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🤙🏿 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!)

I'm back once again, and boy, did some news go down this week!

Surprisingly, it wasn't all bad! I've got some news 🗞️, I've got some deals 🚨, and most importantly, I've got some dad jokes 😎. Sit down and buckle up, because the cabin doors are closing.

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🗞️ Travel News

50 Best Hotels Announced for 2024 (LINK)

It's not like I could afford to stay at most of these hotels (unless of course on points), but it's always fun to see the "50 Best" list of hotels. Surprisingly, I've stayed at one of them: the Park Hyatt in Kyoto, during our two-week honeymoon in Japan. While I liked Sowaka way more (a hotel just down the street), to each their own. Here's a quick rundown of the top 50 hotels. I’m really curious to how many of them you’ve been to and your favorite one.

Amex drops changes on Uber Cash benefit (LINK)

Okay, I might have lied... I do have some bad news. But in my defense, it's not “that bad,” which is probably why I forgot to mention it. Starting November 8th, you'll need to use your Amex cards for your Uber transactions in order for the credit to be applied. While this isn't ideal, considering you might not be able to maximize your spend on your purchase, it could be worse. Just remember to switch your preferred card over to an Amex card for Uber rides/eats to still take advantage of the credit.

Alaska Airlines Completes Hawaiian Airlines Takeover (LINK)

So while it hasn't been a complete takeover, Alaskan Airlines has had to jump through hoops since last year to make this happen. A special shout out to Papa Buttigieg and the Department of Transportation for letting the deal go through but more importantly, using the acquisition as a precedents for all other airlines. Given their recent probe on airline rewards, the acquisition looks like a win for both the airlines and travelers. Both airline reward programs will remain intact, with the ability to transfer miles interchangeably in the future. Hawaiian will also join the Oneworld alliance in 2026.

[Deal Alert] Seattle to Taipei (LINK)

Not sure if Delta is having issues filling up this nonstop flight to Taipei, but it looks like this deal is back. Round-trip flights are showing at 220K Delta SkyMiles, which might sound like a lot, but at this point, bottle camps might be more valuable than Delta SkyMiles. I'm glad to see the deal is back, but you either have to book round-trip or from the US to Taipei. Booking a one-way from Taipei to the US unfortunately doesn't show the reduced redemption amounts. If you need more info check this out.

🤓 Hacks

• If you have a credit card with an airline fee credit but are having a hard time using it due to restrictions, consider using it for United Airlines TravelBank. Another option, which is up to your moral compass to determine if it's right or wrong, is to book a Southwest flight for around the airline credit amount and then cancel the flight. You can then hold the value of the ticket as a flight credit. This is even mentioned on Southwest's FAQ page for you to review.

• If you don't have enough points to book both of your flights, it's usually cheaper to pay with points for flights leaving the US and cash for flights returning. That way, you can at least save some money while still having to buy your ticket.

🧑🏿‍💻 Question From You

Every week I answer one question from the community. Reply to this email with yours because you’re probably not the only one that has it.

Question

This week instead of a questions i’m going to let you into my travel brain (Please keep hands and feet inside the ride at all times) to go through this merger.

The Alaska-Hawaiian merger is exciting for American Express cardholders. You'll now be able to indirectly transfer American Express points for Alaska Miles. Given that you can already transfer American Express points to Hawaiian Miles and then transfer Hawaiian Miles to Alaska at a 1:1 ratio (starting later this month), this opens up a lot of possibilities.

If you haven't already signed up for the Hawaiian Airlines credit card, using this link and adding a 6-digit code will waive the need to spend $2,000 to get the 70,000 Hawaiian Miles bonus. Reply back and I might have a code. You'll receive the bonus after your first purchase.

This means that once you have the card you can easily transfer points between Alaska and Hawaiian, along with combine your Alaska Miles by using Hawaiian miles.

👀 My Favorite Finds

This section includes some of the best links videos and articles of the week around the points and travel community

• Jet Blue is set to open a lounge in JFK & Boston in 2025 (LINK)

• SAS is launching a new flight from SEA (LINK)

• AUS is my main airport and I’m happy to see British Airways launching a twice daily flight to LHR (LINK)

• AA is cutting 4 flights out of Austin but adding DFW to Tampico Mexico (LINK)

🏨 Hotel Of The Week

• Hidden it what seems like the Mexican Jungle this hotel has been on my list for a while and I’m happy to see it on the world top 50 list.