After decades of fielding questions about travel points, loyalty programs, and rewards credit cards, youd think that Brian Kellythe founder of The Points Guywould tire of the subject. Instead, hes more energized than ever, a passion he channeled into his new book, How to Win at Travel. In 300-plus pages, Kelly delivers more than just strategies for maximizing credit cards and points. Hes created a travel bible of sorts, one that makes planning and logistics as rewarding as the trip itself.
Brian Kelly [Photo: Brandon Launerts/courtesy Simon & Schuster]
Its a book built for every kind of traveler, from those working towards their first bucket-list trip to people trying to stretch points for a family of five. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure book, Kelly says. Here, he tackles some of the peskiest travel dilemmas: what to do when your flight goes sideways, when to cash in your points, how to stay on the right side of locals, and more.
In your book, you note that we’re in the “platinum age” of travel, a departure from what people considered the Golden Age of travel. What do you mean by that?
People are wistful for aviation in the 1960s, a time when people dressed up to fly. They were served meals on china with silver cutleryweve all seen the pictures. But the truth is travel at that time was less convenient overall, and inaccessible except for the very rich. And everyone was smoking! Today, travel is safer, much less expensive, and we have tons of options. On top of that we have this points ecosystem, open to everyday people, that can unlock elite travel status.
In your book, you write, “Loyalty is less about travel and more about personal finance and harnessing the power of your spending. Can you explain?
Points and travel can be an entry point into better finances, by paying your cards every month, bringing up your credit score, and so on. Youre starting with a reward thats positive reinforcement for being smart about your financial health.
What are three of your top tips for redeeming points and miles today?
The first is to use technology to your advantage. The company Point.Me searches for flights based on your points across 33 loyalty programs on more than 150 airlines. [Brian Kelly is an investor in Point.Me.] Also, let the deals determine where you go. Even if youre not flexible on your dates, you dont have to travel where everyone else is going. In fact, its often better not to. Third, dont hoard your points. They become less valuable over time. When you rack up these huge balances, youre just losing money to inflation.
When it comes to booking award travel with an airline, you know a lot of next-level tricks. Can you tell us about zone-based and distance-based airline rewards, and how you can use them to your advantage?
These are the two types of rewards airlines use. For distance-based rewards, the math is pretty simple. The longer distance you fly, the more miles you pay, though distances are grouped together, so you can maximize these rewards when the price doesnt exactly correlate to the distance of the flight. Zone-based rewards often have something that I call sweet spots. Turkish Airlines, for example, includes Hawaii in the same zone as the Continental U.S. So even though its much farther to, say, fly New York to Honolulu, so you can often fly there for the same number of miles as you would traveling a much shorter distance, like New York to Boston.
What are “awards holds,” and when do you use them?
Awards tickets can come and go in an instant, and its frustrating when you miss a deal. Some airlines, like Air France, American, and Lufthansa, allow you to hold your ticket for a certain number of days. It costs anywhere from $0 to $35. This permits you to make your other travel reservations and get your life in order before you book.
In the past, we’ve seen credit cards offer travelers big points bonuses, which help you along the path to free travel. Are there ways to anticipate great offerings?
In general, the industry is moving toward more personalized offers. So dont ignore snail mail and promotional emails from credit card companies. Some might think it’s tedious to go through all that mail. I think of it as a treasure hunt.
You also advise people to sign up for memberships to organizations that have travel benefits. What are some that people might not know about?
AARP memberships, which start at $15 a year, offer great travel deals, and most people dont know that you dont need to be over 55 to join. I also love the American Bar Association, from $129 a year. Its also open to a wider range of professionslike paralegals, law students, policymakersthan you might think, and the membership means steep discounts on loads of luxury hotels.
When it comes to booking travel, you dont love online travel agencies, like Expedia or Priceline, which are known as OTAs. Why not? How should travelers use them?
OTAs revolutionized the travel industry 20 years ago, and I still use them to compare travel deals before I book. But when you book with an OTA, you are their customer. They own you. They dont even pass your email along to airlines or hotels. So when things go wrong, youve inflicted a world of pain on yourself because you cant go to the hotel or airline for help. Youve agreed to the OTAs terms, and often their customer service is lacking, if it exists at all.
What are your top tips for what you call turning off the friction of travel?
Book through the right travel channeldirectly or with a travel agent that has deep relationships with the hotels youre staying in and the destination youre visiting. Also make sure your contacts are up to date, so your airline or hotel can contact you easily if something goes wrong. If you fly with certain airlines often, read their contract of carriage. Having a basic understanding of your rights can o a long way when youre working with an agent in person or over the phone.
What kinds of information can you find in the contract of carriage?
Theres the flat tire rulea grace period if youre delayed or late for a flightand airlines will book you free of charge on the next available flight. Its also good to know which partner airlines are available to you, so you can search options from those airlines before speaking with a gate agent about rebooking. I always pull up specific flights and have all of the information ready before speaking with an agent.
As of October of last year, the Department of Transportation also finally required airlines to automatically refund passengers if their flights are canceled. Theyre still not required to compensate you, though. European and Canadian airlines are. For that reason, its worth flying on a European or Canadian airline when flying from the U.S. When flying back into the U.S., our airlines are beholden to European rules so compensation is on the table.
Any advice for avoiding long lines at the airport?
Definitely get Global Entry. Many rewards credit cards offer it as a travel perk, and now kids under 18 can get it for free. Clear can also be worth it, but not always. It depends on the airports you frequent. And if your flight plans go sideways, consider calling the foreign-language customer service line while waiting to speak to a gate agent. Its the same service but often has a much shorter wait time.
