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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!)

Holy heck.

We have a lot to get to today.

This might be a little longer than usual, but it's filled with a lot of information you need to know to become a smarter traveler and take advantage of it.

SO let's get started.

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Earn more travel points from spending you already do without adding another credit card.

A free Bilt Rewards account can help you turn everyday purchases into extra points for your next trip, while your current card keeps earning its usual rewards.

Here are a few ways your regular routine can earn Bilt Points, even if you don’t have a Bilt credit card:

When you’re ready to plan a trip, you can transfer Bilt Points to airline and hotel partners like World of Hyatt.

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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, and if I had to start all over again, knowing absolutely nothing about credit card points, I'd keep things incredibly simple.

I wouldn't worry about having five different credit cards, learning every airline transfer partner, or trying to book some crazy international business class trip.

I'd start with one card and focus on learning how to actually use the points.

The first card I'd get would probably be the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which has a $95 annual fee.

I'd make sure I could comfortably meet the minimum spending requirement to earn the welcome bonus without spending money I wouldn't normally spend.

From there, I'd sign up for a free Bilt Rewards account and link my Chase card to it.

That way, I could start stacking rewards by earning Chase points on my eligible credit card purchases while also earning Bilt points through eligible purchases on the Bilt platform.

Now comes the part I think most people overlook.

Actually using the points.

If I didn't have a big trip planned, I'd start small.

Maybe I'd book a weekend getaway somewhere nearby.

Or even a staycation at a hotel in my own city.

I'd look at transferring my Chase points to a partner like Hyatt and booking a hotel for a night or two.

I could even book something through Chase's travel portal.

Would that necessarily give me the absolute best cents per point redemption?

Probably not.

But that's not the point.

The point is getting comfortable with the process.

Learning how to search for a hotel, compare the points price against the cash price, transfer points to a partner, and actually complete a booking.

Because I think that's where a lot of people get stuck.

They earn the welcome bonus, watch their points balance grow, and then do absolutely nothing with those points.

They want to book that international business class flight or luxury vacation, but the whole process feels overwhelming.

So they just keep saving.

And the problem with that is points aren't becoming more valuable sitting in your account.

Airlines and hotels continue to devalue their programs, and the redemption you could book today might cost significantly more points a year from now.

That's why I'd rather see someone use 20,000 points for a weekend getaway than sit on 200,000 points for years because they're afraid of making the wrong redemption.

Once you've booked that first trip, the next one becomes easier.

You start understanding transfer partners.

You get more comfortable comparing award prices.

You learn which programs work best for the trips you want to take.

And eventually, that international business class trip that once seemed impossible doesn't feel nearly as complicated.

It's like building a muscle.

The more you use your points, the stronger that muscle gets.

So if I were starting over, that's exactly what I'd do.

Get one card. Earn the points. Book a small trip. Learn the process. Then work your way up to bigger trips.

Don't worry about making your first redemption your best redemption.

Just get yourself in the game.

Alaska Airlines' Atmos Rewards program just announced a bunch of changes, but one of the biggest is the introduction of six new free communities, each offering different bonuses, status points, and discounts.

Each community has its own benefits and things to be aware of, but the two I think most people are going to want to join are Global Locals and Families on the Go.

Global Locals gives you a faster path to earning status, which is definitely interesting.

But the one that really stands out to me is Families on the Go.

This community gives you 20% back on kids' fares, not just on Alaska Airlines but also on partner airlines.

That's huge for families, especially if you're traveling with multiple kids like I do.

There are six communities in total, and I don't want to make this newsletter super long by going through every single one. I'll definitely have to do a deeper dive into all of them.

But I love seeing Alaska think outside the box when it comes to milestone awards, different ways to earn status, and helping families get more value out of their loyalty program.

It's definitely something I'm glad to see.

We can finally rejoice because, as of today, you can transfer Hyatt points to other Hyatt members online!

If you didn't know, the old process was a pain.

First, you had to download a form, fill out the information for both members, get both signatures, and then either fax or email it to Hyatt.

From there, you had to wait for Hyatt to process the transfer, which could take 48 to 72 hours.

I actually tried transferring points to my wife and vice versa a couple of years ago, and the transfers never went through. So I never bothered trying again.

Luckily, after dealing with all those limitations, Hyatt is finally launching an online way to transfer points between members.

And I have pretty high hopes for this.

You can already transfer things like free night certificates and upgrades to other Hyatt members online, and that process is pretty seamless.

So I'm super happy that transferring points is finally going to work the same way.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind, though.

The maximum number of points you'll be able to transfer is 525,000 points per year, and there's also a receiving limit of 525,000 points per year.

The full terms and restrictions aren't completely clear yet, but I'll keep you updated as more information comes out.

With all the bad news surrounding Hyatt points being devalued recently, this is at least a shining ray of light in the sea of sadness we've been dealing with.

I love to see this.

Before I get into the massive list of changes coming to Southwest, one of the best comments I saw on this post was:

"Hedge funds don't make money running an airline. They make money selling an airline, and all of these changes are in preparation to sell Southwest."

I can definitely see that. Unfortunately, it feels like we're watching the old Southwest disappear and a completely new Southwest take its place.

And one of the biggest changes is to Rapid Rewards and, unfortunately, the Companion Pass.

Right now, you need 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass.

For anyone unfamiliar, the Companion Pass allows you to designate someone who can fly with you for just the taxes and fees on their ticket. It doesn't matter whether you book your own flight with points or cash.

It's easily one of the best benefits Southwest offers, especially if you're traveling with a companion or family.

But starting January 1, 2027, Southwest is eliminating Companion Pass qualification through credit card welcome bonuses and referral bonuses.

That means the old strategy of opening two Southwest credit cards, earning the welcome bonuses, and getting the Companion Pass for nearly two years is going away.

You'll still earn qualifying points from everyday credit card spending, but without those welcome bonuses counting, it's going to be a lot harder.

Southwest is also splitting the Companion Pass into two tiers:

So instead of having just one Companion Pass benefit, you'll now have a lower tier that gives you three trips and a higher tier that gives you unlimited use.

One important date to keep in mind is December 2, 2026.

Under the new exception, if you're approved for a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card on or before December 2, you'll essentially be grandfathered into the old Companion Pass qualification rules, even with the changes going into effect in 2027.

But here's where things get interesting.

One of the old strategies was to open two Southwest credit cards and time the welcome bonuses so the points posted at the beginning of the following year.

That way, you could earn the Companion Pass early in the year and potentially use it for nearly two full years.

What isn't clear yet is whether someone approved before December 2, 2026, could still time those bonuses to earn the Companion Pass for 2027 and 2028.

Southwest hasn't made it clear whether that strategy will still work under the exception, or whether there will be restrictions that prevent it.

That's definitely something I'm going to be keeping an eye on.

Southwest is also replacing its old status structure, which I don't really want to get too deep into here because this list is already getting long.

But one interesting change is that every Southwest credit card will now help you earn status faster.

And the changes don't stop there.

Southwest also announced plans for new lounges, with four locations already mentioned: Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu, and Nashville.

They're also expanding what you can do with Rapid Rewards points.

Starting in early 2027, you'll be able to use your points to book flights with partner airlines, including Icelandair, Etihad Airways, and China Airlines.

Later in 2027, you'll also be able to use points for seat selections, while rental car redemptions are expected around mid November 2026.

They also mentioned adding power outlets across the fleet around this time next year.

There's obviously a lot changing at Southwest, and I feel like the writing has been on the wall for a while.

With Southwest trying to make more money and changing so much about how the airline operates, I figured the old way of earning the Companion Pass was eventually going to go away.

And that sucks.

At least they're giving people a little time to potentially lock in the Companion Pass for 2027 and 2028, assuming the grandfathering rules allow it.

If that's something you've been planning to do, I'd definitely look into the December 2 deadline.

I'm going to dig into this a little more myself since the news just broke earlier today, especially to see how the grandfathering rules will work.

But one thing is clear: one of the best ways to save money flying with a companion or family is getting significantly nerfed.

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