Founder story
The journey behind Credit Club
Papur, Founder of Credit Club
I have flown more than 180 times on points and visited 54 countries, and I still remember the booking that started it.
This is how I got here, why I built Credit Club, and every hotel I have stayed in along the way.
- 54countries visited
- 180+flights taken on points
- 1,643+hotel stays on points
- 136hotels on the map
My story
How I got here
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Where I started
I was nine months old when my family moved to the UK to give me a better future. We lived in a council flat and we didn’t have much. That’s me leaning over the birthday cake. I was too young then to understand what it took for my family to leave behind the life they knew and start again.
As I got older, I thought about that sacrifice a lot. I wanted my family to be able to look at the life I’d built and feel that moving here had been worth it. And I wanted whatever I went on to do to make a difference for other people too.
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The flight that made it real
This was 2019, on one of my first business class flights. I can still remember how surreal it felt sitting there. I’d spent all that time figuring out how to earn points and turn them into a booking. Now I was sitting in the seat I’d booked with them.
That’s the moment I knew I’d cracked the code on points and miles. I’d figured out something I could do again. And if I could learn how to do it, I could teach someone else.
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Why I started Credit Club
I’ve always loved teaching. With points and miles, I finally had something I could teach that would help someone book a trip they’d been dreaming about.
This photo is from one of my first in-person workshops in London in 2021. My favourite part was seeing people walk out with a plan they could actually use. They knew which points they needed, how they could earn them and what to do next. I remember looking around that room and making myself a promise. One day, I’d fill a room with a thousand people and help them leave with that same clarity.
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The people I get to share it with
One of the things I’m proudest of is getting to build Credit Club with people who care about the same thing I do. When a member tells us about the trip they want to take with their family, my team gets excited about helping them work out how to make it happen. I used to do that on my own. Now there’s a whole team doing it with me.
I also get to take that team around the world. I get to pass on what I’ve learned, and together we get to use the same points and miles strategies we teach our members. When I look at this photo, I think about how lucky I am that something I first figured out for myself has become something I get to share with the people standing next to me.
The map
My flights and hotel stays
Flights: 188 business and first class routes I have flown, each with what it cost in points and what the same seat costs in cash. Together they would have cost $533,496 in cash. Choose a route group to zoom in, or search by city or airport.
Hotels: 136 hotels in 54 countries, each with the price I paid per night. The average is $65 a night, against a normal rate of $416. Choose a region to zoom in, or search for a hotel.
World view
- The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa, Autograph Collection Denver, United States · $22 a night
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki Honolulu, United States · $24 a night
- Hotel ICON, Autograph Collection Houston, United States · $109 a night
- The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles Los Angeles, United States · $56 a night
- Aloft San Francisco Airport Millbrae, United States · $94 a night
- Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville, United States · $50 a night
- Le Méridien New Orleans New Orleans, United States · $109 a night
- New York Marriott Marquis New York City, United States · $31 a night
- The St. Regis New York New York City, United States · $79 a night
- The Times Square EDITION New York City, United States · $109 a night
- Moxy Portland Downtown Portland, United States · $36 a night
- Courtyard Sedona Sedona, United States · $66 a night
- Grand Bohemian Casa Monica, St. Augustine, Autograph Collection St. Augustine, United States · $99 a night
- Moxy Washington, DC Downtown Washington, D.C., United States · $36 a night
- Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel Washington, D.C., United States · $46 a night
- Washington Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C., United States · $87 a night
- Courtyard Montreal Brossard Brossard, Canada · $90 a night
- Le Château Champlain Montreal Marriott Montreal, Canada · $94 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal Montreal, Canada · $71 a night
- The St. Regis Toronto Toronto, Canada · $88 a night
- JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa Cancún, Mexico · $49 a night
- The St. Regis Mexico City Mexico City, Mexico · $36 a night
- Courtyard Bridgetown, Barbados Bridgetown, Barbados · $105 a night
- Los Sueños Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort Herradura, Costa Rica · $107 a night
- JW Marriott Panama Panama City, Panama · $96 a night
- Sheraton Grand Panama Panama City, Panama · $38 a night
- Bogota Marriott Hotel Bogotá, Colombia · $66 a night
- JW Marriott Hotel Lima Lima, Peru · $83 a night
- The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center Lima, Peru · $17 a night
- Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel & Resort Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · $103 a night
- Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa Puerto Iguazú, Argentina · $87 a night
- Santiago Marriott Hotel Santiago, Chile · $101 a night
- Moxy Glasgow Merchant City Glasgow, United Kingdom · $75 a night
- Aloft Liverpool Liverpool, United Kingdom · $111 a night
- Aloft London ExCeL London, United Kingdom · $17 a night
- Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel London, United Kingdom · $28 a night
- London Marriott Hotel County Hall London, United Kingdom · $44 a night
- Sheraton Grand London Park Lane London, United Kingdom · $69 a night
- St. Ermin's Hotel, Autograph Collection London, United Kingdom · $38 a night
- St. Pancras London, Autograph Collection London, United Kingdom · $89 a night
- The London EDITION London, United Kingdom · $97 a night
- Courtyard Glasgow Airport Paisley, United Kingdom · $29 a night
- AC Hotel Manchester Salford Quays Salford, United Kingdom · $54 a night
- Moxy York York, United Kingdom · $74 a night
- Moxy Cork Cork, Ireland · $94 a night
- Aloft Dublin City Dublin, Ireland · $39 a night
- The Shelbourne, Autograph Collection Dublin, Ireland · $39 a night
- The Westin Dublin Dublin, Ireland · $18 a night
- Powerscourt Hotel, Autograph Collection Enniskerry, Ireland · $16 a night
- JW Marriott Cannes Cannes, France · $93 a night
- The Westin Paris - Vendôme Paris, France · $47 a night
- AC Hotel Barcelona Forum Barcelona, Spain · $82 a night
- W Barcelona Barcelona, Spain · $93 a night
- Hotel Marqués de Riscal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Elciego Elciego, Spain · $31 a night
- Courtyard Madrid Princesa Madrid, Spain · $40 a night
- The Westin Palace, Madrid Madrid, Spain · $70 a night
- Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seville Seville, Spain · $76 a night
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa Lisbon, Portugal · $32 a night
- The Westin Excelsior, Rome Rome, Italy · $20 a night
- The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice Venice, Italy · $109 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin Berlin, Germany · $63 a night
- Moxy Duesseldorf City Düsseldorf, Germany · $55 a night
- The Westin Hamburg Hamburg, Germany · $23 a night
- Amsterdam Marriott Hotel Amsterdam, Netherlands · $72 a night
- Hotel Des Indes, a Luxury Collection Hotel, The Hague The Hague, Netherlands · $33 a night
- AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark · $105 a night
- Copenhagen Marriott Hotel Copenhagen, Denmark · $39 a night
- Sheraton Stockholm Hotel Stockholm, Sweden · $55 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton Hotel de la Paix, Geneva Geneva, Switzerland · $25 a night
- Zurich Marriott Hotel Zurich, Switzerland · $103 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna Vienna, Austria · $45 a night
- Courtyard Pilsen Plzeň, Czech Republic · $43 a night
- Augustine, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Prague Prague, Czech Republic · $68 a night
- AC Hotel Krakow Kraków, Poland · $95 a night
- Courtyard Warsaw Airport Warsaw, Poland · $56 a night
- Moxy Warsaw Praga Warsaw, Poland · $49 a night
- Matild Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Budapest Budapest, Hungary · $111 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest Budapest, Hungary · $90 a night
- Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens Athens, Greece · $33 a night
- The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino Messinia, Greece · $78 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey · $49 a night
- The St. Regis Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey · $55 a night
- Courtyard Baku Baku, Azerbaijan · $26 a night
- JW Marriott Absheron Baku Baku, Azerbaijan · $111 a night
- W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates · $111 a night
- JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates · $96 a night
- Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates · $107 a night
- Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel Doha, Qatar · $92 a night
- The St. Regis Doha Doha, Qatar · $56 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton Jeddah Jeddah, Saudi Arabia · $76 a night
- Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel Muscat, Oman · $23 a night
- W Amman Amman, Jordan · $48 a night
- Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa Sweimeh, Jordan · $89 a night
- The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Tel Aviv Tel Aviv, Israel · $50 a night
- Marriott Mena House, Cairo Giza, Egypt · $35 a night
- Casablanca Marriott Hotel Casablanca, Morocco · $49 a night
- Protea Hotel Cape Town North Wharf Cape Town, South Africa · $84 a night
- Sheraton Addis, a Luxury Collection Hotel Addis Ababa, Ethiopia · $54 a night
- Four Points by Sheraton Arusha, The Arusha Hotel Arusha, Tanzania · $70 a night
- Four Points by Sheraton Kigali Kigali, Rwanda · $112 a night
- Bulgari Hotel Beijing Beijing, China · $81 a night
- Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort Huzhou, China · $36 a night
- JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square Shanghai, China · $70 a night
- The St. Regis Osaka Osaka, Japan · $92 a night
- W Osaka Osaka, Japan · $46 a night
- AC Hotel Tokyo Ginza Tokyo, Japan · $112 a night
- Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Ginza Hotel Tokyo, Japan · $58 a night
- JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul Seoul, South Korea · $86 a night
- The Westin Josun Seoul Seoul, South Korea · $57 a night
- Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel Singapore, Singapore · $59 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore Singapore, Singapore · $115 a night
- Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park Bangkok, Thailand · $21 a night
- The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand · $68 a night
- The St. Regis Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand · $35 a night
- W Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand · $101 a night
- Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia · $42 a night
- Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia · $22 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia · $107 a night
- The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia · $86 a night
- W Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia · $67 a night
- Four Points by Sheraton Jakarta, Thamrin Jakarta, Indonesia · $68 a night
- The St. Regis Bali Resort Nusa Dua, Indonesia · $23 a night
- W Bali - Seminyak Seminyak, Indonesia · $97 a night
- Four Points by Sheraton Danang Da Nang, Vietnam · $62 a night
- Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · $106 a night
- Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · $41 a night
- JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa Phu Quoc, Vietnam · $18 a night
- ITC Grand Chola, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chennai Chennai, India · $80 a night
- Sheraton Manila Bay Manila, Philippines · $36 a night
- W Brisbane Brisbane, Australia · $100 a night
- The Ritz-Carlton, Perth Perth, Australia · $36 a night
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park Sydney, Australia · $40 a night
- Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park Sydney, Australia · $53 a night
- Four Points by Sheraton Auckland Auckland, New Zealand · $63 a night
- JW Marriott Auckland Auckland, New Zealand · $68 a night
- Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort Denarau Island, Fiji · $111 a night
What it saved me
- Estimated saved on hotels$429,000+ Across these 136 hotels, one night at the normal rate adds up to $56,574. I paid $8,905, which is 84% less. I stayed an average of about 9 nights at each, so the total is an estimate.
- Estimated saved on flights$457,000+ The 188 routes I have flown would cost $533,496 in cash, one way each. Booked with points, the taxes and fees come to $76,094.
Founder of Credit Club
A note from me
You only get one spin around this beautiful world. I think about that a lot. It’s why I believe seeing more of it is one of the best things we can do with the time we have.
Have a coffee in Paris and sit long enough to watch the lights come on at the Eiffel Tower. Haggle with a shopkeeper in Egypt, then stand in front of the pyramids and try to take in how long they’ve been there. Count down to midnight on Copacabana Beach with thousands of strangers. Get up early in Peru and watch the clouds lift over Machu Picchu.
And when you can, take someone you love with you. Years later, one of you will say, “Do you remember that night in Rio?” And for a second, you’ll both be right back there.
That’s why I started Credit Club. If the money you already spend can help you take even one of those trips, I want you to know how. We only have so much time together. I hope you spend some of yours somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.
Papur
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