Today Marks Seven Years of The Points Guy
Seven years ago today, I hit publish on my first-ever blog post, having no idea what was about to be created would change my life (and that of many others) forever.
At the time, I started the site as a way to generate business for my side gig of booking award tickets. With the award booking, I would charge clients $50 for consulting — to help them use points and miles for epic getaways. By day, I was working in human resources full time at Morgan Stanley. After work, I would head home and book clients' trips; it started out as a simple hobby. I really never thought I'd leave my career for a blog designed to make some extra cash. But here we are in 2017, and we have a buzzing new office in Manhattan's Flatiron District, and we recently crossed the four million monthly unique visitors mark.
Over the past seven years, we've:
- Logged more than 186 million visits and 313 million pageviews from more than 75 million unique visitors since the site's inception
- Surprised readers with more than $99,000 and 2.9 million points and miles in giveaways
- Built our team from one employee to 16 full-time TPG staffers and five summer interns (and hiring more)
- Published 12,567 blog posts as of today
- Watched our readers spend more than 363,443,160 minutes on the site
- Grew our Facebook page following to more than 1.5 million likes
For us, the growing doesn't stop there — 2017 is the year of the upgrade. Back in January, we launched a brand new and easy-to-use website, and we moved into our new office. We're continuing to work toward innovating the brand and the site as a whole, improving the reader experience and the content every day. This summer, you'll see a review on the site every day — whether that's a flight review, hotel, app, lounge, credit card or much more. Plus, we'll continue to cover all of the topics you've come to trust TPG to cover, from deal alerts to news reports to loyalty-program guides to deep dives into how to maximize points and miles.
To celebrate these fantastic seven years, we're giving away seven prizes to readers — seven of my favorite things. I'll be giving each of these out in a Facebook live today at 5:30pm ET, so be sure to tune in for your chance to win something. Plus, there's always room for some surprise giveaways, too. Here are our seven giveaways:
- Two round-trip first-class tickets to Hawaii using 80,000 Alaska miles each (160,000 miles total)
- A dinner party for seven — you, me and five of your friends to be scheduled when I'm in a city near you
- $250 AWAY luggage gift certificate and a carry-on filled with TPG swag and socks
- Delta Silver Medallion status or a Delta Sky Club membership for 12 months
- $700 in Hotel Tonight credits
- Seven Global Entry/TSA PreCheck memberships for you and six of your family/friends (pending approval)
- An office visit and free points consultation (or via Skype if you don't have plans to be in NYC)
I want to sincerely thank you, our readers, for supporting me for the past seven years. I know I won't always get it right, but I do promise that I'll always listen. So please, send your feedback to info@thepointsguy.com. Also be sure to follow us on social media — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. And, if you have any tips in the points and miles world, email tips@thepointsguy.com. Here's to seven (and many more) years!
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees