Allison Schrager, Columnist

I Chase Credit-Card Points. Bilt Changed My Mind.

February 17, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

Allison Schrager is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering economics. A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, she is author of “An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk.”

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Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

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I hate it when people ask if I have any hobbies. I know they are well-intentioned, just trying to get to know me, but how can I explain my hobby is … collecting credit card points?

I am embarrassed to admit how many hours I spend reading blogs, watching videos and mentally plotting out my non-linear objective function. I don’t have the words to describe how much sweeter the Prosecco is in business class when it comes from a hard-won upgrade. It would be so much easier if I just played pickleball.