Tag Archives: Frequent Flyer Miles

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How to Redeem the Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards 25K Global Companion Award (Step-by-Step Guide)

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. Last summer, Alaska Airlines introduced the new Bank of America Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Credit Card, which included a generous welcome offer and a new 25K Global Companion Award benefit. I recently redeemed my 25K Global Companion Award and realized there weren’t many guides showing exactly how the redemption process works. In this post, I’ll walk through every step of the booking process, from locating the award in your account to confirming that the correct number of points were deducted after booking.

25K Global Companion Award at a Glance

  • Saves up to 25,000 points on a companion ticket
  • Works on Alaska Airlines award bookings
  • Must be redeemed before expiration
  • Any unused value is forfeited
  • Applies automatically during checkout

In August 2025, I was approved for the credit card and received the 105K point welcome bonus plus a 25K Global Companion Award in November 2025.  Here was the email offer I received from Alaska Airlines:

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Card welcome offer with 25K Global Companion Award bonus

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One Year Later: An Update to Our Simplified Wallet Strategy for 2026

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Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  Last year, we set out to simplify our wallets before Madison was born (Cutting $2,000 in Credit Card Annual Fees: Our Simplified Wallet Strategy for 2025). Our goal wasn’t to maximize every credit card perk. Instead, we wanted to reduce the total amount paid in annual fees, eliminate coupon-book credit cards (cards with high annual fees and lots of credits), and keep only the cards that delivered outsized value with minimal effort. One year later, it’s time to see how closely we stuck to that plan, what surprised us, and which cards earned a permanent place in our wallets.

One Year Later at a Glance:

  • 💳 Closed 5 credit cards
  • ⬇️ Downgraded 3 credit cards
  • ✨ Opened 5 new credit cards (and earned 360,000 points & miles in welcome bonuses)
  • 💵 Received $429 in retention offers
  • 🏨 Prioritized Free Night Certificates and travel credits over coupon-book benefits

Cards We Closed

Credit Card Name Annual Fee Notes
Laura’s AMEX Gold $325 Closed card in February 2025 (we were tired of jumping through hoops to get all the monthly credits.)
Barclays JetBlue Plus $99 Closed card in March 2025 (we didn’t have any upcoming JetBlue flights planned.)
Bank of America Air France / KLM $89 Closed card in March 2025 (we didn’t have any upcoming Air France / KLM flights planned.)
AMEX Delta Platinum Business $250 Closed card in July 2025 (I redeemed all my Delta SkyMiles and didn’t have any upcoming Delta flights planned.)
Laura’s Barclays Hawaiian Airlines $99 We decided to keep this credit card open in the hopes of a future product change to a Bank of America Alaska Airlines Credit Card.
AMEX Business Gold 3 $375 Closed card in November 2025 (we were tired of jumping through hoops to get all the monthly credits.)

While most of these credit cards come with a variety of credits / coupons, these cards did not provide enough value for us to justify paying the annual fees for another year. Continue reading →

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2026 Travel Predictions Midyear Review: Which Predictions Came True?

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is going well. As we approach the halfway point of 2026, I thought it would be fun to revisit my 2026 travel predictions and see how many have come true so far.  Predicting the future is never easy, especially in the travel and credit card world, but it’s always entertaining to look back and see what actually happened.

Below are my original predictions and a midyear update.  Predictions in green have come true, while predictions in red have not come true just yet… 

Airline Predictions (0 / 3):

  • Alaska Airlines will change the Global 25K Companion Award into a Global 25K Award Discount (valid for a single passenger). – Nope, Alaska Airlines has not made any changes to the Global 25K Companion Award. 
  • Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, or Delta Airlines will launch a debit card. – Nope, none of the 3 airlines has launched a debit card.
  • Southwest Airlines will not award Rapid Rewards Points on Basic Fares. – Nope, Southwest Airlines has not made any changes to earning points on Basic fares.

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Major Wells Fargo Rewards Program Changes: No More Combined Rewards Accounts, Gifting Rewards, or Automatic Redemptions

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Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  I was reviewing my recent Wells Fargo Autograph Credit Card (originally the Bilt MasterCard) and there was a full page of changes to the terms and conditions of the Wells Fargo Rewards Program.  I figured these changes would be of interest to anyone who is currently earning and redeeming Wells Fargo Rewards Points.  Here is the full text:

IMPORTANT NOTICE OF WELLS FARGO REWARDS® TERMS AND CONDITIONS CHANGES

This notice includes important information about changes to the Wells Fargo Rewards® Program Terms and Conditions for Your Credit Card. All other aspects of the existing Wells Fargo Rewards Program Terms and Conditions and Addendum for Your Credit Card remain in full force and effect. Please read this notice carefully and keep a copy for Your records.

Effective Immediately:

Combining Rewards Account
We will no longer combine Rewards Accounts when You have multiple Credit Cards with the same Rewards currency. Separate Rewards balances will be provided for each of Your Credit Cards.

Effective June 30, 2026:

Travel Rewards Provider
Travel rewards provider will transition to Aspire Lifestyles (AMERICAS) Inc from Aspire Loyalty Travel Solutions LLC and will cover bookings made on and after June 30, 2026. Cruises will no longer be available as a travel option, and you must have an email added to Wells Fargo online banking for all bookings. Your ability to earn or redeem for all other travel rewards will remain the same.

To review terms and conditions for travel rewards go to www.wellsfargo.com/rewardterms

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Travel with Grant is Officially a Teenager & Other Life Updates

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Good afternoon everyone, and Happy Cinco de Mayo to all who celebrate! Back on May 1, 2013, Travel with Grant was born. I can’t believe it has already been 13 years. Where did the time go?!

This past year has been full of life-changing events, especially with the birth of my daughter, Madison, in August 2025. She is already 9 months old now. She hasn’t been on an airplane yet, but we have taken a few road trips up to Sacramento and down to Monterey and Carmel. She even enjoyed her very first hotel stay at the InterContinental The Clement Monterey on Cannery Row, just steps away from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Madison with her Sea Otter from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
P.S. We found her missing sock too!

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