You Can Buy SPG Starpoints at 35% Off until this Friday, July 20, 2018. This is the last chance before Starwood Preferred Guest is merged into Marriott's Rewards program on August 1, 2018, when each SPG point will be converted into 3 Marriott points. Fortunately, so far the points transfer to airline frequent flyer programs remains intact, with the 25% bonus when transferring the equivalent of 20,000 SPG points (soon to be 60,000 Marriott points). That means that if you buy 20,000 Starpoints for $455, you'll earn a 25% bonus when transferring to frequent flyer programs. Assuming the transfer is 1:1 (which it is for most programs: be sure to look at the ratio) then you'd receive 25,000 frequent flyer miles.
This ability to transfer to so many frequent flyer programs is what makes SPG points so valuable–think of them as the “O negative” blood type, or universal donor, vis-a-vis frequent flyer programs.
Here are the offer details:
- Save 35% when buying 5000 or more Starpoints
- Offer expires July 20, 2018
- SPG account used for the purchase must be at least 14 days old
FAQ
What is the Maximum Number of SPG Starpoints I Can Buy?
A maximum of 30,000 Starpoints per account can be bought per calendar year, including both purchased points and points gifted by another member.
When Do Starpoints Post to My SPG Account?
Starpoints are credited to your account within 24 hours.
Is 35% Off a Good Deal?
The usual price of Starpoints is 3.5 cents per point, which is very expensive and not recommended. Recently, earlier this year and late in 2017, there have been several 35% off offers. Prior to those, the public SPG offers were for a 30% discount, although in 2016 there was a targeted offer that a few people got for 50% off Starpoints purchases. Overall, this is a good deal if your planned use is to transfer to frequent flyer programs that aren't easy to earn miles in.
What Are Good Uses of Starpoints?
Personally, I prefer to transfer Starpoints to frequent flyer programs that are otherwise hard to earn miles because they're not transfer partners of other programs, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or AMEX Membership Rewards points. For example, we often need to top up our Lufthansa Miles & More account after earning 55,000 miles with the Miles & More card, so that we can redeem for Lufthansa First Class.
Clients also transfer Starpoints to JAL Mileage Bank to redeem for roundtrip awards in Emirates First Class on the A380, since Alaska's 2016 devaluation of its award chart (see Alaska: Why Emirates First Class Awards Increased 100 Percent with No Notice) made these ridiculously expensive with Alaska miles. But note that there's an upcoming JAL Award Chart Devaluation that takes effect on November 20, 2018, so you'll want to transfer and redeem before then. Another frequent flyer program that some clients transfer to is ANA Mileage Club, since there are some good partner redemptions such as roundtrip business class to Europe for 88,000 miles. Just note that you must redeem for roundtrip awards, one ways are not allowed on partners.
How Long Do Transfers Take to Airlines?
See SPG Points Transfer Times to Airlines. Transfers are not instant, so it's important to keep that in mind and transfer ahead of time. That said, for American AAdvantage, you can put awards on hold up to 5 days, and my most recent transfer from SPG to AAdvantage took just 2 days.
When Do Starpoints Expire?
Starpoints expire if there is no activity in the account during the prior 12 months. Any earning or redeeming activity within a 12 month period will keep your Starpoints active for another 12 months from the date of the activity.
Can I Transfer Starpoints to Someone Else?
You can transfer Starpoints to someone else in your household, as long as you've both been at the same address for at least 30 days. Household transfers generally take 5-7 days.
Is There Excise Tax or a Transaction Fee When Buying Starpoints?
No–unlike U.S. frequent flyer programs, which are charged an excise tax and usually a transaction fee as well, there is no tax or transaction fee for Starpoints purchases.
Which is the Best Credit Card to Use for Buying Starpoints?
As points.com processes the Starpoints transaction, you don't earn a travel category bonus from a card such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve. But you'll earn 2X per dollar with an SPG AMEX or SPG Business AMEX, per the terms:
“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.”
If you don't have an SPG AMEX, I recommend using a card that you're working on minimum spend for, or, if you still have the 2X on all spend offer for the AMEX Blue Business Plus, that's another way to earn 2X.
Do you plan to buy Starpoints at 35% off?
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