I started The Point in the fall of 2024 when I got a New York Times feature on the cover of the business section. I ran to my hotel room, launched this newsletter — a smart, thoughtful dispatch on elevated travel with points and miles — and never looked back!
Today, I am so honored to be on the list of top Substack bestsellers in travel — #39 among bazillions of Substack writers who cover the beloved theme of travel.
✈
To travel with points, you need points (and not just any points):
Here’s the #1 travel card. If you don’t have it, you want it!
And here’s my favorite card if you’re looking to earn points on restaurants and groceries, but remember, it’s best to get this one if you’re over 5/24.
A bunch of business cards have elevated bonuses right now. Not sure if you qualify for a business card? You might be surprised.
Two business cards (this one and this one) are offering a 100,000 point welcome bonus and no annual fee. This one gets 1.5x on all purchases making it a first choice.
This card has a 200,000 point bonus. Crazy high! I recommend this one for anyone that can meet the spend. The annual fee is always worth it for the first year. You can always cancel after the first year, since it’s a business card and doesn’t report to your personal credit report.
This card and this one have bonuses up to 200,000 and 300,000 points. Same situation as above - worth it always for the first year at the very least!
I appreciate it soooo much when you use my links anytime you apply for cards. DM me anytime for any cards links or see the card links here.
Curious how you can earn hundreds of thousands of points on your everyday spending? 👇
Good Points is a series for paid subscribers that’s all about making points easier for you!
It’s a place to learn short, to the point tips and tricks, an opportunity to dispel myths and teach you how to use your points wisely.
I’m taking the paywall off of this one (up to the very end of the post) but if you appreciate my work, please upgrade your subscription.
Thanks for being here, reading along and asking questions! Have a question for this column? Hit reply and ask away.
Here’s the sixth edition of Good Points!
I have heard about Paze but don’t understand what it is. Can you break it down for me?
In the points and miles world, new things pop up all the time. As soon as you get comfortable and feel like you have things figured out, something pops up to confuse you earn you more points.
If you’ve been here a while, my guess is you thought I was going to be talking about Rakuten! Am I right? If you don’t know what Rakuten is, you can sign up for it here. It’s an important part of earning points for travel… but it’s not the subject of today’s post!
The good news? This is not only not Rakuten, but it also works on top of Rakuten for a really good stack. To start off, let’s talk about the meaning (and importance) of a Stack!
What is a stack?
A stack is when you earn multiple rewards at the same time. You can read more about stacking here. Paze, which I will talk about in a second, is the epitome of stacking! It’s an opportunity to earn points on top of points (on top of points).
With this stack, you are spending the same amount but instead of earning one point per dollar (or whatever your card would have earned you) you have the opportunity to earn 10x that — in addition to your credit card points!
What is Paze?
It’s an opportunity to earn a ton of extra points!
If you’ve ever checked out on a website and seen digital checkout options like PayPal or Venmo, then you’ll be familiar with this format.
Paze is a digital wallet available to use for online shopping. Just like PayPal allows you to set up an account and have your credit cards entered to use for payment on various websites, Paze does the same.
The two active Paze offers:
10x on select cards from this bank. You’ll earn an additional 10 points per dollar on top of your card’s points when checking out with Paze, up to $1,500 in monthly purchases per card. This offer runs through 12/31/26.
This means that if you have three cards that are eligible and you max out the $1,500 spend each month, you'll earn an additional 45,000 points each month.
$10 credit. With any bank in the Paze network, not just this bank, if you spend $10 or more in a single Paze transaction, you’ll get a $10 statement credit back! This offer will work up to 10 times per card, up to $100 total. This offer runs through 9/10/26 and works with the first offer.
Note: These offers are stackable! You can get 10x points, your credit card points and the $10 credit, all on one purchase (oh! and you can also earn Rakuten points too on top of that)!
How to activate Paze:
You’ll want to activate Paze on every eligible card you already have, especially from this bank to get the 10x. It took me about 30 seconds and the bank activated all of my eligible cards all at once with the click of a button!
To activate in this bank’s mobile app, here are the steps:
Go to the bank app
Select the card
Select “manage account”
Select “digital wallets”
Select “activate Paze”
Note: for other banks, the process may vary slightly but you’ll do basically the same thing! Because of the 10x and the $10 back, you’ll want to focus on cards from this bank.
How to pay with Paze:
Look for the Paze button at checkout. Paze only works with a select number of online stores. Here is the list.
Select Paze for payment rather than entering your credit card information.
Enter the email address that’s connected to your bank account.
Verify it’s you
Pick the card you want to use from the cards that are already available in your Paze wallet. They will all be displayed when checking out with Paze.
Confirm and pay and you’re done! That’s it!
Where can I use Paze:
There aren’t a ton of Paze merchants but here are a handful that are particularly useful:
Sephora This one stacks with Rakuten! Activate Rakuten, check out with your card from this bank after activating it with Paze and you’ll earn a lot of points.
Stubhub This stacks with Rakuten, the $150 bi-annual credit from this card, as well as the $10 credit and the 10x. Whew! We’re going to a Yankee game with this (too bad they are so bad this year!).
Broadway.com Get those theater tickets!
Harry & David If you are sending gifts
Pet Supermarket I haven’t used this before but plan to this month!
United Airlines This is a big one! You can checkout with Paze and earn 10x in addition to any credit card points. Use this card at checkout and you’ll earn 4x on top of the 10x.
💡Remember!
You’re still paying with your credit card — and just using Paze to check out giving you more points for your next trip. Don’t forget to transfer your points and skip the portal!
Whether you are a free subscriber or a paid member, you can email or DM me anytime with card questions.
It’s complimentary and I always appreciate when you use my links to apply for any cards! It helps my small business grow and means the world to me.
—-
Thanks for reading! Please like, comment and share!
(for paid members)
Free code below the paywall 👇
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.