United States
The Points Guy is a U.S.-based travel and personal finance media brand founded by Brian Kelly, who launched the venture as a blog in 2010 after developing a reputation for squeezing outsized value from credit card rewards programs.
Total Followers +0.6%
3.1M
Across Instagram, TikTok
Primary Platform
2.2M followers · 73% of audience
Engagement
1.0%
vs. 1.5% category median
Sponsorship Tier
Macro
Est. $27K–$63K / IG post
The report found Americans are prioritizing international travel despite a weaker dollar and tighter immigration policies, with search volumes for smaller regional airports more than doubling year-over-year.
Landsman, formerly CEO of Stash and President of Jet.com, joins as TPG celebrates its 15th anniversary, with founder Brian Kelly staying on as the brand's public face.
Published February 4, 2025 via Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, the guide covers leveraging points, miles, and credit cards — and debuted at No. 5 on the NYT Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous list within its first week.
| Window | TikTok | Combined | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last 7 days | +5K +0.2% | +246 +0.0% | +0 +0.0% | +5K |
| Last 30 days | +17K +0.7% | +2K +0.2% | +0 +0.0% | +18K |
| Last 90 days | +102K +4.6% | +9K +1.1% | +0 +0.0% | +111K |
| Last 365 days | +102K +4.6% | +9K +1.1% | +0 +0.0% | +111K |
Daily follower snapshots from CreatorDB's longitudinal index.
The Points Guy is a U.S.-based travel and personal finance media brand founded by Brian Kelly, who launched the venture as a blog in 2010 after developing a reputation for squeezing outsized value from credit card rewards programs. What began as niche advice for frequent flyers evolved into one of the more recognized names in the points-and-miles space, covering credit card strategy, airline loyalty programs, airport lounges, business-class redemptions, and emerging aviation news. The brand operates across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with its largest footprint on Instagram, where it commands a multi-million follower audience. Content leans toward accessible but informed travel optimization — practical guides on Global Entry, lounge access, and award travel sit alongside trending aviation news and airline-specific coverage of carriers like Delta and United.
Thepointsguy reaches an audience concentrated in United States primarily through YouTube, and is best activated via Instagram Reels and Stories, TikTok branded content. Their sponsorship history skews toward Finance / Travel, a clear signal of fit for brands in those categories. Demonstrated partners include chasesapphire and American Express. Engagement on YouTube runs around 1.0%, which points to an audience better suited to category-relevant, mid-funnel campaigns than to pure-reach buys. The channel's mix of Instagram Reels and Stories and TikTok branded content lets a sponsor choose between short awareness placements and longer, more detailed integrations. Because the audience follows travel content rather than arriving through untargeted reach, sponsorships that match the channel's subject matter tend to convert more efficiently than broad placements. A consistent, on-topic posting focus gives sponsors a predictable, brand-safe environment, lowering placement risk compared with broad, general-interest channels. Campaigns here are best measured on qualified engagement and consideration within the niche rather than on raw impression volume. For United States-focused brands in Finance / Travel and related categories, Thepointsguy offers a defined, creative-fit audience rather than broad, low-intent impressions.
Benchmark estimates for a creator at Thepointsguy's tier (Macro, 3.1M combined followers, United States). Pulled from CreatorDB's category benchmarks.
The CreatorDB Agency runs end-to-end influencer campaigns globally — shortlisting, outreach, contracting, and performance reporting. Talk to our team about building a campaign around creators in this niche.
The Points Guy was founded by Brian Kelly, who launched it as a personal blog about squeezing maximum travel value out of credit card rewards. It has since grown into a full editorial media brand with a team of writers and contributors, though Brian Kelly remains the public face most closely associated with the name.
Yes, The Points Guy was acquired by Red Ventures, a large digital media and technology company, in a widely reported deal. The brand has continued operating under that ownership while keeping its core focus on credit card reviews, points-and-miles strategy, and travel news.
Yes, Chase Sapphire is a confirmed named sponsor of The Points Guy's content. That partnership is a natural fit given that Chase Sapphire cards — particularly the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve — are perennial favorites in the points-and-miles community for earning transferable travel rewards.
Award travel means booking flights or hotels by redeeming accumulated credit card points or airline miles instead of paying cash. The Points Guy's content is built around teaching people how to earn and redeem those points strategically — think business-class seats or luxury hotel stays at a fraction of the cash price.
Airport lounges are one of The Points Guy's most consistent content themes across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube — covering lounge reviews, access rules, and which credit cards get you through the door. JFK Airport features especially frequently in their posts, reflecting their New York-market roots.
Global Entry is one of The Points Guy's most-tagged topics, and for good reason — their audience of frequent travelers is exactly who applies for it. Their content regularly covers the application process, which credit cards reimburse the fee, and how Global Entry compares to TSA PreCheck for domestic trips.
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are the most frequently featured carriers in The Points Guy's content, with dedicated coverage of loyalty program updates, route news, and tips for maximizing SkyMiles or MileagePlus status. They also follow broader aviation news under the #avgeek lens.
The Points Guy is active on all three — TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube — giving them a combined following well into the millions across platforms. Their TikTok leans toward punchy, short-form aviation news and quick credit card tips aimed at a younger audience discovering points travel for the first time.
The Points Guy earns revenue primarily through credit card affiliate partnerships — when a reader applies for a recommended card through their links, the site receives a referral fee from the issuing bank. They also take on direct sponsorships, as seen with their Chase Sapphire deal, which is a named partner of their content.
The Points Guy's audience skews strongly toward millennials and young professionals, with the 25–34 age group making up the largest share of their followers — people who travel for work or leisure and want to get more out of every dollar spent. Their following is predominantly US-based, which lines up with the American-centric nature of most major credit card rewards programs.
Stats (followers, engagement, audience demographics, growth) are pulled live from the CreatorDB API covering YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Bio and FAQ content is AI-assisted; news items are sourced from cited public press at generation time. Read the full methodology →
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@thepointsguy · Instagram
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