NOMO FOMO

I’ve said here multiple times that I find great value in buying Hilton points, and I’ve shifted a good amount of my hotel stays to the brand because the math has worked in my favor.

But this new way to spend those points? I’ll be passing for now.

Hilton is rolling out “Pay with Points,” which lets elite members use points toward eligible hotel charges when checking out through the app at participating properties. Convenient? Sure. A good deal? That’s the part I’m skeptical about.

Hilton hasn’t published the redemption rate, and the expectation is that the value will be poor. Until the numbers give me a reason to think otherwise, I’m keeping my points for hotel award stays.

When I buy points, I’m spending real money with the expectation that they’ll save me more on a future booking. Using those same points to wipe away a charge at checkout only makes sense if the value holds up. A smaller bill doesn’t automatically mean I came out ahead.

And even if you earned your points without buying them, they still have value. Before clicking that tempting “use points” button, check how many you’re giving up and how much cash you’re actually saving.

I’m still happy to buy Hilton points when the math works. I’m just selective about how I spend them. 😉

New Hilton Pay With Points App Feature: Why You Should (Probably) Skip It Hilton's new Pay with Points lets elite members put points toward hotel charges at app check-out. Here's why the likely poor value means you should skip it.

Well, Amex is making one of my favorite Platinum benefits harder to use. And likely gets me to the tipping point that renewals dont make sense.

Starting January 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings will require a TWO-NIGHT stay to qualify for the Platinum hotel credit. That applies to both the personal and Business Platinum cards.

The dollar amount stays the same: up to $300 from January–June and another $300 from July–December on eligible prepaid bookings through Amex Travel. But being able to use it for one night was a big part of what made it valuable.

A quick staycation. An overnight stop on the way home. A chance to enjoy a really nice hotel without spending really nice hotel money.

I've recently been looking at exactly those kinds of stays. Just yesterday I booked a night in Doha for a trip next summer that netted me about $5 out of pocket to cover a night at the St. Regis. At that cost, it was an easy choice to create an artificial one night layover on a very long flight home. But now that i need to buy two nights? I'd just keep on flying.

Here's the simple math, ignoring taxes and fees: one night at $300 minus a $300 credit leaves you paying $0 for the room. Require two nights at that same rate, and you're paying $300 out of pocket. And so many of the FHR properties were already well above that nightly rate anyway.

That might still be a good deal if you wanted two nights anyway. If you only needed one, you've just bought an extra night to use your “benefit.”

Amex has also added eligible Airbnb Luxe bookings and renamed this the “Lodging Credit.” Those bookings require at least two nights, too. More options are welcome, but that doesn't replace the flexibility we're losing.

I'm not saying the card suddenly belongs in the shredder. I am saying this is why we need to keep checking the math. A credit's advertised value and what it's actually worth to YOU can be very different numbers.

Spending more money just to say you used all your credits isn't much of a win.

Uh Oh: Will The Amex Platinum Hotel Credit Be Devalued? An Amex test site suggests the Platinum's $600 hotel credit may require a two-night minimum at Fine Hotels + Resorts from 2027. Here's what we know so far.

I’ve been a Tampa Bay Rays fan for more than 20 years, going back to when they were truly awful. I’d take Dave to the Trop, where he was practically guaranteed to come home with a baseball because there just weren’t many other people there. And air conditioning in July? A pretty nice bonus.

The Trop is still probably the worst stadium in the majors, but after that many memories, it might also be my favorite.

So when my guys had a chance to clinch the American League pennant and head to the World Series last night, there was no way I was missing it.

Enter points and miles—with another assist from Capital One Shopping.

Hotels near the stadium were predictably expensive. Instead of dropping $500, I used an IHG free night certificate. No additional cash for the room, although the card’s $99 annual fee certainly counts. My IHG status through the card also got my hotel parking waived, and being close enough to walk saved me another $30–$50 to park at the stadium.

Tickets were about $150 just to get in and $200+ for a seat you’d actually enjoy. Not outrageous for the opportunity, but I had another option: redeem rewards sitting in my Capital One Shopping account for StubHub gift cards. Then I clicked through Capital One Shopping to buy the tickets and earn another 12% back toward the next adventure.

Was that ticket really “free”? No. Those rewards had value, and I could have used them for something else. But I earned them on purchases I was making anyway. Taking a few extra steps along the way helped turn everyday spending into a night I wasn’t going to miss.

This is what I love about points, miles, and shopping portals. Sometimes the payoff is a business-class flight halfway around the world. Sometimes it’s being there for your team, in a stadium full of memories.

Additional out-of-pocket cost for the hotel and tickets? $0.

Value of the experience? Priceless.

Let’s go Rays!!!

What could $1,000 “invested” in hotel points get you?

IHG frequently sells points for half a cent each, meaning $1,000 buys 200,000 points. And a recent roundup from The Points Guy shows how far that can go.

Here are the featured stays, along with what the required points would cost if purchased at that half-cent rate:

• Monterey, California: 5 nights at Kimpton Mirador Pacific Grove Monterey in December — 186,000 points = $930.

• New York City: 6 nights at Kimpton Era Midtown New York in February — 185,000 points = $925.

• San Antonio: 8 nights at InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk in December — 174,000 points = $870. That’s about $109 per night!

• Palm Springs: 4 nights at Kimpton Rowan in December — 171,000 points = $855.

• Washington, D.C.: 2 nights at InterContinental The Willard in May — 190,000 points = $950.

• New Orleans: 5 nights at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot in January — 185,000 points = $925.

• Mexico City: 4 nights at Kimpton Virgilio Polanco in April — 195,000 points = $975.

• Grand Cayman: 2 nights at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa in July — 140,000 points = $700.

• Roatán, Honduras: 5 nights at Kimpton Grand Roatan Resort and Spa in November — 188,000 points = $940.

• Barcelona: 5 nights at Kimpton Vividora Hotel in January — 189,000 points = $945.

• Bordeaux, France: 4 nights at InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hotel in March — 184,000 points = $920.

Those are TOTAL points-purchase costs for each stay, not nightly prices. November and December dates are in 2026; the remaining dates are in 2027. Additional hotel fees may apply.

This is why I encourage people to check the points price even when they don’t have any points! Buying the points needed for a specific reservation can sometimes cost substantially less than booking with cash.

An eligible IHG credit card’s fourth-night-free benefit can stretch your points further on qualifying award stays. Be sure to check the total required for YOUR account and dates.

My approach: Find the stay, confirm availability, compare the full cash price against the cost of buying points, and THEN purchase. These examples are snapshots, and pricing can change.

A little homework can make that same vacation budget go a lot further.

Best IHG hotels you can book with 200,000 points - The Points Guy The IHG Premier Select's 200,000-point welcome offer can unlock luxury city stays and resort escapes. Here are some of the best premium IHG stays you can book.

Well, this is a tough one for the points and miles crowd. Southwest is closing the door on one of the most popular shortcuts to earning its Companion Pass.

Starting January 1, 2027, credit card welcome bonuses will no longer count toward qualifying. Referral bonuses, anniversary points and extra points from spending categories are also being excluded. Those points will still have value for booking flights, but they won’t help you earn the pass.

But there is an important window still open: Southwest says people approved for a Rapid Rewards credit card on or before December 2, 2026, can still have their welcome bonus count toward Companion Pass qualification—even if they complete the required spending in early 2027. Approved is the key word here, so don’t confuse that deadline with simply submitting an application.

If earning a Companion Pass has been on your radar, this deserves a closer look. The bonus alone may not get you there, and you’ll want to carefully plan your spending and when the points post.

For me, this is another reminder of why flexibility matters in this hobby. Programs change, opportunities disappear, and the strategy that worked beautifully last year may not work next year. Take advantage of opportunities that fit your travel plans while they’re available!

Where is the Luv? Nick's take on the Southwest changes Yesterday, Southwest Airlines announced a seismic shift to its loyalty program, particularly with regard to the Companion Pass, but also with changes to elite status tiers and information about coming partnerships. Read more about it in our post here. As someone who has had a Companion Pass in my ho...

Have a Hilton Aspire card? Going to use your $200 resort credit before the end of the year? How about a chance to double the value?? Speak fondly of me!

[Targeted] AmEx Offers: Hilton, Spend $200+ & Earn 20,000 Hilton Points Earn 20,000 additional Hilton Honors Bonus Points one-time after using your enrolled eligible Card to spend a minimum of $200 in one or more qualifying purchases on room rate and room charges, when you pay for your stay at participating Hilton properties from 10/12/2026 to 12/31/2026. Book at Hilton...

Just a friendly reminder in someone ele's words that yes, your credit score does go down when you apply for a credit card - but then it goes up by MORE when they notice you are not carrying a balance and have available unused credit.

Not everything you think you know turns out to be true!

5 myths about credit and your credit score Building and maintaining good credit is one of the most important things you can do and a MUST before using credit cards for travel. Here are 5 myths about credit and 6 ways to check and improve...

I would not suggest buying points without a plan to use them, but at less than half cent each this is the best Hilton sale ever. Combine those rates with Hilton's 5th Night Free program and you have the opportunity to plan next year's BIG trip at a significant savings!

Hilton Points are on sale again and this time, it's a "best ever" deal (120% bonus) Hilton is running another one of its points sales again, but this one is a little different to the gazillion other points sales that Hilton runs throughout the year. This one is offering a 120% bonus, and that's the largest bonus we've ever seen Hilton offer. So, is this sale any good? Yes, it can b...

United Passenger Turns An Empty Exit Row Into His Own Sports Bar—5 Games At Once With Starlink [Roundup] Three seatback screens, two laptops, five games: a United passenger puts Starlink to work in an empty exit row. Also: British Airways closes its Philadelphia lounge as Amex expands, and Rakuten extends an offer that can return $50 on a $50 purchase.

I was exactly today years old before I learned that sleeping is NOT allowed in moany US lounges. Wow!!

The Airport Lounge Rule That Most People Don't Know About Some airport lounges actually prohibit sleeping. Here’s where the rule exists, how strictly it may be enforced and why lounges care.