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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!)

It is with great sadness that I come to you today to report that I am no longer in Hawaii 😭.

Make sure you’re following me on Instagram since I’ll be running through all the highlights, hacks, and honey holes you need to visit when in Hawaii.

Coming home from a trip always leaves me a bit points poor, so it’s time to roll up my sleeves and start earning again for the next adventure.

But enough about me, let’s dive into this week’s news.

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🗞️ Travel News

[Deal Alert] East Coast to Switzerland (LINK)

If you’re not already following findflightsforme, I highly recommend it, they’re always dropping fire deals. Just yesterday, they announced a bunch of award availability on the NYC-to-Switzerland route from now all the way through summer 2025!

What I love about their posts (and I think you will too) is that they don’t just give you the dates; they also lay out your points options and even give you a preview of what the plane setup looks like.

Some of these dates might already be snapped up, but if Switzerland is on your travel list for this year or next, it’s definitely worth a look. And don’t worry if you miss out, I’ll be sharing a fresh list of available flights in the Flights of the Week section.

New Hyatt La Compañia Hotel In Panama (LINK)

I’m writing this one a bit selfishly, hoping you’ll join me in drinking the Kool-Aid 😄.

While you may not have stayed at La Compañia in Casco Antiguo, in the heart of Panama’s Old Town, it’s hands down one of my favorite hotels in downtown Panama. This spot was a hidden gem for free night certificates until it recently moved up to a Category 5.

Well, exciting news: La Compañia is opening another location in early 2025, and it’s going to be epic. This new art and wellness retreat will be nestled in an extinct volcanic crater, surrounded by mountains, a dreamy escape in the making. As a proud Panamanian, you know I’ll be checking this place out the moment it opens and reporting back with all the details!

Alaska Blocking Partner Awards within 72 Hours of Travel (LINK)

While none of us like having our travel booking options limited, Alaska has said that the new 72-hour partner booking block is only temporary. While other airlines have done this before to prevent fraud, it’s never been this broad before.

This change is frustrating, especially because so many great award bookings open up just days before a flight. Right now, both the online portal and phone bookings are affected, so fingers crossed this isn’t a long-term thing.

Bonus

I always keep my schedule light after coming back from vacation, so with a few open slots, I thought—why not offer them to my newsletter readers?

If you’re on the fence about opening a new card or need help figuring out which one is right for you, feel free to book some time on my calendar.

I normally charge for this service and won’t be opening many slots, so once these are booked, I won’t be adding more

🤓 Hacks

• Don’t let your United points expire for you or anyone in your family! United just unveiled a points pooling program, so make sure everyone flying with you has an account linked to their ticket. That way, everyone earns points for their flights, keeping those rewards active and growing

• 15 airlines have integrated AirTag tracking, letting them see your bag locations in real time, great for when they get lost. Make sure to pop an AirTag in each of your bags while traveling to keep them visible every step of the way.

🧑🏿‍💻 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

Marianne asked if she should stick to using 2 or 3 credit cards or if she should open up more cards to get bonus points

It all comes down to what works for you and how fast you want to stack up points.

Some people don’t want the hassle of managing more than one card.

Others are totally fine opening new ones every few months to boost their points quicker.

At the end of the day, it’s all about your comfort level and making sure you can keep track of the cards you have.

🔬 Secret Travel Research

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

• You can use Air Canadas Aeroplan program to book Swiss one-way flights for 60K, with some dates having up to 8 business seats available

👀 My Favorite Finds

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

• Qatar Airways crazy way of making 200,000 airline meals from scratch (LINK)

• Chase Sapphire Lounges Opening in San Diego and Phoenix (LINK)

• Why airline programs are valued higher than airlines themselves (LINK)