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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!)

Man, did someone not tell these credit card companies and airlines it’s almost Christmas.

Because at this pace, they’re all going to end up on the naughty list.

Changes without warning and companies closing.

Guess we’re finishing the year with a bang.

Let’s get to 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’ll be the first to say it and go on record saying it.

I’m not really a fan of cruises.

To be fair, I’ve never been on one.

That changes later this week.

But I’d much rather be on a plane and in a hotel where I can maneuver with points, upgrade cabins, and avoid being on a metal tube with thousands of people and limited internet.

That once again they charge you a crazy amount of money for.

That said, here we are.

Honestly, there weren’t many ways to save on this trip.

The best option was booking through Costco Travel:

One interesting thing was that I had to call to pre pay gratuities (another fee they quietly don’t tell you about).

But the rep mentioned they can recheck your rate if prices drop and issue a credit if it does.

That part was actually pretty cool.

I’ve also been deep in YouTube learning what you can and can’t bring onboard.

The best tip so far?

These magnetic hooks.

Since the cabins are metal, you can stick them everywhere to organize space.

They’re surprisingly strong.

If you’ve got cruise tips or tricks, send them my way.

I’ll report back with what actually worked.

Chase what are we doing man.

Earlier this year they rolled out the “revamped” Chase Sapphire Reserve® with a wild $795 annual fee.

Along with it came The Edit program, which promised 2 cents per point on hotel bookings through their partner.

People were annoyed they killed the 1.5x portal boost, but begrudgingly accepted it because 2 cpp on The Edit sounded strong.

Then we just for hit with the ol switcheroo.

Reports started rolling in that not all The Edit bookings were getting 2 cpp.

The landing page language quietly changed from “guaranteed 2 cents per point” to “up to 2 cents per point.”

So I guess now it’s variable.

This doesn’t help loyalty at all, given what is seen as a downgrade on the CSR.

You’ve got a pricey card, a laundry list of credits to track (some monthly, some quarterly), and now a headline redemption that can change without notice.

It might help Chase’s profitability, but it makes the card harder to justify for a lot of people.

There was enough backlash that Chase responded.

Bookings made up to December 22 will be made whole at 2 cpp.

If your math doesn’t hit 2 cpp, they’ll credit points back.

After that date, whatever rate you see is what you get.

Not a great look.

Hopefully the surprises stop here.

Something I can’t say I’ve seen before, a credit card backed startup just shutting.

No warning. No clear reason.

They had just announced new hotel partnerships, so this came out of the blue.

They’d made a splash, raised solid funding, and had a compelling angle as the first card letting homeowners earn points on mortgage payments.

I don’t know if they simply ran out of money or if this ties to Bilt rolling out its own mortgage play.

Could be a quiet acquisition?

Could be a major backer pulling out and siding with Bilt.

Either way, the abrupt shutdown is alarming.

Worse, a lot of Mesa cardholders got locked out of their points.

There was a brief window where you could cash out via statement credits or squeeze transfers through a couple of airlines.

If you did not move fast, you lost those points.

This also puts a spotlight on Rove Miles.

They are the new kid that seems to be doing well, but Mesa’s collapse adds hesitancy around newer points ecosystems.

It is a reminder: partner lists and glossy launches are great until liquidity risk shows up.

If you are playing with startup issued points, keep balances lean, redeem often, and do not hoard.

Earn and burn baby.

American rolled out Basic Economy back in 2017 with a few decent perks.

Ever since, they’ve slowly chipped away at them.

During COVID they brought some benefits back, but effective yesterday, Basic Economy no longer earns miles and no longer earns any elite status credit.

That mirrors Delta and is even a bit tougher than United.

What bugs me more is how it came out.

JonNYC flagged it on Twitter instead of American owning the change and telling everyone.

They just flipped the switch and let people discover it, which feels sleazy.

Just announce it and be upfront.

It’s also weird strategically.

AAdvantage is basically the front door to their co branded cards, and selling miles to Citi is a massive profit center.

American loses money flying planes, miles and cards are where the real money is.

If you strip benefits from the cheapest fares, fewer people care about the program, which means fewer will bother with the card.

They rolled out Basic Economy to compete with low cost carriers, but taking away earning on those fares could hurt them long term.

We’ll see how it plays out, but this move feels short sighted.

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