About Jeff Brownson
Jeff was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, and didn’t take his first flight until his senior year of high school. Travel as he grew up was always by car, exploring much of the US and a bit of Canada.
Studying abroad in Copenhagen during college, and backpacking around Europe afterwards, was the next major step in a long life of travel. The wanderlust quickly took hold.
Today, Jeff can be found traveling the world solo, with groups of friends, or most often with his wife, Chrissy, and two boys, Ryan and Cole. Together with their dogs, Athena and Artemis, they make their home in Falls Church, VA, just outside of DC.
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.
Jeff holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is a contributor to TravelingDad, and has been a featured speaker at the Chicago Seminars and Family Travel for Real Life Conferences. Follow Jeff on Instagram.
Countries Visited: 40
Favorite First Class: Cathay Pacific (777)
Favorite Business Class: Cathay Pacific (777)
Best Redemption Value: 4 seats to the Galapagos flying JFK-PTY-UIO-GPS-UIO-PTY-BOS on Copa and Avianca (Ultimate Rewards > United)
Favorite Type of Points: Amex Membership Rewards
Top 3 Cards in Wallet: The Platinum® Card from American Express, Citi Prestige Card, Chase Ink Plus®.
Countries Visited
U.S. States Visited
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Jeff's Latest Articles
See More ArticlesLufthansa Boarding Process & Groups — Everything You Need To Know
Lufthansa is Germany’s largest airline and has its base of operations and main hub in Frankfurt, Germany. As one of the founding members of the Star Alliance, Lufthansa has long been an innovator in the airline world. Lately, it has…
Ryanair Boarding Process — Everything You Need To Know
When most people hear the term ultra-low-cost carrier, the first thing they do is cringe. The second thing they do is probably think about an airline like Ryanair. Ryanair is an Irish airline headquartered in Dublin, and it has long…
easyJet Boarding Groups & Process — A Complete Guide
EasyJet is a British airline with its main base at London Luton Airport and several smaller hubs across Europe. Known as an ultra-low-cost carrier, easyJet is one of those airlines that lots of people love to complain about — but…
British Airways Boarding Groups & Process — Everything You Need To Know
With primary operations based at both Heathrow and Gatwick airports, British Airways has a massive presence in both the trans-Atlantic and European airline markets. In addition, it flies long-haul flights from these London hubs to multiple cities in pretty much…
Hawaiian Airlines Boarding Zones & Process – Everything You Need To Know
One of the top dream destinations for many Americans is the exotic Pacific island state of Hawaii. Even from the West Coast, it’s a fairly long flight to get there, and it should be no surprise that many visitors fly…
Allegiant Air Boarding Zones & Process — Everything You Need To Know
Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Allegiant Air is a leisure-focused airline with the goal of getting people to warm locations where they can relax. It has a fairly limited route network compared to larger carriers, flying to mostly smaller and…
Spirit Airlines Boarding Zones & Process – Everything You Need To Know
When most people hear Spirit Airlines, they tend to cringe. Spirit is put in the same category as Ryanair, EasyJet, and Air Asia, and rightly so: all of these airlines are known as ultra-low-cost carriers. That means you won’t get…
Frontier Airlines Boarding Zones & Process — Everything You Need To Know
Frontier Airlines is a low-cost carrier based in Denver, Colorado. It has an extensive flight network throughout the U.S., mostly to smaller cities and airports, with service to several locations in Mexico and the Caribbean. It is straightforward about its…
JetBlue Airways Boarding Groups & Process — Everything You Need to Know
Headquartered in New York City and with a base of operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), JetBlue Airways is quickly becoming a favorite airline of many American travelers. Though JetBlue doesn’t quite have the route network of the…
Delta Air Lines Boarding Zones — Everything You Need To Know
Airlines love to make the boarding process distinctly theirs by doing things their own way, so having a clear picture of the boarding procedures of every airline you fly can be a bit of a challenge. Delta Air Lines has…
American Airlines Boarding Groups & Process – Everything You Need To Know
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, American Airlines has established itself as the largest airline in the world. Whether you are looking at the number of passengers carried, the number of planes, or the number of destinations served, American Airlines leads…
18 Valuable Benefits of the New Frontier Airlines World Mastercard
Frontier and Barclays have worked hard to improve the value proposition of the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard, and we think they’ve done an excellent job of it. A few years ago, they invited a few family travel writers (myself included)…
5 Reasons the Brand New Frontier Airlines World Mastercard is Great For Families!
Back in June, Frontier Airlines invited several family travel bloggers and their families (myself included) out to their headquarters in Denver to make a couple of big announcements. After looking at plenty of data, they had realized that although families…
20 Valuable Benefits of the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
We’ve written many times about how valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points are if you want to upgrade your travel. In general, the more Ultimate Rewards points you earn, the better your travel options will be. Chase has a suite of…
33 Best Tips for Family Travel (Have Less Stress and More Fun!)
Traveling with your whole family can be overwhelming. Even though it gets easier the more you do it, you’ll run into challenges any time you travel with kids. Being prepared is one of the best things you can do to…
Upgraded Points Launches New Family Travel Section!
We all know that Upgraded Points is one of the best sites for many different types of travel knowledge. 🙂 Whether you want to learn how to earn miles and points, how to use them for travel, or the details…
The 16 Most Valuable Benefits of the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card [2023]
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of many valuable Ultimate Rewards points-earning cards in the lineup from JP Morgan Chase. By itself, the card is a strong contender for your everyday spending, but when you combine the earning of the…
The Complete Guide to Boingo Wireless for Travelers
When you’re traveling and need to use the internet, it’s nice to know how and where to find it. And if you’d like to avoid using a public Wi-Fi network at the airport and would like to access high-speed Wi-Fi,…
The Complete Guide to SPG, Marriott, and Ritz-Carlton Changes
UPDATE: Marriott and SPG completed their merger in 2018; the new program for all products is the Marriott Bonvoy program. In late 2016, Marriott International completed their purchase of the Starwood Preferred Guest portfolio of hotels. At that time, not…
Ultimate Guide to the Best And Worst Days to Fly & Book Flights
No matter where I am or who I am with, the conversation eventually turns to travel. It’s what I’m passionate about, it’s what I know the most about, and it’s what I do for a living. Travel is also something…
United Airlines Boarding Groups — Everything You Need To Know
Nothing can start your trip off on the wrong foot quite like a confusing and frustrating boarding process before you even get on the plane. Airlines, however, don’t seem to recognize this issue. Either that, or it’s not a major…
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.
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.
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.
He’s a lifelong traveler and took his first solo trip to San Francisco at the age of 16. Fast forward a few years, and Andrew now travels just over 100,000 miles a year, with over 25 countries, 10 business class products, and 2 airline statuses (United and Alaska) under his belt. Andrew formerly worked for The Points Guy and is now Senior Money Editor at CNN Underscored.
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.
It wasn’t until Brian relocated to Dallas, TX, and moved in with an American Airlines employee that he truly discovered how incredible travel could be.
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.
As a frequent traveler, frequent flyer miles have played a large role in planning her trips. Caroline has enjoyed discovering the ins and outs of how to maximize different types of miles, hotel points, and transferable points currencies.
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.
His earliest memory of visiting a flight deck was aged 8 and it was from then on that he was determined to become an airline pilot.
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.
Based in Abu Dhabi, the London City University graduate is regularly seen on Instagram, travelling over 100K miles each year in First and Business Class while holding down a regular job.
Chris Dong
Editor
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, Washington Post, and Lonely Planet, among others
Chris Hassan
Social Media & Marketing 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.
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.
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.
David is currently Senior Aviation Business Reporter and a photographer at The Points Guy.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Katie Seemann
Senior Content Contributor
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 and Forbes Advisor.
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.
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.
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.
Lori Zaino
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.
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.
Coupled with his passion for photography, Lukas is constantly seeking out new places to visit, and ways to get that elusive ‘perfect shot’ whilst on his adventures and as a result is ranked in the top 2% of global travelers by App in the Air.
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.
Michael first caught wind of the points and miles game in 2014 while at a bar in Washington, DC where the conversation amongst friends was quickly derailed because of an alert on a friend’s phone about a mistake fare. That’s where the love affair with points and miles began.
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.
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.
Ryan Smith
Content Contributor
Ryan has been on a quest to visit every country in the world and plans to hit his final country in 2023. 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.
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.
Like many, he started this journey searching for cheap flights to take him around the world. This was fun for a while, but Spencer was intrigued by the idea of flying in business and first class!
Throwing himself into what became an extensive research project, Spencer spent 3-4 hours per night learning everything he could about frequent flyer miles over the course of several months (he thinks this is normal). He runs Straight to the Points, an award-seat alert platform.
Stella Shon
Compliance Editor & Content Contributor
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 “Travel With Vikkie” newsletter.
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.