my first visit to an official presidential museum.

Fast forward a couple of years, and we went to Disneyland in California for Spring Break. I saw ads in the hotel we stayed in that noted the Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon Museums. I looked at my itinerary for the day. We had nothing planned until a 7 pm game between the Lakers and the Hawks. The Lakers have been my favorite team since I was a kid--the days of Show Time with Magic, Kareem, and Worthy. Alas, the week after I bought the tickets, the team announced Kobe Bryant was out for the year. Bummer. They lost to the Hawks. Another bummer.

A Retired Air Force One at the Reagan Museum and Library

Anyways, the Reagan Museum was more strategically located for getting back to the Staples Center, so I decided that's the route we would take. Hands down, the Reagan Museum has been my favorite thus far. The Air Force One from Reagan's time in office was on display and decked out as it was back in the '80s. The Reagan Museum is also the most expensive presidential museum that I've visited. Today, if I were to take my family, it would cost a whopping $99 for my family of four. That's not cheap. I would not pay it again, nor should you. There's a pretty easy workaround.

Visit the Reagan Museum As A Family for $45

If you buy a membership to any presidential museum that's a part of the National Archives, you can get into any of them that are currently open. The Archives site shows that there are fourteen official museums tied to our nation's presidents. That's not exactly accurate, as the Obama Museum will not open for a few years. Therefore, you can get into 13 at this time.

The cheapest family membership that I've found is the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, TX. It's only $45 for two adults and any kids under 18 years of age. That's less than half of what I could buy tickets to the Reagan Museum. 

I chose to do this last Spring Break. We took a trip down to the Alamo, but stopped at the LBJ Library on the way down. I purchased the family membership for $45. On the way back home, we were able to stop at the George W. Bush Presidential Library Museum in Dallas and the Eisenhower Museum in Abilene, KS. Cost for the Bush Museum--NOTHING! Cost for the Eisenhower Museum--NOTHING! The cost of visiting the LBJ Museum would have been $20 without the membership, but the higher cost was worth it because I visited the other two. 

I've now hit six of the 13 official Presidential Museums when you add the Hoover and Truman Museums. That means that I only have seven to go (eight in a couple of years). I'll be sure to check the cost to see if another membership to the LBJ will help me save some money along the way if I'm planning to see any more in the near future. Only the FDR, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter, HW Bush, and Clinton remain (until the Obama opens, that is). 

If you'd like to keep up with ways to save money on travel, but sure to sign up and like my site. 

Nine Free Things to See in Jerusalem

Over my fall break this year, my family was able to spend a few days in Jerusalem. I noted in the linked post how it's possible for Americans to get to the Holy Land at an extremely discounted rate should they choose to do so.

I'm all about travel. But I'm not all about paying full price for it. If you choose to go to Israel, you can take one of the many Holy Land tours and pay for luxury accommodations and guided tours to pretty much everywhere you go. I did not choose to go that route. I decided that I wanted to go the DIY route for most of the trip so that I could save money.

Outside of transportation within the city of Jerusalem and a day trip to Bethlehem (around $200 for four people), I paid very little for visiting sites in the area. Bethlehem is located within Palestinian Authority territory, so I'd highly recommend booking a tour for that one. I also paid less than $20 for my entire family of four to explore Zedekiah's Cave and about $40 for all of us to get into the Tower of David, which is a museum of Jerusalem's history. The latter was worth the cost, as it was very interesting. The cave was pretty meh. Other than that, there are quite a few free options. Here are nine that I took advantage of.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Purported to be built on the very site that Jesus was buried for three days, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the more significant religious sites in Jerusalem. It's a short walk from the Jaffa Gate although it can take some time depending upon the crowds that are around at any given time. The cost to enter the church is nonexistent. It's totally free, and it's a must for anyone who's interested in Christian history. 

Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Mehane Yehuda Market

This market was just a few minutes' walk from the hostel we stayed at. There are several blocks with relatively tight and crowded streets that are home to open-air stalls. You can buy all sorts of food and touristy stuff in the market. If you want to experience a Middle Eastern bazaar vibe, this is the place to do it. There is all sorts of hustle and bustle that you're sure to remember. 

Several of the vendors offer free samples of their food, including tasty dried fruit. The cost to browse? It's all free. Of course, if you buy anything in the market, the whole free thing goes out the window. It's still a cool experience. 

The Mount of Olives

I took a bus up the mountain, as it's a pretty steep trek. It's also quite a ways away from the Old City Walls. If you're adventurous, you could hike this one though. From the Mount of Olives, you can get a great view of the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock prominently displayed in the distance. 

After taking in the spectacular views, there is a Jewish cemetery a short walk down the hill. It's open for visitors. Just be sure to watch out for cars coming around the tight curves. They hug the walls and could hit you if you're not careful. From the Mount of Olives, you'll come to the next free site in a short time.

Me at the Mount of Olives

The Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations

The Garden of Gethsemane is technically near the foot of the Mount of Olives. It's a steep descent, and my calves were burning and I was a bit weak-kneed by the time I reached it. However, it is the place where the New Testament tells us Jesus prayed just before his betrayal, which also took place in Gethsemane.

The site is very peaceful and tranquil today, and it provides a great place for reflection on the events that transpired in the city nearly 2,000 years ago. The same goes with the Church of All Nations, which is within the fence around the Garden of Gethsemane. Both are free to enter, but there is a donations box in the church. I gave a bit for its upkeep, but it's not required.

The Garden of Gethsemane

The Via Delorosa

If you enter the city from the Lion Gate, you'll start on the famed Via Delorosa. This is the path that has traditionally been cited as the route that Jesus Christ took while carrying his cross to his crucifixion on Golgotha. For several of the stops, there are shields with Roman numerals on the buildings to mark specific spots that are associated with Christ's journey. The walk ends with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We had visited the inside the church the day before, so we did not go back in. However, we followed the Via Delorosa from beginning to end. 

Station Five Is Supposed to be the Spot Where St. Simon of Cyrene Took the Cross for Jesus

The Old City

There are no admission fees to just walk around the Old City. There are a number of markets, restaurants and places of religious significance throughout. There are also several gates that provide access. Unless you choose to enter a spot with an entry fee or to buy stuff or food, you can walk through the Old City for free. 

Me Fighting Crowds on David Street

The Temple Mount

While non-Muslims are not allowed to go into the Dome of the Rock, it's pretty easy to get a glimpse of the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, and the two mosques on top of the mount. The view from a distance is pretty impressive, but it's also possible to walk down several flights of steps to get a closer view of the Western Wall and see Jewish men and women praying. I'm neither Muslim, nor Jewish, so I did not get as close as some people can. Regardless, it's a significant spot for three major world religions, and taking a gander is totally free.

The Temple Mount

Yad Vashem

I'm a historian by trade, and I've done quite a bit of reading and study on the Holocaust. Yad Vashem is the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. It is a sobering place to say the least. However, it does a very good job of remembering what may be the worst case of genocide in world history without going over the top and showing graphic violence for the sake of graphic violence. Photography inside the main exhibit is prohibited, and I adhered to this policy out of respect. A visit to Yad Vashem, like the other sites listed in this report, is totally free. I did not take the kiddos, however. 

When it comes to free cultural and historical experiences, Jerusalem does not disappoint. I noted in my post on getting to Jerusalem from the US cheaply that it does not have to break the bank to get to the Holy Land.  Once you're there, it's also possible to see quite a few important sites without spending a penny. I chose to take the tram and the bus to get to most of these sites, but those without kids who are adventurous could hoof it and have no transportation costs associated with visiting them whatsoever.

If you're interested in learning how to save money on travel (domestic or international), be sure to follow the blog. I'd appreciate any support you might give. If you're interested in specific recommendations on saving money on travel, let me know in the comments. I'd be happy to help you out. 

How to Get to Israel With Minimal Out-of-Pocket Expense

A visit to Israel has long been on my bucket list. I grew up in church, and I've continued to attend my whole life. It goes without saying that most of the events in the life of Jesus Christ happened in this tiny corner of the Middle East.

Because I'm in Europe for a semester, it made this trip more feasible for my family. I'd considered going with just my wife last year, but decided to wait to take the kids too. Flights to Israel from Vilnius or Riga were both a little more than $100 each one-way. Flights back were only a slight bit more. Therefore, I decided to use some travel cash-back from recent signup bonuses that my wife and I both earned on the Capital One Venture card.

Folks back in the states do not have this option of really cheap flights to the Holy Land, but that does not mean that it's impossible to make this pilgrimage work out fairly easily. There are some pretty easy strategies that can help singles and couples achieve the goal. Families could also make the trip happen, but the process would get more involved with an increased number of children (if you decide you want to take them along--I did, or I would have gone a year before). 

Me at the Mount of Olives

First, from the US, you'll need to get flights to Tel Aviv (TLV). Few religious sites are near Tel Aviv, but it's the only airport in the country that offers international flights, so you'll have to fly into TLV. Jerusalem is a 45-minute (or so, depending on traffic) drive from the airport. Fortunately, there are many airlines that fly to Tel Aviv, including some US-based flights. 

From my experience, one of the best airlines for getting award flights is United. For my friends in the Denver area, you're in luck. You have access to a United hub. United also has flights from many airports all across the US. Delta also offers flights to Tel Aviv from the US. All three major legacy carriers in the US have partners that can get you to Israel. 

The Walls of the Old City and the Jaffa Gate

Round-trip flights from the US to the Middle East on United and their partners are 85,000 miles (42,500 one-way). Fortunately, United sometimes offers a 70,000-mile sign-up bonus for its MileagePlus Explorer card. This higher bonus usually requires $3,000 within three months. The usual bonus is 40,000 or 50,000 miles for $2,000 in spend. 

Therefore, if you normally spend at least $1,000 a month on discretionary expenses, it would pay to wait for the higher offer. Also, sometimes, if you sign up for a MileagePlus account (without applying for the credit card) and then look up a dummy booking (act like you're searching for a flight to anywhere), you'll get a higher bonus offer. Those who have the MileagePlus card also get access to additional award space, so that's another benefit.

An individual could sign up and be really close to getting a ticket. A couple could each sign up and come close to paying for two tickets. The question then comes around of how to pay for the rest. This is where the Chase Sapphire Preferred (referral link) can come in handy. 

I've already written how this is my top recommendation for people who are just getting into the travel rewards game is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. You can get a 50,000-point bonus for spending $4,000 within three months. After getting points for your minimum spend, you'd have at least 54,000 points. 

These Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred straight to United pretty easily at a 1-for-1 ratio. These can also be shared between family members who live in the same household. Therefore, a husband/wife combo could double up (and get a referral bonus in the process) to get nearly 120,000 points combined. This, with one of the United cards with the higher bonus would do the trick for the airfare. 

I'd recommend purchasing one-way tickets so that you can minimize the number of points you'd have to transfer and to ensure that you can get on the same flight. For singles, it wouldn't matter. I've found plenty of options for 42,500 one-way and $5.60 on the outbound flight + $49.14 on the return flight. These costs are taxes that are not erased on reward flights. You can't avoid them easily. Basically, your out-of-pocket cost for two tickets to Israel would be a little more than $100--not bad at all. 

So, to cap this off, if both spouses got both cards (over the course of a year--spaced out at one card per quarter and assuming the max bonus on the United cards and the referral bonus on the Sapphire Preferred), they would have at least 73,000 United Miles each and nearly 120,000 Ultimate Rewards points. It would only take a transfer of 12,000 Ultimate Rewards points each to take care of a round-trip coach flight to Israel at this point. Plus, there would be nearly 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points left over. 

These could go toward hotel transfers to IHG (the parent company of Holiday Inn), which has a hotel within Jerusalem, the Crowne Plaza Jerusalem. This hotel goes for 20,000 points per night for a double occupancy room (or around $125 in cash per night if you want to go that route). 

You could transfer your Ultimate Rewards points and get nearly 5 free nights, or you could use them to go through the Ultimate Rewards portal and redeem them for 1.25 cents for travel expenses like hotels. This would mean that you could get nearly $1,250 to redeem at hotels. (Note that the 465.70 price is in New Israeli Shekels, and there are about 3.6 of those to 1 USD as of November 2018). 

All in all, a couple could sign up for four credit cards combined and get several days to explore Israel. After getting these cards, another solid option would be to look into the Capital One Venture card, which offers $560 worth of travel credit after spending $3,000 over the first three months of holding the card. 

This travel credit can offset hotels, local transportation, and tours. My wife and I doubled up on this bonus to get more than $1,200 off of our travels while in Europe (not to mention other points we used that we already had stashed).

Those who want to make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Holy Land can definitely make it happen, as long as they have good credit and avoid spending more than they would normally spend in their everyday lives (this would offset the benefits of the bonus). Hopefully, this post has given you an action plan that can help you achieve this goal.

If you decide to sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can use my referral link. I'll get a bonus, and you'll get the same bonus you'd get anyway. I'd appreciate the support. 

Also, if you like learning about how to travel cheaply, I'd encourage you to sign up for updates. I love helping people achieve their travel goals. 

An Easy $150 (or $400+) From a Single Credit Card

Travel is great. Once I figured out that I could actually go some pretty cool places, I was hooked. I often plan trips a year or two out and then try to strategize how I can make them happen with a bonus here or a deep discount there.

But, alas, I know that travel is not for everyone. However, this does not mean that those who hate to travel have no ways to benefit from many of the same credit card offers that I've benefited from.

I recently wrote about my #1 credit card recommendation--the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It comes with a bonus that's worth at least $500. However, it also requires $4,000 in spending within 3 months to earn that bonus. 

I realize that this level of spending might be a bit scary for some people. I totally get it. 

There are other options that could still provide smaller benefits, but with a smaller required spend. 

One of these is the Chase Freedom Unlimited (for full disclosure, this is an affiliate link--I may be compensated if you sign up--you can get the exact same bonus by just googling the card and signing up there, as well). 

Benefits of the Chase Freedom Unlimited

The Chase Freedom Unlimited comes with a $150 bonus. This is admittedly less than the $500+ that you can get from the Chase Sapphire Preferred, but it's still a nice little chunk of change for very little effort.

If you're scared away by some of the big spending requirements of the Sapphire Preferred, you can get this bonus after spending just $500 over 3 months. That equals out to $167 of spending per month.

This does not have to be spending that you're not already doing. In fact, I do not recommend spending extra money just to earn a bonus (unless it's an annual fee on a card that gives you more benefits than the cost of the fee--but that's nothing to worry about with this card). 

How can you reach $500 in spending. Let's say you pay $100 in gas just commuting to/from work. That would get you 60% of the way to getting the bonus, and it's spending you're already going to be doing anyway. If you spend even $70 on groceries in a month, you've now qualified for the bonus. 

In addition to the $150 bonus (it'll actually be at least $157.50 after meeting the $500 minimum spend), the card also pays 1.5% cash back on every dollar spent anywhere. 

Again, I don't recommend spending more money than you would otherwise spend to get 1.5% cash back. That's bad math and bad for your finances. If you spend any more than 1.5% in excess of what you'd otherwise spend, you'll actually come out on the bad end of the deal. 

You can get the $150, use it as a statement credit or have Chase send it to you, and then you never have to use it again. 

The card comes with no annual fee whatsoever. You can keep it for as long as you like with no cost at all. The interest rate should not matter if you pay off your purchases every month. 

How You Could Get $400+

This trick will only work for folks in the same household who pool their finances. Chase has a refer-a-friend program. The link that I've posted that allows you to sign up for the Chase Freedom Unlimited is a referral link. 

Those who have access to the link will be able to share it via email or social media platforms to get a $100 bonus. 

So, here's the maths:

You get $150 (actually $157.50) after meeting the $500 spend.
You refer your spouse, who signs up. You then get a $100 bonus for the referral.
Your spouse then earns the $150 bonus (actually $157.50) after meeting the $500 spend.

This means that a couple could get at least $415 from each signing up for one credit card and spending $1,000 that they'd otherwise be spending anyways. Keep in mind that you may not qualify for the card, but if your credit is good, $150+ for an individual or $400+ for a couple in cold, hard cash is not a bad idea. 

In fact, if you're a disciplined spender who is not one of those folks who spend way more just because you have plastic, it's a bad idea not to take advantage of opportunities like this. 

If you like to travel, you could use this $415 to go toward a vacation. If you're a saver, it could go to your emergency fund or your retirement fund. You could pay a bit down on a house or car loan. It's straight up cash, and you can use it for whatever you want to use it for. 

If you decide to sign up, I'd appreciate if you'd use my referral link for the Chase Freedom Unlimited. If you want your spouse or significant other to earn the bonus, I'd actually appreciate if they use your referral link if and when it's available, rather than mine. Any bonuses will not be cut if you use referral links.  

If you have any questions about how this process works, let me know in the comments. I'll be happy to answer any questions. Also, if you find the information useful, be sure to sign up to follow the blog for updates.