Instagram story viewer> @points_rx> Posts

PointsRx | Lisa

@points_rx

243

followers

203

following

👩🏻‍⚕️ Academic physician @ Harvard
🌎 Travel on points—without the overwhelm
📝 Personalized points + redemption strategy
👇🏻 Let’s work together

POSTS STORIES REELS

Hi, I’m Lisa 👋 A pathologist, mom, and the person behind PointsRx.

At work, I examine cells and tissue to help diagnose disease. Between clinical work, research, and two wild kids, posting here happens when life allows.

I’m grateful for my career and happy sharing my personal approach to points and miles here, at my own pace. I may not post often, but I appreciate you sticking with me.

I hope you’ll pick up a useful tip or a new way to think about points and miles along the way. Even when life is busy, you can still make the most of the spending you’re already doing.

Whether you’ve just found me or we’ve known each other for years, thank you for following along! 💛

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #CreditCardStrategy #TravelPlanning #BusyProfessionals by @points_rx

PointsRx gives you more than general advice. It gives you a plan centered on what matters most to you.

That may include which cards to focus on, where to direct spend, redemption options to consider, and clear next steps for the trips you actually want to take.

No course, no membership, no groups. Just personalized support tailored to you.

#PointsAndMiles #AwardTravel #PointsStrategy #BusyProfessionals #PointsRx by @points_rx

Getting started is simple.

1️⃣ You’ll begin with an intake form so I can understand your cards, points, spending, and travel goals.

2️⃣ Then we’ll meet 1:1 to talk through your portfolio and priorities.

3️⃣ Afterward, you’ll receive a personalized written plan with clear next steps, so you can move forward with more confidence and a concrete plan.

Link in bio to get started.

#PointsAndMiles #AwardTravel #PointsStrategy #BusyProfessionals #PointsRx by @points_rx

As I was going through my November and year-end checklists, I briefly panicked that I’d forgotten to use my $300 Capital One Venture X travel credit. Turns out I already used it in January. 😅

My monthly credits are back on the to-do list, my quarterly ones are checked off, and I’m looking at what’s still left to use before year-end.

I don’t chase every credit. These are the ones that fit into my life with relatively little effort. If using a credit takes more time or spending than it’s worth to me, I let it go.

What’s still on your list before the end of the year?

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #CreditCardStrategy #PointsStrategy #TravelPlanning #BusyProfessionals by @points_rx

If I’m already planning to buy something, I might as well check whether I can get a little more back. It's a great way to earn extra points!

These are the two apps I use 👇

Savewise helps me compare shopping portal rewards and check my card offers in one place. I use the Pro version, but you don’t need a paid subscription just to compare portal rates.

• Free: shopping portal comparison and finding opportunities to combine portal rewards with card offers.
• Pro: the card-offers manager shown here, automatic offer activation, alerts, and other features. You’ll need to sync supported accounts to see your personal card offers.

Then I go through the shopping portal I choose. In this example, that’s Rakuten: search for the store, check the exclusions, and click through to shop.

I’ve chosen to receive my Rakuten rewards as Bilt points. Cash back and Amex Membership Rewards points are also reward options.

Before buying, make sure your purchase qualifies for the offers.

Those extra rewards can add up on purchases you were already going to make.

Save this before your next online purchase, and follow @points_rx for help figuring out which points strategies are worth your time.

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #CreditCardStrategy #PointsStrategy #ShoppingPortal by @points_rx

I want to show you how I actually think through an award booking.

In October 2025, I booked my flight home from Japan: Fukuoka → Tokyo → Chicago for 127,300 Cathay Asia Miles + $234.32, with the long flight in Japan Airlines first class.

Getting there meant figuring out which airlines flew the route I wanted, which programs could book those flights, where I could find an award seat, and how to use the points I already had. And as you can see, some of those options have already changed since I booked!

This was a rare solo trip and an unusually high-value redemption for me. For my usual family trips, my priority is finding flights that work for our dates and routes, even when that means using more points.

I always say that this information is out there, and you absolutely can learn it yourself. But researching it, keeping up with changes, and figuring out how it applies to your own trip takes a lot of time.

I have a full-time day job too, so I understand that you may not want to spend your limited free time digging through all of this.

That’s where I can help. You tell me where you want to go, and I do the research and legwork to help you figure out which points to earn, where to look for award seats, and how to book. My goal is to save you time and shorten the learning curve so you don’t have to piece it all together yourself.

Follow @points_rx for more earning and booking breakdowns and practical ways to plan your own trips with points.

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #AwardTravel #JapanAirlines #FirstClass by @points_rx

You already have a holiday shopping list. Let’s give that spending a travel plan. ✈️

Between gifts, holiday meals, and the purchases you’ve been waiting for a sale to make, the expenses can add up. That makes this a great time to plan how you’ll earn more points from the spending you already have coming.

Before your next checkout, look for one opportunity:

• Put a planned purchase toward a welcome bonus.
• Click through a shopping portal.
• Activate an eligible offer on your card.

You can start with one. When the stars align, you may be able to combine them to earn more points and save some cash along the way.

Keep it within your budget, check the offer requirements, and pay your statement in full.

Want help turning the points you earn into a trip you’re excited about? Send me a DM and tell me where you’d love to go.

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #CreditCardRewards #HolidayShopping #TravelWithPoints by @points_rx

You can collect points for years and still feel stuck when it’s time to book.

Maybe you have a healthy balance, but you’re not sure what it can actually get you. Or maybe you don’t actually have enough points for the booking you want. You keep saving those incredible redemptions you see online, but the dates, airports, or number of seats never seem to work for your trip.

So you tell yourself you’ll figure it out when you have more time.

Meanwhile, you’re still spending, still earning, and still making travel plans. Those decisions are opportunities to put a points strategy to work.

You can absolutely learn this yourself. The information is out there. But sorting through all of it, figuring out what applies to you, and deciding what to do first takes time.

That’s where PointsRx comes in.

I help you connect your everyday spending, your existing points, and your travel goals into a clear, step-by-step plan. A plan built around your actual life: who’s traveling, when you can go, and how much flexibility you have.

You don’t have to understand every program before you take a useful first step.

If “I’ll figure it out later” sounds familiar, send me a message. Tell me what you’d like your points to help you do—or what’s keeping you from getting started.

#PointsAndMiles #TravelWithPoints #CreditCardRewards #PointsStrategy #PointsRx by @points_rx

I booked this award flight in 2025—about a year before I took it.

Business-class award flights to Japan can be competitive. Knowing when the booking calendar opens for the program you’re using—and being ready to search when your dates become available—is an important part of the planning.

The points side of this story started even earlier. In March 2024, I only had two transferable currencies: Chase and Amex. I was actively earning points and had built a large Amex balance, so that shaped the options I explored.

That original Amex → Marriott → JAL transfer funded an earlier trip. For this JFK–Tokyo flight, I used the JAL miles I had left.

My choices reflected the points I had, the flights I wanted, and my confidence in earning more. Your priorities might lead you to a different approach.

That’s why a points plan should start with the trip you actually want to take.

Follow me @points_rx for more practical, thoughtful strategies!✨

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #CreditCardStrategy #TravelPlanning #BusyProfessionals by @points_rx

It’s always nice to see new nonstop routes, especially from an airport that may be close to home for you. With higher fares and more fees these days, additional routes at least provide some more options.

There’s been a flurry of announcements over the past month or so about new nonstop routes from the U.S. to Europe. Here are six coming in 2027. Boston to Venice is definitely the one that caught my eye! ✈️

Do any of these open up new travel options for you?

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #AwardTravel #TravelPlanning #PointsStrategy #BusyProfessionals by @points_rx

You have a “ton” of points. But do you know what to do with them? Are they enough to help you book the trip you actually want?

Start with what you’d like to book, see what your existing points can cover, and figure out what you still need. That way, you have a target as you continue earning through your everyday spending.

Cash back is a perfectly valid option too, even though other redemptions could offer more value. The goal is to put your points toward something useful to you.

You don’t need to rush to use them—but you should have a plan for them.

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #CreditCardStrategy #TravelPlanning #BusyProfessionals by @points_rx

I took my first positioning flight! ✈️

That means taking a separate flight to the airport where your main trip begins, often a larger international hub with more award opportunities.

We’re spoiled having Boston as our home airport, which has many international routes. But award travelers routinely position with their entire family to take advantage of award availability. With my family, I usually prioritize convenient, nonstop flights—but traveling solo this time, I was willing to try something different.

I flew BOS → JFK, then took a JAL award flight to Haneda for my onward domestic flight in Japan, avoiding an airport change in Tokyo. Trying JAL’s newer A350 business class was an awesome bonus. 🙌

To leave a buffer for delays between my separate tickets, I flew to JFK the night before and used a Hyatt free night award for the overnight stay.

—

A nifty tool I’ve been using is Autopilot (referral link in bio). Add your bookings, and Autopilot monitors fares and handles repricing with the airline when a price drop occurs. It currently supports non-Basic fares booked directly with Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, and United. Tracking is free; it charges a 25% commission on price drops.

For me, the biggest benefit is the time and mental energy saved. During a busy workday, I don’t have time to keep checking fares or act quickly on a price-drop alert. Automatic repricing takes care of that step and makes me less nervous about booking cash flights early.

Since my ticket was nonrefundable, the difference came back as airline credit—but I fly Delta often enough to use it before it expires. For eligible refundable fares, the airline returns the difference to your original payment method.

Would you take a positioning flight for a good award opportunity?

#PointsRx #PointsAndMiles #AwardTravel #TravelPlanning #BusyProfessionals by @points_rx