Bits: new SPG O2 tickets, Marriott & Starwood merger completes, 1000 free Air Canada miles

News in brief:

New Starwood SPG Moments concerts at the O2 now bookable

Starwood Preferred Guest released a new batch of O2 concerts yesterday.  The list, it is fair to say, has something for everyone.  You can catch:

• Justin Bieber (25,000 points for two)
• Rod Stewart (15,000 points for two)
• Red Hot Chilli Peppers (20,000 points for two)
• Madness (15,000 points for two)
• Status Quo (15,000 points for two)

There are also some Andrea Bocelli tickets (15,000 points for two) left over from an earlier offer.  That concert is 1st October.

Here is Anika’s review of her visit to Muse and here is my review of Sting and Paul Simon last year.  The SPG Suite is fully catered and is a very relaxed place to catch the music, although it is fair to say that if you are a devoted fan of any of these artists you would be better off down on the floor of the arena.

Starwood Preferred Guest is an American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner at 2:1.  You can also get 10,000 Starwood points (11,000 if I refer you) as a sign-up bonus for getting the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card.  I review the Starwood Amex here.

You can get your tickets via the SPG Moments site here.

Marriott and Starwood merger to complete on Friday

On the topic of Starwood, the merger of Marriott and Starwood will legally finalise on Friday morning.  This will create the biggest hotel group in the world.

If you are a Marriott Rewards member, you should be happy that Starwood is adding some genuine high end properties to the programme at last.  If you are a Starwood Preferred Guest member, you are likely to be worried that many of the benefits you have enjoyed will be discontinued.

We won’t know the details for a while.  What IS clear, though, is that Starwood Preferred Guest points will convert into Marriott Rewards points in some form.

As Starwood has a UK credit card and is an American Express Membership Rewards partner, this offers Marriott Rewards members a one-off chance to boost their points by stocking up on SPG points whilst they can.  Marriott members may want to think of ways they can take advantage of this given that it is otherwise impossible in the UK to transfer IN to Marriott Rewards.

Get 1,000 free Air Canada Aeroplan miles

Finally, if you have any Air Canada Aeroplan miles you can boost them by 1,000 by signing up for free to Fairmont Presidents Club for free via this link.  You need to add FED16 under ‘Enrollment Code’ and, of course, add your Air Canada account details.

PS.  If you missed it, this article on how Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Club airport lounge pass scheme works is worth a read.

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How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards (September 2024)

None of the Star Alliance airlines currently have a UK credit card.

There is, however, still a way to earn Star Alliance miles from a UK credit card. 

The route is via Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty points convert to over 40 airlines at the rate of 3:1.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via the official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It comes with 20,000 points for signing up and 2 points for every £1 you spend. At 2 Bonvoy points per £1, you are earning (at 3:1) 0.66 airline miles per £1 spent on the card.

There is a preferential conversion rate to United Airlines – which is a Star Alliance member – of 2 : 1 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.

The Star Alliance members which are Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners are: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.

You can apply here.