🤙🏿 Welcome back to the Better Than Points Newsletter - the premier place for all things Credit Card Points News and Travel
My name’s Luis and I’m the one writing this (hit me up here!)
Quick Update.
Still on a cruise.
So this one will be short.
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A Message from Me
To be transparent: I may receive compensation when you click on links to offers in this email. That said, I only promote products I truly believe in, and this one has earned its place in my wallet.
Right now, Chase is offering the best ever bonus on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, making this the perfect time to get started.
Why this card right now?
🚨 Limited time $300 bonus after spending just $500 in the first 3 months
🆓 $0 annual fee → long term value with no cost to keep
🍽️ 3% cash back on dining and drugstores
💳 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
📈 A strong everyday earner and one of the best cards for beginners
Pro Tip:
This may be a cash back card on paper but if you pair it with a premium Chase card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, that cash back becomes transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
That $300 bonus? It becomes 30,000 points, which can be used for flights, hotels, and more when booked through Chase or transferred to partners like Hyatt and JetBlue.
Bottom Line:
With a low minimum spend, strong rewards, and no annual fee, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of the best starter or companion cards out there especially while this best ever offer is live.
🛋️ Luis’ Lounge
Each week, I’ll share something cool I’ve discovered or tackle a question from the community. It’s my little corner to explore ideas, offer fresh perspectives, and hopefully spark your own curiosity.
Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas 🎄
Day 6 – Cruise Journal
Boat update: cruising at 19 knots.
We’ve just passed between Cuba and Florida, heading back into the Gulf of Mexico.
Carnival crussin has definitely been an interesting experience as a first time cruiser with an almost 2 year-old.
A lot of sleepless nights while everyone adjusted.
We also had day where we had to stay on board because it was too windy to water shuttle over to Celebration Key, one of Carnival’s islands we were supposed to visit.
Thankfully, we did make it to Nassau, where we had a great day walking around and spending time on the beach before heading back on the ship for the two day journey back to Galveston.
Needless to say… very ready to be back on land and back to normal.
Here are five interesting things we learned cruising for the first time:
When the ship pulls out of port, the captain isn’t actually on the ship at first.
There’s a small pilot boat (basically a little pirate ship) and the captain navigates the ship out of port from there before getting back on.People hide tiny rubber ducks all over the ship.
It turns into a scavenger hunt. We met a kid trying to break the record of 80+ ducks found on one ship, he was already at 50 after three days.For such a massive ship, there are surprisingly few changing tables.
We only found one… and it was by the buffet. Not exactly ideal with a toddler.There’s a ton happening late into the night.
If you’re not traveling with a two-year-old, you could really take advantage of the shows, parties, and activities that run well past bedtime.They’re strict about what you can bring on, but also… kind of not?
After going through the process, it seems like as long as it’s not alcohol in your suitcase, you might get away with more than you’d expect.
Bonus observation:
Talking to people on board, everything felt pretty reasonably priced (but they do nickel and dime you for everything).
Most folks with status said the real money is made in the casinos—gamble enough and you get free or heavily discounted cruises.
🤓 Tips & Tricks
A lot of these ships use 120 volt outlets, which is frustrating because we only found two standard US plugs in the room.
This little plug adapter came in clutch, it turned one outlet into six regular US plugs and was compliant with cruise rules since extension cords aren’t allowed on board.
With phones, tablets, baby gear, and chargers… this was a lifesaver.
Travel News
What Should I do
Internet on the ship isn’t great, so I’ll leave y’all with an answer I gave someone earlier 👇
They asked whether they should pick up the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
I told them: before you do that, look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred first.
Here’s why:
The Freedom Unlimited is solid… but it’s just cash back on its own.
You need a card like the Sapphire Preferred to turn that cash back into transferable points for flights and hotels.
With the Sapphire Preferred, you can book travel directly and transfer points to airline and hotel partners.
Since I already knew they were traveling (and traveling for the holidays), the travel protections on the Sapphire Preferred mattered a lot more than straight cash back.
My take:
Ideally, you should have both.
But if you’re already traveling or want the ability to transfer points right away get the Sapphire Preferred first, then add the Freedom Unlimited later.
Just a helpful tip for anyone considering it.
Check out these crazy award deals!
🖥️ TravelBot
Chat with TravelBot - my AI clone. It’s trained on every newsletter I’ve published along with my 10+ years of points and credit card knowledge 🧠.
It’s also trained on my voice, so you can call it and have a full blown conversations. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
👀 My Favorite Finds
This section includes some of the best links videos and articles of the week around the points and travel community
These newsletters are changing the game (LINK)
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Appreciate you,
Luis 🤙🏿
When you’re ready, here are 5 ways I can help you:
My Book - I’ve been traveling for over a decade and created the book I wish I had when I first started traveling using points.
My free toolkit - I’m sharing all the tools I currently use in my business to help find and book luxury travel.
My Current Favorite Cards - I always get asked what my current favorite credit cards are. Well, here they are yes, it’s an affiliate link.
Ultimate Credit Card Points Workshop - Learn my step by step system to book flights and hotels with points, even if you’re just starting out.
Turn your business spending into international flights. If you're an entrepreneur with a high-revenue business and love to travel first or business class internationally, I'd love to work with you.
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