The Points Guy

The Points Guy
Name	The Points Guy
Type	Private company
Founded	2010
Founder	Brian Kelly
Headquarters	New York City
Industry	Travel media
Products	Travel journalism, credit card guides, flight reviews

The Points Guy is a travel media brand focused on frequent flyer programs, credit card rewards, airline loyalty, and travel experiences. It produces journalism, reviews, and guides aimed at maximizing points and miles for travel, while partnering with major financial institutions and airlines. The site has become influential among travelers, frequent flyers, and industry professionals.

Overview

The Points Guy operates as a digital publisher covering topics like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Iberia, ANA, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines, Avianca, LATAM Airlines Group, Alaska Airlines, Etihad Airways, Saudia, Royal Air Maroc, EVA Air, LATAM Brasil, Garuda Indonesia, Vueling, Icelandair, Finnair, SAS, Aegean Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Virgin Australia, Hainan Airlines, Air India, Shenzhen Airlines, Gol Transportes Aéreos, Copa Airlines, Aeroméxico, Aer Lingus, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair, JetBlue, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Allegiant Air, Iberia Express, Wizz Air, Eurowings, Volaris, Interjet and loyalty programs such as AAdvantage, SkyMiles, MileagePlus, Avios, Flying Blue, Miles & More, Asia Miles, KrisFlyer, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Executive Club.

History and Development

Founded in 2010 by Brian Kelly, the company grew alongside digital publishers such as HuffPost, BuzzFeed, Business Insider, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Washington Post, Vox Media, Gannett, Conde Nast, Hearst Communications, Time Inc., The Atlantic, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Financial Times, Reuters, Associated Press, AP News, Politico, The Economist, Newsweek, USA Today, Mashable, Wired, TechCrunch, Engadget, Vulture, Slate, Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Esquire, McClatchy and NPR. Expansion included hiring reporters and editors with backgrounds at CNN, BBC, CBS News, NBC News, ABC News, CNBC, Sky News, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, The Independent, Daily Mail, The Telegraph, The Times (London), El País, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica and regional outlets. The brand launched multimedia features coinciding with travel industry events like ITB Berlin, World Travel Market, Phocuswright Conference, Skift Forum, WTM Latin America, and airline annual general meetings.

Content and Services

Editorial content spans airline reviews, airport lounge coverage, hotel stays at chains such as Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Accor, Radisson Hotel Group, Choice Hotels International, Best Western, MGM Resorts International, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Aman Resorts, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, The Leading Hotels of the World, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotels & Resorts and destination guides for cities including New York City, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Geneva, Lisbon, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Dublin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Reykjavik, Seoul, Osaka, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket, Bali, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Hawaii, Alaska, Cancun, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and airport hubs like JFK Airport, LAX, Heathrow Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Dubai International Airport, Changi Airport, Haneda Airport, Narita International Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Schiphol Airport, Madrid–Barajas Airport, Barcelona–El Prat Airport, Rome–Fiumicino Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport.

Services include credit card comparison tools featuring issuers such as American Express, Chase (bank), Citi, Capital One, Discover Financial Services, Bank of America, Barclays, HSBC, Wells Fargo, Santander, UBS, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Scotiabank, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ, OCBC Bank, UOB and co-branded cards from Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, AAdvantage Aviator Red, British Airways American Express, Marriott Bonvoy American Express.

Business Model and Revenue

Revenue streams mirror other digital publishers like BuzzFeed, Vice Media, Mic (media company), Gawker Media, TheSkimm, Refinery29, Bustle, Elite Daily, The Daily Beast, Salon (website), Vox Media, Group Nine Media, Condé Nast Traveler and rely on advertising, sponsored content, affiliate marketing with networks such as Rakuten, Skimlinks, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale, Impact (company), direct partnerships with American Express, Chase, Citi and programmatic ads from Google AdSense, The Trade Desk and private-label events. The company has pursued strategic investments, acquisitions, and partnerships often discussed alongside transactions involving TripAdvisor, Expedia Group, Booking Holdings, Skyscanner, Kayak, Priceline Group, Momondo, Hopper (company), Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, National Geographic Partners, Airbnb, Vrbo, HomeAway, Turo (company), GetYourGuide and Viator.

Reception and Criticism

Praise has come from travel writers and industry figures connected to outlets like Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor's, Frommer's, Rough Guides, Michelin Guide, AAA (organization), AFAR Media, Luxury Travel Advisor, Skift and individual journalists previously at The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, BBC Travel and CNN Travel. Criticism has focused on transparency, conflicts of interest, and editorial independence with parallels drawn to controversies involving The Atlantic, The New Yorker, BuzzFeed News, Forbes, HuffPost, Vox, Politico, Slate, Salon, Daily Mail, Gawker, Vice News, Bloomberg Businessweek and Reuters.

Legal Issues and Controversies

Legal and regulatory scrutiny touched partnerships, disclosures, and advertising practices similar to disputes that involved Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Competition and Markets Authority, Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom), Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, European Commission, Department of Justice (United States), State Attorneys General, Office of Fair Trading and issues reminiscent of lawsuits or inquiries facing TripAdvisor, Yelp, Facebook, Google, Apple Inc., Amazon (company), Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, Expedia Group, Booking.com, Priceline Group and Skyscanner. Debates around affiliate disclosures involved media law scholars at institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, University of Chicago, Georgetown University and legal commentators from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times.

Influence on Travel Industry

The Points Guy has influenced consumer behavior, loyalty program valuations, airline route planning, and credit card product marketing alongside analysts and consultancies such as IATA, ICAO, CAPA - Centre for Aviation, OAG Aviation, Cirium, Skift Research, Phocuswright, Deloitte, McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC, Accenture, Oliver Wyman, SITA, Amadeus IT Group, Sabre Corporation, Travelport, Oracle Corporation and industry conferences like Routes World, WTM, ITB Berlin and Phocuswright Conference. Its coverage affects frequent flyers, corporate travel managers, travel agents at firms like American Express Global Business Travel, BCD Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Egencia (Expedia Group), BCD Travel, FCM Travel Solutions and loyalty program strategists at airlines and banks.

Category:Travel websites