nodge
TUG Member
Hi Gang,
I don’t know about you, but we’ve been accumulating SPG points faster than we can get rid of ‘em, and that long awaited European vacation, where using SPG points for hotel rooms actually makes financial sense, seems to keep being pushed back further and further.
Fortunately, the good folks at flyertalk.com have figured out how to get 12 roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines for only 50,000 SPG (Starwood hotel) points. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Before the end of 2007, convert 25,000 SPG points into 25,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards.
Step 2: Then, convert those 25,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards into 125,000 Choice Hotel Points (Choice Privileges). (Note: Amtrak limits regular members to transferring 25,000 points a year (Amtrak “select” members can transfer up to 50,000 points a year)).
Step 3: Then, convert those 125,000 Choice Hotel Points into 50 Southwest Airlines Rapid Reward Points. A roundtrip flight costs 16 RR points, so this transaction will give you 3 roundtrips on Southwest.
Step 4: Wait until January 2008 if you are not an Amtrak “Select” member. (Don’t wait until then if you are an Amtrak “select” member).
Step 5: Repeat Steps 1-3 in January 2008. This will place another 50 Rapid Reward points into your Southwest airlines account and give you another 3 roundtrip flights on Southwest.
BONUS: But as soon as your Southwest rapid reward account reaches 100 points within a 12 month period, you earn a Companion Pass. This allows you to designate anyone to fly free with you for a year, even if you fly using one of your Rapid Reward flights. Accordingly, those 6 free roundtrips essentially turn into 12 roundtrips.
For comparison purposes, you would have to spend $120,000 on your Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards Visa to earn 100 Rapid Rewards points. Even if you earned all of your SPG points using a Starwood AM EX, you would only need to spend $50,000 to reach the same result. OF course, most of us are swimming in SPG points these days anyway.
The speculation at FlyerTalk is that one of these exchanging venues will soon change the conversion rates to make this deal much less desirable. But, if you are willing to role the dice, and have SPG points to burn, you may be pleasantly surprised.
-nodge
I don’t know about you, but we’ve been accumulating SPG points faster than we can get rid of ‘em, and that long awaited European vacation, where using SPG points for hotel rooms actually makes financial sense, seems to keep being pushed back further and further.
Fortunately, the good folks at flyertalk.com have figured out how to get 12 roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines for only 50,000 SPG (Starwood hotel) points. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Before the end of 2007, convert 25,000 SPG points into 25,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards.
Step 2: Then, convert those 25,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards into 125,000 Choice Hotel Points (Choice Privileges). (Note: Amtrak limits regular members to transferring 25,000 points a year (Amtrak “select” members can transfer up to 50,000 points a year)).
Step 3: Then, convert those 125,000 Choice Hotel Points into 50 Southwest Airlines Rapid Reward Points. A roundtrip flight costs 16 RR points, so this transaction will give you 3 roundtrips on Southwest.
Step 4: Wait until January 2008 if you are not an Amtrak “Select” member. (Don’t wait until then if you are an Amtrak “select” member).
Step 5: Repeat Steps 1-3 in January 2008. This will place another 50 Rapid Reward points into your Southwest airlines account and give you another 3 roundtrip flights on Southwest.
BONUS: But as soon as your Southwest rapid reward account reaches 100 points within a 12 month period, you earn a Companion Pass. This allows you to designate anyone to fly free with you for a year, even if you fly using one of your Rapid Reward flights. Accordingly, those 6 free roundtrips essentially turn into 12 roundtrips.
For comparison purposes, you would have to spend $120,000 on your Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards Visa to earn 100 Rapid Rewards points. Even if you earned all of your SPG points using a Starwood AM EX, you would only need to spend $50,000 to reach the same result. OF course, most of us are swimming in SPG points these days anyway.
The speculation at FlyerTalk is that one of these exchanging venues will soon change the conversion rates to make this deal much less desirable. But, if you are willing to role the dice, and have SPG points to burn, you may be pleasantly surprised.
-nodge
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