👋 Hi Reader,

Hope you're having an amazing start to your weekend! Here's what's included in today's newsletter:

• 🤑 How much your points & miles are worth in 2025
• 💳 Best ever 90k welcome offers on two no-fee cards
• 🎁 300k+ mile giveaways from airline shopping portals
• 🏦 $8,400+ worth of bank bonuses
• 💺 Biz class award deals to 7 destinations
• 💳 Three $300 offers from Capital One
• 💸 $50 Rakuten bonus for new users
• 🤤 30% off my favorite quick lunch and more!

One small favor: if you enjoyed reading, please forward this email to someone else who might too! And if that's you, make sure to subscribe here :) Thanks so much in advance!

Chris

🤑 How Much Are Points and Miles Worth in 2025?

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Ever wonder what points are really worth? I'll break down the different types of points, how to calculate their value, and the biggest mistakes people make along the way. You’ll also learn when cash back might be the smarter choice and my personal card strategy for maximizing credit card rewards.

🔒 Protect Your Points & Miles Today

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by… Protect Your Points​

This summer, we booked over $10,000 of flights and hotels entirely on points, which we never could’ve justified paying cash for. But Congress is considering a bill that could put those kinds of rewards in jeopardy.

The Durbin Marshall Bill would require banks to add additional payment networks, likely cutting into the interchange revenue that funds rewards and payment protections. After similar legislation for debit cards passed in 2010 (the Durbin Amendment), debit rewards disappeared, but consumer costs didn’t drop. The same outcome is possible here for credit cards.

Don’t let history repeat itself. Visit Protect Your Points today.

📋 My Past Week

Here's a quick recap of what I was up to last week (I'm experimenting putting this at the top of the email, so let me know what you think)!

• Amy and I finally watched ​KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix and while we decided that it's probably not a good family movie for two young toddlers, we really enjoyed it and you'll now regularly hear some of the soundtrack playing around the house.
• I also watched the latest Apple Event (video) and like the last few years, everything announced felt so incremental that I don't feel compelled to upgrade right now (which is saying a lot because I think I've upgraded for all but 2-3 versions of the iPhone since launch. I would like to hold an iPhone Air just to see what it's like, but if I were forced to pick a new iPhone I'd get the 17 Pro.
• After two weeks, I finally got my Atmos Summit card in the mail. Funny enough, when I added a free authorized user card and asked them to expedite the card, it came in 48 hours. Reminder: always ask for expedited delivery with new cards.
• This week's Mesa Card referral bonus (below) was perfect timing because a few hours after qualifying, I got an email from Gelt (my CPA) with the Q3 estimated tax payment I needed to make. So when that charge posts in a few days, I should hit the bonus.
• I took a day trip to Los Angeles yesterday to record an episode of the podcast with Tim Ferriss and I'm really excited for you all to hear it. We went deep on his journey from optimizing everything to slowing down and learning to let it go a bit. If you ever need a studio to record at in LA, I definitely recommend Visible Studios.
• Over the next month, I'll be heading to three different points and miles conferences and am really excited to learn a lot and meet a few new people in the space. Two are sold out but tickets are still available for Chicago Seminars ($20 off with CHRIS20). Hope to see some of you there!

🛫 Travel, Points & Miles

🎁 Giveaway: 300k+ Miles via Shopping Portals

Three major U.S. airline shopping portals are each running a sweepstakes where you could win 100,000 miles plus $2,500, and three additional winners will also receive 20,000 miles. The giveaways ends 9/19 and no purchase is necessary.

• ​AAdvantage eShopping​
• ​Atmos Rewards Shopping​
• ​United MileagePlus Shopping​

💺 Biz Class Award Deals to 7 Destinations

Check out these business class award flight deals if you're looking to travel to/via these countries.

• 🇪🇹 Ethiopia: From 80K United miles​
• 🇫🇮 Finland: From 55K Atmos points or AA miles​
• 🇫🇷 France: From 47.5K Virgin points​
• 🇩🇪 Germany: From 54K TrueBlue or Atmos points​
• 🇮🇪 Ireland: From 45K Atmos points​
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland: From 60K Aeroplan points​
• 🇹🇷 Turkey: From 65K Turkish miles​

If you're not set on business class, Singapore Airlines has an award sale for 20% off economy and premium economy awards when you book before 9/21 for travel between 11/1/25 and 5/31/26.

🏨 Hotel Promos: Hyatt Resorts, Marriott, Accor & IHG

• Hyatt Resorts: Save up to 30% at resorts in the U.S., Caribbean, and Mexico when you use code RESORT to book by 9/30 for travel through 5/31/26.
• Marriott: Save up to 25% on properties worldwide when you book stays by 9/15 for stays between 11/22 and 11/30.
• Accor: Earn up to 1,000 points/night at properties in Europe and North Africa. 500 bonus points on 2-night weekend stays, or 1,000 points on 3+ night stays. Register here and book your stay before 9/22.
• IHG: Save 15% on award stays booked before 9/16 and completed before 11/8. Non-cardmembers who have ​IHG Platinum​ or ​IHG Diamond​ status will be eligible for this promo.

💵 Limited Time $300 Offers on Capital One Cards

Here are three limited-time $300 welcome offers from Capital One:

• ​Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: $100 Capital One Travel credit in your first year, plus 20k bonus miles after a $500 spend in 3 months.
• ​Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card: $100 Capital One Travel credit in your first year, plus $200 cash bonus after a $500 spend in 3 months.
• ​Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: $100 Capital One Travel credit in your first year, plus $200 cash bonus after a $500 spend in 3 months.

If you want to learn more about the Capital One card lineup, you can listen to this deep dive on ep #242 or read this blog post.

👎 Hilton Honors Devaluation: Up to 250k Points/Night

Hilton Honors has increased award costs for stays at top properties again, raising the points cap to 250k points per night. This is a 25% increase from the previous cap of 200k points/night and a 67% increase from where they were last year. Fortunately this shouldn't have any impact if you're using Hilton free night certificates.

🏡 60k Referral Bonus on Mesa Homeowners Card

I've been loving our new ​Mesa Homeowners Card​ for earning 1x on our mortgage and 3x on tax payments and home improvement. And right now, when cardholders refer two people, they get the normal 5k points per referral, but also also unlock a spending bonus of 50k points after spending $10k in 3 months. If you don't already have a Mesa card, you can use my referral code (FCRGNB) for 5k points when you sign up.

✈️ Book ITA Airways via United Miles

Starting 9/8, you can book ITA Airways flights with United MileagePlus miles. The flight options, especially for premium cabins, are still limited but hopefully that will improve soon.

🔄 New Avios Transfer Tool

Managing your Avios points just got easier thanks to their new Transfer Avios tool that lets you move points between Avios partner programs without the hassle of 2-step transfers.

🤑 Latest Deals

🏦 $8,400+ Worth of Bank Bonuses

Bank bonuses are one of the easiest ways to earn extra cash, and here are the latest offers.

• ​Up to $1,500 from Citi: When you open a new checking account before 10/6 and complete required activities.
• ​Up to $1,150 from Raisin: Earn up to $1,000 when you open a new account using the promo code BOOST and complete a qualifying deposit before 9/30. Plus, get an additional $150 if you open the Raisin account via TopCashback with a minimum deposit of $10,000.
• ​​$900 from a​ Popular Bank: Open an eligible checking AND savings account before 1/21/26 and complete the qualifying requirements.
• ​Up to $400 from PNC: When you set up a qualifying direct deposit to a new PNC Virtual Wallet before 11/17.
• ​$300 from E*TRADE: When you open a new Checking or Max-Rate Checking account by 12/31 with promo code CHECKING25.
• ​$300 from Connexus Credit Union: When you open a new Xtraordinary Checking Account with promo code XTRABONUS before 11/9 and complete required activities.
• ​$200 from Live Oak Bank: When you open a personal savings account before 9/30 and make a qualifying deposit.
• ​$100 from CIT Bank: When you open a new eChecking account with the promo code EC2025 and deposit $2,500.

Business Bonuses

• ​Up to $1,000 from Capital One: When you open a new Basic or Enhanced Checking account before 9/15 with promo code Q3BONUS1000 and make a qualifying deposit.
• ​Up to $1,000 from BMO Harris: When you open a business checking account before 1/28/26 and complete the qualifying requirements.
• ​Up to $825 from Wells Fargo: When you open a business checking account before 11/4 and complete the qualifying requirements.
• ​$500 from a Popular Bank: When you open a Business Complete Checking account by 10/16 with qualifying activities.

💸 Best-Ever $50 Rakuten Bonus

​Rakuten is easily one of my favorite shopping portal because they have great cash back offers and lets you convert cash back to Amex points. You can also stack all their offers with credit card rewards and promo codes. Right now, if you use a referral link (here's mine) to sign up and spend $50, both the referrer and the referee receive $50.

🛵 Free DoorDash DashPass with Brex

Starting 9/10, all Brex cardholders get free DoorDash DashPass, which means free deliveries and reduced service fees. Plus you can earn 5% back in DoorDash credits every time you use your Brex card. After reading this blog post, I'm very curious for what's coming next for Brex.

💰 Lifemiles, TrueBlue, Virgin & More Points on Sale

If you have a redemption in mind or are familiar with these programs, check out these deals for discounted points. Expiration dates are in parentheses.

• BA Avios: 1.64¢ with a 40% bonus (9/17)
• Choice: 0.57¢ with a 45% bonus (9/29)
• Lifemiles: 1.29¢ with up to a ​155% bonus​ (9/29)
• Virgin: 1.20¢ with up to a 70% bonus (10/12)
• Wyndham: 0.68¢ with up to a 90% bonus (10/21)
• TrueBlue: 1.4¢ with up to a 130% bonus (10/28)

🔗 Card-Linked Offers: $300+ in Savings

I love leveraging card-linked offers to maximize my savings, so here are some I found this week. Expiration dates are in parentheses.

• AT&T Wireless: $50 off $65 (10/30) or $75 off $100+ (9/30)
• General Spending: $50 bonus when making 20+ purchases in Sept/Oct/Nov (activate here)
• Paramount+: 3 months free (3/3/26), plus a $10 bonus when you sign up via Shopback
• Wyndham: $40 off $200 or $20 off $100+ (12/5)
• Mandarin Oriental (U.S.): $100 off $500 (12/4)
• Hyatt: 7% off $100+ (11/10)
• IKEA: 10% back, up to $27 (9/30)
• Gas/Groceries: 3x points on up to $1,500 in purchases during Sept/Oct/Nov (activate here)
• Insurance Payments: Up to 10% back, up to $20 (12/31)

P.S. Some of these offers are targeted, so I highly recommend using CardPointers Pro (get 30% off here) to automate these offers.

🛒 40% Off 6-Month Walmart+ Subscription with PayPal

If you have a PayPal account, you can get 40% cash back on 6 months of Walmart+ membership. However, if you have The Platinum Card® from American Express, you get access to Walmart+ for free :)

🕵️ Top Finds

🤤 Lentiful: Our New Favorite Quick & Delicious Lunch

We discovered Lentiful last year and it's quickly become one of our favorite lunches and sources of protein. They're quick to make and taste delicious (my favs: Thai Coconut Curry and Pineapple "Chorizo").

Even better, their founder Ben is a subscriber to this newsletter and set up the promo code CHRIS30 for 30% off your first order. Or all Lentiful cups are on sale until Tuesday (9/16) at Whole Foods (look for them in the canned bean/soup aisle).

✈️ Airlines as Loss-Leaders

I enjoyed reading this article that explores how U.S. airlines didn't actually generate profit from their core airline operations in 2024. Instead, profitability stems from loyalty programs and miles.

💬 Parting Thoughts

As always, thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s newsletter, and if you enjoyed it, please let me know why!

Chris