PS
The Points Surgeon One trip at a time: flights, hotels, or both
How it works Start now
One-trip consulting | Invitation-only

Send me one trip,
and I’ll tell you exactly how to book it.

I’m not here to overhaul your entire financial life. I focus on one thing: helping you plan a single trip at a time—flights, hotels, or both—using your points, miles, and cash in the smartest way possible. You tell me where you’re going, who’s traveling, and what kind of experience you want. I map out a clear plan to book it, often with far better value than simply clicking “book with points” in a bank portal.

Tell me about your trip ↘

No payment upfront. You fill out the trip survey first. If I think I can materially improve your options or value, I’ll offer a one-time consultation. If not, I’ll tell you.

How it works

Everything is built around one specific trip at a time. The survey below makes it easy for you to tell me where you’re going and what you need help with—flights, hotels, or both.

Step 1
You describe your trip
You tell me your origin, destination, dates or date range, who’s traveling, and whether you want help with flights, hotels, or both. You can also share what points, miles, or status you already have—if any.
Step 2
I review and decide if I can help
I personally review your trip details. If I don’t think I can add meaningful value—better routing, cabin, hotel, or overall value—I’ll tell you directly instead of wasting your time or money.
Step 3
We agree on scope & one-time fee
If I believe I can help, I’ll email you with what I propose to do for this trip and a one-time consultation fee. The fee may vary depending on how complex the trip is and how involved you want me to be.
Step 4
You get a clear trip plan
Once you approve and pay, we focus on this one trip: best use of your points and cash, suggested flights and/or hotels, trade-offs, and concrete booking steps. You implement the plan; I’m not your travel agent.

What I can help you with for this trip

The goal is simple: make this specific trip as good as possible for the best value possible—whether that means business class, a special hotel stay, or simply making the numbers work. In some cases, that can mean turning low-value redemptions (like ~1–1.5¢ per point in a credit card portal) into high-value, partner-based bookings that effectively get you many times that value per point—sometimes over 10–13×. Results vary and are never guaranteed, but maximizing the value of the points you already have is a core focus of what I do.

  • Choosing between economy, premium, business, or first based on your budget and points.
  • Finding realistic flight options and routes that match your dates and flexibility.
  • Helping you decide whether to use points, cash, or a mix for flights and/or hotels.
  • Suggesting hotel options that fit your destination, vibe, and budget (or points).
  • Making sense of your existing points and miles for this trip—even if things are messy.
  • Clarifying trade-offs so you can confidently choose the plan that fits you best.
One trip at a time
Flights, hotels, or both
Focus on value per point

Trip Intake Survey

Use this form to tell me about one specific trip you’d like help planning. There’s no payment to submit this. I’ll review your trip details and let you know if I can help and what a one-time consultation would look like.

Important: Please do not enter any full credit card numbers, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, or other highly sensitive personal data. I only need basic trip details, plus any high-level info about your points and miles that you feel comfortable sharing.

1. Contact information
2. What trip do you want help with?
Give this trip a short name and tell me the purpose (e.g., “Paris anniversary,” “Tokyo work trip,” “Family Hawaii vacation”).
Origin & destination
Dates
How flexible are your dates?
3. Who is traveling, and what do you want help with?
Travel party
Trip components you want help with
If you selected “Other,” or there’s something special about this trip (e.g., honeymoon, medical, disability needs), describe it here:
4. What kind of experience are you hoping for?
Select what you’d ideally like for the flights and overall feel of the trip.
Flight cabin preference
For hotels, what kind of vibe are you aiming for? (e.g., “solid 4-star in city center,” “points-friendly chain,” “luxury once-in-a-lifetime,” “boutique only”)
5. What points, miles, or status do you already have (if any)?
High-level is enough (e.g., “~200k Amex MR, 80k Chase UR, Hyatt Explorist,” or “mostly Flying Blue miles, some Marriott points.”)
6. What is your approximate budget for this trip?
This helps me recommend realistic options and trade-offs. You can include both points/miles and cash.
Cash budget (total out-of-pocket for this trip)
Optional: add any extra detail about your budget or boundaries (e.g., “okay with cash for hotels but want flights on points”).
7. Have you already booked anything for this trip?
If you’ve already booked something (flights or hotels), share the basics here (destination, dates, cabin, rate, refundable or not).
8. How soon do you need to book this trip, and what does “success” look like?
How soon do you need help?
In your own words, what would make this consultation feel like a win for you for this trip?
Submitting this survey does not guarantee that we will work together. I review each trip personally and only move forward when I am confident I can provide significant, realistic value. If I believe I can help, I will email you with a proposed scope of work for this trip and a one-time consultation fee. You are always free to decline.
You must check this box to submit the survey.