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Last chance: buy SPG Starpoints at 25% discount

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As I posted back in mid-March, Starwood is currently offering a 15%-25% discount when you purchase SPG Starpoints before 30th April. The link to buy is here.

At the top end, 20,000 points will cost you $525. These can be converted in 25,000 airline miles in the majority of programmes. The price per mile works out at 1.4p, which is certainly not a bargain but less than a lot of airlines charge for buying their miles directly.

SPG Starwood 350

The rules are straightforward – points post within 24 hours, maximum purchase of 20,000 points per year, your SPG account must be 14 days old to participate.

The ‘sweet spot’ with Starwood was historically their ‘cash and points awards’ for mid-tier properties. Starwood ‘cash and points’ deals have now been ‘enhanced’ and offer poorer value than they did, but they are now available at a wider range of properties. 

Despite the ‘cash and points’ adjustments, it can still occasionally make sense to buy ALL the points you need for a room rather than paying cash.


How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card usually comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit card

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

American Express Platinum card Amex

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Comments (7)

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

  • AM says:

    If you buy the points,can you then transfer them to Aegeans Mile and Bonus to get star alliance gold?
    Is it a strict requirement that your account has to be 14 days old?:-(

    • Rob says:

      No. The points wouldn’t count for status for Aegean, just for redeeming. Only miles earned from flights count towards status.

    • Sir Stamford says:

      There are two types of miles in M&B – Award and Tier Miles. The conversion from SPG to M&B will only earn you award miles which you can redeem for award flights, hotels etc. Your Gold status is determined by your tier miles which you usually earn by virtue of flying with them or their partner airlines.

      When you sign up to a new M&B account, you currently get a 1,000 enrollment bonus for both award and tier miles but they are not the same thing.

      Further details are available here:
      http://en.aegeanair.com/milesandbonus/program-description/terms-conditions/

      Sir Stamford

  • James67 says:

    For anybody looking to buy AA miles this offer compares favourably to current AA 30% promo where 25k miles costs about $680 including tax and fee.

  • Dale says:

    I have 25,000 in Amex Member Rewards.

    Would you recommend that I open a SPG account then transfer 20,000 of Amex MR to SPG Starpoints, then transfer those to Avios for a 5,000 bonus?

    Or best to wait for a MR -> Avios conversion bonus?

    Not in any great hurry to convert.

    • Jens Moller says:

      Bad idea – as you only get half SPG point per MR.

      Jens

    • Rob says:

      Not a good idea, Starpoints are only useful (except for hotel stays of course!) for converting to airlines with no direct Amex transfer route, like Miles & More, because of the poorer 1:0.625 (assuming you move chunks of 20,000) ratio.

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.