Everyone who travels regularly has a favorite hotel chain, and mine has always been Starwood Hotels due to their incredibly generous rewards program called Starwood Preferred Guest (or SPG). When I learned that Marriott Hotels International was acquiring SPG, I was less than thrilled. I had a stash of Starpoints, the SPG rewards currency, which I was planning to use next year for a First Class round-trip ticket to Australia, but because of the merger, members of SPG are now able to instantly convert their Starpoints to Marriott Rewards points at a 1:3 ratio. This favorable transfer rate allowed me an opportunity to get even more with my points through Marriott’s Flight and Hotel Travel Packages.
Flight and Hotel Packages allow you to trade in your Marriott Rewards Points for a 7 Night Award Certificate and a variable amount of airline partner miles. The chart below looks expensive, but the real value is in the airline miles that you get in addition to the certificate, as the higher level packages allow you to “purchase” extremely valuable miles for just 1 Marriott Point per Mile.
Through my American Express SPG Personal Card signup bonus, some strategic Starpoints purchases when they were on sale, extremely generous SPG promotions, I was able to amass 120,000 Starpoints since I started earning them last November. After a instant transfer to Marriott, I had the 360,000 points that I needed for my redemption: a 7 Night Marriott Category 8 Certificate, and 120,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles.
I didn’t have any plans for the hotel certificate, but I wasn’t worried since it is valid for a year, and Marriott will extend it another year if you ask. But just like that, I got an invitation to a good friends wedding… in Puerto Rico! I went and checked the hotel that the wedding is at, and was shocked that the cash rates were $309/night + an 18% Resort Fee + Tax, but also noticed that it was a Marriott Category 8 Property. After a quick call to Marriott, I had 7 nights booked at the hotel for a flat $30 a night surcharge for my ocean view balcony room, instead of $3,209.01 for the cash price.
Other sites dive deeper in points valuations, but most value Marriott Rewards points at about 0.9 cents per point, so the 360,000 points I traded in are worth around $3,240. Even without the 120,000 Alaska miles that I acquired, I essentially broke even on the redemption. Once you include the miles, which are worth about 1.8 cents apiece, I ended up $2,130 ahead with my travel package. Not too shabby for 6 months of spending, a few hotel stays, and 2 calls to Marriott.
Shout out to the happy couple, Luis y Patricia! Can’t wait to see you in PR!
If you are just getting started in the points and travel game, check out my post on my favorite credit card here, and then apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve (we will both get a bonus!)
Ramblin' Rewards 