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Last chance: Get a 25% bonus when transferring hotel points to American Airlines miles

Oct. 28, 2019
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4 min read
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Last chance: Get a 25% bonus when transferring hotel points to American Airlines miles
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While the most well-known hotel-to-airline transfer program is Marriott Bonvoy, a number of airlines have partnerships with hotel loyalty programs that let you transfer hotel points into airline miles. While it's rarely a good value, it can be useful for cleaning out hotel points that you can't use or to top off an airline account if you're just shy of a great redemption.

Back in mid-September, American Airlines launched a 25% bonus when transferring hotel points from four hotel programs to the American Airlines AAdvantage program. If you're interested in taking advantage of this promotion, you only have a few days left. Members need to register and transfer points by Oct. 30, 2019.

The number of hotel points transferred and miles received depends on the program that you are transferring from:

  • Best Western: 5,000 Best Western Rewards points = 1,000 1,250 AAdvantage miles
  • Choice: 5,000 Choice Privileges points = 1,000 1,250 AAdvantage miles
  • IHG: 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points = 2,000 2,500 AAdvantage miles
  • Marriott: 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 25,000 31,250 AAdvantage miles (after 5,000-mile bonus from Marriott)

While Hilton, Hyatt and Wyndham points also transfer to AAdvantage, these programs aren't participating in this bonus promotion.

This promotion's terms and conditions note that the 25% bonus miles "will be posted to your AAdvantage account within 7 business days after the initial conversion activity has been posted by the participating hotel partner."

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American Airlines will let you hold an award flight for up to five days. However, if the 25% bonus actually takes seven business days to post, you won't be able to count on those bonus miles to complete your award reservation. So, if award availability is tight, you might want to transfer enough to cover the whole redemption.

Marriott's Hotel + Air packages aren't as lucrative as before, and this promotion doesn't make it any better. The T&Cs note that "conversions for hotel and air packages from hotel partners aren’t included for this offer."

Is transferring hotel points to American Airlines worth it?

While a 25% bonus sounds good, the conversion rates from hotels to AAdvantage miles aren't very good to start with. So, you're going to need a valuable AA redemption and/or a low personal valuation of your hotel points in order to make this promotion worth utilizing. This promotion can also be useful to clear out smaller hotel point balances.

Let's dig into the numbers to see just how these transfers end up when incorporating the 25% bonus. And because some programs have multiple tiers of potential point transfers, we’re using the smallest transfer amount that has the best transfer rate in this chart.

Value columns are based on TPG valuations and are rounded to the nearest dollar, but the “Change in Value” column is based on un-rounded data:

Hotel programHotel PointsAA Miles (after bonus)Value of

Hotel Points		Value of

AA Miles		Loss

in Value
Best Western
5,000
1,250
$35
$17.50
50%
Choice Privileges
5,000
1,250
$30
$17.50
42%
IHG Rewards Club
10,000
2,500
$50
$35
30%
Marriott Bonvoy
30,000
12,500
$240
$175
27%
Marriott Bonvoy
60,000
31,250
$480
$437.50
9%

As you can see, based on TPG valuations, you’re going to lose value from these transfers. However, Marriott provides the best option. Combining the standard 5,000 bonus mile bonus for transferring 60,000 points with this 25% bonus, you'll end up with 31,250 AA miles for transferring 60,000 Marriott points.

Also, as you can see, you only have to transfer a small amount of Best Western, Choice or IHG points to get the 25% transfer bonus. So, this transfer bonus offers the opportunity to clear out small hotel point balances with these programs.

Finally, this transfer bonus can make sense when you need to top off your AAdvantage account for an awesome award -- such as 60,000 AA miles for business class to Japan or Korea; 12,500 AA miles for off-peak awards to Aruba, Barbados, Cabo, Cancun or Costa Rica or 70,000 AA miles for Qatar Qsuite to the Middle East or Indian subcontinent.

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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Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
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  • $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.
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  • 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.
Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

4XEarn 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.
4XEarn 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.
3XEarn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
2XEarn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
1XEarn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

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.