How To Get The Most Out Of Your Starpoints?

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Now that I have converted so many people over to the Starwood Amex, (While in crown heights earlier this week I must’ve met about 50 people-most whom I’ve never met before-who flashed their SPG cards my way!) I figure it’s only right to go through the best uses of Starpoints.

Preface:
This article is just a primer on some of the ways you can use starpoints, and although it’s long, it is in no way comprehensive.
It also doesn’t cover the benefits of carrying a starwood card, or about starwood elite status, although by having the starwood amex you are automatically a starwood elite member.
More on these topics in a future post…

Diclaimer:
-The values of starpoints will vary from the amount posted here depending on the exact award that you redeem for!
-Starpoint requirements are subject to change at any time.

Use #1: Unrestricted Hotel Stays:
Stay in a hotel any night you want with no blackouts between 2,000 points for a weekend night at a category 1 hotel and 25,000 points for a category 6.
Typically I have found $150 rooms for just 3,000 points putting the value of each starpoint at 5.0 cents apiece.

Use #2: Restricted Cash And Points Hotel Stays:
Stay in certain hotels on certain days for as little as 1,200 points and $25. Using out $150 room example this would value 1,200 starpoints at $125, pegging the value of each starpoint at 9.6 cents apiece.

Use #3: Hotel Room Upgrades:
Starts at 1,000 points.

Use #4: Nights AND Flights:
Possibly the best value in the Starwood system.
60,000 starpoints gets you 50,000 miles on the airline of your choice AND 5 nights in a category 3 hotel.
70,000 starpoints gets you 50,000 miles on the airline of your choice AND 5 nights in a category 4 hotel.

Use #5: 5th Night Free:
When you book a category 3-6 hotel for 5 nights you only pay for the points of 4 nights.
Cost for this award ranges from 28,000-100,000 starpoints.

Use #6: Transferring into Real Airline Miles.
The reason why Starpoints are the most valuable points currency is largely because they can be transferred into so many airline programs.
While most credit card points are just part of the issuers proprietary points programs, with starpoints you actually get bona-fide airline miles.
Instead of being locked down to one carrier you can transfer into any airline that you want.
The best part is that for every 20,000 starpoints transferred into miles you get a 5,000 mile bonus, for a total of 25,000 miles for every 20,000 starpoints.

What’s the best airline to transfer points into?
The best way to figure that out would be to look at the value of a mile post and figure it out from there.

Here are some suggestions:
1. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles:
Notable:
-Cathay Pacific has one of the top-ranked business and first class seating.
-Cathay belongs to OneWorld so all mileage awards can be redeemed for travel on airlines such as AA, British Airways, And Qantas.
-There is no US Asia Miles credit card, so the Starwood card is by far the best avenue for Americans to earn Asia Miles.
-Asia Miles have a unique and extremely complicated mileage system, in which all mileage awards are calculated based on the actual miles of the award ticket. Since NYC to anywhere in Europe has a one-way distance between 2500 and 5000 miles so any tickets will be is 45k in coach, 60k in business, and 90k in first, all major bargains compared to other carriers.

In the value of a mile comparison Cathay miles(CX) were worth up to 2 cents in coach, 9 cents in business and 13.3 cents in first.

When you turn 20,000 Starpoints into CX miles you get the 25% bonus, so this transfer would value each starpoint to be between 2.5 and 17 cents apiece, depending on the ticket you use!

2. American
Notable:
Best Mileage Availability, Discounted mileage awards if you have the Citi AAdvantage Card, Off-Peak Reduced Mileage Awards.

In the value of a mile comparison American miles(AA) were worth up to 2.2 cents in coach, 7.2 cents in business and 12 cents in first.

When you turn 20,000 Starpoints into AA miles you get the 25% bonus, so this transfer would value each starpoint to be between 2.8 and 15 cents apiece, depending on the ticket you use!

3.Continental
Notable:
Cheapest Mileage tickets to Israel, 70k in coach, 100k in business-first.
In the value of a mile comparison Continental miles(CO) were worth up to 1.8 cents in coach, and 6 cents in business-first.

When you turn 20,000 Starpoints into CO miles you get the 25% bonus, so this transfer would value each starpoint to be between 2.2 and 7.5 cents apiece, depending on the ticket you use!

Bottom Line:
Whatever you do wind up using your starpoints on you can rest assured that your starpoints are getting you a heck of a lot more than your 1% cash back or your capital one card was giving you!!!

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