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Carissa Rawson

Senior Content Contributor

243 Published Articles

About Carissa Rawson

Carissa is a native Californian whose taste for travel began during her 7 years in the U.S. Air Force. A former Arabic translator, her first serious journey overseas was to Jordan, where a 6-month deployment taught her a lot about people and a little about award travel. What started as a curiosity quickly became an obsession, and soon she had launched her own website teaching others how to travel for free.

After years of running her own blog, she joined up with The Points Guy full-time to write about the best in rewards travel, flight deals, and the ever-elusive elite status. Since then she has contributed to many different websites, including The Balance, Business Insider, and Forbes.

When she isn’t writing about award travel, you’ll often find her scanning fare calendars and searching mattress runs, usually from some sort of Priority Pass lounge. She is a United 1K member and a soon-to-be Hyatt Globalist, though her heart will always lie with Hilton.

Carissa is a firm believer in value for money, whether that means she’s legging it on a $200 cash fare to Europe or sipping Champagne up front courtesy of an award flight. She’s also made good use of upgrade certificates and even, when she’s feeling fancy, redeemed miles for a premium cabin upgrade.

You can follow Carissa on Twitter.

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Countries Visited

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U.S. States Visited

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Alaska Airlines via Cathay Pacific to the Middle East

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Carissa's Latest Articles

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Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows [In-Depth Overwater Bungalow Review]

Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows [In-Depth Overwater Bungalow Review]

I recently went on a trip with other members of the Upgraded Points team to check out Walt Disney World and all the many amenities it offers (who am I kidding, I go to Disney World even when it’s not…

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Bilt Rewards Becomes Alaska Airlines’ First-Ever Transfer Partner

Bilt Rewards Becomes Alaska Airlines’ First-Ever Transfer Partner

Bilt Rewards is one of the best flexible point currencies out there — and the program continues to wow us with its fee-free rent payments, travel partner lineup, and unprecedented transfer bonuses. Today, Bilt is adding the transfer partner we’ve…

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Disney Visa Cards Launch New Welcome Offers

Disney Visa Cards Launch New Welcome Offers

We’re big fans of Disney at Upgraded Points, which is why we’re glad to see that Chase and Disney are out with new welcome offers on their co-branded credit cards. While these may not be as popular as some other…

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[Expired] [Deal Alert] West Coast to Morocco From $488 Round-Trip

[Expired] [Deal Alert] West Coast to Morocco From $488 Round-Trip

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. Has Casablanca been on your mind? We hope so, because this incredible deal from Oneworld includes the ability to fly from the West Coast all the way to Morocco…

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Wyndham Devaluing Vacation Rental Bookings

Wyndham Devaluing Vacation Rental Bookings

We love a good deal in the points and miles world, which is why we’ve harped so heavily on Wyndham’s partnership with vacation rental company Vacasa. Until now, home rentals have been bookable using just 15,000 points per bedroom, per…

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[Expired] [Award Alert] U.S. to Lisbon From 63k Miles in Business Class

[Expired] [Award Alert] U.S. to Lisbon From 63k Miles in Business Class

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. TAP Air Portugal has done us all a favor and dumped several dates of business class award seats on nonstop flights to Lisbon (LIS). We’re seeing as many as…

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[Expired] [Deal Alert] NYC to Africa From $1,757 Round-Trip in Business Class

[Expired] [Deal Alert] NYC to Africa From $1,757 Round-Trip in Business Class

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. Travelers based in the U.S. are basically always going to have a difficult time finding good fares to the African continent. This is twice as true if you’re looking…

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JetBlue Quietly Increases Baggage Fees

JetBlue Quietly Increases Baggage Fees

Remember when we all thought bag fees were going to be temporary? Just until the cost of fuel goes down, right? Not only are the fees here to stay, but they are also rising, much like inflation. JetBlue is the…

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New World of Hyatt Bonus Journeys Promotion [Up to 28k Points]

New World of Hyatt Bonus Journeys Promotion [Up to 28k Points]

Hyatt has released its latest global promotion for the spring of 2024, this time offering 2 ways to accelerate your earnings in the World of Hyatt program. You’ll have the opportunity to earn bonus points on hotel stays across the…

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[Expired] Buy Etihad Guest Miles With up to a 30% Bonus [Ends February 25]

[Expired] Buy Etihad Guest Miles With up to a 30% Bonus [Ends February 25]

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. Etihad Airways is a Middle Eastern airline based in Abu Dhabi that has become popular for its opulent first class product. While it’s regarded as a member of the…

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[Expired] Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Virgin Atlantic With a 30% Bonus

[Expired] Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Virgin Atlantic With a 30% Bonus

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. Are you familiar with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club? If not, you should be because the airline has plenty of partners and excellent redemption opportunities. Now, Citi has launched a…

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[Expired] [Award Alert] Wide-Open ANA First Class Availability From 72.5K Points

[Expired] [Award Alert] Wide-Open ANA First Class Availability From 72.5K Points

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. If you’ve had your eye on ANA’s world-beating new first class product, now’s the time to make your move. We’ve found tons of award space between Tokyo and San…

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Turkish Airlines Implements New Award Charts [Major Devaluation]

Turkish Airlines Implements New Award Charts [Major Devaluation]

Everyone, weep. Then, grab a tissue and transfer your points over to Turkish Airlines ASAP because the airline is officially gutting its award chart. You have until February 15, 2024, to book at the existing rates, so if you have…

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[Expired] [Deal Alert] California to Italy From $2,330 Round-Trip in Business Class

[Expired] [Deal Alert] California to Italy From $2,330 Round-Trip in Business Class

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. The capital city of Tuscany, Italy awaits. Florence is just on the other side of this cushy business class flight and we’ve found rates as low as $2,330 between…

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[Expired] [Targeted] 10,000 Points for Adding an Employee Card to Your Chase Ink Card

[Expired] [Targeted] 10,000 Points for Adding an Employee Card to Your Chase Ink Card

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. Check your emails: Chase has just extended a targeted offer to select Ink cardholders. If targeted, you could earn 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points by simply adding an employee card…

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[Expired] [Award Alert] U.S. to Australia, New Zealand, or Tahiti From 37.5k Miles One-Way

[Expired] [Award Alert] U.S. to Australia, New Zealand, or Tahiti From 37.5k Miles One-Way

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. It can be difficult to find reasonably-priced award flights to Oceania, especially if you want to fly outside the low season. Fortunately for those who are willing to fly…

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JetBlue Adding New “Core Preferred” Fees for Economy Seat Selection

JetBlue Adding New “Core Preferred” Fees for Economy Seat Selection

JetBlue is a cost-conscious airline that has built its reputation by delivering top-level amenities for mid-level prices, but this strategy has posed serious challenges to its bottom line. The war between the legacy carriers and the increasingly minimalist low-cost airlines…

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[Expired] Buy Qatar Airways Avios With a 40% Bonus [Ends February 1]

[Expired] Buy Qatar Airways Avios With a 40% Bonus [Ends February 1]

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. Purchasing miles can be a good way to top up your balance for a redemption, though it doesn’t always make sense. When they’re on sale, buying miles can also…

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[Expired] Buy Hilton Honors Points for as Little as 0.5 Cents Each [Up to a 100% Bonus]

[Expired] Buy Hilton Honors Points for as Little as 0.5 Cents Each [Up to a 100% Bonus]

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. Ready to book your next Hilton award stay? Members can now purchase Hilton Honors points for as little as 0.5 cents apiece. Let’s take a look at all the…

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[Expired] Choice Privileges Selling Points With up to a 30% Discount [Targeted]

[Expired] Choice Privileges Selling Points With up to a 30% Discount [Targeted]

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available. Looking to stay at a Choice hotel soon? You may be targeted with a chance to take advantage of Choice Privileges’ newest points sale, which will give you a…

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[EXPIRED] Last Chance for Increased Welcome Offer on Aeroplan Credit Card [Up to 100k Points!]

[EXPIRED] Last Chance for Increased Welcome Offer on Aeroplan Credit Card [Up to 100k Points!]

Chase’s Aeroplan® Credit Card offers a variety of great perks, including the ability to redeem your Aeroplan points to Pay Yourself Back, a feature unique to specific Chase cards. Plus, this is your last chance to earn up to 100,000 points…

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Find out about other members of the team

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Juan Ruiz

Compliance Editor & Content Contributor

Juan has been involved in credit cards, loyalty, travel, and personal finance for more than 10 years. He has worked for several outlets including The Points Guy and Forbes and was previously Editor-in-Chief at Money Under 30.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Daniel Ross

Senior Content Contributor

Daniel has loved aviation and travel his entire life. He earned a Master of Science in Air Transport Management and has written about travel and aviation in publications like Simple Flying, The Points Guy, and more.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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