Today, a good friend and reader of the blog asked me that question. Sigh. Yes, it’s very clear now…I suck. I truly couldn’t believe my ears. How could this happen? Where did I go wrong? I probably need to make the following post for my own sanity. In short, what is Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and why do I like their points so much?
- First of all, as miles get devalued all over the place, you REALLY need to be clear about SPG points. You should understand why these (and Chase’s Ultimate Rewards points) are so valuable. Ok, let’s take it back…
- SPG hotels include: Starwood, Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, Aloft, Four Points, W Hotels, and more.
- These points are amazing. It’s important to redeem them the right way. Usually, for me, that means 1 of 3 options. In my experience…
- “Cash + Points” options are often the best choice. I’ve found a ton of success with this. Sometimes it’s worth a few bucks to save thousands of points. Do the math, see what the room would cost (in dollars vs. points) and see what the best choice is for you.
- Their lower category hotels can be incredible point values. A recent example was a Sheraton in New Orleans. It would have cost me $140/night, but I got it for 4,000 points. The Aloft in Phoenix was a similar 4,000 points instead of $130.
- Transferring points to miles. Remember, when you transfer SPG points (to American, US Air, British, and many more) there is a bonus opportunity to be had. When you transfer a block of 20,000 SPG points, you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 miles. So, your 40,000 SPG points would get you 50,000 American miles.
Sorry I failed you, David…hopefully this post helped!
(Also, Frontier Airlines has 15% off through Thursday. Use code REFUND and travel by June 12).
