@Open123 wrote:For MR points and SPG points, let me make sure I understand this correctly before I start moving things around.
Let's say, I need 100k points for a flight to Asia on a Star Alliance partner. From my MR points, I can move them to Aeroplan, which can move into any Star Alliance member, if the they aren't a part of the MR program?
Also, SPG can move directly into a Star Alliance partner with a 25% bonus when moving 20k or above?
Finally, any US air or United points can be freely moved into any Star Alliance partner too?
Thanks for any insights!
I don't think you can freely transfer points from one Star Alliance member to another. You can redeem points for flights on another Alliance member's flights. So if you need 100K miles to get the flight you want, you'd want to transfer a total of 100K miles to Aeroplan for example to get the flight. But if you transferred points so you had 90K miles in Aeroplan, and you had 10K miles sitting with another Alliance partner, you're not able to combine those miles to get the 100K. You need the 100K in one account. Maybe you already knew that, but when you said points can be freely moved into another Alliance partner, I wasn't sure if you were talking about redeeming for a flight on that partner or thinking you could transfer points to the partner program.
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@Open123 wrote:
@Walt_K wrote:I don't think you can freely transfer points from one Star Alliance member to another. You can redeem points for flights on another Alliance member's flights. So if you need 100K miles to get the flight you want, you'd want to transfer a total of 100K miles to Aeroplan for example to get the flight. But if you transferred points so you had 90K miles in Aeroplan, and you had 10K miles sitting with another Alliance partner, you're not able to combine those miles to get the 100K. You need the 100K in one account. Maybe you already knew that, but when you said points can be freely moved into another Alliance partner, I wasn't sure if you were talking about redeeming for a flight on that partner or thinking you could transfer points to the partner program.
Thanks, didn't know I needed all the points in a single account. So, if I needed 100k points, I'd either need all of them in Aeroplan. If I were using US Air points, then I'd need all of them in US Air? Basically, there is no way I can take 50k from Aero, 25k from US, and 25k from United, right?
Edit - Also, just got my SPG card, so I'm not very familiar with it. I know you've had yours for a while, and would appreciate your insights on this. Is redeeming flights or transfering miles a better deal? If I redeem flights with spg points, I also get credit for the frequent flyer miles, right?
Correct, no way to combine the balances when redeeming a ticket. At least no good way that I am aware of. There may be some services that allow you to convert points from one account to another, but they don't usually provide very favorable conversion rates.
Regarding using the starpoints for flights, I usually save mine for hotel rooms, so I don't know all the ins and outs. My understanding is that usually you are better off exchanging your points for miles, especially if you are interested in international business/first class tickets. Those tickets do not earn miles. Purchasing the tickets using the starpoints does act as a regular purchase, so you earn mileage credit. Depending on the price of the fare, this might make sense in some circumstances, especially if you need just a few more miles to earn the next level of elite status before the end of the year. Another thing is that when you buy a flight this way, I believe you can use your miles in your existing account to purchase an upgrade. It sounds like you may have a few United miles sitting in your account that you are looking to use, and those can be difficult to get via Amex MR points or SPG points. You could potentially use your SPG points to purchase a flight, and then use your United miles to upgrade to business class. You'd have to compare to see if that is a good use of points, but might not be a bad option for a domestic transcon flight.
Of course, you could always apply for some cards that would give you more United miles. For example, Chase Saphire Preferred with 50K bonus. Chase Ink Bold with another 50K bonus.
@Open123 wrote:Thanks, Walt.
You guessed it, I have tons of UA Miles that I'm not sure what to do with these days. Our Firm doesn't use UA for int'l flights, and I was hoping to use their points for a Star Alliance member who does fly to SE Asia. But, I don't have quite enough for a business class seat.
Good suggestion on looking into booking with SPG and seeing if I could use the existing UA to upgrade the seats.
Unfortunately, I've had 3 recent app for points and have to cool it for a while--at least 6 months anyway. On US Air, I'm about 20k away from a business ticket to Asia and may just buy the points since they have 50% off promotion until 29 Feb.
If I may, final question. Since ANA and Singapore are both MR and SPG direct transfer partners, I assume I can move MR points and SPG points directly to, say, Singapore and use them at a flight?
So, with SPG, on hotel stays, do you usually use your points for full nights, or combination of points and out of pocket?
Thanks!
Yes, you should be able to move some points from each MR and SPG into the same program, and then redeem a flight. Keep in mind that SPG points don't transfer instantly like MR points. So there is some risk that a flight won't be available after you've made the transfer. If your travel plans are flexible though, shouldn't be as big of an issue.
I usually look for cash and points options on my hotel redemptions.