A new feature at TPOL is Autopilot Saturday/Sundays where I link insightful posts from around the points blogosphere. Throughout the week, I bookmark these posts to well-organized folders because I know they will be useful in the future.
If this sounds obvious, then let me ask if you are already doing it? If you are not, then my guess is that you have spent time fumbling around Google trying to find that one post that tells you whether Amex cards are reloadable on the RedBird.
Much like my protocol for paying bills on time, I have a system for keeping up with news on gift cards, best airline redemptions, aspirational hotels, and travel guides per destination.
What’s funny about the saved bookmarks is what I find when I’m motivated enough to do an audit of what is saved. What I discover is really telling of where the points game was and where it is going. A lot of the ‘best of’ are no longer available, victims to the inevitable devaluation thus the need to Shut Up And Book. Indeed an entire folder is dedicated to booking AA’s Explorer Award, a round-the-world redemption that was eliminated overnight. I keep the folder around hoping naively hoping it returns.
My advice to you if you do find any posts useful whether mine or others is to set up a system for keeping it all straight, a simple but effective means of ensuring you don’t leave any points on the table.
