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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!)

Greetings from the land of fire and ice (or at least, the land of fire)!

While I'm currently roasting in Texas (where we hit a record-breaking 108°F yesterday), I can't help but daydream about the cooler temps of Reykjavik, Iceland. Apparently, they've been enjoying highs in the 50s and lows in the 40s. Jealous.

But let's be honest, we brought this on ourselves. After bragging about how cool this summer has been, Mother Nature decided to give us a reality check. So, remember to stay hydrated, keep that AC cranked, and keep cheering that AC on.

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🗞️ Travel News

Hyatt acquiring 21 lifestyle hotels (LINK)

Now, what exactly are lifestyle hotels? That’s my first question. Apparently, they’re hotels for the hip and trendy, two things I can’t really say I am. But it’s nice to see Hyatt making an effort to increase their global footprint. These hotels are in locations like Austin, New York, Mexico, the Maldives, Ibiza, and Thailand. The deal is expected to close later this year, but don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out for when they become bookable with points.

Last Chance for Chase 120k Chase Ink Business preferred offer (LINK)

Chase has let us know that the elevated promo for the card will be ending Sep 5th 2024. For just a $95 annual fee, this card is a great option if you're looking to add a new travel rewards card. It offers excellent transfer partners and if you make any money outside of your W2 you’re eligible. If you use my referral link and email me a screenshot of your approval. I'll schedule a free consult to help you maximize those points. I've already helped a ton of people take advantage of this offer, and some have even booked flights to Singapore later this year!

[Deal Alert] JFK to MADRID (LINK)

If you're interested in this deal, make sure the availability is there before transferring points over. You can do this by calling the partner airline or chatting with a representative through the online portal. American Airlines points are like gold to me, so I'd rather use Qantas for this deal. With the 20% transfer bonus going on right now with Capital One, it makes it even better.

[Deal Alert] Japan business class (LINK)

Multiple seats available from LAX, SFO, SEA and YVR for late this year and early next year. It’ll cost you 60,000 American Airline miles, 75,000 Alaskan miles or between 90,000 and 100,000 Qantas miles.

One Step Closer to Alaska taking over Hawaiian (LINK)

With the DOJ not challenging the merger, we're one step closer to Alaska and Hawaiian becoming one airline. This has sparked speculation about potential changes, including the possibility of Hawaiian miles becoming Alaska miles. As an American Express cardholder, I'm keeping a close eye on this. If the merger goes through and American Express doesn't partner with Alaska, we could lose a valuable way to earn Hawaiian miles. Given the current 20% transfer bonus, I'm tempted to transfer miles to Hawaiian while I still can, just in case.

🤓 Hacks

• If you've ever had to rent a car and you haven't used AutoSlash, what are you doing? It'll monitor to see if the price you paid for the car rental drops, then you can go back in and rebook. (Make sure your second booking goes through before cancelling your first) But you should also make a Priceline account and log in because if you just want to book through AutoSlash once you have VIP status, you'll get even cheaper rates.

• You can book Air France/KLM flights through the Virgin Atlantic portal. Once you find the flight you want and try booking it, you'll get an error. But here's the trick: click the "Need Help? Chat to us" button and talk to a rep. Once you get through the automation prompt and to a real person, the process is easy. While it's a pain that it's not as simple as just booking it through the website, the added annoyance will hopefully keep more award seats available for us that know this little hack. 🤫

🧑🏿‍💻 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

Reid asked if there was a way to see a flight he booked with a partner airline on the app of the airline he is flying.

He booked an Alaskan Airlines flight with Cathay miles but the flight was not showing up on his Alaskan Airlines app. What he had to do was chat with the Cathay team that booked the reward seat and they would add his Alaskan Airline number to his reservation and also give him the reference number attached to it to be able to pull it up on his app.

👀 My Favorite Finds

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

• Carnival is set for two 16-day Panama Canal cruises in the future (first of its kind?): April 12, 2026, and October 8, 2026. (LINK)

• Bilt lost Hawaiian Airlines Partnership, but not for long. (LINK)

• $2.15 Billion Portland Airport new terminals finally open. I should probably check them out… wait, is this foreshadowing? (LINK)

• New Park Hyatt will open in 2029 in Sapporo Japan (LINK)

🏨 Hotel Of The Week

• This category 4 Hyatt hotel in Montenegro has definitely been added to my list of places to go. It just opened in mid-2023.