๐ค My Top Finds, Latest Deals, and Best Recommendations (3/15/25)

This week, we'll cover 6 increased hotel card offers with free night awards, up to 50% off tons of award flights, how to achieve real financial freedom, 2% uncapped brokerage bonus, easy savings on Amazon, big (negative) changes for Southwest, $600 off a full body MRI, Disneyland tickets for $100/day, free children's books, lots of new freebies and more!
๐ธ Achieving Financial Freedom and Defining ‘Enough’
Wonder what real financial freedom looks like? This week, we get tactical about achieving that freedom, including how to set limits, balance financial independence with happiness, define what “enough” means, and the role of entrepreneurship in building a fulfilling life.
๐ซ Travel, Points & Miles
๐ณ Increased Hotel Card Offers with Free Night Awards
Right now, there are โ6 increased welcome bonusโesโโโโ (some almost double their usual offer) for co-branded credit cards from two of my favorite hotel chains. Some offers are worth >$1,000 or >180k points, and โalmost all the offersโ even come with free-night certificatesโ.
โ๏ธ Up to 50% Off Award Flight Redemptions
The only thing better than using your points & miles for free travel is finding a ton of cheap availability. So here are a bunch of the latest award flight deals:
- Alaska: โ50% offโ (book by 4/11)
- American & Iberia → Spain: โDeals from 45k milesโ
- Emirates: โ25% offโ on 12+ partner airlines (book by 3/31)
- Qatar → Doha: โDeals from 59k milesโ
- Singapore: โ20% offโ any destination (book by 3/23)
- United & Air Canada → Seoul: โDeals from 75k milesโ
๐งณ Southwest: No More Free Bags & More Bad News
Southwest Airlines just announced major changes starting 5/28 – most notably (and sadly) ending its long-standing perk of free checked bags (though there will be ways to to โavoid paying for checked bags)โ.
Additionally, most flight credits will also start expiring within 12 months and Wanna Get Away fares will be replaced by basic economy fares with seating restrictions, limited validity on vouchers, and reduced points earning. This is in addition to โRapid Rewards getting devaluedโ.
๐ฐ Points & Miles on Sale
So many loyalty programs are offering discounted points and miles this week, so if you have a redemption in mind or are familiar with these programs, these deals for buying points and miles might come in handy! Expiration dates are in parentheses.
- Hawaiian Airlines: โ1.87¢ with a 50% bonusโ (3/23)
- JetBlue: โ1.47¢ with a 120% bonusโ (4/20)
- Alaska: โ1.97¢ with a 50% bonusโ (3/16)
- Emirates: โ2.4¢ with a 25% bonusโ (3/22)
- IHG: โ0.5¢ with up to a 25% bonusโ (3/29)
- United: โ1.88¢ with a 100% bonusโ (3/29)
- Frontier: โ1.075¢ with a 150% bonusโ (3/21)
๐ Current Transfer Bonuses
If you’re planning a trip and are familiar with the programs, here are transfer bonuses that could help you score a great deal.
- British Airways / Aer Lingus / Iberia: โ20% bonus till 3/31โ
- Etihad: โ40% till 3/31โ
๐ March Madness x Marriott: Bonus Points and VIP Tix
Marriott Bonvoy’s โPoints for Pointsโ promo is giving 134 members the chance to earn 1 Bonvoy point for every point scored in all 134 March Madness games. Winners will be selected randomly, but you must register โhereโ before 3/27 to qualify. Plus, members can redeem points towards exclusive โVIP March Madness Final Four packagesโ, which will be up for auction until 3/21.
๐จ Earn 15,000 Marriott Bonus Points with Home Rental
Earn โ15,000 bonus pointsโ when you book a 3+ night stay worth $1,500 at any Homes & Villas by Marriott rentals. This offer is valid for bookings made by 3/21 for stays between 4/1 and 4/30.
๐ค Latest Deals
๐ฐ 2% Uncapped Brokerage Bonus from Robinhood
Robinhood is celebrating "โGold Monthโ" in March and they're bringing back their 2% bonus on all transferred assets though 3/31. Looking at just the amount, I think it's probably the best bonus out there for accounts >$20,000. However, it requires leaving funds at Robinhood for 5 years, so if you were willing to move your assets for different bonuses every 3-12 months for 5 years, you'd probably come out ahead if you have <$1 million. Above that, I think the 2% offer still wins over 5 years.
If you don't have a Robinhood account, you're welcome to use โmy referral linkโ here, but please read the promo FAQ โhereโ first.
๐ฆ Easy $27 Savings on Amazon
Here’s an easy way to save $27 on your household shopping on Amazon. Get โ$12 off $50โ on select groceries, plus get a โ$15 Amazon credit when you spend $50โ on household essentials using the promo code STOCKUPSAVE.
๐ฉป $600 Off $2,499+ HSA/FSA Eligible Prenuvo Scan
Last week I shared an offer on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card to get $600 off a $2,499+ full body MRI scan at Prenuvo. These types of scans are known for โearly detection of potential health conditionsโ like cancer, and to make things even better, all Prenuvo scans are HSA/FSA eligible.
*For compliance reasons, we can’t include names of all cards/banks.
๐ Freebies This Week
- Free $10.00 Amazon gift card: When you donate blood with the โAmerican Red Crossโ through March (or while supplies last).
- Free nasal strips from Breathe Right: Just sign up โhereโ.
- Free sinus rinse or neti pot from NeilMed: Answer โthis quizโ (and find the right answers โhereโ).
- Free Rita’s Italian Ice on 3/20: When you walk in between 12pm-9pm.
- Free Bundtlet from Nothing Bundt Cakes: Buy one get one free Bundtlet with code โBOGOMAR25โ till 3/16.
- Free custom bookmarks from Walgreens: Get 4 free bookmarks using promo code โMARKEDโ.
- Free baby welcome kit (worth $100) from Target: Once you โcreate a baby registryโ at Target and add 10 unique items and complete a $10+ purchase.
๐ข 4-Day Disney Passes for $100/Day
Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary with โlimited-time discounted park tickets starting at $100 per dayโ for a 4-day pass and $120 per day for a 3-day pass. Standard 3-4 day passes come with a 14-day window for use, but these promotional tickets are valid for visits during the entire summer between 5/16 and 9/14. Reservations are required, and the tickets are nonrefundable.
๐ต๏ธ Great Finds
๐ฅ Show Recommendation: The Pitt
We're only 4 episodes into โThe Pittโ, a new medical drama set in the ER department of a Pittsburgh hospital and we're already hooked. I was never an ER/Grey's fan, but am fascinated watching the day-to-day challenges that come up in the ER (and โaccording to an ER doctorโ it's the most realistic depiction of emergency medicine on TV). It’s streaming on Max and I definitely recommend it!
๐ Free Kids Books from Dolly Parton's Book Clubโ
โDolly Parton's Imagination Libraryโ program gifts free books to children from birth to age five. We signed up our girls because they recently partnered up with our public libraries. The program is currently available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and Ireland.
Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.