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New to points and miles? Five short guides, in the order they make sense, and a quick way to tell which setup fits.
Points reward patience less than they reward knowing a few rules. The five guides below cover those rules in the order they build on each other. Together they take under an hour, and nothing in them requires a spreadsheet.
The reading path
Five guides
Points, explainedThe three kinds of points, where they come from, and how they turn into flights and hotel nights.Read the guide →
What is a point worth?Why the same points can be worth 0.6¢ or 2¢ each, and how to tell a good redemption from a poor one.Read the guide →
Transfer partners, explainedWhich bank points move to which airlines and hotels, and the rules that keep a transfer from going wrong.Read the guide →
The Atelier setupThree cards and one portal, each with one job, and what a year of points can add up to.Read the guide →
Rakuten: cash back or points?The easiest extra source of points: a shopping portal that can pay in Amex or Bilt points instead of cash.Read the guide →
Step 5 takes a minute: join Rakuten through our referral link → for 5,000 Amex points, or Bilt points at Silver status and above, after $50 of shopping within 90 days.
Points Atelier earns a referral bonus when you join through our link and make a qualifying purchase.
Which setup fits
The setup guide works through all three versions with one household’s numbers. As a first steer:
Core
Bilt Palladium + Amex Gold
For anyone who pays rent, eats out often and flies a few times a year.
$820 a year in fees
Light
Bilt Obsidian + Amex Gold
For lower spending, or anyone who wants to keep fees down.
$420 a year in fees
Full
Core + Amex Platinum
For frequent travelers who would use lounges and travel credits anyway.
$1,715 a year in fees
Fees are before credits.
Worried about what new cards do to a credit score? Credit scores, explained covers it before the first application.
One rule before anything else
Never transfer points speculatively. Find the flight or the hotel night first, in the program that will book it, then move only what that booking needs. Transfers cannot be reversed.