This Past Year: The Good, The Crunchy, The Click-Into-Place

What worked.

My core thesis held: treat points like an asset, not a coupon, and you buy comfort, time, and optionality without spending more. The playbooks delivered: families in business class, honeymoon suites on points, lie-flats that used to be “someday” turning into “booked.” At company scale, the same math turned monthly expenses into repeatable premium travel.

What didn’t.

I tried to be everywhere - daily social, weekly newsletters, monthly premium, DMs, airport rescues. Great adrenaline, lousy clarity. I over-taught at first (too much sausage-making, not enough “click here”). I also packaged too much. Metaphorically - People (especially individuals) wanted one excellent entrée and a strong coffee.
I also underestimated support during IRROPS: when a rebooking nukes a carefully placed stopover, you don’t need theory - you need a hotline and authority. I built that… after learning it the crunchy way.

The click.

Two inboxes were speaking: individuals saying “two lie-flats, minimal tabs,” and owners/controllers saying “we spend $80K a month and get two domestic tickets - help.” The pivot wasn’t away from anyone; it was toward serving both clearly. Individuals need recipes. Businesses need systems. Once I separated those lanes, everything flowed.

Today: Two Clear Paths, Same Gate

For individuals (solo, couple, family):

I keep this a shortcut. You give me the one-sentence goal (“two lie-flats to Paris in May, low fees, kid-friendly times”). I inventory points, design a Redemption Architecture that picks seats before logos, thread in stopovers when they’re free wins, and time transfers so you don’t get trapped before a devaluation. You get a simple decision: book now / 48-hour hold / buy cash because award math is upside-down. Minimum tabs, maximum outcome.

For budget holders (owner, controller, team lead):

I run a Points P&L. I map spend to the right earn engines, centralize where it helps, set a written redemption policy (target ¢/pt, fee caps, burn-vs-buy rules), and execute award bookings when portals don’t pencil. Keep Navan/Concur/your TMC; I overlay optimization and award booking on top. You get repeatable outcomes that show up as morale, retention, and saved cash - without spending more.

What I changed because of last year’s misses:

• Fewer offers, sharper lanes: Points Optimization (think: Earn), Best-In-Class Redemption (think: Burn), and some thought leadership (think: Learn)
• Intake before magic: constraints first, then seats.
• Real support: IRROPS protocol + rebooking authority within guardrails.
• Content with purpose: weekly #DearOhad for timely moves; premium guides only when deeper tooling pays.

Tomorrow: Lessons I’m Keeping, Tools I’m Shipping, Value I’m Protecting

Lesson 1: Systems beat sprints. A miracle booking is cute; a structure that yields 3–10¢/pt all year is freedom. I’m codifying the boring parts so the exciting parts keep happening.

Lesson 2: Seats > logos. I’m expanding quick product maps tied to real award patterns so you never burn 70k on a recliner.

Lesson 3: Positioning is power. Your home airport is an on-ramp, not destiny. I’m formalizing positioning playbooks by region/season.

Lesson 4: Earn ruthlessly, burn deliberately. Transfer bonuses are opportunities, not orders to zero out. I’ll keep “move/hold” signals so you don’t get stuck in airline scrip before rules change.

What this means for you, the individual reader:

More trip recipes (e.g., JFK→MAD in J for 40.5k Avios, low surcharges, booking windows, backups), clearer Do This Now nudges, and a smoother path from “I’ve got points” to “I’ve got a bed in the sky.”

What this means for teams:

Cleaner Points P&L dashboards, a living redemption-policy template, and a one-screen calculator showing true cost (fees + opportunity cost). Quarterly clinics: bring balances and routes; leave with policy and booked seats.

🎉 Birthday Offer: Premium, But Cheaper (One Week Only)

It’s my launch-iversary and actual birthday, so here’s a thank-you to you:

• Birthday Week Discount: 50% off your first year of UpNonStop Premium (monthly or even more with annual).
• Valid: September 10–17, 2025 (America/New_York).
• Code at checkout: BIRTHDAY50

Premium includes: timely “Do This Now” alerts, No Ads, deep-dive guides, live Q&As/clinics access, templates (Points P&L, redemption policy), and first look at UpNonStop regional playbooks.

To everyone who read, replied, argued, booked, and trusted me with your miles and your time - thank you. You let me test ideas in public, you told me when I missed, and you shared the wins that reminded me why this matters: not just seats and cents-per-point, but time back, stress down, and better trips with the people you care about.

To the solo travelers, couples, and families who said “two lie-flats, please,” and to the owners, controllers, and team leads who said “make our spend work harder” - you’re the reason this evolved from clever threads into clear recipes and real systems. I’ll keep doing the unsexy math so you can keep collecting moments, not tabs.

Here’s to year two: fewer clicks, better seats, smarter burns, more left turns. If this helped you even once, that’s the fuel. If it helped you a lot, tell a friend - or grab the BIRTHDAY50 offer and come closer.

With gratitude,
--Ohad