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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!)

Oh boy do I have some beans to spill.

Should it be chili though since its starting to get cold here.

I digress, lets get into it.

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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 channeled my inner Marie Kondo this week and did a little fall cleaning on the newsletter.

Don’t worry, the news section is still here, it just moved.

Let me know if you’re into the new layout (or not). I’m trying new things to see what works best.

Kicking things off with something I kinda forgot about but ended up saving us big.

We’re taking a cruise with the whole family in December, and as you know I volunteered myself to look at the best booking options, because I can’t help myself

So I got to work and started shopping around.

I personally have never gone on a cruise and not really a fan of them.

But since the rest of the family is going I begrudgingly compiled.

Since I’ve never been on this cruise, our price was higher than what friends/family were getting with their loyalty discounts.

I called a few agents, checked direct on the cruise site, poked around for holiday promos and to no surplice, trying to book a cruise during Christmas isn’t cheap.

Then I remembered Costco Travel.

On paper, the base fare was about $100 more per cabin.

But one thing was included with our booking, Costco Travel cards (basically Costco cash) back after booking.

Depending on cabin type, the rebate ranged from ~$150 up to almost $500 per room.

Since we’re booking multiple rooms, that shaved a lot off the effective price, like a couple thousand dollars back in Costco cash we’ll actually use.

So if you’re booking a cruise (especially during the holidays) or paying cash for a trip, always check Costco Travel.

Even when the sticker price isn’t the lowest, the Costco cash can make it the best net deal.

They also sneak in good promos on bundles (think cruise + perks, or car/hotel packages), so it’s worth a quick compare before you lock anything in.

I always check them out for car rentals too.

P.S. I’ve been talking with a couple of companies about partnerships for the newsletter, for some I told them it wasn’t a good fit but other I thought were perfect.

One of them asked me if the readers actually trust my recommendations and I told them I’d ask.

No one likes seeing partnerships break up, and this one stings.

Vacasa was acquired by Casago, and with that, the ability to use Wyndham points to book Vacasa stays is ending.

Effective December 1, 2025, you’ll no longer be able to use Wyndham points on Vacasa.

And if you’ve already booked something on points, the stay must be completed by January 31, 2026.

Short notice and a big bummer for the points/miles crowd, this was a unique angle for booking vacation rentals with points.

If you’ve got Wyndham points earmarked for Vacasa, it’s time to lock something in now.

Fingers crossed someone steps in to fill this (very) useful niche for booking vacation rentals with points.

Bilt announced that starting January 1, 2026, they’re rolling out Bilt Cash.

No need to panic, this won’t mess with Bilt Points.

It’s a separate thing meant to add value inside the Bilt ecosystem, basically merchant credits you can use like cash.

Think $20 dropped into your account to use at a local coffee shop or a partner restaurant.

The program is set for early 2026, but they’re still ironing out details.

I could see this showing up as targeted boosts (you frequent a spot, they send you Bilt Cash to spend there), milestone rewards, or promos tied to Bilt partners.

The idea is more flexibility to earn points, earn Bilt Cash, and redeem both in ways that feel tangible, so food, drinks, travel, etc.

They’re also talking about letting Bilt Cash help with status bumps.

Similar to Rent Day promos where Gold might get a 50% bonus and Platinum gets 100%, you might be able to use Bilt Cash to jump a tier for better earn rates or perks.

Don’t expect to leap from bottom to top instantly but those rules aren’t final yet but tier nudges look likely.

Bottom line this will add more tools in the Bilt toolbox.

If you can use Bilt Cash to hit a status tier instead of grinding spend, that’s real strategy.

I’ll keep an eye out for the best use cases once they publish the fine print.

Orlando airport was a mess on Monday with the power going out.

Ground stops, delayed flights, even baggage trains getting stuck. Fun times.

Quick reminder while delays pile up (and with the shutdown stretching TSA/ATC thin, this may get worse before it gets better)

Know your DOT refund rights.

Here’s the gist, in plain English:

Pro tips while you wait around:

Save this for your next “extended airport hangout.”

Check out these crazy award deals!

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

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.

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