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May 12, 2026 | View Online |
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I think I have issues saying “no” to people.
This time last year, I got drunk at a whisky tasting and said I’d join the Scottish society here in KL. Last weekend, I somehow became the vice-chieftain of the group.
Four years ago, I said yes to writing a points and miles newsletter. Now I’ve written 350 of the buggers and have memorized every earning rate, perk, and benefit of every major U.S credit card. What the hell am I meant to do with that information once they get rid of me?
Let’s get to the points:
Cheers,
Steven |
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| CARD OF THE WEEK |
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Is This Biz Card’s Huge Fee Worth it?
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I’ve covered this card’s personal version a lot over the past few weeks, thanks to its epic introductory offer. You should still check that out, as the elevated bonus isn’t going to stick around for long.
But today we’re looking at the business card, and whether or not its super-high annual fee is worth it.
For a bunch of strange legal reasons, I can’t go into detail about everything, but know the fee is high — very high. But, there is hope if you’re the right kind of business owner for this premium product. Here’s how its bonus, earning rates, and perks help claw back value from the fee.
The Bonus
The bonus on this card is solid. Admittedly, it does look weaker compared to the personal card, but the high spending threshold is normal for business products. Currently, you’ll earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 within three months of opening. If you know you can hit that spending threshold comfortably, you’re looking at around $3,000 in value if you know how to use those points.
The bonus alone is worth almost four years of the annual fee, so you’re in good shape already.
Earning Rates
The earning rates on the card are useful, especially when compared to competing cards with a similar annual fee. But it will depend on how your own business spending is. Again, I can’t look at each individually, but there are some excellent earning rates on travel purchases, plus a unique business-centric category that could pay some serious dividends for those working in the online space with a lot of marketing costs.
Check out all the earning rates here, and see how much you could earn.
The Perks
A high fee should mean high-end perks. This one delivers. It comes loaded with tons of lounge access opportunities, travel statement credits for different situations, on-site add-ons at specific hotels, and even elite status with certain programs. There’s also a separate tier of benefits that are unlocked with high spending.
These are hard to quantify, but there is, technically speaking, thousands of dollars of value to find here.
Who would this card suit?
As you can see, the annual fee is a non-issue if you spend enough and use the perks. But it’s vital you consider how much your business spends and where. If you tick the right boxes, this card is an earning machine. For others with lower outgoings, look elsewhere.
Learn more about the card here.
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| JOIN AARP |
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Enjoy Travel Discounts and Valuable Member Resources for $11/Year
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Make your dream vacation a reality. Whether you’ve got a trip planned, or are thinking about a last-minute weekend getaway, let AARP help.
Members get travel discounts including savings on airfare, rental cars, tours, and vacation packages.
Beyond travel savings and resources, AARP provides online tools to help you save money, plan for the future, search for a new job, stay fit, and access nationwide advocacy.
Now, you can enjoy travel discounts and valuable member resources for only $11 per year during the Memorial Day Membership Sale.
Join AARP today! |
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| STEVEN'S TIPS |
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One Trip, 10 Ways
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Jess and I are heading to Florida in September to see her family. Prices are rough, as you’re well aware, so I went down the rabbit hole to find some decent points deals. I haven’t booked yet, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to show you the sheer variation in rates, and why it’s so vital to have different types of points available. At the very least, you shouldn’t be shoe-horning yourself with a single loyalty program like so many millions of people do.
So here is the same trip, at ten different price points and award rates.
Cash rate: $661 (worst flight)
This was the cheapest fight I could find without being super creative. Realistically, we’d never book this, but if we were pinching pennies hard and felt okay spending almost three days in airports, this is what we’d be looking at.
Cash Rate: Around $1,100 (reasonable itineraries)
The best options logistically sat around the $1,100 per person mark. Each of the flights that had this ballpark figure was one or two stops with no self-transfers, airport switches, or brutal layover times. We’ll use this as our base value for the award flights.
The Best Rate: American Airlines: 37.5K + $76 (2.7 cents per mile)
American offered the best rate by a long way. The downside here is that only Citi transfers to the carrier. I’m currently low on Citi ThankYou Rewards, so it could be worth opening a new card with them for us to get back cheaply.
Easiest to Book: Air Canada: 64.2K + $114 (1.5 cents per point)
While nowhere near as strong as American, Air Canada is a good choice because it’s so easy to earn its points. Virtually all the issuers besides Citi transfer to Aeroplan, and its award chart means the rates I found won’t fluctuate. That’s incredibly useful.
An Accessible Option: Delta Airlines: 78k + $75 (1.3 cents per mile)
It’s not the greatest rate in the world, but it still grabs 1.3 cents per mile. The good thing about Delta in this case is that it has so many co-branded cards that Jess and I could both open one or two between now and September and grab these flights. Amex also transfers to Delta, so barriers are definitely down. If I had a lot of Delta miles kicking around already, I’d consider this over Aeroplan, as I could use those points for something more valuable.
Other options:
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Etihad 145K + $321 (0.5 cents per mile): This is terrible. I’d be better off saving points and paying cash.
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Qantas: 89K + $300 (0.9 cents per mile): Another rough one, I’m paying a lot of cash and getting less than a cent per point on my award. That’s a terrible call.
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United: 100K + $59 (1 cent per mile): At this rate, I’d be better off finding a flight on Chase’s travel portal. I’m not losing value, technically, but there’s a lot of it being left on the table.
The point of this is just to show you how many variations there are. Doing one search is rarely enough, unless you know your programs inside out; you’re probably missing out.
I would also get creative with this. I’d try the following to give myself even more options:
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Search for flights from nearby hubs like Singapore or Bangkok. These could have better award rates. From there, I could buy a cheap flight and save tens of thousands of miles.
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Search for flights to major US hubs, like New York, LA, Boston, or San Francisco. I’d then check for cheap domestic flights. Airports with higher volumes of flights are likely to have better award rates purely because they have more options.
I’ll let you know what we do. But you should heed my advice and start getting thorough with your research. |
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Investing Strategies: Long-Term vs. Short-Term
Steven’s short-term investment strategy in Malaysia: buy a 5-beer package to save 20 ringgit.
Steven’s long-term investment strategy in Malaysia: buy a bottle of whisky and leave it behind the bar to save 100 ringgit.
I just spoke to my boss, and it turns out investment in a good night out is not what I was supposed to be talking about.
Here’s an article talking about real investment strategies. Check it out.
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| TRAVEL HACKING NEWS |
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A Few Perk Changes
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I’ve rambled for quite a while today, so I’ll keep the news section brief. We’re focusing on some perk and benefit changes to two popular cards.i
This Popular $95 Card Is Losing A Useful Perk
One of the most popular mid-tier travel cards is ending its 10% anniversary points bonus later this year. It wasn’t flashy, but it was an easy little points boost just for holding the card. It’ll disappear this October. It’s another reminder that banks are getting increasingly comfortable trimming benefits at the customer’s expense.
More Changes Coming To A Premium Travel Card
One major premium travel card is making more changes in 2026, with tighter lounge access rules leading the way. Visits to its airport lounges are expected to be restricted to within five hours of departure, while some guest policies are also changing. A few long-standing statement credits are disappearing, too.
The value can still be there if you fully use the perks, but the luxury coupon book reputation isn’t going away anytime soon.
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