SPG -> AA mile bonus worth it?

Erin

Level 2 Member
I'm in the process of accumulating quite a few AA miles (have 65k, 100k on the way, + 65k USAir) with the hopes of getting the family to Hawaii or Europe in the coming 18-24 months. I'll need 5 seats which is going to be tough at best.

I also have ~50k UR points that are growing as well as ~75k AMEX points.

My question is: With the current SPG promotion (20% bonus plus 5k/20k) is it worth converting the SPG points to AA miles for future use? I'm not going to keep the SPG card open so I'll need to do something with the miles in the coming ~6 months. I currently have 35k SPG points which would convert to 47k AA miles.

Thanks for any thoughts you have.
 

Hutch

Level 2 Member
The SPG miles exist in your SPG acct so you can cancel the card anytime w/out losing or having to move your pts. With your trip so far off I wouldn't take the transfer. SPG pts are a great transfer currency and are to valuable IMHO to move to AA now for just 5k more.
 

Erin

Level 2 Member
Thanks Hutch. The one concern I have is that SPG only holds points for a year after the last activity. I haven't done anything with the card since December so I only have a handful of months left to move the points around.

Good point about the value of the points though, I'll probably hang onto them until I get a bit more clarity on the end use.
 

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
So much could change in the next 18-24 months. I value SPG points and their flexibility enough that I would be unlikely to cancel the credit card if it were my only one with SPG. And I rarely use them for hotel stays. I would transfer two weeks before I intend to use them. The only time I have transferred them just because I could was when AA was switching from miles to BIS miles for lifetime status. I transferred 40,000 SPG to get 50,000 AA miles just because they would count under the old system. So, I would not transfer without a specific play in mind in the very near future.
 
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LowHassleMS

Level 2 Member
I got the spg card recently and I will be keeping it for a long time. I had an AU on my a/c and the best buy and whole foods sync promos got me ~ $60.

Based on your travel goals, I personally don't think it will make sense to transfer to AA. SPG points can be valuable in high priced seasonal destinations like Hawaii and Europe. I'm going to Mexico for NYE and Xmas. The westin puerto vallarta that goes for < $100 in low season is priced over >$250 b/c of prime dates. I booked 5 nights dec 30 to jan 4 for 5600 points/night.

so you can use it to your advantage. In general I prefer using my arrival card over SPG.

You should def look into fixed value programs as getting 5 awards seats can be tough. Arrival is very good. Flexperks can work if you utilize the gas and grocery category
 

Steve Zappa

Level 2 Member
Not sure we're you'll be coming for with your Hawaii travels, but I was surprised at being able to get saver award tickets from PDX for Thanksgiving week on the outbound. Flight home is requires 40k Alaska tickets home; however, the benefit is we are able to use those tickets to continue onto Montana 3 weeks later.

So, I would keep those Starwood points as Starwood points until you know when you're booking and the award availability. And, if you live in a city serviced by Alaska, then I'd start signing up for the BofA Alaska cards (personal and biz), which are churnable.
 
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