American Express Membership Rewards - Emptying my MR account

I am faced with a delimma, I have been notified the my current Amex card will no longer be eligible for the normal MR rewards program and I will be switch over to the Options program. Before that happens I plan on draining my account to one of my hotel cards but I need a little help. I need to know which program is the best for getting rooms in Europe.

Currently I have the following programs:

SPG - 0 pts due to accounty inacticity
IC-120,000 pts
Hilton- 65,000pts
Marriott -58,000pts
Accor - just opened it and not sure how many and if Amex even xfers to them
Hyatt - 2000pts
Raddison - 41,000 pts

I have about 25,000 MR pts from the past year
Which hotel program gives me the best opportunity to redeem and stretch my pts?

what the? what card do you have?

itd be better to xfer to airline.

amex>hawaiian>hilton(1:2) and amex>pc(1:1) are the two hotel options.

edited, thanks gardener, i seem to be forgetting things now :D

what the? what card do you have?

itd be better to xfer to airline.

hilton(1:1.3) and pc(1:1) are the two hotel options.

Hilton gives 2 points per MR point if you launder it through Hawaiian Airlines.

You usually lose on conversion. 25,000 MR to Delta will get you 30,000 miles (20% bonus) which is a free domestic ticket plus or even a ticket to some Caribbean hot spots. I'd consider the airline options.

You usually lose on conversion. 25,000 MR to Delta will get you 30,000 miles (20% bonus) which is a free domestic ticket plus or even a ticket to some Caribbean hot spots. I'd consider the airline options.

There was a 20% bonus for MR transfers to DL, but it expired Dec. 15. Are you aware of a current bonus? If so, please post the details. If not, the transfer ratio would be 1:1.

You're correct wsflyer. At present there is no 20% bonus available. I was looking at recent postings bt on an older thread and did not notice the expiration date.

Still 25000 miles equals a domestic ticket and may be a better deal than converting MR points to hotel points.

I'd consider the airline options.

I fly for free so I dont need airline tickets. I am much more interested in hotel points.

you fly for free meaning?

you fly for free meaning?
Meaning that I work for an airline.

Meaning that I work for an airline. aha, very convenient :)

Membership Rewards points cannot be transferred to Marriott, Accor, Hyatt or Radisson.

Membership Rewards transfer 1000:1000 to ICHG Priority Club. Another 25,000 points would give you 145,000. 150,000 would be sufficient for five nights at any Intercontinental hotel or six nights at any Crowne Plaza location. Also, Priority Club counts all points for elite status. 20,000 = Gold and 60,000 = Platinum. Gold status is worthless, but the transfer would give you a good start toward Platinum in 2007. Priority Club points do not expire.

Membership Rewards transfer 1000:1300 to Hilton, but as mentioned if you first transfer to Hawaiian Airlines the result is 1000:1000:2000. Another 50,000 HHonors points would give you 115,000. I believe 120,000 is sufficient for three nights at the top tier Hilton properties.

Both Priority Club and HHonors have point purchase options that would allow you to make up the gap between your new balances and the award levels I mentioned. Diners Club Mastercard Club Rewards is better for hotel redemptions than American Express Membership Rewards, but of course both Hilton and ICHG have their own credit card programs if you know which you prefer ongoing.

Mia,

Thanks for the response. I knew there would be someone out ther that would have more insight than I could conjuer up. After I dump my MR pts into a hotel fund for my upcoming vacation this fall, I am considering getting the SPG Amex as the pts can also be used to top off my FF accounts. I am torn which hotel to put the pts into because I am partial to Hilton properties but I also like Intercontiental hotels also. Decisions, decisions.

hilton does have more options, beyond IC's standard rooms only. if you're ICRA though, thats probably better.

diners club is something to consider if you dont stay with starwood (highest potential value for hotel stays) because they allow transfers to a number of hotel programs, in addition to a number of airlines, including all 3 alliances.

hilton does have more options, beyond IC's standard rooms only. if you're ICRA though, thats probably better.


At IC, you can reserve more than just standard rooms. Varies by the property, the cool thing is that the redemption amount is usually the same as the standard room. Here's a thread on this:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=407026

And if you're RA or Ambassador, you can reserve a standard room and get upgraded. Even if you're not RA, IC is probably a good deal ... sign up for Ambassador status ... $150 unless you can find a promo, but worth it because you get a buy one night get one free weekend certificate that more than pays for it. And you get good upgrades; maybe less than as an RA and w/o free minibar, but you do get a lot of perks including free movies, etc. Benefits typically apply even on your free stays.

Hint: Since Ambassador status is based on a calendar year from when obtained, don't buy it in advance. Buy it upon check-in at an IC. This maximizes the life expectancy. Also, if you ask at the desk to have them explain the program to you. Ask "well, if I sign up now, what kind of super-duper room would you upgrade me to?" I think front desk or the hotel gets credit for selling the ambassador, so they're usually very accommodating when someone acts interested.