It’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to update the site on a regular basis. Hopefully, that changes now. As you may know, two massive new PointsAway projects have recently launched.

PointsAway: 2015 Edition

First, we released PointsAway 2015, the latest version of our definitive guide to using miles and points for free travel. This new edition includes nearly 100 pages of brand-new content, adding chapters focused on IHG, Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, cruise programs, Las Vegas loyalty programs and much more.

In addition, we also updated the 25 chapters found in the original edition of the book with all of the major changes the points and miles environment has seen in the past year. For example, the chapters on Delta and United were rewritten almost from scratch in order to account for the new ways points are earned on both airlines.

This year’s edition is available on the App Store for iPad, in PDF format for almost any platform, and also on Amazon for Kindle readers. I want as many people to learn how to travel for free like I do as possible, so I’ve lowered the price to just $4.99 for all editions for a limited time. Grab a copy now if you haven’t yet!

PointsAway: More Rewards

Just a couple weeks after releasing the newest edition of the book, we launched PointsAway: More Rewards for iPhone and Android. We developed this new mobile app in partnership with LoyaltyPayments.

Because they can help you save so much money, earning points and miles is serious business! One of the best ways to earn points and miles is by using one of the many travel credit cards available on your everyday purchases.

However, different cards offer different category bonuses: some offer double points on hotels, others on restaurants, still others on categories like drug stores, grocery stores, gas stations and more.

You probably already have several credit cards that incentivize different kinds of purchases. Knowing which one is best to use to maximize your rewards can be tough, though. That’s where PointsAway: More Rewards comes in. Just tell the app what kind of cards you have and the next time you’re out shopping, fire up the app. It’ll use location data to figure out where you’re shopping or dining and let you know what cards would be best, in order, for your purchase.

This app is available for free right now!

No More Affiliate Card Links

If you like what we do here at PointsAway, the number one way you can help is to simply tell your friends about us or buy a copy of the PointsAway Book. One thing that will not help PointsAway until further notice is applying for any particular credit card. That’s because we are no longer using affiliate links for any travel credit cards we talk about.

The reality is our traffic is simply too small to offer affiliate links for all of our favorite cards, and I’m unsettled by the idea that anyone might think our content here is biased toward products we get rewarded for over products that can best help readers. I know more than once I’ve visited other travel blogs and have been disheartened when I see sites shilling offers I know aren’t great for readers because they’re likely being paid for the advertising. That’s not something I’m comfortable with.

If we’re ever in a position where we can offer affiliate links that point toward the very best offers for almost all of our favorite travel cards, we’ll do so and I’ll let you know at that time. Meanwhile, we’re doing away with affiliate links and relying only on book sales to keep the site going.

The Future of PointsAway

Hopefully, I’ll be able to update the site more going forward. Almost all of the time I could put into PointsAway for the past few months went into the new edition of the book or our great new points maximizer app.

With those both officially launched, I should be able to put some more time into writing new features. I’ve been busy traveling in the past few months and have some reviews to share from Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Chicago and more!

Now, I’m hopping on board an Amtrak journey from Chicago to Portland, then on south to San Francisco! I’ll be writing daily journals to share along the way, and am already plotting some incredible new adventures for the rest of the year to come!

All the best,
-Casey

Casey Ayers
Managing Editor
PointsAway