The Best Credit Card for Travel Rewards, and Other Advice from The Points Guy – GQ Magazine

Photo Illustration; Aaron Foster/Getty

We talked to Brian Kelly, expert on all things travel points, on which credit card offers the best rewards, whether hotel points are worth it, and how to become a points freak in the first place.

Brian Kellys livelihood started as many an influencers: His friends gave him a weird nickname in 2010, he decided to make an eponymous blog with said nickname, and then companies started flooding his inbox with emails with words like commission and profit and affiliate marketing. It was just the beginning of what would become his everyday life.

None of the world travel Kelly has donetaking his parents to Beijing and East timor to celebrate their retirement, becoming a chief in a Ghanian village wouldve been possible had Kelly not become addicted to racking up frequent flier miles and credit card points, and bought the domain for The Points Guy, his blog-cum-profitable-website that now beckons 4.5 million visitors a month. Looking for updates about the TSAs electronic ban? The Points Guys got you covered. Have a spare $500 and want to know the furthest you can get away from New York City? Round-trip ticket to Amman, Jordan: $499, baby.

As someone who has dedicated his livelihood to the art of travel, points, and deals, Kelly has the insight and advice that could put money in your pockets and your butt in a lounge chair in the San Sebastin. So, we asked him about credit card rewards, the worthiness of hotel points, and whale sharks.

GQ: Lets ask an extremely basic question first: What exactly are points and miles, and why am I supposed to care about them? Kelly: simply put, theyre a form of currency. You can get them from traveling, but nowadays, more and more points come from credit cards and everyday spending. You literally just have to spend money to get them. Most people have them; most people dont know how to use them.

How did you get into this relatively unconventional hobby or interest, however you choose to classify it? In the nineties, my dad was a business traveler, so he had all these frequent flier miles. Wed go to the Caribbean for almost free, and when I was 12, I thought, it sucks that my dad has to travel for work but at least we have all these points. I was working at Morgan Stanley in 2007 and was traveling a ton, and my friends called me the points guy because I knew all the ins and outs. So in June 2010, I started a blog, and 9 months later, credit card companies came knocking at my door for affiliate marketing. Today were one of top credit card content websites. Its my dream job.

Im young-ish and mainly travel for leisure, maybe once or twice a year. Whats the best credit card for me? The best all-around card in the marketplace is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It was so popular that they ran out of metal when it came out. You start with 50,000 points and earn triple points on all travel and dining. Travel includes subway tickets and parking tolls, and dining includes things like Seamless. Its a $450 annual fee but you get $300 right away in credit, so you basically pay $150 a year and get a card that gives you triple points. If you dont want that hefty annual fee, Id recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which gives you 50,000 points and double points on travel and dining. American Expresss Starwood is solid as well.

What about hotel points. Are those worth it? It depends. The best are Starwood Preferred Guesttheyre insanely valuable because you can transfer them to maybe 35 different airlines, hotels, and experiences. I saw Adele in London with them. But, while hotel points can be valuable, give me credit card points instead. Its much better to have flexible points than to box yourself in.

Considering your travel habits, you must have a lot of tips. Share them please? I think a lot of people go to the same place over and over, which isnt necessarily bad, but I think people should explore more. Also, dont go to places during peak season, like Europe in summer or Asia in spring. You get half the crowds and half the prices during shoulder seasons. Its also easier to get frequent flier miles at lower levels during this time. But generally, [right now is] a great time to be traveling because the US dollar is so strong.

Last extremely important question: We hear youre mildly obsessed with sharks.If you could travel anywhere to see them, where would that be? A place called Holbox Island, [near] Tulum. The whale sharks are really plentiful there, and Im dying to see whale sharks.