Spooky season is upon us, and Companion Pass season is heating up!

Getting the Southwest Companion Pass is all about the timing. You don’t want to be too early or too late to get the best value possible.

Let’s take a deep dive and cover everything you need to know about earning the Southwest Companion Pass for 2024.

What is the Southwest Companion Pass?

The Southwest Companion Pass is a buy-one-get-one-free(ish) ticket on Southwest Airlines for you and a designated companion.

Capital One's business version of its popular Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, a luxury travel card with an annual fee of $395 and premium benefits, such as Priority Pass lounge access and $300 in annual travel statement credits.

The Capital One Venture X Business is similar to its personal card counterpart in many ways, offering the same exact rewards earning rates, annual travel credits, annual fee and more.

However, the Venture X Business card differs from the personal version in a few key ways.

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a good starter credit card for consumers with a credit score in the “good” to “excellent” range and those who don’t want to pay an annual fee but still want to earn rewards. 

This card works almost exactly the same as the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card.

U.S. Bank is a credit card issuer that’s often overlooked in favor of bigger-name banks like Chase or American Express. However, U.S. Bank does have some credit cards that should be on your radar. Depending on your spending habits, going with a U.S. Bank card might actually be your best option.

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, for example, is an amazing option for those who frequently use mobile wallet apps to make everyday purchases.

Whether you’re sending yourself or a family member to college, annual tuition fees can be daunting. In the 2022-2023 school year, the average annual tuition fee was $39,400 for private universities and $10,950 for public universities (for state residents). That’s no small price to pay.

However, it’s not necessarily all doom and gloom when it comes to paying tuition.

If you’re a student with a credit score in the “average” range (which is usually considered to be between 580 and 680), the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is quite simply one of the best cards on the market for you.

Earning a free one-way flight may sound too good to be true. But with the Excursionist Perk from United Airlines, you can do exactly that. This is a hidden gem from United that’s actually not hidden at all. Redeeming your free flight is straightforward, as long as you familiarize yourself with the qualifying rules.

If you understand how United defines its rules, then you can even redeem a first-class one-way flight and only end up paying taxes.

Many credit card issuers offer cards geared toward college students with little or no credit history and scores in the “average” range (which is typically considered to be credit scores between 580 and 680). Student cards are meant to help students build credit so that they can graduate with a solid credit history, and some of them even offer rewards in the form of cash back or points.

Capital One offers several student credit cards, all of which are available to actively enrolled students with average credit scores.

The AC Hotel by Marriott Colón Valencia markets itself as a “four-star lifestyle hotel in the center of Valencia.” Earlier this year, my wife and I spent five nights at this property during the annual Las Fallas festival in Valencia, Spain.

The AC Hotel by Marriott Colón, Valencia is located in the heart of Valencia’s commercial and financial district. | Photo courtesy of Marriott.com

The festival is a celebration of art, religion and satire that culminates on March 19, when the neighborhoods get together to burn massive, brightly colored papier-mâché structures.

Maximizing the redemption value of rewards and perks is often a question of timing, as well as of finding the sweet spots.