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.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.