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TAP Sale: Fly Biz to Europe From 120,000 Marriott Points (40k SPG)

Jan. 11, 2019
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4 min read
TAP Portugal A330 Business Review
TAP Sale: Fly Biz to Europe From 120,000 Marriott Points (40k SPG)
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Compared to any of the other transferrable points programs, Marriott Rewards partners with many more airline loyalty schemes, even more than American Express and Chase combined.

One of its 45 transfer partners is TAP Air Portugal, a Star Alliance carrier that's been quickly expanding in the last few months.

TAP's Miles and Go program is currently running a sale on all award flights, it's offering 50% off flights to any destination in both business and economy. That means you can fly from the US to Europe in lie-flat business for as little as 50,000 miles one-way or 100,000 miles round-trip — or 120,000/240,000 Marriott points. For reference, at legacy SPG rates that's only 40,000/60,000 points you would have needed to transfer. Note that the discount only works on flights operated by TAP and not on Star Alliance partners like United or Lufthansa.

TAP's business class has gotten great reviews on both configurations of its Airbus A330s, and it will soon roll out the new A330neo on routes to the US.

Let's take a look at TAP's award chart for the sale (all prices are one-way), you can fly from North America to Portugal in economy for 50,000 miles or to the rest of Europe and North Africa for 52,500 miles. Economy flights go for 26,000 miles/28,500 miles.

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Since Marriott points convert to TAP miles at a 3:1 ratio you would need to transfer the following amount to TAP's program. Remember that for every 60,000 points you transfer to an airline program, you get a 5,000 mile bonus.

    • US --> Portugal in business = 120,000 Marriott points = 50,000 TAP miles
    • US --> Europe or North Africa in business = 128,000 Marriott points = 52,666 TAP miles
    • US --> Portugal in economy = 63,000 Marriott = 26,000 TAP miles
    • US --> Europe or North Africa in economy = 71,000 Marriott = 28,666 TAP miles

The deal is only valid for trips taken in February and March, except for the blackout days of Feb. 22 through March 11. You'll need to book by Jan. 31 to take advantage of the discounted rates.

It's worth looking at award availability before you transfer points since you can't transfer them back to Marriott, or else you may be stuck with a load TAP miles. Also note that it can take quite some time for a points transfer to complete with TAP. Marriott has plenty of other great airline transfer partners, including Alaska and JAL, where you can get outsized value from its points.

The airline is also offering 50% discount on miles and cash bookings — head to TAP's website to get the full details of the promotion.

If you're interested in earning Marriott points the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card and the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card are offering 75,000 point welcome bonuses after spending 3,000 in the first three months of card membership.

H/T: Frequent Miler

*This post has been updated to correct a mistake in interpreting TAP's award chart. A previous version of this story said the deal was for 60,000 Marriott points, but that calculation was made applying the half off deal to TAP's already discounted chart.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.