Hotels don’t fly planes - they mint currency. Every swipe of a Hilton or Marriott card prints points sold to banks for cash, then redeemed for rooms that cost pennies. Your “free” night? Margin play. The buffet cost more. Dynamic pricing quietly taxes your balance. Burn fast or get devalued.
Airlines aren’t in transport - they’re minting money. United sold $6B+ in miles to banks at ~1¢; you redeem at 2–5¢ while dynamic pricing and breakage pad profit. The planes are props. The real business? A spreadsheet that prints cash.
What Actually Happens When You Buy Groceries With a Credit Card | Or: A person walks into Trader Joe’s and pays $100 dollars with an American Express. Where does that money go? | Spoiler: Trader Joe’s does not get 100 dollars.
This week in miles & points: You blinked, United’s flash sale was gone, Qantas just yanked value, Southwest is testing free Wi-Fi, JetBlue renamed everything, and Choice Hotels quietly gives insane deals - here’s what actually matters for your points right now...
Most SMBs treat points like loose change: spend them fast, take the 1¢, move on. That’s the rookie play. The real game is Redemption Architecture: engineering every burn to hit 3¢–10¢ per point so your “rewards” become a six-figure travel asset, not a line item buried in your budget.
A Dallas construction firm was earning just $23K in cashback on $2.3M spend until a golf course chat revealed a hidden goldmine. By swapping cards and targeting bonuses, they turned the same expenses to $210K of luxury travel, from Maui retreats to European getaways, unlocking a game-changing edge.
A Florida dental clinic was earning $11K a year in boring cashback on $1.1M of expenses. Then they swapped cards, optimized categories, and now pull $123K in premium travel - booking lie-flat seats, luxury resorts, and bucket-list trips straight from their operating expenses.
An 8-person accounting firm spent $750K a year and thought their 1% cashback card was “free money.” It wasn’t. By rerouting the same expenses through the right cards, they unlocked $95K in premium travel (including first class to Tokyo) without spending a dollar more...
A Midwest restaurant group turned $150K supplier bills into 14 business class flights to Hawaii - all by switching to a points-earning card. With smart payment moves, they earned points for a leadership retreat that boosted morale and creativity. What’s your biggest missed travel opportunity?
Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) are bleeding 5-7 figures in lost award travel points and miles every year without knowing it. Wrong credit cards, bad redemptions, idle rewards. Meanwhile, competitors fly business class for free. Stop the points drain before your profit leaks at 35,000 feet.
Alaska & Hawaiian prepare for a loyalty identity shake-up | Southwest flirts with free Wi-Fi for Rapid Rewards | Qantas quietly tweaks its point prices again | United’s giving cardholders flash sale bonuses | and Air Canada redefines Aeroplan earning | We’ve got all this week’s tea below. 👇🏻
So many travelers think all points are equal. They are wrong. This August your Amex, Chase, Citi, CapOne, and BILT points don’t just earn differently - they play differently. Some unlock first class, others trap you in coach. The flex game isn’t fair. But it is winnable (if you know where to look)