Smarter travel. Less stress. More memories.

2-minute read

Hey Reader,

I still think about the flight home from my honeymoon.

My wife and I were sitting in business class. Fully flat seats, real food, the whole thing. A flight that would have cost over $5,000 out of pocket.

I paid 85,000 Chase points, transferred to British Airways and then Qatar Airways. The same points sitting in my Chase account would have been worth $1,275 inside Chase Travel.

Instead? I squeezed out almost 4x that value.

That's the difference between using points and understanding points.

Which brings me to last week’s news.

Chase Sapphire Reserve dropped their highest public welcome offer ever: 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months.

Chase's own valuations put that at $3,075. But if you know what you're doing with transfer partners? That number climbs fast.

Here’s what that actually looks like.

I just transferred 180,000 points to Hyatt for a 7-night stay at the Park Hyatt St. Kitts later this year, a resort that regularly runs $1,000–$2,000 a night.

The 150K bonus alone would get you 6 of those nights.

Cash price for that trip? Easily $10,000+.

Last edition I told you summer travel season is coming and peak prices are brutal. This is the answer.

When cash fares spike, your points don't care. Transfer partners price flights and hotels in points, not dollars. That's your hedge against demand pricing.

The $795 annual fee sounds steep.

But between the $300 travel credit, $300 dining credit, lounge access, Global Entry credit, and more, most cardholders come out net positive before they even touch the welcome bonus.

I've had mine since 2019 and it's funded trips I'd never have paid cash for.

If you've been sitting on the fence, this is the highest offer Chase has publicly released. Don’t miss this. ​​

🧭Travel Tip of the Week: The tool that makes sure your credits don't go to waste

Here's the unsexy part of having a premium card like the CSR: actually tracking all those credits and knowing which card to swipe where.

That's exactly what MaxRewards does. It connects to your cards, shows you which credits you've used, tells you the optimal card for every spending category, and surfaces transfer bonuses when they go live.

If you're stacking multiple cards, it's basically a co-pilot. I use it to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

Try it free for 7 days. Use code PASSPORT25 at signup to unlock 25% off Gold.​​

🛫 Coming up on the Next Flight Path

You now know what 150,000 points can do. Next edition I'm walking you through exactly how to find flights worth transferring for, what good award value actually looks like, and how to search before you move a single point.

Here's to smarter, easier travel.

Until next time,
Joe

Follow the journey → @heavilyinkedpassport​

This newsletter contains referral and affiliate links. I may earn points or a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe in. This is not financial advice, always do your own research before applying for any credit product.

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