All Blog Posts 🗺️

🤙🏿 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!)

No time for gibber jabber today.

This one’s a long one, and you’ll want to stick around till the end.

If the email gets cut off, just hit expand so you don’t miss anything.

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up free here

Get your brands in front of 8,000+ travelers & entrepreneurs. 

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

Air France’s New First Class (LINK)

Air France just unveiled its new first class cabin after three years.

If I had to sum up how I feel about it with a meme… this would be the one.

Okay, while they are a little different, on the bright side, you do get a fifth window to look out of. 😂

I don’t think this new cabin is going to change someones first class experience on Air France, but you can’t deny that their first class service in Paris is unbeatable.

Chauffeur service straight to the plane, your own immigration service and honestly, it’s probably one of the only first class experiences where you never even see an economy passenger.

It’s cool, but I’m not sure it’s moved up on my hit list of first class flights.

Rakuten Surfshark VPN Deal (LINK)

Okay, so this one is a little high level and courtesy of my buddy Jack, but right now, Rakuten is running 97% cash back on Surfshark.

If you’re not familiar, Rakuten is a cash back and shopping rewards site, and Surfshark is a VPN service.

Here’s the play:

• Use Rakuten to buy a 24 month Surfshark membership for $72.63

• You’ll get $67.55 back in cash plus a $30 referral bonus if you use my link

• That’s $97.55 total, meaning you come out ahead

• But instead of taking the cash, you can convert it to Amex points at a 1:1 ratio.

So that $97.55 turns into 9,755 American Express points.

"But Luis, I don’t want stinkin 9,755 Amex points!"

Okay, but what if you suddenly had a craving for deep dish pizza this weekend?

That’s a one way ticket to Chicago, two years of VPN service, and a deep dish pizza all for $72.63*

*Deep dish pizza not included in total.

Now, I know not everyone needs a VPN, but this is just another example of how keeping an eye on Rakuten deals can help you rack up easy points on everyday purchases.

American Airlines New Business Class (LINK)

It’s always good to see U.S. based airlines stepping up their game and rolling out new planes.

American Airlines is finally starting to receive the Boeing 787-9s they ordered though they were originally supposed to get them back in 2023.

AA is now expecting to get 2 of the 11 planes this year.

The good news is that these new 787-9s will have 51 business class seats, up from 30 in the existing ones, meaning more opportunities to book award seats.

While the first row has the biggest, nicest seats, the rest of business class doesn’t look bad either.

Some person named JonNYC somehow has the inside scoop and says the first route will be out of ORD in late spring/early summer.

Definitely something to keep an eye on.

🤓 Hacks

• If you are flying and need to figure out what lounge you can get into, check out Elliotts - Airport Lounge Finder

• If you’re paying for a ticket and don’t need to check bags, make sure to check out Skiplagged. They search for flights where your actual destination is a layover, so you just take the part of the flight you need and skip the rest, often saving you money.

  Disclaimer: Some airlines don’t like this (which is wild, considering a longer trip can cost less than a shorter one). If you do book this way, don’t attach your loyalty number, some airlines have been known to take away status if they catch you skiplagging.

🛋️ 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.

I’m feeling a little extra peppy today, so let’s run through how I’d find award availability for a flight.

Since JonNYC was talking about the ORD–LHR route, let’s see if we can find some award space so when AA starts flying their new 787-9, you’ll know what to do.

Step 1: Check Oneworld Partners

Since it’s an AA flight, I know they’re part of the Oneworld alliance, which means we might be able to find award seats through Alaska, British Airways, or even Cathay Pacific.

Step 2: Search on British Airways

I’ll start with British Airways:

• Click the "Book" dropdown and select "Book Flight with Avios"

• Log in and enter ORD → LHR

• Select one-way

Right away, I found plenty of British Airways availability, but remember we’re looking for that AA flight, hoping it’ll be on the new plane when it launches.

Step 3: Use a Search Tool

You could spend hours clicking through dates manually... or you could use a tool like Seat.Aero to speed up the process (you’ll need the paid plan for this).

After some back and forth we found dates with the AA flight in business class. I’ll stick the search result in the flight of the week section.

Step 4: Compare Booking Options

• British Airways: 65,000 Avios + $1,058 in fees (ouch)

• Alaska Airlines: 55,000 miles + $19 in fees (much better)

Since Alaska miles are harder to earn than Avios, you can still get them by converting Hawaiian miles. If you have Amex points, transfer them to Hawaiian, then convert those to Alaska miles, and boom, you’ve got your AA flight booked.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

• You’re hoping this flight will be on the new plane, but airlines swap aircraft all the time. If you book deals like this, flexibility is your best friend.

• If you can transfer to Asiana miles (Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt), you can book for 63,000 miles + ~$33 in fees.

P.S. This was a lot of work so if you enjoy breakdowns like this reply back to this email.

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.

• What I ended up typing in to find the AA flight

👀 My Favorite Finds

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

• Travel Ban targeting 43 countries (LINK)

• These newsletters are changing the game (LINK)

• Alaska may join AA and Japans transpacific joint venture (LINK)

• Board before your turn and be at risk of losing your carry on (LINK)