Thank You For Your Support!
Happy New Year!
First off, I want to say a big thanks to everyone for being part of the STTP community and spreading the word to friends and family.
I'm excited for the year ahead and continue to be committed to delivering the best content I can to help you achieve your travel goals.
Exciting Updates To Straight To The Points
This past year, when I wasn't searching for award space, I was hard at work revamping the new STTP site - with the help of a few friends - to add new features.
Don't worry, this isn't some stealth airline devaluation trick. It's all good news!
So, let's talk about the new features!
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Site Revamp: Articles, Award Alerts Archive, & More
Since I started the newsletter in August 2018, my site has simply been a place where people could sign up to receive alerts. While I regularly post tips and tricks, guides, etc. on Instagram, I haven't utilized my site.
That changes this year. Let's take a look at some of the new features!
Member Profiles
The previous membership platform I used was a huge pain, so we've built one from scratch to fit the needs of STTP readers.
With the new profiles, you'll be able to manage your STTP membership and update your travel preferences including your home airport, most convenient gateway airports, countries you'd like to visit, airline product you'd like to fly, what points you have, airline status, and more.
While I will use everyone's travel preferences to help guide my efforts, I will continue to prioritize the wants and needs of Premium members.
Set your username/password to get started.
Important: A few of you paid via PayPal then asked me to change the email address at which you receive the newsletter. If this applies to you, you'll need to contact me to set up your profile.
Submit Your Amex Referrals
For the last two years, I've collected reader referrals to the Amex Platinum and Gold cards since referrals often have the best welcome bonus offer.
Now, Premium members can submit referral links on their profile page and they'll be shared on my Best Card Offers page. When the page is loaded, a different referral link will be loaded for the Amex Platinum and Gold cards.
Best Credit Card Offers Page
I now have a page with the best card offers that I've found. I update this page as offers change. If you ever find a better offer than one listed, you're welcome to email me so I can look into it.
Let's get straight to the point. I know affiliate links are a contentious topic in some segments of the points community. On my best card offers page, you will find affiliate links, personal referrals from readers and myself, and links that are neither affiliate nor referral.
Regardless of the link type, my goal is to share the best offers available. If the best offer is available via my affiliate link, I very much appreciate your support. If the best offer is available via a referral, it's great to help someone earn some bonus points. If the best bonus offer is neither affiliate nor referral, use it.
STTP Premium Referral Program
Since I started the newsletter, word of mouth has been the main driver of new members. With that in mind, I wanted to find a way to say thanks to Premium members for joining but also for sharing the newsletter with friends and family.
Premium members will now have the opportunity to earn $10 when a person signs up for an annual STTP Premium membership via your referral link. Your personal referral link can be found in your member profile.
Award Alerts Archive
Since many Premium members have requested this, I will be adding an archive of previous alerts so you can review newsletters you've received. I plan to launch this next week.
Articles
While I don't plan to cover all of the travel industry news, I have started publishing some guides. I'm not writing to maximize SEO or generate views with clickbait. I'm writing to help you utilize points, credit cards, and fare deals.
I've already added a few guides covering some of the best ways to use points for business class. I will update these guides as airline programs change and banks add/subtract transfer partners.
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If you're not a Premium member already...
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Award Booking Service
If you need some help with a specific award, I've partnered with Point.me (my referral link). For those times when you need to travel on specific dates but don't have the time or energy to track award space, they can be a big help.
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Quick Start Guide
While many of you have a solid grasp of earning and redeeming points for luxury travel, I've received numerous requests for a guide or course to jump start the process of learning how to use points.
So, for those trying to shorten the learning curve, I now have a Quick Start Guide to help you along. If you're more of a points beginner, this one is for you.
The Quick Start Guide is currently in beta. As you read it, please let me know if there's anything you'd like me to expand on or add.
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1-on-1 Points Strategy Consulting
For those who don't have the time, energy, or interest in figuring out a points strategy, I now offer hourly consulting services.
Whether you're just starting to build your credit card portfolio or simply trying to figure out how to reach your next travel goal, I'll be here to help craft a solution to your personal situation.
Premium members receive a 20% discount on this service.
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Final Thoughts
Thanks again for being part of the Straight To The Points community. I'm so glad you're here and I'm excited to see what 2023 brings.
In the meantime, if there's anything you'd like to see from STTP, please let me know. I'm always looking for ways to make STTP more useful to you.
See you in the sky!
Spencer
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