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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!)

It's a bit of a surprise, but this newsletter actually only contains good news this week!

I'll take that as a win.

So let's get started, and let me share.

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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've been in the points and miles world for over a decade now, so at this point it has become almost second nature for me to look at a business class award and know whether it's a good deal.

But that's definitely not obvious when you're first getting started.

So I wanted to share one of the simple rules I used when I didn't know nearly as much about points and miles.

How do I know if the number of points I'm paying for a business class flight is a good deal?

A simple starting point is to look at how long the flight is.

My general rule of thumb is about 10,000 points or miles per hour of flying in business class.

So if it's an eight hour flight, I'd look for something around 80,000 points or miles.

If it's a 10 hour flight, something around 100,000 points or miles would be my starting point.

Of course, this isn't a hard rule.

The destination, airline, loyalty program, taxes and fees, and even how difficult that particular route is to book can move the price up or down.

You can absolutely find much better deals than this.

But when you're new to points and miles and staring at an award price wondering, "Is this terrible or is this actually pretty good?" I think it's a useful baseline.

And don't get bummed out if you eventually realize that the first award you booked wasn't the greatest deal in the world.

That's part of learning points and miles.

The more awards you search for and the more trips you book, the better you'll get at recognizing what different flights should cost.

Eventually, you'll see 80,000 miles for one flight and immediately know it's expensive, while seeing the same 80,000 miles for another flight and realizing it's a great deal.

That's a skill you build over time.

Until then, 10,000 points or miles per hour in business class is a simple baseline you can use to get started.

Don't worry about finding the absolute best redemption every single time.

Find a reasonable redemption, take the trip, and you'll get better at this with every trip you book.

TSA PreCheck just rolled out a new program that I've been waiting for a while to come back.

It gives you the ability to meet your family or friends at their gate, even if you're not flying that day.

If you traveled in the early 2000s, you probably remember being able to go through security without a boarding pass and meet someone at the gate.

This is essentially bringing some of that experience back.

The program is called TSA PreCheck GateSide, and there's no additional cost to use it.

To be eligible, you'll need to be a TSA PreCheck member and have a Known Traveler Number (KTN).

That number is important because you'll use it when applying for access to the airport.

You need to apply one to three days before you plan to visit.

At this website.

The process is pretty simple.

Go to the GateSide website, click Apply, create an account, enter your personal information and Known Traveler Number, and submit your request.

If you're approved, you'll receive confirmation that gives you access to the airport on the day of your visit.

Once you get to the airport, head to the TSA PreCheck security line.

Be prepared to show your ID along with your GateSide approval, which you may need to pull up on your phone.

Then you go through security just like you normally would with TSA PreCheck and can head to the gate.

Another cool part is that children and eligible family members can come with you, minors just need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Right now, TSA PreCheck GateSide is available at 13 airports, with plans to expand to additional airports in the coming months.

Here's where you can currently use it:

Arizona
Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA)

Arkansas
Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT)

California
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
San Diego International Airport (SAN)

Indiana
Indianapolis International Airport (IND)

Kansas
Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT)

Michigan
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)

Nebraska
Eppley Airfield (OMA)

Nevada
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)

Ohio
John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)

Oklahoma
Will Rogers World Airport (OKC)

Texas
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

Utah
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

I think it's super cool to see something like this come back.

There's something completely different about meeting someone at the gate instead of waiting for them at baggage claim or circling the arrivals area in your car.

Availability can be limited during peak travel periods, so I wouldn't wait until the last minute to apply if you know someone is coming into town.

It's only available at 13 airports right now, but with more airports expected to be added, this is definitely a program worth keeping an eye on.

Southwest is currently running a 40% off base fares sale, but you only have until tonight to take advantage of it.

The sale applies to eligible travel between October 5, 2026, and March 3, 2027, with some blackout dates.

If you already have a trip planned during that period, it's definitely worth jumping onto Southwest's website and seeing what you can find.

But even if you've already booked a Southwest flight, I'd still check.

One of the things I like about Southwest is how easy it can be to reprice a flight when the fare drops.

If the flight you already booked is now cheaper because of this sale, you may be able to rebook it and get the difference back as a credit or points, depending on how you originally booked.

If you booked a Basic fare, you may have to put in a little more work depending on the fare rules, so make sure you check those before making any changes.

Check this video on how to do it.

The sale also applies when you're booking with Southwest points.

I saw some one way flights going for as little as 7,000 Southwest points, which is a really good deal if the dates and destinations line up with where you're trying to go.

That's why I'd check both new trips you're considering and anything you've already booked.

Worst case, the price hasn't changed and you move on.

Best case, you save some cash, get some points back, or find a cheap flight for a trip you were already planning to take.

Just don't wait too long because the sale ends tonight.

Back in July 2026, Qatar Airways randomly introduced a new set of restrictions around using your Avios to book flights for other people.

It might not sound like a huge deal, but Qatar has access to some incredible business class awards, including its famous Qsuite.

So if you wanted to use your Avios to book Qsuite for a friend or family member, these new rules suddenly made that much more difficult.

One of the biggest restrictions was that a Qatar account needed to be open for at least 30 days before you could add that person and book an award for them.

But it got even more complicated.

The person you wanted to add also needed to meet certain activation requirements, such as having a qualifying flight or earning Qatar Avios through an eligible partner.

Basically, you couldn't just decide today that you wanted to use your Avios to book a Qatar flight for someone else.

Thankfully, Qatar has now walked back part of those restrictions.

As of September 14, the qualifying activation requirement has been removed.

That means the person you're adding no longer needs to have previously earned Avios or completed a qualifying activity before you can add them.

There are still two different ways Qatar handles this, which can get a little confusing.

There's a list for people who have their own Avios accounts, and there's also a Family and Friends option for people who don't have their own Avios account.

The important thing is that it should now be significantly easier to add someone and use your Avios to book a flight for them.

There is still one restriction you need to know about, though.

Your Qatar account still needs to be at least 30 days old before you can add members to your list.

That's why, even if you have absolutely no plans to fly Qatar right now, I'd recommend creating a Qatar Airways Privilege Club account and letting it sit there.

It's free, and then if an amazing Qsuite award suddenly appears six months from now, you're not finding out that you have to wait 30 days before you can book it for someone else.

I understand why Qatar might want some sort of account aging requirement to help combat fraud, but it's still an annoying restriction when award availability can disappear quickly.

Overall, though, it's good to see Qatar walking back some of these restrictions.

It makes using Avios to book Qatar and partner awards for other people much easier, and Qatar can also give you access to award availability earlier than some other programs.

The simple takeaway: create your Qatar account now, even if you don't need it yet.

That way, the 30 day clock is already behind you when you actually find an award you want to book.

Check out these crazy award deals!

This section includes some of the best award flights of the week bookable with points and miles.

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