The Points University

How To Book the World's Best First Class Flights and Luxury Hotels Using Points... Forever

Even if... you don't have perfect credit.

Even if... you're not a big spender.

Even if... you have zero experience with points and miles.

Hi, I'm Stephen, founder and CEO of AuPACS.

I'm the chief points writer at Upgraded Points, which has millions of monthly readers. I've invested years educating the public about the ins and outs of credit card rewards and award travel.

My mission is to "take you under the hood" and show you the exact formula I use to help dozens of my personal consulting clients sustainably earn half a million points and book tens of thousands of dollars in free travel every year.

And I'll show you how to do it while boosting your credit score!

Today, I've set myself, my students, and my consulting clients up with enough points to never have to pay for flights and hotels ever again.

For the foreseeable future, we'll be globetrotting only in first class.

But if you rewind to just a few years ago, I didn't have any of that...

Back then, learning about points was a huge struggle for me. I didn't have access to a place where I could reliably learn everything I needed in a completely structured, logical way to go from a newbie to an expert in points.

In fact...

My First Attempt at Travel Hacking Was a Complete Disaster

A few years ago, I realized that using points and miles could completely transform the way I travel.

At that point, most of my travel consisted of expensive plane tickets in a cramped seat at the back of the plane and no-frills Airbnbs.

I dreaded the inhumane treatment, the terrible seats, and the level of discomfort I experienced every time I traveled.

But I had no choice since I couldn't shell out tens of thousands of dollars to travel...

That's when I started doing research in points, credit cards, and award travel.

Wait a minute.

I could get a bunch of miles just for signing up for a credit card and spending a couple thousand dollars in 3 months?

Unfortunately, my own enthusiasm got ahead of me, and I ended up making a TON of mistakes.

I signed up for the wrong cards.

I signed up at the wrong time.

I got rejected for lots of credit cards.

I spent all of my points on a 3-hour flight on Delta in economy and thought it was a great idea.

At one point, I even got shut down by one of the biggest banks in the world (my accounts got re-opened after I basically begged them), losing all of my hard-earned points in the process.

I wasn't getting as much as I could from points and travel.

Why Most "Travel Hackers" Fail

Once I realized that points and miles could open the door to free luxury travel, I got to work.

I signed up for a handful of credit cards from Delta and Southwest and it was going well, until I started getting rejected for credit cards.

I was earning the wrong type of points for where I wanted to go.

My strategy was a total failure.

I'm sure you've tried some of these "best practices" yourself:

"You need to stick to a points system like Chase Ultimate Rewards"

You don't. Seriously... you don't. You need to amass a diversified pool of points in the long-term.

Sure, Chase cards can help you book business class flights to Spain. But you can use Citi or American Express and save 25% of your points!

Having a diversified collection of points allows you to cherry-pick which trips to use which points for.

"You should collect Delta miles if you plan on flying with Delta"

Delta miles might have been decently valuable back in the day, but in today's day and age, you should know that Delta miles are one of the worst ways to book Delta flights.

If you want to fly in business (Delta One Suites) or first class, you'll be quoted egregious amounts that are often 50-100% more expensive than the alternatives.

"You need to avoid the 5/24 rule from Chase"

Yes! But what other rules do you need to follow?

How will you plan a credit card road map?

Are there any loopholes?

Aren't you curious how it's possible to keep getting credit cards if Chase has this rule that supposedly "blocks" you from getting new cards after 5 credit cards?

"Use the bank's travel portal to book your flights and hotels"

This is a sure-fire way to reduce how much value you get with your points!

By following this strategy, you'll basically guarantee that you're not making your points work for you.

And after following this advice for a year, getting 1 or 2 points for every dollar I spent, and wasting a bunch of time, I realized something:

Most of the advice that you read out there on points and award travel is severely disorganized.

And to travel hack your way to millions of points and years of free luxury travel, you need to completely rethink how much you know about points.

That's When I Decided to Try a Completely NEW Framework

After countless credit card denials, stagnating points balances, and very little travel booked, I decided to switch things up.

Instead of blindly following the best "advice" out there, I took matters into my own hands.

To be specific, I used the credit card application rules from the major banks, the places I wanted to travel to, and my own personal spending habits to reverse-engineer my way to millions of points.

But it didn't stop there, because once I earned those points, I had to use them for travel, didn't I?

So I developed a secret roadmap to figure out how to book luxurious first class tickets for the fewest points possible.

Instead of spending 2,000,000 points per flight, you could spend 100,000-150,000 points, saving 90+% of your points!

On one hand, you have the proven formula to sustainably rack up millions of points. On the other hand, you have the techniques to literally book the most incredible flights and hotels for a tiny fraction of what other people are paying using points.

Put together, this is a system that enables you to go from total points amateur to booking the world's most luxurious flights and hotels for free.

It Wasn't Easy (And It Took Over 4 Years), But I've Developed a Luxury Points Travel System That Gets Results

I'm Stephen Au, the founder of AuPACS.

I developed a step-by-step process for booking the most opulent flights and hotels in the world from beginning to end.

It starts with how to build up your credit to get where it needs to be. Ideally, you get your FICO score up to 700 before looking at any rewards credit cards.

Then, I'll show you how to use your personal situation to earn as many of the most useful types of points possible.

I'll then walk you through the exact process for booking the world's rarest, most coveted, and luxurious first class flights and hotels using your points.

Along the way, you'll learn about some of the best tricks that nobody else knows to pull off some of the most incredible vacations that most people would consider impossible.

With this course, you'll fast-track your expertise with points and miles, and by the end, you'll have a proven system to hack points travel.

In truth, points and miles have been an incredible blessing for my travel, and it has enabled me to savor unforgettable experiences.

Without points, you'd have to pay upwards of $20,000 for some plane tickets!

Instead of paying a small fortune for some of these flights, you could pay a fraction of the cost of an economy ticket.

Lifetime Access and Updates

Your enrollment in The Points University comes with lifetime access to the course material.

That way, if you happen to get really busy, you can take a break from the course lessons.

Your material at The Points University will ALWAYS be here for you.

And since the points world is living, breathing, and always changing, you'll also get access to future updates, upgrades, and lessons at no extra charge.

This is my way of making sure that this course remains a superb long-term investment for you and your travel.

Plus, When You Enroll Today, You Get 30 Days of Unlimited Consulting Directly With Me

Your enrollment comes with 30 days of unlimited consulting (via email) with me personally. Yes, you read that right! For a limited time, your enrollment at The Points University comes with direct access to me for an entire month.

If you have any questions about credit cards, points, award travel, or credit principles, just shoot me an email and you'll get a thorough reply from me, directly.

Is The Points University Right For You?

The Points University isn't for everyone. I'd personally rather work with a small group of proactive hard-workers than a bunch of people on the lookout for a "magic lever" that'll just make it instantly rain millions of points.

The Points University Is NOT For You If...

❌ You have bad credit, including delinquencies, collections, and bankruptcies

❌ You are disorganized. Part of being successful with points is keeping great records when you're given the tools.

❌ You're looking for a "magic lever" to instantly start flying in first class and staying in the Four Seasons for free (spoiler alert: that lever doesn't exist). Yes, this course will hand you a detailed plan that will save you countless hours of trial and error and thousands of dollars in mistakes. But you need to be willing to put in the work for the end goal: luxury travel with points.

❌ You're not willing to make changes to the way you approach credit cards, points, and travel. The Points University is radically different from what you've seen before, which is why this strategy is so effective. That's why it's important to come into the course with an open mind.

The Points University IS For You If...

✅ You love the idea of booking luxury travel for free but need the insider POV that gets straight to the point to minimize how much time you spend planning your credit cards and travel.

✅ Are a responsible user of credit (does not max out credit cards regularly, uses tools like AutoPay, and pays credit card bills in full).

✅ You recognize that you don't necessarily need to have massive monthly expenses to scale your points.

✅ You want to extract as much value as you can from spending you'd be making anyway.

✅ You already have experience booking travel with points and want to learn the ways to become an elite travel hacker who flies in first class.

✅ You're looking for a step-by-step system you can use to book flights like Emirates first class, British Airways first class, and Singapore Airlines first class and hotels like the St. Regis New York, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, and the Park Hyatt Tokyo for next to nothing out of pocket.

✅ You're proactive and someone who takes action to implement the lessons you learn.

✅ You understand that, while points and flights can certainly come fast, travel hacking takes work.

✅ You want the world's best expertise from someone who has "done it all" without any of the corporate fluff that the big banks disseminate.

✅ You want to invest in the most comprehensive travel hacking course in the world with hours of real examples finding the rarest first class flights in the world.

✅ You want to learn the only proven method to sustainably travel in first class for the long-term (this approach has been responsible for more than $3,000,000 in luxury travel booked).

Frequently Asked Questions About The Points University

Have a question about The Points University? I've answered most common questions below. If you have another question I didn't touch on, email me at [email protected].

Q: "What is The Points University, and how does it work?"

The Points University is a 16-week online training program that walks you through exactly how to optimize your credit card points for luxury travel.

Each week, you'll get new training materials in your member's area.

The course material consists of video lessons, written lessons, and bonus material that's designed to help you hack travel.

You'll have lifetime access to all training materials, so you can either follow the material as it gets released or go at your own pace.

Q: "Do I need to show up at a particular time? Is the training live?"

The course is designed to be flexible for your situation, so if you're not available at a regular schedule, you can go at your own pace and not worry about missing anything.

The materials in the course are recorded in-advance and always accessible to you via the member's area.

Q: "Does this travel hacking system work outside of the U.S.?"

You can apply all of the exact same principles taught in The Points University to plan and book award travel.

The only difference is that if you're outside the U.S., you won't have access to as many welcome bonuses when you sign up for credit cards.

Many international students learn how to take advantage of mileage sales to get business or first class airfare for $1,500-$3,000, which still represents a huge savings compared to what the prices they were paying before.

Q: "I'm really busy... this isn't a great use of my time."

The Points University is designed for busy people like yourself. Whether you're running a business, a corporate high-flyer, or a start-up executive, The Points University and its teachings are effective and laser-focused.

The Points University is built to save you time when planning your points and travel while still being completely scientific about optimization.

And since you can access the materials at your own pace, you'll find it to be a streamlined course.

Q: "How long does it take to complete The Points University?"

There's no time limit where you have to finish the course. You can take as much time as you like, but the course is designed to take around 16 weeks to finish.

Q: "When can I access the course?"

As soon as you join, you will be able to access the first set of lessons. Over the next 15 weeks, you'll receive more lessons in a methodical manner.

Q: "I don't understand credit card points and miles. Is The Points University too complicated?"

The Points University is designed to take you from zero to hero with points and travel. Whether you're a total beginner or already an experienced traveler, you're bound to find a ton of value in The Points University.

Q: "I'm not a frequent traveler. Will The Points University be useful to me?"

Everybody travels differently. As long as you plan on taking at least 1 international trip every 2 years, The Points University could save you $20,000+ per person per trip.

Q: "I travel frequently for work. Will The Points University be useful for me?"

Absolutely! If you travel frequently for work, you're probably accumulating points. The Points University will show you how to optimize the points you're earning and accelerate the pace at which you earn points even more. Then, we'll show you how to book incredible first class vacations for you and your loved ones.

Q: "I'm ready to sign up. What's the next step?"

Great! If you're ready to take your travel to the next level, first decide if you would rather pay for the course in 6 equal monthly installments or a single upfront payment (and save $297).

So sign up for the payment plan that fits your needs the best.

Q: "There are lots of different sources of points and travel information. What's different about The Points University?"

I've personally spent years reading all the blogs, diving deep into the Reddit abyss, and tested a bunch of techniques firsthand.

After extensive testing and documentation, I've created The Points University to aggregate all the best, "no BS" information out there so you can get tons of points and book luxury travel in record time.

Most courses don't have a proven method to get luxury travel sustainably (read: almost forever).

Plus, the track record I've developed with students (as well as my consulting clients) is responsible for planning some incredible vacations.

The system I've built ignores a lot of the tactics that big blogs teach -- the system developed in The Points University is only found here, nowhere else.

It's a system that I've built over the course of 5 years and is the result of tons of iteration, refinements, and improvements.

When It Comes to Travel Hacking, You Have Options:

Option #1: Figure It All Out On Your Own

You can definitely learn all of this on your own. What I mean is that you can piece together bits and pieces of knowledge from 10+ different blogs, Reddit threads, and travel forums.

But that would take YEARS. And that's even if you're able to decipher the heaps of inconsistent advice out there.

Ultimately, it took me more than 5 years of trial-and-error before I had a complete workflow in place.

Besides the fact that many blogs have profit-making agendas that can muddy the waters when it comes to getting quality information I'm sure you've seen how a lot of the advice you see online can be confusing, wrong, and contradictory.

So how do you know what's right? Are you really going to trust a bunch of random people online?

I've developed a reputation over the past several years by offering unbiased advice to millions of readers and authoring some of the most important guides in this realm.

I've done all the hard work already and run countless experiments behind the scenes over the last 5+ years.

And I've come out the other side with a system that actually works, not just for myself but also for my students and clients.

And it's been packaged into a proven, 16-week training program that anyone can follow.

Option #2: Rely on Luck

Taking charge of points and credit cards can be thought of as a part of personal finance.

Would you ever leave your personal finance up to chance?

Imagine a world where you could amass your wealth of points so you never have to pay for travel again.

This world can be your reality. That is, if you follow the right system. You don't need to rely on luck --- just follow the proven plan and you're good to go.

Option #3: Hire a Points Consultant

A points consultant acts a lot like a points and travel fiduciary --- their sole purpose is to make sure you're approaching points and miles correctly with totally personalized strategy.

Historically, AuPACS has focused a lot on offering tailored points advice, and it may be a great fit for you if you want to make sure you maximize the points landscape with a hands-off approach.

Option #4: Follow a Step-by-Step, Proven Blueprint

When I was starting out in points, I would have killed for a step-by-step program like The Points University.

A program that literally took out all the guesswork when it came to picking the right cards based on where I wanted to travel to, finding out how to get the highest sign-up bonuses out there, maximizing my approval odds, tracking my credit cards, getting retention offers, finding award availability for luxury travel, and booking points travel using the fewest points.

In other words, I would've pulled out all the stops for a program that removed the guesswork and just showed me exactly what to do.

And this is your chance to get lifetime access to a proven, step-by-step blueprint that will show you exactly how to hack first class travel in record time.

Enrollment for The Points University Is Now Open... But We're Closing Soon

Enrollment for The Points University will close soon.

This enrollment deadline isn't some scarcity marketing tactic. Since I'm going to be working closely with my students, I don't plan on keeping the course open forever.

If and when I decide to open the course again, I plan on adding new bonuses, lessons, and features, which means the price will go up.

But as a charter member of The Points University, you'll not only be able to instantly access the course, but you'll get upgrades for life at no additional cost to you.

So with your investment today, you'll be able to get access to more material without a single extra dime, even though I'll be raising the price for future students later on. So the earlier you invest in this, the more value you'll get.

One Last Reminder...

If you're reading this, it's apparent that you realize that points can totally change the way you, your family, and your business partners travel.

In fact, like I shared with you earlier, my investment in points has allowed me to basically never travel in economy ever again. For the next 10+ years, I'll be able to book luxury vacations for myself and my loved ones essentially for free. I'm probably saving over a hundred thousand dollars per year, thanks to points. Even with the most conservative estimations, I'm getting $20,000-$25,000 worth of points every single year.

You're already aware that sustainably earning points (and doing so faster than everybody else does) leads to points wealth, which leads to sustainable luxury travel. And if you stick to it, you'll be able to take lavish vacations every single year, like clockwork.

So what's stopping you from getting lots of points and making all your friends jealous of the free travel you're booking?

Well, if you're like most people, it's probably because you don't know where to start. And you don't have a plan.

Maybe you're already dipped your toes in points with a shiny new credit card. Or maybe you're completely new to it.

You'd probably have to piece together tons of information from many different sources, whether it's an obscure blog, archived Reddit threads, or deep within the bowels of frequent flyer forums. And that's technically possible.

But the problem is: EVEN IF you're able to figure all this out by yourself, you're going to waste hours, days, weeks, and months along the way. Those are hours you could spend racking up points and thinking about the exotic destinations you can use your millions of points at (nice problem to have, eh?).

When you have a plan, everything changes. Instead of wasting countless hours experimenting and making mistakes, just follow the step-by-step instructions that are laid out for you. And you'll DRAMATICALLY increase the number of points you'll earn, the success rate of your vacation planning, and more.

Well, that's EXACTLY what you'll get when you try The Points University today: a proven, step-by-step methodology you can use to hack your way to first class travel on every trip you take.

If you're still on the fence, just remember:

Your enrollment in The Points University comes with lifetime access to course material, which means you can always revisit lessons and go at your own pace.

So if you're serious about transforming your travel and personal finance forever, it's time to enroll in The Points University today.