Reminder: Amex/Starwood and US Airways Promos Ending March 31
Just a friendly reminder that two current promotions are ending this Saturday, March 31.
1) American Express Membership Rewards to Starwood 50% bonus. This means you get 1 Starwood for every 2 Amex points, instead of the normal 3 Amex to 1 Starwood ratio. While I'd love to see a 1:1 transfer ratio, I'm not going to hold my breath for that. I find Starwood points to be extremely valuable - especially when I use them for Cash & Points. I'm currently writing this post from Le Meridien Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia where I used 1,600 points and $30 per night when the regular room rate was $150 a night. So 1,600 SPG points saved me $120, or 7.5 cents each. Not only that, Starwood now counts award and cash & points redemptions towards elite status and I got a 500 point amenity, free daily breakfast and an upgrade to a nice suite. Plus they just launched new benefits for 50, 75 and 100 nights so I'm really digging Starwood right now and am trying to get towards the 75 night level. Even though I prefer using Starpoints for expensive European stays, it made a lot of sense in this case so I recommend taking a deeper look at the Starwood Preferred Guest program if you haven't in the past.
2) The second promotion ending Saturday is the US Airways 50% bonus on hotel transfers. I generally recommend using hotel points for hotel stays, but with this promotion you can take advantage of the Amex to Starwood 50% and in essence convert Amex points to US Airways at a near 1:1 ratio. US Airways has a pretty good frequent flyer program with great redemptions like 40,000 roundtrip offpeak awards to Europe in coach, 90,000 mile roundtrips to China/Japan/Korea/Hong Kong in business class and 110,000 miles roundtrip in business class to Australia/New Zealand. Those same redemptions with current Amex Membership Rewards Star Alliance partners Aeroplan, ANA and Singapore may very well cost a lot more in miles and fuel surcharges/fees.
SPG poinst normally transfer to US Airways 20,000 points = 25,000 Dividend miles, so with this promo you get 37,500 miles.
Whether you take advantage of these promotions or not depends on your current point balances and what you want to get out of your points. I personally have about 750,000 American Express Membership Rewards points and lots of airline miles in assorted programs, so I wanted to increase my Starwood balance. I decided to move 200,000 Amex to Starwood and instantly got 100,000 SPG points in my account. I have plans to do New Zealand/Australia in the spring and I want to take advantage of the US Airways 110,000 mile awards so I transferred 40,000 SPG to US Airways, which will net me 75,000 Dividend Miles. I already have a nice balance there from the past couple Grand Slams and Buy Miles promos, so I'll have enough miles for me and a couple companions if I so choose to be nice to my friends.
I feel good about it because I padded my Starwood and US Airways accounts and still have enough Amex to take advantage of any other transfer bonuses that may come up (like the current British Airways 50% bonus until May 31, 2012). I always preach that diversification is the key towards getting max value from miles and points and I feel that I've accomplished that in a smart way by leveraging these promos to lower my exposure to Amex Membership Rewards (wow, I'm starting to sound real Wall Street!)
What are your plans with these promos?
[card card-name='Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card – Bonus Point Offer' card-id='22145660' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | 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. |
| 4X | 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. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
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 $8,000 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.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.