What is Points Wizard?

Points Wizard is a consulting company that works with clients who want to maximize their travel points and miles from credit cards and loyalty programs to achieve their travel goals. In particular, we advise clients on the best ways to obtain travel points and miles and also review their points portfolios to help them redeem points and miles for maximum value. We further offer full vacation planning using points and miles for clients looking to travel to specific locations around the world.

What prompted you to start Points Wizard?

I  have heard countless times from friends and family that they would love to travel, but unfortunately, they simply cannot afford it. After hearing this, I realized that I could use my knowledge of credit card points and travel reward programs to help these people use the money they were already spending to effectively and efficiently achieve their travel dreams affordably. With this goal in mind, Points Wizard was born.

I am a little nervous about using credit cards. does points wizard require me to apply for Cards to use the services?

Absolutely not! While I do recommend certain credit cards and credit card spending to help obtain points and miles efficiently, we are strictly a consulting firm that advises clients based off of their personal needs. We do not receive any commissions from credit cards and will never advise you to apply for a card if it is not in your best interest. Further, we vet all of our clients to make sure they are good candidates for applying for credit cards before making any such recommendations.

For people concerned with potential credit card debt, should they get involved with points and miles?

Well of course I would never want anyone to go into debt in order to obtain travel points. In fact, if you cannot afford to pay off your monthly balance in full each month, the cost to you in interest will far outweigh the return in points and miles and will damage your credit score. So for those individuals, I would not recommend getting heavily involved in travel rewards. However, if you can pay off your balance monthly, the rewards are tremendous. There is a definite myth that credit cards always cause debt and should be avoided. This is simply not true. With responsible spending and budgeting, credit cards will not only give you rewards in return but can also help increase your credit score, which of course, is pivotal for making many large purchases in life such as cars and homes.

How does points wizard help with redeeming points?

I always say that collecting points is easy, but redeeming them is the harder part of the equation because there are many nuanced rules and strategies that you need to know in order to maximize the value of points. This is an area where I truly specialize and can help clients so that they do not leave any "money" on the table. In particular, I research the various airline and hotels partners and their redemption rules to make sure clients are using the least amount of miles or points to get where they want to go. I also put together point and mile valuations of redemptions to make sure the clients are receiving good value. As a general rule, I work to make sure clients are receiving more than 1 cent per point if possible.

what is the cost for points wizard services?

I determine pricing after an initial consultation in order to determine the scope of work required for each client. My goal, of course, is to have the final cost of my services be far less than the savings I provide to the client. That being said, I usually use an hourly rate with larger projects having capped costs in order to ensure client savings. If you are interested in Points Wizard services, please contact us for a free initial consultation!