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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!)

The year is getting going, flights are starting to take off, and news is starting to drop.

We have deals ending today, flight awards to take advantage of, and a little surprise for y’all 🤫, so let’s jump right in.

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  Travel News

Flights to Hawaii $99 (LINK)

Hawaiian Airlines is currently running a New Year’s sale that ends today, January 9, 2025. Flights between Hawaii and the mainland start at just $99 each way.

But more importantly, award availability for first class starts at 40,000 miles one way.

Demand for these flights is HOT, so if you see a date you want, make sure to book it ASAP.

Here are some of the dates I found that still have first-class availability:

P.S. Don’t forget that Alaska bought Hawaiian Airlines, so if you’re booking economy, be sure to check Alaska’s website too.

Some economy award flights are even cheaper there. Plus, you can now transfer Hawaiian Miles to Alaska Miles and vice versa still.

Earn Double while Glamping (LINK)

If you had any type of hotel status last year, you know the pain of starting the rat race all over again in the new year.

Luckily, Hyatt is kicking off the year with a way to earn status faster.

You’ll get 2 qualifying nights for each eligible night stay between March 7 and June 15. Just make sure to register by February 28, 2025. Even if you’re not sure you’ll take advantage of it, go ahead and enroll because you never know.

While I’m not much of a camper, some of these properties look pretty nice, and the thought of earning double the nights makes it pretty tempting.

That said, I’d caution anyone taking advantage of the offer to check the monthly weather before booking. June in the desert for glamping or even a hotel doesn’t sound too hot… sorry, I had to.

Requirements to Get into UK (LINK)

I’ve mentioned this before, but since the newsletter has grown a lot and because this just took effect I’d hate to see someone’s vacation get ruined. So, I’m bringing it up again.

Starting January 8th, (yesterday) anyone traveling to the UK or passing through will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).

The easiest way to do this is by downloading the UK ETA app, where you can apply and pay the £10 fee per person (yes, even for kids).

The ETA is valid for up to two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.

While approvals are often instant, they can take up to three days, so don’t procrastinate. Airlines can deny you boarding if you don’t have your ETA in place.

🤓 Hacks

• If you’re planning to book United flights to Europe this year, consider booking the award flights through Air Canada instead. While the flights might cost you 80K United miles, you can often find the same flights for just 60K miles through Air Canada.

  You don’t even need to sign into the Air Canada portal to check award availability. There may (or may not 😉) be some decent availability to Brussels from IAD and Chicago, as well as to Porto from Newark.

🧑🏿‍💻 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

Alina asked what the best business card to open is.

For a while, the Ink Unlimited was a top pick because of its high welcome bonus, but the best choice really depends on what you spend the most on.

Since she mentioned having a Chase Freedom card, pairing it with the Ink Business Preferred would be a great move.

The multipliers on the Ink Business Preferred, combined with the ability to transfer cashback from the Chase Freedom into points for travel, make it a powerful combo.

If you’re ever curious about my top business card recommendations, I have them listed here.

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 decent availability from EWR to OPO in October with up to 9 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

• Delta Aluminum Suitcase from Retire Jets (LINK)

• These newsletters are changing the game (LINK)

• Buy your way to BA Silver through Royal Jordanian (LINK)

• This US Airport had the most cancelled flights and delays this weekend (LINK)

• If you know of any open roles for newsletters or travel/credit cards make sure to send them my way