Don’t Get Out of the Points Game, Says the Points Guy

Brian Kelly, also known as the Points Guy, built a small empire out of working the system, so I shouldn’t be surprised he’s also an expert at gaming restaurant reservations. We were originally scheduled to meet at a quaint but tired eatery in Manhattan’s West Village, but Kelly snagged a last-minute spot at the much trendier Torrisi in SoHo, thanks to the alerts he’d set up on his phone. It’s all a sport for him, he admits, one that’s somewhat of an addiction.

When the former Morgan Stanley recruiter started the Points Guy blog in 2010, his audience was the equivalent of extreme couponers, but for hotels and flights instead of bulk groceries. “Points people”—competitive, slightly nerdy, obsessive about getting the best deals and eternally online—soon began flocking to the site, which made money through affiliate marketing. Next came an app and a points valuation calculator. In more than a decade at it, Kelly has grown his hobby into a website, online community and consulting business. “I started with a $10 domain and a WordPress blog, so to be what it is now and to still be profitable and growing is incredible,” he says.