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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!)

Well, we did it!

After hauling the whole family on a 26-hour road trip both ways to visit family, we’re finally back home in Texas.

I hope everyone had a great holiday and is looking forward to the new year.

I’ve got some fresh deals you’ll probably want to take advantage of, and I’m already gearing up with some trips planned for the year ahead…now I only need the points to book them. 😅

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  Travel News

Virgin Atlantic just dropped summer deals (LINK)

You usually don’t find business class deals from LAX to London during the summer, but 41,000 points for business class is a steal.

With American Express offering a 40% transfer bonus to Virgin, you’d only need to transfer 30,000 Amex points to book this flight which is crazy, especially considering it’s out of the West Coast.

But don’t worry, East Coast people I’ve got you covered too!

This deal isn’t just for the West Coast. I also found availability from the East Coast, particularly out of BOS and JFK, for the summer.

To make things easy, check the Virgin Rewards seat checker to find award availability.

Once you spot a flight, head to the main website to book it.

And even if you’re not booking a flight this time around, here’s your friendly reminder to open and connect your Virgin account to your credit card now.

That way, when you’re ready to transfer points in the future, you won’t run into any last minute problems.

If you want some dates out of LAX I posted about it here.

Philadelphia to Frankfurt Award Availability (LINK)

If you’re based out of Philly or just a short drive away, you’re in luck.

Eurowings Discover has award availability from PHL to FRA.

The best value for your points is booking through Air Canada, but searching for those award flights is much easier using the United calendar feature.

Want to stretch your points even further?

You can add a stopover for just 5K points if Frankfurt (FRA) isn’t your final stop.

This is a great way to explore other European cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, or Rome.

Check out the Flight of the Week section for a list of dates with business class availability for 60K Aeroplan points.

Marriott is going Glamping (LINK)

A weekend out in the woods roughing it? Not my idea of relaxing.

But sign me up for glamping!

Marriott just acquired Post Cabins, a company with 29 locations and 1,200 glamping cabins across the U.S.

You’ve probably seen those Instagram shots of people sipping coffee and lounging in cozy cabins.

Now it looks like Marriott wanted some of that action making a big push into nature forward destinations, with plans to launch these locations next year.

It’s cool to see Marriott not only covering the luxury market but also offering something for those who love the outdoors.

On top of that, they’ve struck a long-term franchise deal with Trailborn, which runs boutique hotels near the Grand Canyon.

It looks like the big brands are diving headfirst into outdoor adventures

🤓 Hacks

• If you’re traveling to or through the UK starting January 8, 2025, you’ll need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). This applies to everyone, even kids and the process can take up to three days. Check out this quick video for all the details

• If you have an American Express Platinum Card make sure to use your credits before the end of the year. That includes your $200 Airline Credit, $50 Saks Credit, and for the Business American Express Platinum Card (250K Points Affiliate link) your $200 Dell Credit and newly added $50 Hilton 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’m hijacking the questions section and letting you in on a secret.

If you have any airline credits to use up like the $200 Amex one, make United your airline of choice. Add two $100 deposits into your United Travel Bank, this will make sure your $200 airline credit doesn’t go to waste.

I’ve also seen some data points suggesting that a $50 Hilton gift card might trigger the Hilton credit as well.

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.

• Dates with at least two business seats for PHL to FRA through the Air Canada website

👀 My Favorite Finds

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

• This line was for Southwest bag check-in was crazy 🤯 (LINK)

• These newsletters are changing the game (LINK)

• I didn’t expect this airline to be the most valued (LINK)

• 15 airlines sign up with Apple Air Tag feature (LINK)