October 25, 2022 | View Online | Sign Up
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I once took a 32-hour train ride across China.
I’d love to tell you it was fueled by my acute sense of adventure and knack for embracing the unexpected. In reality, I just didn’t want to pay $150 for a four-hour flight. Fortunately, now I pay for travel by collecting points, which is far easier than facing your first squat-hole toilet aboard a moving train. A lot less scary too...
Anyway, let’s get to the points.
In this week’s cheatsheet:
Chase drops one of its biggest ever bonuses
Cover your shorter trips with British Airways
Hilton stirs anger in its Elite members
Discover the perfect starter travel card
Always aim high,
Steven
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| TRAVEL CARDS
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The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s biggest bonus in years
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I’ve already covered the Chase Sapphire Reserve card — one of the very best travel cards around — plugging it as a slightly cheaper alternative to the Amex Platinum. But if its lower yearly fee and arsenal of brilliant benefits weren’t enough to pull you in before, its current 80,000-point intro bonus offer should do the trick.
The current bonus is the largest offered on the Reserve since it was originally introduced back in 2016. Beyond that, it's a full 20,000 points more than its usual offer, so if you were on the fence about applying, there won’t be a better time to get maximum value from the card. Just remember, you’ll need to spend $4000 within the first three months of opening the card to grab the points.
Here are a few ways to spend that generous smattering of 80,000 Chase points:
3 Economy roundtrips from LAX to Honolulu (usually $1404 for all 3)
Business Class One Way from JFK to Frankfurt
Economy Roundtrip from MIA to Paris
Delta One One Way from Detroit to Seoul
As you can see, that $550 yearly fee can be easily justified for your travel expenses. Throw in highly valuable Chase points, the $300 yearly travel credit, and Priority Pass membership, and you’ve got quite the deal on your hands. It might be time to take the leap.
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| WEEKLY SWEET SPOT
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Utilize British Airways for your short flights
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We all have different purposes when using our points. For some of us, it’s saving for that one big luxurious flight. For others, like me, it’s about maximizing the amount of free travel. To the latter point, utlizing British Airways and its points currency, Avios, is a phenomenal
way to optimize your points, thanks to their set reward redemption chart.
While the carrier has removed the chart itself from its website, the fares remain the same. Its US flights function off of a simple distance-based calculation, meaning any one-way flights under 650 miles are set at 7,500 Avios. Flights between 651 and 1,150 miles cost 9,000 Avios.
While these won’t exactly be luxury trips, it does mean that regular shorter trips to see family, flying back from college, or weekend getaways can cost next to nothing. It’s also a great way to combine reward flights from other systems.
The same principle applies in Europe, but fuel surcharges and other fees can pretty much cancel out any benefit, especially if you fly through London.
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| HOTEL POINTS
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Hilton automatic upgrades could be on the way out
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One of the biggest perks enjoyed by high-tier Hilton Honors members could be under threat, after guests have reported being upsold by the globally recognized hotel chain.
Gold and Diamond Hilton Honors members are traditionally promised a complimentary upgrade if available at check in. But in recent weeks, Hilton has been offering paid room upgrades when checking in on the Hilton App. This feature was generally only used on Silver or non-elite members in the past, but now appears to be rolled out to everyone.
Although the “space-available complimentary upgrade” system is still in place, hotels are not required to offer the benefit to Diamond or Gold members. While there are many factors in place that could impact a hotel’s decision to offer the upgrades for free, the potential profit has led many industry experts to speculate the benefit might disappear for many members.
On a personal level, I’ve been upgraded in every one of my fifteen Hilton stays in the last year, and it’s always been a massively valuable benefit for me. It does devalue the status, but it doesn’t prevent me saving money on my stays, which is the main thing.
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| TOGETHER WITH MASTERWORKS
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Wi-Fi + 7 Minutes + a Pulse = Profit?
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Beeeeeep! What’s that sound? It’s your portfolio flatlining from an imploding stock market, crypto meltdown, and the worst inflation since Saturday Night Fever. How can you shock it back to life? (Note: This has nothing to do with bell bottoms.)
Try an asset that the ultra-wealthy have used to boost their gains for centuries: blue-chip art, which has outpaced the S&P by a whopping 131% over the last 26 years. But now, you don’t need to be a Studio 54 VIP to invest in Picassos and Basquiats. You just need Masterworks.
With this award-winning platform, anyone can invest in shares of multi-million dollar art, for just a fraction of the price of the entire work. And their results are creating some seriously good vibes. Masterworks’ last sale realized a 33% net return for investors. (Cue: “Stayin’ Alive.”)
Smart Points readers can skip their waitlist with this referral link.
See important Reg A disclosures.
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| CREDIT CARD OF THE WEEK
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Credit: Discover
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Learn while you earn: The Discover It Miles Travel Card
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If you’re still fresh in the credit card and points world, the Discover It Miles card is a stellar option to learn and earn with minimal complications. Instead of offering an up front spending bonus, Discover chooses to match all of the miles you earn in your first year, doubling any points you’ve already earned.
With no annual fee and 1.5 points for every dollar you spend, you could easily save up a tidy little travel bonus for yourself. For example, an average spend of $1000 a month would earn you 36,000 miles in your first year, which you could redeem as cash or a travel statement credit.
Pros:
No annual fee
Simple earning system
Solid first year bonus
1.5 points per dollar spent anywhere
Points redeemable as cash or travel credit
No foreign transaction fees
Cons:
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| STEVEN'S TIPS
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Is hotel status even worth it?
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Ever been stuck in the check-in line at your hotel and watched a high-tier loyalty program member skip merrily past you to the priority desk and feel a tinge of jealousy? You should. But while the up-front perks of building your status with a hotel brand are great, it’s the money-saving benefits that really make them worth it.
I hold Diamond status with Hilton, built over five years traveling the States for work. I’ve clung onto it, albeit with a lessening grip, because it saves me money on every trip.
With my Diamond Status, my guest and I are guaranteed breakfast at every hotel cutting one meal a day out of the equation. If we’re really watching our budget, we’ll have a big breakfast that’ll tide us over until dinner. I always have access to the Executive lounge, which often do dinners (and free booze), again saving more money. The automatic upgrades (if available) are great, but as I said above, they might be on the way out.
But most importantly, it gets me a 10-12% travel return on any hotel I pay for up front, thanks to the 100% bonus points and a fifth night free on award stays. This benefit isn’t just for Diamonds, but it’s huge. I was able to utilize it for a fifth free night in the middle of Manhattan a few years ago.
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