✈︎ Insider Tips:5 Points & Miles Hacks from Top Experts You Can’t Miss

Good morning ☀️ from Booked It On Points: A curated collection of travel tips and personal stories by me, Allie→ because you’re meant to experience meaningful travel no matter life’s constraints 👊🏽

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Here’s what’s on today—

📉 It’s here again and this month KLM/AirFrance have picked some pretty sweet ways to get to Europe and beyond on the cheap. It’s got special value when it’s a longer haul like this one above. If you do the point/cash ratio, this flight values your points at 3.6cents which is a great value! Can’t remember how to value your points? Check out this post here.

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✈︎ Points + Miles

What I learned at a Points + Miles conference

I just spent an entire weekend surrounded by fellow points + miles enthusiasts, and let me tell you—I finally felt semi-normal in my obsession. It was a weekend of deep dives into all things travel rewards, tips, and hacks that make me giddy. I put together some top takeaways from the conference that are perfect for anyone looking to make the most of their points and miles:

1. Southwest & Hyatt: The Family Vacation Dream Team
   If you’re looking to book a family vacation using points, Southwest Airlines + Hyatt Hotels are your go-to.

   The combo of Southwest’s no-hassle points redemption and Hyatt’s generous points program makes it so easy to book a vacation for the whole crew without breaking the bank (or your brain).

   Use Rapid Rewards points or points from this bank to book the flight. These same “blue bank” cards transfer points to any of Hyatt’s resorts all over the world for the ultimate vacation redemption. No resort fees, no taxes, nada!

2. The 10k Rule: Business Class for Less
   Here's a pro tip that’s not too complicated: Want to know if you’re over paying in points? The cost of a business class ticket should cost about 10k points per hour of flight time. So, an 8-hour flight should cost around 80,000 points. This simple rule helps you gauge whether you're getting a fair deal on your points when booking that luxury flight. Sub 5k/hour for economy.

3. Rakuten Shopping Portal = Extra Points

   Rakuten shopping portal for your everyday purchases can dump tons of extra points into some bank accounts (10x points/dollar!). Don’t want the points? It can offer 10% or more in cash back as well. With the holidays coming up, this is a no brainer. It’s like getting paid to shop—except you’re earning points that you can later convert into travel!

4. Free Stopovers: Maximize Your Trip
   Optimize any airline that offers a free stopover program.

   Instead of a straight shot to your destination, you can tack on a free stopover in an exciting city, giving you two vacations for the price of one. This is an awesome strategy for making your miles go farther.

   A couple favorite stopover programs: TAP Portugal , Cathay Pacific , and FlyingBlue.

5. Use This Card to Purchase Amazon Gift Cards
   Got this (cash) card? Use it to buy Amazon gift cards and earn 5x points per dollar. Simply load the gift card into your Amazon account and you’re set. It’s a sneaky way to rack up rewards on everyday items.

Points and miles can be a tricky world to navigate, but once you get the hang of it, the rewards are worth their weight in gold.

I love helping others with their travel aspirations, so if you’re ready to dive in, I’m here for travel consulting and award bookings to make sure you get the best deals possible!

(All card links are affiliate links and support my business at no extra cost to you! Because of stupid bank rules, I can’t mention them by name. Have questions? Simply hit reply!)

✈︎ Travel News

Our Points + Miles Are In Danger

The Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 could change how credit cards and points + miles work for all of us. Right now, Visa and Mastercard control most credit card transactions, but this law would increase credit card competition.

This might lower the fees that businesses pay, and it could also mean fewer points and rewards for people who use credit cards to travel. If the law passes, people who use points and miles might get fewer benefits like free flights or hotel stays because credit card companies might lower their rewards to cover the costs.

European Travel Strikes Expected This Season

‘Tis another season of travel amongst us! Holiday travel can be cause for great headache, even more so when your much anticipated European holiday is disrupted by impending strikes. Stay up to date to ensure you have a back up plan if things are looking grim.

✈︎ Poll

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If you’ve made it down here, thank you, I am very appreciative. Have a lovely Tuesday!

Allie