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


๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi Reader,

Happy Saturday! Here's what's included in today's newsletter:

  • ๐Ÿ’ณ 6 increased hotel card offers with free night awards
  • ๐Ÿ’บ Up to 50% off tons of award flights
  • ๐Ÿ’ธ How to achieve real financial freedom
  • ๐Ÿ’ฐ 2% Uncapped Brokerage Bonus
  • ๐Ÿ“ฆ Easy $27 savings on Amazon
  • ๐Ÿงณ Big (negative) changes for Southwest
  • ๐Ÿฉป $600 off a full body MRI
  • ๐ŸŽข Disneyland tickets for $100/day
  • ๐Ÿ“š Free children's books
  • ๐Ÿ†“ Lots of new freebies and more!

If you enjoyed reading, please feel free to forward this to someone who might too (and if that's you, make sure to subscribe here). Thank you!

Chris


๐Ÿ’ธ Achieving Financial Freedom and Defining โ€˜Enoughโ€™

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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 โ€œenoughโ€ means, and the role of entrepreneurship in building a fulfilling life.


๐Ÿƒ My Favorite Performance Apparel

Todayโ€™s newsletter is brought to you byโ€ฆ Vuoriโ€‹

Vuori makes my favorite performance apparel, because it's incredibly versatile and SO comfortable. Everything is designed to work out in, but doesnโ€™t look or feel like it at all, which is why I pretty much wear it every day of the week (as does my wife Amy).

I have so many favorites to check out: the Sunday Performance Joggers (my #1), anything in the super-soft DreamKnit collection, the Kore shorts, Strato Tech Tees, the Meta pants and so much more.

Get 20% off your first purchase, plus free shipping on U.S. orders over $75 and free returns at chrishutchins.com/vuoriโ€‹


๐Ÿ›ซ Travel, Points & Miles

๐Ÿ’ณ Increased Hotel Card Offers with Free Night Awards

Right now, there are 6 increased welcome bonusโ€‹esโ€‹โ€‹โ€‹ (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 almost all the offers even come with free-night certificatesโ€‹.

โœˆ๏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:

๐Ÿงณ Southwest: No More Free Bags & More Bad News

Southwest Airlines just announced major changes starting 5/28 โ€“ most notably (and sadly) ending its long-standing perk of free checked bags (though there will be ways to to avoid paying for checked bags).

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 Rapid Rewards getting devalued.

๐Ÿ’ฐ 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.

๐Ÿ” Current Transfer Bonuses

If youโ€™re planning a trip and are familiar with the programs, here are transfer bonuses that could help you score a great deal.

๐Ÿ€ March Madness x Marriott: Bonus Points and VIP Tix

Marriott Bonvoyโ€™s Points for Points 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 here before 3/27 to qualify. Plus, members can redeem points towards exclusive VIP March Madness Final Four packages, which will be up for auction until 3/21.

๐Ÿจ Earn 15,000 Marriott Bonus Points with Home Rental

Earn 15,000 bonus points 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.


๐Ÿค‘ Latest Deals

๐Ÿ’ฐ 2% Uncapped Brokerage Bonus from Robinhood

Robinhood is celebrating "Gold Month" 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 my referral link here, but please read the promo FAQ here first.

๐Ÿ“ฆ Easy $27 Savings on Amazon

Hereโ€™s an easy way to save $27 on your household shopping on Amazon. Get $12 off $50 on select groceries, plus get a $15 Amazon credit when you spend $50 on household essentials using the promo code STOCKUPSAVE.

๐Ÿฉป $600 Off $2,499+ HSA/FSA Eligible Prenuvo Scan

Last week I shared an offer on this popular travel card* to get $600 off a $2,499+ full body MRI scan at Prenuvo. These types of scans are known for early detection of potential health conditions like cancer, and to make things even better, all Prenuvo scans are HSA/FSA eligible.

*For compliance reasons, we canโ€™t include names of all cards/banks.

๐Ÿ†“ Freebies This Week

  • Free $10.00 Amazon gift card: When you donate blood with the American Red Cross through March (or while supplies last).
  • Free nasal strips from Breathe Right: Just sign up here.
  • Free sinus rinse or neti pot from NeilMed: Answer this quiz (and find the right answers here).
  • Free Ritaโ€™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 BOGOMAR25 till 3/16.
  • Free custom bookmarks from Walgreens: Get 4 free bookmarks using promo code MARKED.
  • Free baby welcome kit (worth $100) from Target: Once you create a baby registry at Target and add 10 unique items and complete a $10+ purchase.

๐ŸŽข 4-Day Disney Passes for $100/Day

Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary with limited-time discounted park tickets starting at $100 per day 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.


๐Ÿ•ต๏ธ Great Finds

๐Ÿฅ Show Recommendation: The Pitt

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We're only 4 episodes into The Pitt, 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 according to an ER doctor it's the most realistic depiction of emergency medicine on TV). Itโ€™s streaming on Max and I definitely recommend it!

๐Ÿ“š Free Kids Books from Dolly Parton's Book Clubโ€‹

โ€‹Dolly Parton's Imagination Library 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.


๐Ÿ’ฌ Parting Thoughts

As always, thanks so much for reading! Iโ€™d love to hear your thoughts on todayโ€™s newsletter, and if you enjoyed it, please let me know why!

Chris

Chris Hutchins

Discover the latest and greatest hacks, deals and recommendations to upgrade and optimize your life, money and travel โ€“ all while spending less and saving more.

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