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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!)

Hello from 35,000 feet!

No really, I’m writing this week’s newsletter from my comfy business class seat in route to New York.
(If you’re wondering how I booked it, I broke it all down in last week’s issue. Covering A Last Minute Trip With Points

Technology is a beautiful thing...
But $20 for Wi-Fi, AA? Really? 😒

Alright, let’s get into this week’s news

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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

Jet Blue and United Partnership (LINK)

First Alaska bought Hawaiian.
Now Capital One is buying Discover.

And with JetBlue and United announcing a partnership, it feels like all the major players are stepping onto the board.

The interesting part is that this jetBlue United partnership feels like a first date to feel each other out.

They’re starting with mutual mileage earning and redemption across both programs.
But from the language being used, it feels like a trial run with a potential acquisition on the table if things go well.

Back in 2015, United leased its JFK slots to Delta and I think now they’ve come to regret that and are trying to find a way back in.

And what better way to do it than by aligning with (or eventually acquiring) the airline that already owns the routes you want?

For JetBlue, this could mean:
Mileage flexibility
A possible seat at the Star Alliance table
Expanded reach through United’s global network

But for you and me its still a little unclear.
But if JetBlue joins Star Alliance, that would be a big win in my book.

Let’s see how this “first date” goes.

What’s your take, good for travelers? Or more consolidation that ends up hurting competition?

Spirit named best airline in US (LINK)

Out of the ashes of bankruptcy, Spirit has somehow climbed its way back into the conversation.

At first, I thought it had to be a joke.

But as I sat through a four-hour delay on my American Airlines flight from Austin to New York, I started to think otherwise.

Everyone knows Spirit as the ultra low cost option, the airline you book when price is the only thing that matters.

But what surprised me was seeing it ranked near the top for reliability, even holding its own near to Delta, which I’m surprised at given their bumpy year.

It makes you wonder.

Do we really need all the bells and whistles that legacy carriers offer?
Or do on time flights, lower fares, and no frills consistency win out in the long run?

After that delay, I’m starting to rethink what actually matters.

No more transfers to Emirates for now (LINK)

Things got a little weird this week when Chase and Amex both suddenly paused point transfers to Emirates.

Try it now, and you'll see a message saying transfers are “temporarily unavailable.”

The speculation is that Emirates wants more money for their miles.

That could mean the end of the 1:1 transfer ratio we’ve all relied on.

So while you may still need the same number of Emirates miles to book a flight, those miles could soon cost you more to acquire.

This is yet another reminder. Loyalty programs can change fast. And when they do, it’s rarely in the customer’s favor.

Emirates is an easy go to for aspirational redemptions so make sure to keep an eye on this one.

No more Alaska miles back door (LINK)

I don’t know if this is 100% confirmed yet, but there are rumors going around that starting June 30th, you might no longer be able to convert Hawaiian miles into Alaska miles.

If you’re wondering why that matters, this little workaround has been one of the easiest ways to score Alaska miles without having to fly Alaska or open one of their cards.

Since you can transfer Amex points to Hawaiian, and then convert those to Alaska, it’s been a solid backdoor way to use Amex points for high value Alaska redemptions like LATAM, American Airlines, Fiji Airways, and others.

If there’s anything you’ve been meaning to book, it might be a good idea to move your points over before it’s too late.

Better safe than stuck with miles you didn’t plan to use.

🤓 Hack

• If you need a little extra time to lock in an award flight with a U.S. airline, American Airlines is still your best bet.

  They recently reduced their hold time from 5 days to just 1, but they’re still the only U.S. airline that allows you to hold award space you just have to call in to do it.

  Not as generous as it used to be, but still useful if you’re waiting on a points transfer or just need a little breathing room to finalize plans.

🛋️ 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.

This is definitely not something you should do, and I can neither confirm nor deny if I’ve ever done it myself.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way...

Let’s just hypothetically say you’re taking a flight and it gets delayed by four hours.

You’re booked in AA First Class, but since it’s not an international flight, that doesn’t get you lounge access.

Still, you’re stuck at the airport and really want to relax somewhere nicer than the gate.

If you have the Amex Platinum card, you could, in theory, get into the Delta Sky Club. But there’s a catch you need to have a same day Delta ticket to get in.

So, how would you solve that? Well, in “theory”, here’s how it would work:

• You find a fully refundable Delta flight for later that day and make sure it’s within 3 hours of when you want to enter the lounge.

• Book it (and don’t pick the cheapest fare if you want lounge access).

• Check in for the flight.

• Use your Amex Platinum at the Delta Sky Club entrance to get in.

• Once inside... you could “hypothetically” cancel the flight and enjoy the lounge.

Would you be down a lounge visit for the year? Yep.

Would you have to jump through some hoops? Also yes.

But hey, if your flight’s delayed and you’re hungry, some people might say it’s worth it.

Definitely not me, though. 😉

P.S. If you’re ever passing through Austin, the mezzanine is finally open again.

For a while they turned it into the saddest attempt at a Chase Sapphire Preferred “lounge”... but thankfully it’s back open to everyone. Great place to let the kids run around and burn some energy before the flight.

Bonus tip: there’s a bathroom up there that almost no one knows about. You're welcome.

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.

• Some good award availability to Italy from different locations in the US this summer

👀 My Favorite Finds

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

• This 100k points offer is ending soon (LINK)

• These newsletters are changing the game (LINK)

• Delta first airline to launch JFK to Sicily route (LINK)

• How to enroll for ride share benefits in Chase app (LINK)

• This pink beach was named best beach in the world (LINK)

• Stuck on a plane for 7 hours once they landed because there was no staff (LINK)