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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!)

The holidays are right around the corner, and you know what that means, travel deals are heating up!

Whether you’re planning a last-minute getaway or stacking points for next year, there’s plenty to get excited about this week.

Speaking of excitement, I have to say, I didn’t expect such an amazing response to my credit card consults. It was fun talking to so many of you who read the newsletter and helping you strategize for your next trip. If you missed out, don’t worry—stay tuned, because I’ve got something good.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s news and make sure you’re ready to tackle the holiday season like a pro!

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🗞️ Travel News

Spirit Airlines Files Bankruptcy (LINK)

A big ol’ egg on the face of the government for denying the Spirit/JetBlue merger a couple of months ago. They claimed it was bad for American consumers and to protect the US market from anticompetitive harm.

After that deal fell through, Spirit tried a Hail Mary merger with Frontier again, but Frontier backed out due to their current contract obligations, and talks broke down.

Now, while plenty of airlines have gone through bankruptcy before, I’m not sure how much I’d trust booking a Spirit flight right now. Even though the company insists operations will continue as usual.

They do have some finances lined up to restructure, but we’ll see if they pull through or if Frontier or JetBlue can swoop in and save them during bankruptcy.

Oh, and here’s where it gets spicy: the internet managed to dig up some of Spirit’s proposed “transformation plans” to make more money.

My question is, shouldn’t they have tried this before going bankrupt? Just a thought.

Grand Hyatt Deer Valley Opens Early (LINK)

Gotta love it when a new Hyatt property opens up right before the holidays. Even better, you can already book it with points, and guess what?

They’ve got award availability for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. 🤩 

Since they literally just opened, if you’re thinking about heading to Utah for some sick snowboarding over the holidays brah, I’d suggest booking those awards ASAP.

I mean, room prices from December 25th through December 29th range from $600 to $1,200 a night, but you can snag them for just 29,000 points each. Not bad for a last-minute getaway to a brand-new resort, right?

Oh, and if you’re looking to ball out, the Grand Suite is up for grabs at only 58,000 points a night. Sure beats the $2,000+ price tag, doesn’t it?

Delta Partners Up With Shake Shack (LINK)

Now, I could definitely go for a SmokeShack on my next Delta flight, because let’s be honest…the food on U.S. airlines is just sad.

While this Shake Shack partnership is currently only for flights out of Boston and only for first-class passengers, it’s still a step in the right direction.

Hopefully, this opens the door for more airlines to follow suit.

Seriously, leave the cooking to the restaurants and focus on what you do best, flying airplanes. I’m all for restaurants teaming up with airlines to provide food on board. Is anyone else down for some Fogo de Chão steak and eggs at 35,000 feet?

🤓 Hacks

• If you’re doing any online shopping this holiday season, make sure you’re using a site like Rakuten. Instead of cash back, you can choose to earn Amex points. It might not seem like much at first, but trust me, it adds up fast and could be enough to book yourself a business-class flight

  

  Rakuten sent me 46,538 Amex Points earlier this year

• If you have multiple cards with Priority Pass, make sure you’re logged into the app with an account that includes restaurant benefits. Otherwise, those restaurants won’t show up when you’re searching for them in the app. It’s a small step, but it makes all the difference when trying to use that $28 per person Priority Pass restaurant credit.

🧑🏿‍💻 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

I was talking to Yarlo during one of my consult calls last week, and he asked if it’s possible to get more than one of the same card.

The answer? It depends. In some cases, you can have two of the same card, but you might need to apply for a different one first and then product change into it later. This strategy can be super helpful for folks who are hitting the annual or monthly bonus category limits on a specific card.

On another note, I’ve had a bunch of people email me trying to book a free consult call, and honestly, I had a blast chatting with you all! Since the slots filled up so quickly, I’m opening up a few more. If you need credit card help, here’s the link—don’t wait too long, these will go fast!

🔬 Secret Travel Research

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

• Here are some award flights for the middle of summer heading to Europe bookable through Air Canada Aeroplan

👀 My Favorite Finds

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

• Alaska is adding 10 new routes, mostly to winter destinations (LINK)

• These newsletters are changing the game (LINK)

• From Nov 26 to Dec 3 Marriott Hotel Bookings will be 25% off in the app (LINK)

• Don’t talk crap about the Egyptian airports or their government might come after you (LINK)

• Hawaiian Airlines to end its nonstop route out of Austin on March 2025 😭 (LINK)

• Cheap ticket to Japan (LINK)