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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!)

We had some deals that didn’t stick around long and a few where we managed to be just a step ahead.

All in all, a solid week for travel news.

So let’s get into it.

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A Message from Me

When I Started This Newsletter, I Just Wanted One Thing To Help You Book Flights with Points ✈️

That’s still the mission. And I’ve got something to help you get started:

👉 A free, hour long workshop that shows you exactly how to book flights with points simple, clear, and beginner friendly.

All I ask? Refer just one person to the newsletter, and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.

Just send this link to one person: https://betterthanpoints.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

But if you want to go deeper.

I also created the Ultimate Points Redemption Workshop with even more detail, exclusive tips, and the exact step by step strategies I use to fly business class for pennies.

It’s affordable, packed with value, and helps support the newsletter so I can keep sharing this info with more people.

Whether you refer someone or get the pro version, you’ll walk away knowing how to turn points into real trips.

👉 Check out the Ultimate Points Redemption Workshop, your next trip is waiting.

Travel News

Turkish Airline Cancels Challenge (LINK)

Well, That Didn’t Last Long.

On June 27th, Turkish Airlines launched their own “Million Miler” campaign, basically a copy of what SAS did a while back with their wildly popular EuroBonus Million Miler promo.

And just like that one, it was shaping up to be a big deal.

But… 10 days later, they pulled the plug.
No heads up, no warning, just ended it.

Their reason? “Overwhelming demand.”

To be fair, they kind of set themselves up for failure.

Unlike SAS, there was no opt in or registration process, so technically anyone flying Turkish during the promo window could say they were participating.

No filters, no real way to track who was actually trying to qualify.

After SAS’s success, Turkish probably thought they’d ride the same wave.

But without the backend systems or controls in place, it blew up in their face and yeah, major egg on their face for this one.

Not only does this hurt their credibility, it also chips away at loyalty and trust, which are hard to win back once lost.

Hopefully if other airlines try something like this, they take the lesson:
Have a clear registration process
Know your capacity
Don’t overpromise what you can’t deliver

Lesson learned… well, hopefully.

Bilt Raises 250m (LINK)

Last week, we vaguely talked about some rumblings around Bilt, but today it’s official.

Bilt just announced a fresh $250M raise, putting their valuation at over $11 billion.

A few big takeaways from the announcement:

• One of the key investors in this round was United Wholesale Mortgage, one of the largest mortgage originators in the U.S.

• As expected, Bilt is getting into mortgages and not just lightly.

• Starting February 2026, they’re planning to drop three new credit cards:

  • A no annual fee card

  • A $95 annual fee card

  • And a $495 premium card

• They’ll also be moving from Wells Fargo over to Cardless

They made it clear they don’t just want to be a travel rewards card, they want to be the no brainer choice for all things travel and lifestyle. That includes expanding into student housing, condos, and homes.

Basically making sure you can earn rewards no matter where you live or what you’re paying for.

One of the cool things that they’re already doing is you don’t even need the card to earn Bilt points if you have the card your paying with connected through their platform.

They also dropped a pitch deck with more details, and it’s clear.

Bilt isn’t trying to be just a credit card company, they want to own the entire rewards ecosystem.

Here’s the deck if you want to check it out.

It finally happend! Keep your shoes on (LINK)

The days of second guessing whether you need to take your shoes off at TSA are finally coming to an end.

I’ve had PreCheck for a while now, so usually I breeze through with my shoes on.

But in those rare moments when I’ve gone through the regular line or PreCheck wasn’t available, it was always a toss up.

Sometimes you keep them on, sometimes you don’t.

But TSA finally made an announcement. you no longer have to take your shoes off when going through security.

The tech has improved enough that they don’t need to check your sneakers like it’s 2000 anymore.

Small win, but it’ll definitely help speed things up at security, even if it’s just a little.

Now before you get too excited, liquids are still capped and that rule isn’t going anywhere until 2040 (yep, you read that right).

Which is kind of wild when you consider that airports in Europe and even Japan have already dropped the liquid restriction entirely.

So, shoes off? Finally gone.
But the liquid rule? Still holding us hostage for another 15 years.

🤓 Hack

• If you do this don’t record yourself doing it. While some lounges have dedicated sections for it. Others have strickt rules against it…Delta lounges don’t allow it.

🛋️ 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.

While scrolling through Reddit, I wasn’t sure what to write about today… then I came across a post that hit home.

Not because I’m a dude, but because I’m a shy pooper.

I never really thought about it, but as a guy, you can pretty much use any public restroom and be fine.

But this thread pointed out something I never would’ve guessed: Home Depot is apparently the go to restroom stop for women on road trips.

At first I was like, really? But then it kind of makes sense.

I’ve never actually gone into the men’s restroom at a Home Depot (that I can remember), but for women, it seems like a hidden gem clean, usually empty, and quiet.

And if you think about it, there aren’t usually that many women in a Home Depot at any given time, so yeah... I see the logic.

For us, our go to stops on long drives (like our yearly or twice a year road trip up to Minnesota) have always been Costco and Buc-ee’s.

But honestly, Home Depot might need to be added to the list, especially now that I’ve got a daughter and a wife in tow.

Just curious, has this ever crossed your mind?

Or do you have your own go to bathroom stops for road trips?

P.S. If your gonna refer someone please just don’t refer yourself…aka referring your @aol when your @gmail is the same. I See You 👀

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 low business class availability from the US to Europe in early September.

🖥️ TravelBot

Chat with TravelBot - my AI clone. It’s trained on every newsletter I’ve published along with my 10+ years of points and credit card knowledge 🧠.

It’s also trained on my voice, so you can call it and have a full blown conversations. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

👀 My Favorite Finds

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

• Southwest 50% off sale ends today (LINK)

• Cool - How runways get their numbers (LINK)

• These newsletters are changing the game (LINK)

• Spirit Airlines just became more reliable than Delta (LINK)

• These are the best cards if you want Priority Pass and lounge access (LINK)