About Daniel Ross
Daniel’s passion of aviation first took root when he was a little boy and would go with his father and brother to the airport to “watch the planes.” A few years later, at the age of 13, he boarded an aircraft on his own for the first time to visit his aunt in Barcelona, and from that moment on, his love of flying was fused with a passion for travel.
His love of languages prompted him to pursue a degree at the University of Manchester in French and Portuguese. He lived in France and Brazil throughout his undergraduate studies to become fluent in those languages. When he’s not writing or flying you’ll usually find him brushing up on Greek and Japanese – his 7th and 8th languages.
His first job after college was as a travel consultant at Flight Centre followed by a stint as a business development manager for the same company. Daniel wasn’t satisfied just selling trips. At age 26, he took his love of flying to the next level by getting a Master of Science in Air Transport Management from the University of Loughborough.
He has written for various sites since graduating in 2018, including Insider, Simple Flying, and The Points Guy, and has covered everything from route launches and inaugural flights to aircraft deliveries and the hottest fare deals.
You can follow his adventures on Instagram.
Countries Visited
U.S. States Visited
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
British Airways Executive Club Gold (Oneworld Emerald)
Oneworld
Singapore Suites
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class (new seats)
Qatar Airways First Class DOH-SYD for 105,000 Avios and $133 (cash value of ticket ~$9,800!)
American Express Membership Rewards
The Platinum Card® by American Express UK, British Airways American Express Premium Plus, Yonder
Daniel's Latest Articles
See More Articles[Deal Alert] New York to Rome Nonstop in Economy From $364 With Norse
Low-cost carrier Norse is serving up its ultra-low-cost fares across the Atlantic once again. This time the carrier is offering round-trip fares to Rome (FCO) from New York (JFK) starting at just $364 — a trip to the Italian capital…
[Deal Alert] Washington, D.C. to Australia From $1,085 Round-Trip
American Airlines is currently offering fares that make getting Down Under a whole lot more affordable. Yes, these are economy flights, and, yes, the routing isn’t the most convenient as it requires 2 stops, but the prices are so great…
Sun Siyam Iru Veli in Maldives [In-Depth Resort Review]
The author stayed as an invited guest of Virgin Atlantic and Sun Siyam Iru Veli. All opinions are the author’s own, and neither the airline nor the hotel had input in any part of this review. I’ll never forget waking…
Amex Offer: Get $50 Back After Spending $200+ With JetBlue
Another day, another money-saving Amex Offer. This particular offer gives eligible American Express cardholders the chance to get $50 back when spending $200 or more with JetBlue for a limited time only. Here are the details. JetBlue Amex Offer From…
Revealed: Where and When Emirates A350s Will Fly
We finally have a date to add to our diaries for the first Emirates Airbus A350 flight. On September 15, 2024, the airline’s first A350 will take to the skies, complete with Emirates next-generation business class and premium economy cabins….
Revealed: A New Virgin Voyages Ship and Hot New Destinations
There’s a new cruise ship in town, and we’ve heard she’s Brilliant. Virgin Voyages has confirmed that its fourth ship — Brilliant Lady — will steam into service in 2025, with new voyages set to sail to and from North…
Hyatt Hotels Will Soon Offer Bonus Points for Peloton Classes
Hyatt is introducing yet another way to reward its loyal World of Hyatt members with even more points. The hotel chain has teamed up with Peloton to reward guests who keep fit and active by completing Peloton workouts during stays…
Amex Offer: Get $200 Back After Spending $1,000 With Air France-KLM
Amex Offers are up there with some of the most valued credit card perks, especially when it means saving money on flights. This particular Amex Offer allows eligible cardholders to get $200 back when spending $1,000 or more on flights…
40% Transfer Bonus From Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy
Chase’s latest promotion means you can earn bonus Marriott Bonvoy points when converting your Ultimate Rewards points to the hotel’s loyalty program. Until June 15, 2024, you can get a 40% bonus when you transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to…
Bonjour, Montréal: United Schedules Nonstop Service From San Francisco
As summer approaches, United Airlines is introducing a new route from San Francisco (SFO) to Canada. From July 1, 2024, the Star Alliance member airline will start nonstop service from its hub at SFO to Montréal (YUL) — the second-largest…
[Expired] [Deal Alert] Get a $30 Discount Off Avelo Flights With Promo Code
Avelo Airlines is celebrating 3 years of flying — and if you haven’t traveled with the start-up airline yet, an enticing offer may get you onboard. “Three years ago, Avelo took flight with a simple but powerful purpose – to…
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) Will Officially Join SkyTeam on September 1
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will officially join the SkyTeam Alliance as of September 1, 2024. The move was finalized with SkyTeam and Scandinavian Airlines jointly signing an Alliance Adherence Agreement on April 29, 2024. “We are delighted to officially chart a…
Dubai’s Al Maktoum Airport To Become World’s Largest and Busiest
Dubai is set to be the center of the aviation world. The green light has been given for the second phase of a $35 billion project that will transform Dubai’s Al Maktoum World Center Airport into the world’s largest. “Today,…
Allegris Business Class Suite Is Lufthansa’s Best Business Class Seat — Here’s Why
After several years of delays, Lufthansa’s Allegris officially took to the skies on Friday, April 26, 2024. The special media flight from Munich (MUC) to Frankfurt (FRA) was to showcase the product before the first paying passengers get to experience…
I Was on Lufthansa’s First Allegris Flight in Business Class — Here’s What It Was Like
Christmas came in April for AvGeeks like me. Lufthansa invited journalists and media members from around the world, as well as some lucky Lufthansa employees, to be the first passengers to experience Allegris in the air on a short flight…
When & Where Allegris Will Fly Next: An Update From Lufthansa’s CEO
The launch of the long-awaited Lufthansa Allegris is just around the corner. At an event for journalists around the world in a hangar at Munich Airport (MUC), the German flag carrier unveiled the first aircraft to be fitted with Allegris…
JetBlue Enhances Its Inflight Experience With a Personal Touch
Next time you find yourself on a JetBlue flight, you’ll likely notice some new personal touches that have been added. The New York-based carrier’s latest innovation is called Blueprint and comes in the form of new personal touches and functions…
Now Live: Earn and Redeem World of Hyatt Points at 700 Mr and Mrs Smith Properties
It’s an exciting time to be a World of Hyatt member. As of Wednesday, April 24, 700 new properties have joined the World of Hyatt portfolio via Hyatt’s acquisition of the Mr and Mrs Smith brand last fall. That deal,…
Brightline Breaks Ground on High-Speed Rail Between Las Vegas and California
A new high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California has been given the green light. Once construction is complete, Brightline West will zip passengers from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, California (just outside of Los Angeles), in about…
[Expired] [Flash Sale] $43 Round-Trip Fares With Frontier Airlines
This Earth Day ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier is celebrating with a one-day sale with fares on domestic routes — including to Puerto Rico — from just $43 round-trip. The price of $43 was chosen as this reflects the fact that Frontier,…
Lufthansa’s Allegris Cabins Debut to Vancouver on May 1, 2024
The wait is finally over: Lufthansa’s much-anticipated Allegris cabins in first, business, premium economy, and economy will take to the skies for the first time on May 1, 2024. The cabins will debut on a single Munich-based Airbus A350-900 aircraft…
Find out about other members of the team
Alex Miller
Founder & CEO
Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.
Andrew Kunesh
Former Content Contributor
Andrew was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and now splits his time between Chicago and New York City.
Ashley Onadele
Content Contributor
Ashley discovered a love for travel in college that’s continued as her family has grown. She loves showing parents how they can take their families on trips using points and has contributed to numerous publications and podcasts.
Brandon Brunner
Former Content Contributor
Brandon was born and raised in California and really didn’t travel much growing up, even outside of his own state. While attending college, he was constantly looking to find the cheapest fares to any destination abroad, and quickly learned about the motto- “Chase the fare, not the destination”. Luckily, his first international flight was to Costa Rica (under $300 roundtrip) where that “Pura Vida” lifestyle (and Imperials) hit him hard, and he knew he had to see more.
Brian Graham
Former Content Contributor
Brian’s first ever airplane ride was in a private turbo-prop jet. He was merely an intern boy trying to make a good impression, but it turns out the plane made an impression on him.
Carissa Rawson
Senior Content Contributor
Carissa served in the U.S. Air Force where she developed her love for travel and new cultures. She started her own blog and eventually joined The Points Guy. Since then, she’s contributed to Business Insider, Forbes, and more.
Caroline Lupini
Former Content Contributor
Caroline Lupini always enjoyed traveling, but it became her goal to do as much as possible after a 3-week trip around Europe in 2011. In March 2014, Caroline left her job and embarked on nearly full-time travels.
Charlie Page
Former Content Contributor
Charlie is a Senior First Officer and has been an airline pilot for nearly 15 years. He currently flies long-haul on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after 10 years buzzing around Europe on the A320. He got into travel and aviation from an early age, fortunate enough to be taken on some great family holidays.
Cherag Dubash
Content Contributor
Cherag was born in a family associated with aviation and was hooked on to planes since the age of 3, the time he undertook his first flight on an Airbus A310 from Mumbai to Dubai.
Chris Dong
Editor & Content Contributor
Chris is a freelance writer and editor with a focus on timely travel trends, points and miles, hot new hotels, and all things that go (he’s a proud aviation geek and transit nerd). Formerly full-time at The Points Guy, his work can now be found at AFAR, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, The Washington Post, and Lonely Planet, among others
Chris Hassan
Social Media & Brand Manager
Chris holds a B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management and managed social media for all Marriott properties in South America, making him a perfect fit for UP and its social media channels. He has a passion for making content catered toward family travelers.
Christine Krzyszton
Senior Finance Contributor
Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, detailed content for UP.
Christy Rodriguez
Travel & Finance Content Contributor
After having “non-rev” privileges with Southwest Airlines, Christy dove into the world of points and miles so she could continue traveling for free. Her other passion is personal finance, and is a certified CPA.
Dan Miller
Content Contributor
Realizing that it wasn’t all first class flights and 5-star hotels, Dan started the Points With a Crew blog in 2014, with the aim of helping families (especially large families) to use miles, points and credit card rewards to take that trip that they might have thought they couldn’t afford. He has spent over 10 years covering developments in the travel rewards credit card space. His expertise extends to all things personal finance, including student loans, budgeting and real estate, and his work has been featured in sites all over the Internet, including NerdWallet, Forbes, Business Insider, Rocket Mortgage, CreditCards.com, Bankrate, Turbotax, Credit Karma and Intuit Mint.
David Slotnick
Former Content Contributor
Born and raised in New York, David still remembers his first flight when he was only four years old: a U.S. Airways trip from New York-La Guardia to Palm Beach, Florida. He formed his love of travel around that and other family vacations, including to England at age eight and Namibia when he was 13. During college, a four-country trip around Europe with a friend cemented his passion for seeing the world.
Erin Miller
Content Contributor
An experienced points hacker, Erin is Alex’s partner-in-crime and contributes to Upgraded Points with in-depth guides and relationship management. Erin’s work has been cited in multiple major publications.
Greg Stone
Content Contributor
Greg got bitten by the travel bug at a young age while traveling with his Dad on business trips to Asia. He took over the family business in 2012 and uses it to maximize his loyalty points earning. His obsession with earning and burning loyalty rewards points allows him to travel over 100 days every year.
Jeff Brownson
Former Content Contributor
Since discovering miles and points in 2010, Jeff has traveled to over 35 countries, flying in first class, business class, and sometimes even in coach. Whether he’s staying in a hostel dorm, or in a luxury suite at a 5 star hotel, Jeff is constantly looking for the best deal to make travel as close to free as possible.
Julian Kheel
Content Contributor
Julian Kheel first learned the ins and outs of credit card rewards and travel loyalty programs while flying more than 200,000 miles a year as a TV producer and director for World Wrestling Entertainment. With over 15 years of professional experience studying travel loyalty programs, Julian has served as CNN’s Senior Editor covering travel and credit cards, as well as the Editorial Director of The Points Guy, and has worked as a consultant for the Big 3 U.S. airlines.
Katie Seemann
Senior Content Contributor and News Editor
Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.
Kellie Jez
Director of Operations & Compliance
Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s compliance operation.
Lindsey Olander
Former Content Contributor
Currently based in New York, Lindsey spent her childhood in Connecticut dreaming of far-off places. Her first flight was to Disney World at age 11. Her second flight was for a high school field trip to Italy, though travel as a career didn’t stick until she studied abroad in London during college and discovered the true power of her passport. Since then, she’s worked as a travel editor at Jetsetter and Travel + Leisure, where she reported on everything from African safaris to hot hotel openings to, yes, Disney World.
Lukas Picton
Former Content Contributor
Lukas escaped his hometown south of Sydney and moved to the big smoke immediately after high-school, but the bright lights of the city weren’t enough, and he soon set his sights on more exotic international destinations and has been in love with travel ever since.
Michael McHugh
Former Content Contributor
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Michael took his first international trip in 2013 with friends to the Bahamas. Although he didn’t travel much in his younger years, on that trip, he caught the travel bug and has been hooked ever since.
Senitra Horbrook
Writer
Senitra Horbrook is a frequent solo traveler who began using points and miles in 2012. Formerly credit cards editor at The Points Guy, Senitra has also contributed to Forbes Advisor, AwardWallet, Insider, among others.
Spencer Howard
Former Content Contributor
Always a fan of flying, it was only natural that Spencer was drawn to finding a way to improve the travel experience.
Stella Shon
News Managing Editor
With a degree in media and journalism, Stella has been in the points and miles game for more than 6 years. She most recently worked as a Corporate Communications Analyst for JetBlue. Find her work in The New York Times, USA Today, and more.
Stephen Au
Senior Content Contributor
Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.
Susan Wright
Former Finance Contributor
While writing about finance and insurance isn’t something that keeps most people awake at night, it is what Susan Wright has focused on for more than 25 years. As a financial copywriter, Susan has an eye for money-related details such as credit and savings, and she loves to pass along helpful information to consumers. Susan holds 11 financial industry designations (including CLU, ChFC, RHU, REBC, ADPA, CITRMS, CIPA) as well as several licenses.
Victoria M. Walker
Senior Content Contributor
Victoria holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the Howard University School of Communications and is an award-winning journalist, travel reporter, and the founder of the “Carrying On with Victoria M. Walker” newsletter.
Jarrod West
Senior Content Contributor
Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.
Brett Holzhauer
Content Contributor
Brett is a personal finance and travel junkie. Based out of Fort Lauderdale, he’s had over 100 credit cards and earned millions of credit card rewards. He learned the tricks of the trade from his mom, and has taken many steps forward. He wasn’t exposed to much travel as a kid, but now has a goal of reaching 100 countries in his life. In 2019, he sold all of his possessions to become a digital nomad, and he says it was one of the best decisions he ever made. He plans to do it again at some point in his life.
Lori Zaino
Senior Content Contributor
Lori is an intrepid traveler who loves creating itineraries that exude “luxe on a budget.” She’s written for CNN, NBC, The Infatuation, and more, and loves to muse about points-fueled trips to Sri Lanka, Sicily, and Myanmar.
Ryan Smith
Content Contributor
Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and now plans to let his wife choose their destinations. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publications including AwardWallet, The Points Guy, USA Today Blueprint, CNBC Select, Tripadvisor, and Forbes Advisor.
Jessica Merritt
Editor & Content Contributor
A long-time points and miles student, Jessica is the former Personal Finance Managing Editor at U.S. News and World Report and is passionate about helping consumers fund their travels for as little cash as possible.
Juan Ruiz
Senior Editor & Content Contributor
Juan has extensive experience in writing and editing content related to credit cards, loyalty programs, and travel. He has been honing his expertise in this field for over a decade. His work has been featured in various prestigious publications, such as USA Today, CNN Underscored, Forbes and The Points Guy. Juan is the visionary behind JetBetter, a premier award booking concierge service.
Amar Hussain
Senior Content Contributor
Amar is an avid traveler and tester of products. He has spent the last 13 years traveling all 7 continents and has put the products to the test on each of them. He has contributed to publications including Forbes, the Huffington Post, and more.
Ehsan Haque
Content Contributor
Ehsan is an avid traveler who has traveled to 100 countries, diligently using points and miles to fund his journeys. Currently, he holds 32 active credit cards and earns over a million points and miles annually, primarily using them for luxury hotels and long-haul premium cabins.
James Larounis
Senior Content Contributor
James (Jamie) started The Forward Cabin blog to educate readers about points, miles, and loyalty programs. He’s spoken at Princeton University and The New York Times Travel Show and has been quoted in dozens of travel publications.
Nick Ellis
Editor & Content Contributor
Nick’s passion for points began as a hobby and became a career. He worked for over 5 years at The Points Guy and has contributed to Business Insider and CNN. He has 14 credit cards and continues to leverage the perks of each.
Michael Y. Park
Editor
Michael Y. Park is a journalist living in New York City. He’s traveled through Afghanistan disguised as a Hazara Shi’ite, slept with polar bears on the Canadian tundra, picnicked with the king and queen of Malaysia, tramped around organic farms in Cuba, ridden the world’s longest train through the Sahara, and choked down gasoline clams in North Korea.
Keri Stooksbury
Editor-in-Chief
With years of experience in corporate marketing and with a nonprofit, Keri is now editor-in-chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and reviewing thousands of UP articles in the process.
UP's Bonus Valuation
This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.