This Week’s Money Map:

• 🤑 $300 bonus: Bank of America’s checking account offer for new customers

• ✈️ A MUCH easier way to get the Southwest Companion Pass (for a limited time!)

• 💰 Save money with an AARP membership at any age

• 💸 Lifestyle creep: The hidden threat to your financial freedom

• 💳 Big credit card transfer bonuses: Get up to 50% more value for your points

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🤑 $300 bonus: Bank of America’s checking account offer for new customers

Imagine opening a new checking account and getting $300 just for setting up direct deposit. Bank of America makes it simple for new customers to claim this limited-time offer—here’s how.

How to get your $300 bonus
To snag the $300, open an eligible checking account by May 31, 2025, using the code PSJ300CIS at Bank of America’s offer page. Then, arrange direct deposits totaling $2,000—like your paycheck—within 90 days. Your bonus arrives within 60 days of meeting the requirement. Pro tip: Set a calendar reminder for the 90-day mark to ensure your deposits are on track.

Choose the right account for you
Bank of America offers three qualifying checking accounts, each with unique perks. Advantage SafeBalance Banking suits students or beginners with no overdraft fees; its $4.95 monthly fee is waived if you’re under 25 or maintain $500 daily. Advantage Plus Banking includes overdraft protection, and its $12 fee vanishes with $1,500 in the account or $250 in monthly direct deposits. Advantage Relationship Banking, ideal for higher balances, waives its $25 fee with $10,000 across Bank of America accounts and earns minimal interest. All come with mobile banking and cash-back deals—pick what fits your lifestyle.

Maximize your banking experience
Beyond the bonus, you’ll gain tools like Erica, a virtual assistant for budgeting, and Zelle for quick payments. To avoid fees long-term, automate direct deposits or monitor your balance. Visit a branch or use the app to confirm eligibility details, as offers may vary by region.

Claim your bonus today
Open your account, set up direct deposit, and enjoy $300 plus smart banking perks. For more financial insights, check out MoneyGeek.com. 

✈️ A MUCH easier way to get the Southwest Companion Pass (for a LIMITED TIME only)

Last year my family saved about $5,000 with the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass. We have two passes, and on just on one round-trip flight to Hawaii, we saved $2,000! And for a limited time, there’s a much simpler way for you to get one.

How does a Companion Pass work?
The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to take a friend or family member with you on an UNLIMITED number of Southwest flights as long as a seat is available. When you book your flight, all you need to do is add your companion to the flight through your Southwest loyalty account.

How do you get the pass?
It’s usually a whole process to get the pass. We each had to sign up for two credit cards and meet the sign-up bonus requirements for both cards before becoming eligible.

But right now, Southwest has a limited-time offer that allows you to get a Companion Pass by opening one consumer credit card and meeting the $4,000 spend requirement within three months. The pass will be yours until the end of February 2026. If you are in “two-player mode,” your spouse or partner can get one as well, which gives you the option to take two people on the flight. Plus, you’ll get 30,000 bonus points that can cover future flight costs.

What’s the catch?
Honestly, no catch. If you get a Companion Pass the typical way — by earning 135,000 points in your Southwest account (usually by spending a lot or signing up for two credit cards that offer bonuses totaling near 135,000 points) — then you’ll get the pass for up to a maximum of two years, depending on when you hit the point requirement. This limited-time offer gives you the pass for only one year, but is easier and has a lower spend requirement.

Here’s a link to the card application. This offer expires at the end of March.

💰 How to save money with an AARP membership at any age

Getting older has its downsides, but there are some upsides to aging, too — like scoring discounts, saving money, and unlocking exclusive insurance benefits with AARP. But you don’t have to be in retirement to join! Despite its name (American Association of Retired Persons), AARP welcomes anyone 18 and up to become a member for just $20 a year. Why wait for retirement when you can start saving money today?

AARP offers a wide variety of discounts on dining, travel, and insurance, including:

• $300–7,200 in benefits based on the sale or purchase price of your home with Anywhere Real Estate

• 10–20% off dining at places like Denny’s, Papa John’s, Outback Steakhouse, and Landry’s 

• Up to 35% off base rental car fees with Avis and Budget

• Discounts and onboard credits for Holland America Line and Collette Cruise Tours

• Up to $200 off round-trip tickets with British Airways

• 5–10% off hotel stays with certain Best Western, Wyndham, Hilton, Radisson, and Choice Hotels (to name a few!)

• Up to 69% off device protection plans with Norton 360

• $20 off a Walmart+ annual membership

• Discounted tickets to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios

AARP members also have access to multiple types of insurance, including:

• Dental plans through Delta Dental

• Vision plans through VSP

• Term life insurance, permanent life insurance, and guaranteed acceptance life insurance policies from New York Life

• Medicare supplements and Medicare Advantage plans through UnitedHealthcare

• Pet insurance through Fetch

• Home, renters, auto, and motorcycle insurance through The Hartford 

Whether you're 25 or 75, an AARP membership can help you find big savings and exclusive insurance perks you won’t find anywhere else. Sign up for a membership today and start saving money ASAP!

💸 Lifestyle creep: The hidden threat to your financial freedom

You finally land that raise you’ve been chasing, and it feels like a win — until you realize your bank account is still gasping for air. Sound familiar? Welcome to lifestyle creep, the sneaky habit of letting your spending balloon as your income rises.

It’s not malicious, and it may even seem harmless. But if you don’t check it, you’ll feel broke no matter how much you earn. Let’s break it down and arm you with creative, practical strategies to outsmart it — because you deserve financial freedom, not a fancier hamster wheel.

The slow drip that drains you
Lifestyle creep isn’t a dramatic heist, it’s a quiet leak. You upgrade from a reliable car to a flashy lease, move to a bigger apartment, or start saying “yes” to every dinner invite. Suddenly, your “needs” include stuff you barely noticed before.

It’s not about the things — it’s the mindset. If you suspect you’re falling victim to lifestyle creep, here’s the question to ask yourself: Are you leveling up the quality of your life, or just your expenses?

Creative ways to outsmart the creep
Forget the tired “skip the coffee” advice. Here are fresh, actionable strategies to keep lifestyle creep in check without feeling like you’re punishing yourself.

• Launch a “lifestyle freeze”: Commit to not increasing your spending for six months, even if your income jumps. That extra cash? Send it straight to savings or investments. It’s like hitting pause on temptation, giving your wealth a chance to stack up.

• Craft a “joy budget”: Within your discretionary spending, set aside a fixed amount for things that genuinely light you up — a cooking class, a weekend hike — whatever sparks joy. Skip the mindless upgrades and invest in what matters to you.

• Get tech-savvy with savings: Download a budgeting app to set spending caps and get real-time alerts when you’re pushing the limit. Better yet, automate a percentage of every income boost into savings or investment — out of sight, out of mind.

• Master mindful spending: Keep a spending journal for a month. Don’t just log what you buy, note why. Was it stress? Boredom? Spotting those emotional triggers helps you pause and ask: Do I need this, or am I just filling a void?

Reclaim your wealth
Imagine you score a 10% raise. Instead of browsing car lots, you freeze your lifestyle and invest the extra $300 a month. In five years at 7% interest, that’s over $21,000 (you can use an online compound interest calculator to compute this). Or, you funnel it into a side hustle — maybe photography or freelancing — and turn a passion into profit. Suddenly, you’re not just earning more — you’re building more.

Wealth isn’t how much you make — it’s how much you keep. Start today: pick one strategy above and run with it. Maybe it’s a lifestyle freeze or firing up that budgeting app. Feel that spark? That’s empowerment. 

💳 Big credit card transfer bonuses: Get up to 50% more value for your points

Did you know you can move points from big-bank credit card programs (Chase, Amex, Capital One, and Citi) to airline and hotel loyalty programs? 

Transfer bonuses allow you to move points at a higher transfer rate than the standard one. For example, if transfers are typically at a 1:1 ratio, a 50% transfer bonus means you’ll get 1.5 points for every point transferred.

Although we don’t recommend speculatively transferring points (as it’s typically better to keep points flexible), if you have plans to use a specific hotel or airline program this year, transfer bonuses are a great way to boost your point values.

Here are the current transfer bonuses for March. For all you Marriott Hotel fans, check out the Chase 50% transfer bonus!

Summer travel is just around the corner. Here’s your chance to get more points and more free travel!

Smart Cents gives you actionable tips and mindset shifts to help you reach your financial happy place. Thanks for being a part of our community.

The MoneyGeek Team

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