Our 100K Vacay trips wrapped up this week and we now have a champion — errr champions. The Peppers have taken home the prize, with Stephen’s epic use of the 100K Vacay budget to fly two Peppers for the points budget meant for a single Pepper winning the hearts and minds of the judges. Read on for more this week about our 100K Vacay trips, a great tip for flying Southwest with free bags, good news on JetBlue’s 25 for 25 promotion, and a lot more.
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This week on the Frequent Miler blog…
Stephen wins 100K Vacay! Agree? Disagree? Vote!
The chips have fallen where they may and the kegs have been tapped, and when the dust settled, Stephen was named the 100K Vacay champion by judges Greg and Carrie. There is no doubt that the Peppers put on a great show while demonstrating how one could use easily applicable techniques to make the beer-themed trip of your dreams come true. Read more about the judges’ analysis in this post and cast your own vote for Stephen, Greg or me to have your voice heard!
For more 100K Vacay coverage, see:
- Under points & under budget (Stephen’s 100K Vacay journal)
- Shipping back to Boston & a final cost tally (Nick’s 100K Vacay journal)
- 100K Vacay midstream check-in and scoring | | Coffee Break Ep73 | 10-7-25 | Podcast
- Judging the 100K Vacay challenge: Current grades after the midstream check-in…
Great travel tips revealed and a 100K Vacay winner is crowned | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep327 | 10-10-25 | Podcast
Every time we run a team challenge, it gives us a chance to test out award chart sweet spots, identify program strengths, and share tips and tricks that we picked up along the way. This challenge was no different, and for this week’s Frequent Miler on the Air, we recorded our final team challenge check-in, where we discussed the top tips we learned, discussed scoring, and crowned Stephen the winer.
Southwest Companion Pass Complete Guide 2025
Southwest Companion Pass Season is officially open, with the chance to pick up a welcome offer or two that should translate into a 2025-2026 companion pass if you play your cards right. I had worried that Southwest would announce a change sometime this fall, turning the Companion Pass into an elite benefit rather than one that can be earned with credit card points. However, as we approach the middle of October without any announced changes to 2025-2026 qualifications, I am feeling increasingly confident that we are not going to see changes announced for next year (though keep in mind that anything is possible). I had assumed that I would be giving up on my dream of having two household Companion Passes (I will be under 5/24 before the end of the year), but if requirements remain unchanged for the new year, I may end up going after a second household pass.
Best uses of Amex Membership Rewards points
Updated for 2025, our complete guide to the best uses of Amex Membership Rewards points includes all of the major sweet spot uses of Amex points, including a newly-added section on experiences & activities taken from Stephen’s guide to using points for experiences.
Etihad-booked JetBlue awards counting for 25 for 25
I am including this short post in Week in Review because of its pertinence to those chasing JetBlue’s 25 for 25 promotion: reader reports have indicated that points and status are posting within a few days of reaching the 25th destination, and we have had a couple of positive reader reports about Etihad-booked JetBlue awards counting as expected (despite some folks being told by customer service reps that they wouldn’t). That’s great news. As a reader points out in the comments, this might make Japan Airlines Mileage Bank all the more appealing for booking JetBlue flights.
Our favorite travel gear
On a recent podcast episode, Greg and I talked about all of our favorite travel gear that we never leave home without. In this post, we have links to all of our favorite things if you are interested in tossing stuff on your own holiday wish-list.
Rakuten to offer Bilt Rewards points?
This is just a short rumor, but it is certainly a juicy one: a few eagle-eyed folks grabbed screenshots of shopping portal Rakuten showing an option to choose to earn Bilt Rewards points instead of Amex Membership Rewards points (or cash). This would be huge if true, though of course we do not yet know whether it will happen or was merely a test. I, for one, am very hopeful that we see this happen as I would be thrilled to turn my Rakuten earnings into Bilt points. I have long enjoyed earning Membership Rewards points through Rakuten, but Bilt has some partners that I’d love to access with portal earnings. We’ll have to keep a close eye on this one!
Capital One Miles Complete Guide
Got Capital One Miles and wondering how to use them? Truth be told, Stephen showed just how valuable they can be with his 100K Vacay trip to London, Munich (for Oktoberfest), and Prague, but this post includes a fuller look at the many Capital One sweet spots that exist. Since I earn a fair number of Amex Membership Rewards points from welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, and category bonuses, I tend to lean on a Venture or Venture X card for unbonused spend — and this post includes many of the reasons why.
You can still fly Southwest with 2 free checked bags
This is another short post that I am including in this week in review because I recognize the broad appeal that this trick may have. Indeed it is possible to still get free checked bags on Southwest by booking a vacation package. However, there are a couple of caveats: you can not use Rapid Rewards points on Getaways bookings, you can not use the Companion Pass on Getaways bookings, and points earned on Getaway bookings do not count toward the Companion Pass. If those drawbacks aren’t meaningful for you, then this trick is a good one to keep in mind.
That’s it for this week at Frequent Miler. Keep an eye out for this week’s last chance deals to be sure you get them before they are gone.
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