# How long Starpoints -> Miles



## myip (Jan 12, 2007)

How long does it takes to convert the Starpoints to US Airway Miles?  I start the process since 12/6.  Starwood took the points out already and said they did  it.  US Air says there is no way to find out what happen to my transaction.


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## stevens397 (Jan 12, 2007)

FWIW, it took over 6 weeks for my points to be transferred to Asia Miles.  Seems ridiculous.


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## DeniseM (Jan 12, 2007)

I have found that Starwood makes the transfer within a week, but the receiving airlines are often very slow to credit you account!


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## chrisfromOC (Jan 12, 2007)

I transferred my Starpoints into Hawaiian Airlines miles, and the transfer was completed very quickly.  I think it was about a week or 10 days.


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## Denise L (Jan 12, 2007)

chrisfromOC said:


> I transferred my Starpoints into Hawaiian Airlines miles, and the transfer was completed very quickly.  I think it was about a week or 10 days.



This was my experience as well. Seven days I think. Hawaiian let me hold the award travel before all the points had been transferred over  .


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## chrisfromOC (Jan 13, 2007)

Denise L said:


> This was my experience as well. Seven days I think. Hawaiian let me hold the award travel before all the points had been transferred over  .



Denise, I used Hawaiian I believe based on your positive experience with them noted in a post some time ago, and they were great to deal with.  Even though I had a brand new FF account with 0 miles in it they held 5 seats for me on the flights we needed (which happen to be during Spring Break) while the point transfer took place.


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## myip (Jan 13, 2007)

What other airlines than Hawaiian are fast in transfer?


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## saluki (Jan 13, 2007)

I have only transferred miles one time but, as I recall, it was very quick to transfer to American (a week or less).


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## Pat H (Jan 14, 2007)

saluki said:


> I have only transferred miles one time but, as I recall, it was very quick to transfer to American (a week or less).



I just did a transfer to AA and it took about 10 days.


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## Henry M. (Jan 14, 2007)

I exchanged Starpoints for American Airlines miles last Fall. Submitted the request on a Thursday, had the miles by Tuesday of the following week - about 5 days.


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## RLG (Jan 14, 2007)

I'm a relatively experienced user of frequent flyer miles and a timeshare newbie.  (I'm still researching timeshares.)

My reaction to threads like these is similar to the reaction you folks would have if someone posted that they had traded their Christmas Week Hawaii oceanfront timeshare for a September week in a ski location.  (Probably not as extreme as that, but you get the idea.)

I've pointed out on some other threads that directly transferring Starwood points to airlines is not a good value.  You can get a much better deal by finding a frequent flyer mile junkie (like me) who will use his miles for your award in return for your Starwood points.  For example, I would have been happy to use my miles with every one of the airlines mentioned so far in this thread for 10-20% fewer Starwood points than needed for a direct transfer.

Interestingly, I believe, SVO owners are permitted to transfer Starpoints out of their account to anyone.


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## skim118 (Jan 14, 2007)

RLG said:


> Interestingly, I believe, SVO owners are permitted to transfer Starpoints out of their account to anyone.




Where did you get this piece of info ?  SPG will only transfer points to members of the same household and I dont see any special loophole for SVO members.


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## RLG (Jan 14, 2007)

skim118 said:


> Where did you get this piece of info ?  SPG will only transfer points to members of the same household and I dont see any special loophole for SVO members.



Terms and Conditions of Membership in SPG.  

2.5. Starpoints may be transferred between two designated Program accounts sharing the same residential mailing address with the exception of Starwood Vacation Ownership Preferred Guest accounts. Starwood Vacation Ownership Owners (“Owners”) may transfer Starpoints between two designated Starwood Vacation Ownership Preferred Guest accounts, regardless of whether the accounts have the same residential mailing address.


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## Henry M. (Jan 14, 2007)

I agree that hotel points are more valuable than airline miles, if used at the right properties. However, in my case, I wanted to cross the 2 million mile with American Airlines to get AA Platinum status for life. This is an unpublished benefit that I keep reading may go away sometime and I didn't want to take any chances.

However, I can see if you don't travel a lot, that converting Starpoints to airline miles, with a 25% bonus (25K miles for 20K Starpoints) is useful. There is no ready marketplace to exchange points for miles and I believe bartering is expressly forbidden by the frequent flyer programs.


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## duke (Jan 14, 2007)

emuyshondt said:


> I agree that hotel points are more valuable than airline miles, if used at the right properties. However, in my case, I wanted to cross the 2 million mile with American Airlines to get AA Platinum status for life. This is an unpublished benefit that I keep reading may go away sometime and I didn't want to take any chances.



Henry:

So, have you been converting starpoints to get to the 2 million AA status?

I have been thinking of doing same....

Duke


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## myip (Jan 14, 2007)

emuyshondt said:


> I agree that hotel points are more valuable than airline miles, if used at the right properties. However, in my case, I wanted to cross the 2 million mile with American Airlines to get AA Platinum status for life. This is an unpublished benefit that I keep reading may go away sometime and I didn't want to take any chances.


I thought the flying miles count toward Platinum for life not the transfer miles.  Are you saying if I kept 2 million AA miles in the account, I will become AA Platinum status for life.


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## duke (Jan 14, 2007)

myip said:


> I thought the flying miles count toward Platinum for life not the transfer miles.  Are you saying if I kept 2 million AA miles in the account, I will become AA Platinum status for life.



For AA, any miles earned (credit card, starpoints transfered, etc) count.  So, if you transfer starpoints to AA miles they would count twords the 2 million.


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## skim118 (Jan 14, 2007)

duke said:


> For AA, any miles earned (credit card, starpoints transfered, etc) count.  So, if you transfer starpoints to AA miles they would count twords the 2 million.



Also note that 1 million miles gets you AA Gold for life & we are closer to achieving that in a few years if they do not change the policy soon.

AA Gold may not seem much to many, but at least gets you Group 1 boarding, First/Business class check-in, special Security line in many airports and emergency door seat access also.


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## RLG (Jan 15, 2007)

emuyshondt said:


> in my case, I wanted to cross the 2 million mile with American Airlines to get AA Platinum status for life..



American is the only program to which this applies. 

I agree that a transfer is worth it if you're near AA lifetime gold or platinum status.  I actually transferred the last few miles to get myself to platinum as well and may transfer some miles when my wife gets close.


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## Henry M. (Jan 15, 2007)

Duke:

I only needed a few tens of thousand miles to get to 2 million. I've mostly earned all my AA miles actually flying (although with double miles after I became Platinum and then Executive Platinum). I'm not sure I would use all my Starpoints to get there, though. I was just close and wanted to make sure I got my Platinum for life. I probably could have simply waited for this year to get there by flying but I had so many Starpoints that I decided to finish things off in 2006.

myjp: Actual miles are needed to achieve Gold, Platinum and Excutive Platinum in any given year, but all miles count towards the million mile markers, including those earned with the AA Mastercard, transfers, and any other promotions or bonuses. One million miles give you permanent Gold Status, two million miles give you permanent Platinum status. I don't know of any way to get permanent Executive Platinum.

Platinum is great: You get to use first class/business check-in, boarding after first class, double miles wherever you fly, and free use of the Admiral's Club whenever you are flying internationally.

Henry


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## smsavage (Jan 15, 2007)

Here's the good news. Transferred 40,000 points to AA on the 12th and had 50,000 FF miles posted on the 13th.

Much faster that I was anticipating.


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## myip (Jan 16, 2007)

*Still waiting for USAir Miles*

got my AA miles in 7 days.  My USAir miles are still in the BLACK hole.


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