Buy Starwood Preferred Guest hotel points for 35% off and turn them into cheap airline miles

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• Peter K says:

  3 Feb3 February 09:09

  It is rarely worth paying this price for avois. As Rob put, there are often ways to buy for 1p per Avios. Offers come along at 1p per Avios quite frequently… Often on Iberia.

• MarkH says:

  3 Feb3 February 09:23

  OT bt SPG related – has anyone received bonus SPG points for adding a supp card on the SPG amex?

  • mark2 says:

    3 Feb3 February 11:12

    I think that it is only BAPP and Gold/Platinum. Sadly.

    • Peter K says:

      3 Feb3 February 11:55

      Maybe not. My wife got bonus Nectar points for adding me as a supplementary cardholder.

      • mark2 says:

        3 Feb3 February 12:19

        Thanks; how many?

      • Peter K says:

        3 Feb3 February 16:34

        1k bonus Nectar points. I wasn’t expecting them so it was nice. I applied for supp card a couple of weeks after got main card.

• grammer says:

  3 Feb3 February 09:28

  I seem to remember it being mentioned on a previous SPG promotion that you earn double Starpoints when using an SPG Amex card…is that still case and is that the best option bearing in mind you have to pay in US$ and the FX fee?

  • Stu N says:

    3 Feb3 February 09:54

    Starwood points come through as “Starwood by points points.com” (the “by” is their typo, not mine!) so probably won’t qualify for double points on the associated card.

    You definitely only get standard points when you buy Avios via BAEC on a BA Amex.

    • Steve-B says:

      3 Feb3 February 10:34

      I definitely got 2x points last year when I purchased Starwood points on my Amex SPG card.

      • Cate says:

        3 Feb3 February 16:56

        +1

    • Pangolin says:

      3 Feb3 February 13:04

      I purchased 3 tranches of points with my SPG Amex last year and got 2x points on every occasion.

      • Stu N says:

        3 Feb3 February 23:06

        Very interesting…wonder why BAPP/ Avios doesn’t give double points but Starpoints on the Starwood card does?

        • Rob says:

          4 Feb4 February 12:25

          I am assuming it goes through as points.com? In which case, buying Avios with an SPG card may also trigger double SPG points!

  • RussellH says:

    3 Feb3 February 10:43

    Yes, you get 100% bonus points on purchases at Starwood **properties** (and Marriott, I believe), though this is a temporary offer – presumably until the new combined Marriott+SPG scheme launches. Buying points is not a deal with Starwood, so no bonus.

    • Joan says:

      3 Feb3 February 11:24

      From the buy.points.com site:
      Which credit cards may I use to purchase Starpoints?
      You may use any valid American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, JCB or Diners Club card. If you use the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express to purchase Starpoints, you will earn additional Starpoints for the dollars you charge on the card.

      So YES there is a bonus for using your SPG Amex!

      • Rob says:

        3 Feb3 February 11:28

        Would be keen to see if this works especially as that Q&A presumably is meant for US SPG Amex holders.

    • xcalx says:

      3 Feb3 February 11:46

      Just had a couple of stays at Marriott hotels used the SPG card but no double points.

      • Rob says:

        3 Feb3 February 14:52

        Drop Amex a note.

    • Pangolin says:

      3 Feb3 February 13:06

      My experience directly contradicts this – I’ve always received double points from Starpoints purchases made via the SPG card, using the same link as Rob gives above.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    3 Feb3 February 18:43

    Yep you’ll get 2x points

    • David2910 says:

      4 Feb4 February 01:44

      So what are all-in maths if i buy 30k SPG points today using my spg card, assuming 2x ? In pence per point? Do i just get an extra c.900 points on top of 30k x 1.35?

• Clive says:

  3 Feb3 February 09:46

  Can the hotel certificate element of a Marriott travel package be redeemed online or do you have to call? Do people tend to have many/any problems using them re availability?

  • Peter K says:

    3 Feb3 February 10:22

    I’m just dealing with this now. If you have say a category 1-5 certificate and you want to use it on a category 1-5 hotel then you can do it online.
    If you want to upgrade it with extra points to a certificate that you can use on say a category 8 hotel then you need to ring to do so.
    Use the number for the UK call centre, I find them much more helpful than the US one.

    • Clive says:

      3 Feb3 February 10:28

      Thanks. Good to know you can upgrade with extra points – I guess this means it always makes sense to get the 1-5 package first, until you know where you would use it?

      • Peter K says:

        3 Feb3 February 12:00

        Definitely. As a side point, when my cat 1-5 certificate was cancelled and the new cat 8 issued, the expiry date was extended to a year from the date I called and upgraded it. Maybe that will only happen once and not every time you upgrade it but it’s good to know.

      • Roger says:

        3 Feb3 February 14:39

        That is precisely I want to try in 3 months time.
        I have yet to use my certificate (Cat 1-5), so will call and beg to extend validity of my certificate, if not will try extending to Category 6 hotel and hope the expiry is extended by another year.

      • Clive says:

        3 Feb3 February 15:35

        Can the cert only be used at Marriott hotels or also at SPG? Do their hotel categories line up?

        • Rob says:

          3 Feb3 February 17:07

          No – until next year when they will merge.

      • Peter K says:

        3 Feb3 February 16:40

        To Clive at 15:35. Only Marriott AFAIK. And if Ritz-Carlton if you pay a huge supplement of Marriott Points.

• Talay says:

  3 Feb3 February 10:36

  Re Etihad and business / first class.

  These baggage changes are actually far worse than they appear to be, especially for the single traveller. In business, going from 2 x 32kg to 40kg essentially means losing a bag as if you fill one and are say 30kg, why would you bother with the other or you would have to fly with half empty bags at 20kg each.

  No, this is matching other mean airlines for sure but assuming they are at least as clever as me (and we’re not convinced by this 🙂 ) then they too will have worked this 2 into 1 bag issue.

  Just to recap, until last year or so, BA was allowing you 96kg at 3 x 32kg !

• Mark says:

  3 Feb3 February 11:02

  I now have Hilton diamond. I’m checking into double tree Victoria tonight on a room only with my partner. Will we both get free breakfast?

  • mark2 says:

    3 Feb3 February 11:13

    You get cooked breakfast at Doubletree and possibly other benefits.

    • Peter K says:

      3 Feb3 February 12:03

      Technically it’s only continental breakfast but usually they let you have the full cooked.

      • mark2 says:

        3 Feb3 February 12:22

        You are correct; it’s HGI where you are entitled to cooked.

  • Nick says:

    3 Feb3 February 12:34

    Yes, you should BOTH get free breakfast.

    You “receive complimentary Continental breakfast for you and up to one additional guest registered to the same room each day of your stay.”

    As Peter states, you will probably get a full breakfast for both of you. There’s a handy thread available on Flyertalk which lists Hilton group properties and the type of breakfast available for Gold & Diamond members here:

    https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilton-hilton-honors/1243361-gold-diamond-breakfast-hilton-family-properties-master-thread-47.html

• Andy S says:

  3 Feb3 February 13:33

  OT. My Tesco clubcard points have auto converted to Virgin miles (because I forgot to cancel it after last quarters bonus for auto convert), and to my surprise I’ve had some bonus points added too . “Award Feb bonus”. (Additional 20%) So maybe it is not such a bad idea leaving auto convert on, particularly for me as that’s all I want to do with clubcard points.

  • Roger says:

    3 Feb3 February 14:41

    Some one who has never converted Tesco CC to Avios or VS FC, what should I convert to?
    Avios is more preferred.
    Have some CC points expiring at the end of the month.

    • Rob says:

      3 Feb3 February 14:49

      Uber is better value if you use it or perhaps Hotels.com – you are paying over 1p per Avios compared to those.

      • Nick says:

        3 Feb3 February 17:21

        Yup, IF you regularly use Uber it’s a no brainer to me, and, to be honest, I’m surprised that it’s still available on the same terms. For that reason I’ll max out on it as long as it’s still there. 🙂

• Stephan says:

  3 Feb3 February 14:55

  OT if you booked a reward flight using the companion voucher and you want to change the dates. Do you have to cancel and then book a new one? Or can you call and ask BA to transfer to new dates and pay the £70?

  • Polly says:

    3 Feb3 February 15:29

    Afaik you can do the change on line once the availability is there. I did this for an CE once. Try it see how you go. It will give you chances to review etc before paying. Ba will charge you,the handling fee also if you call to change, but say it wouldn’t let you. Best be safe than sorry.

  • Rob says:

    3 Feb3 February 17:08

    Latter, you keep the same booking reference.

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