Brian Kelly, aka the 'Points Guy,' shares his secrets for travel success

Brian Kelly, known as "The Points Guy," spoke to ABC News about his new book, "How to Win at Travel."

Kelly believes that now is the best time for traveling. He explains that in the past, travel was reserved for the wealthy; only rich people could afford to travel. He argues that travel is much more accessible today. People can now fly to Europe for less than $500 round trip on many occasions, he says.

Kelly provides travel advice and teaches how to maximize credit card points. His book serves as a guide for travelers to make their trips more convenient.

Kelly gave ABC News his best traveling tips, including avoiding flight cancellations.

ABC NEWS: There are few things more relaxing than lying on the beach and a dream vacation you finally made happen. But getting there not so much. From planning your trip to navigating the complex world of credit card points and travel rewards, the journey to your happy place can quickly become rather stressful.

Fortunately, our next guest is here to help. In his new book, "How to Win at Travel," Brian Kelly, also known as "The Points Guy," shares his secrets to achieving travel success. Brian, kind enough to join us in studio tonight. Thank you so much for coming on.

BRIAN KELLY: Thanks for having me. I want people to enjoy the travel part because it can be enjoyable if you do it right.

ABC NEWS: All right. Well, tell us. That's what we want to know, because you've been really sharing your tips and tricks and advice for years. But now you finally decided to put it in a book. What made you decide to do that?

KELLY: Well, the travel world has changed so much, especially since the pandemic. And there are a lot of good things that have come out of it. And I talk about in my book, I think we're in the best age of travel. We're in the Platinum Age of Travel. You know, things are amazing if you're sitting upfront in the plane or know how to get the leg room or know how to get the free flight.

So, you know, millions of people have followed the PointsGuy.com, but I put together this book to help. There's still so many more people I see getting lost in the process, you know, canceled on by airlines, getting the worst seat on the plane. And it doesn't have to be that way.

ABC NEWS: So. Right. Many people know about the Golden Age of Travel, right? When it was considered to be very luxurious. People would get dressed up to get on planes. But now you're talking about the Platinum Age. What do you mean by that? 

KELLY: Well, it's a nod to platinum status, platinum credit cards, because what people don't realize back in the day, you had to be rich. You could not be poor in travel. So I argue that travel is accessible today. You can go to Europe for less than $500 round trip.

Everyday people can travel, especially if you take advantage of this loyalty ecosystem. I want to wake people up because in this day of inflation, we're not getting the raises we want. You need to find value in your everyday life. And that's what points are. In America, the cost of points are built into the cost of everything we do. So if you're not getting points for every purchase, you're losing out on value.

ABC NEWS: What advice would you give someone who's just trying to get their first reward credit card, for example? Because I was looking at the other day, you know, do you want the platinum one? Do you want the reserve? Do you want I mean, there are so many options. It really can be overwhelming. 

KELLY: So the first thing I would say is, you know, cheap can be expensive, meaning a lot of people just say, well, give me the no annual fee card. Well, those don't come with very many points. You're not going to get a big signup bonus. So sometimes paying $95 will get you that thousand-dollar sign up.

So don't just look and try to get a no annual fee card and look at what you spend your money on. So a lot of credit cards will offer category bonuses, meaning you earn four points per dollar on travel and dining on some cards. There's a Bilt credit card where you earn points on rent with no fee. So if you're paying rent, you eat out and get groceries, like most people, there's cards to get that aligned with what you're spending on.

But what, what I also go into in an entire chapter is perks. Credit cards have perks now, where the airline leaves you stranded, your credit card is the one that will pay for the Uber, pay for your hotel. You know, my son just drew on an expensive chair in my home that I just bought. My credit card is going to fully refund that $1,300 chair because it was bought within 90 days. So most people don't realize these perks and protections can be worth their weight in platinum.

ABC NEWS: I feel like I'm losing money right now by not actually adhering to some of these, like, golden rules and tricks. So when we talk about etiquette, because you have a chapter dedicated to that travel etiquette, let's do just kind of a lightning round. Who gets the armrest? 

KELLY: Middle seat.

ABC NEWS: Both sides? 

KELLY: Both sides. Middle seat gets both sides. I mean, they're in the middle. They deserve the two armrests.

ABC NEWS: Is it OK to recline? 

KELLY: It is OK to recline, but be mindful. Never recline fast and don't recline during meal service because no one wants to look at your scalp.

ABC NEWS: I do this all the time. Guilty of this. I ask people to switch seats. Is that OK? Especially if it's a one for, I have an aisle for an aisle. 

KELLY: An eye for an eye. I'm totally fine. And just be nice, you know, or offer someone money. Hey, look, 'I really want to sit next to my partner, we booked late, I'll give you a hundred bucks,' you know? You know, when you're offering something inferior, give something in return.

ABC NEWS: Biggest travel pet peeve?

KELLY: You know, I think people being mean to airport agents. I tell you people, I see it every day. Stop being mean. Those frontline agents are not the reason for the delay. Often, you know, they're just dealing with it. So you might be mad at an airline, but please don't take it out. And it's in your best interest to be nice to them.

ABC NEWS: Brian, thank you so much for coming on the show. You can buy his new book, "How to Win It Travel," wherever books are sold.