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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!)

Bilt is at it again.

In a good way.

But rental car companies… not so much.

So let’s get into it.

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A Message from Me

I wasted hours and overpaid in points, but the right help would've changed that ✈️ 

I still remember the first time I tried booking a flight with points. I thought I was getting a deal, but between confusing award charts, hidden fees, and bad redemption rates, I spent way too many hours (and way too many points) just to book a single ticket.

Looking back, I could’ve booked it in half the time and saved thousands of points if someone had just shown me how.

That’s where I come in.

Here’s how I can help:

✅ Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll make it happen— in style (business & first class).
✅ Leverage my 10+ years of experience to save time and maximize your miles.
✅ Skip the frustration of award searches and hidden fees— I’ll find the best deals for you.
✅ Fly better, for less— experience business and first class without paying out of pocket.
✅ Get your trips booked for the year— rates start at $1k for two people roundtrip, and the experiences are priceless.

👉 Book an intro call today and start planning your dream trips!

Travel News

Bilt Is Making Luxury Stays Better (LINK)

Bilt’s Not Wasting Time making moves after their funding round with New Hotel Perks Dropping

With a little extra change in their pocket after the recent funding, Bilt is already putting it to use.

Gold and Platinum members just got a quiet little upgrade and it's one worth noticing.

Bilt has rolled out a new partnership with Virtuoso, giving members access to luxury hotel perks without needing the Bilt card itself.

Here’s what you get when booking one of the ~1,900 properties in the program:

• Room upgrades (when available)

• Breakfast for two

• Early check-in & late check-out

• Property specific extras like resort credits or spa perks

This puts Bilt closer to the big leagues, mimicking benefits typically reserved for premium travel cards like Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve without the heavy fees.

It’s another sign that Bilt isn’t just building a card they’re building an ecosystem.

Check the app for eligible properties and don’t sleep on this if you’ve got travel plans coming up.

Hertz AI Is Going To Make You Pay More (LINK)

AI is coming for your wallet.

At least if you're renting from Hertz.

They just rolled out new AI inspection portals at major airports (starting in Atlanta). Sounds futuristic until it scans your rental car and flags:

Hairline scratches
Micro dents
Windshield chips
Even damage under the car

Stuff that would’ve been overlooked by a human now is becoming a reason to charge you hundreds.

And let’s be honest… are they even fixing these things?

The reason this is a problem is, the more people getting hit with charges.

The more start filing claims with their credit card’s rental protection and issuers might respond by raising fees or pulling the benefit entirely.

This might be the most expensive AI use case yet.

Unless Hertz adjusts their “damage” threshold, we might see a mass migration to Turo or smaller local rental companies that don’t weaponize tech against you.

So if you're renting soon, document everything and maybe rethink who you’re renting from.

Business Class from NYC to Germany for 56k Points (LINK)

Every month, Singapore Airlines drops their Spontaneous Escapes deals, which give you the chance to book select routes for fewer miles than usual.

For August, the standout is the New York City (JFK) to Frankfurt route

• 56,700 miles one-way in Business Class

• 36,400 miles one-way in Premium Economy

A few things to keep in mind:

• You need to book by July 31, 2025

• Travel must be between August 1–31, 2025

• There are some blackout dates

This is a great deal if you’re planning a trip to Europe anyway.

Most similar flights with Air Canada will run you at least 60,000 miles for business class so this lets you save some points and fly Singapore’s excellent product.

Also, this is what’s called a fifth freedom route, meaning the flight operates between two countries that aren’t the airline’s home base (Singapore Airlines flying between the US and Europe in this case), which often means better availability and service.

🤓 Hack

• If you ever rent a car, make sure to take videos and picture all around the car before and after you drop it off. See this crazy post about it and how easily it could go wrong.

🛋️ 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.

We’re starting to see a trend where round-trip flights or flights booked for two people are pricing out cheaper than just booking a one-way ticket.

Naturally, people are asking: Can I just book the round-trip and only take the first leg?

The answer? Yes and no.

Here’s the deal:

• If you book a round-trip and skip the return flight, that’s usually fine. But do it often enough and some airlines might flag your account, especially if your behavior looks suspiciously like fare manipulation.

• If you book a flight with a connection, and only take the first leg, that’s called skiplagging, and airlines do not like that.

  • Example: You book a flight from Austin to Newark with a layover in NYC, and just get off in NYC. That’s skiplagging.

  • Airlines can penalize you for this sometimes by canceling future segments or even your frequent flyer account.

• On the flip side:

  • If you plan to skip the first leg and only take the second, bad news you won’t be able to. If you don’t take the first leg, the rest of the ticket is automatically canceled.

If you’re playing around with these kinds of booking strategies, don’t attach your loyalty number to the ticket. That way, if an airline gets fussy, you’re not risking your elite status or mileage account.

Bottom line:
Be strategic, but be careful. Don’t assume the airline won’t notice. If the goal is to save money, just make sure it doesn’t cost you more in the long run.

This is the post that got me thinking about this.

Check out these crazy award deals!

🔬 Secret Travel Research

This section includes some of the best award flights of the week bookable with points and miles.

• USA to Europe for the beginning of August.

🖥️ 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

• Citi Strata replacing Citi Prestige card (LINK)

• These newsletters are changing the game (LINK)

• #1 trick to tell if your flight is going to be delayed (LINK)

• Download the hotel app and earn 1,000 free points (LINK)

• Austin Bergstrom Airport expansion plans completion 2030 (LINK)