1 SPG Point > 2 MR Points?
Sep 19, 2013, 8:03 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 45
1 SPG Point > 2 MR Points?
Via the $10 off Safeway thread, I can manufacture spend for free (small profit). I'm wondering if I should use my new SPG card (in part to meet min spend) or my Amex PRG for 2x MR points and use SPG card for manufactured spend (VR, etc)?
I know it's a bit subjective based on my travel goals, plans, etc. but I'm wondering overall which carries more value since I'm not entirely sure where I will use the points yet.
As a side note, I do have about 80k MR's already and am no where near meeting the extra 15k MR on 30k spend on PRG and likely won't make it by the end of the calendar year without getting a FR.
Thoughts are appreciated?
I know it's a bit subjective based on my travel goals, plans, etc. but I'm wondering overall which carries more value since I'm not entirely sure where I will use the points yet.
As a side note, I do have about 80k MR's already and am no where near meeting the extra 15k MR on 30k spend on PRG and likely won't make it by the end of the calendar year without getting a FR.
Thoughts are appreciated?
Sep 19, 2013, 8:07 am
#2
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,955
If redeemed for air travel 1 SPG point is worth 1.25 Membership Rewards points. If redeemed for hotel stays you need to do your own arithmetic based on where you might stay and the price you would otherwise pay.
Sep 19, 2013, 9:02 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: CA
Programs: BA, AA, United
Posts: 429
I will go with Amex MR. 2 MR in my opinion is > 1 SPG. If you can somehow hit 30K spending, it is 2.5MR then.
If you are in the west coast, you can use MR->Avios transfer when there is a bonus (they have 30-50% bonus 2-3 times a year) and use it to travel to Hawaii (Alaska air), Mexico etc.
If you are in the west coast, you can use MR->Avios transfer when there is a bonus (they have 30-50% bonus 2-3 times a year) and use it to travel to Hawaii (Alaska air), Mexico etc.
Via the $10 off Safeway thread, I can manufacture spend for free (small profit). I'm wondering if I should use my new SPG card (in part to meet min spend) or my Amex PRG for 2x MR points and use SPG card for manufactured spend (VR, etc)?
I know it's a bit subjective based on my travel goals, plans, etc. but I'm wondering overall which carries more value since I'm not entirely sure where I will use the points yet.
As a side note, I do have about 80k MR's already and am no where near meeting the extra 15k MR on 30k spend on PRG and likely won't make it by the end of the calendar year without getting a FR.
Thoughts are appreciated?
I know it's a bit subjective based on my travel goals, plans, etc. but I'm wondering overall which carries more value since I'm not entirely sure where I will use the points yet.
As a side note, I do have about 80k MR's already and am no where near meeting the extra 15k MR on 30k spend on PRG and likely won't make it by the end of the calendar year without getting a FR.
Thoughts are appreciated?
Sep 19, 2013, 9:34 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,708
I will go with Amex MR. 2 MR in my opinion is > 1 SPG. If you can somehow hit 30K spending, it is 2.5MR then.
If you are in the west coast, you can use MR->Avios transfer when there is a bonus (they have 30-50% bonus 2-3 times a year) and use it to travel to Hawaii (Alaska air), Mexico etc.
If you are in the west coast, you can use MR->Avios transfer when there is a bonus (they have 30-50% bonus 2-3 times a year) and use it to travel to Hawaii (Alaska air), Mexico etc.
I too would rather have 2MR than 1 SPG. I would be planning to transfer to Avios when they have a good bonus so I would be hoping to end up with 3 Avios which is worth more to me than 1 SPG.
Sep 19, 2013, 9:54 am
#5
Used to be garyjr316
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: LAX or SBA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, Gold Passport, Hilton HHonors, Marriott
Posts: 800
I guess I am the outlier here... I would use it to hit the minimum spend for free. You're getting 1.25 per dollar for the SPG and 2x for MR... of course you could always split it up and do both, right? I am just big on getting my spend requirements hit quickly and easily so that I don't have to worry about them. Good luck!
Sep 19, 2013, 10:57 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,708
You just accept the risk. I did get a financial review one month I did 15K when I was trying to get a bunch of Hilton points and make reservations before the big Hilton devaluation took effect. Had to fill out the IRS form but passed without any adverse action and no further problems. The Financial Review they do today is a kinder gentler FR than it was a few years ago when they acted like debt collectors. Now they act more like CSRs.
Sep 19, 2013, 12:00 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: CA
Programs: BA, AA, United
Posts: 429
In my experience, Amex has a way to account for MS and consolidate across all their CC's. Usually, we all think that if we break down our MS under different CC's, we will be fine.
As ddallas says, if you hit 10-15K MS in 4-6 weeks, you can expect a FR. Just read the FR thread in the Amex forum and be prepared for it. If you have not reported your income correctly in the app, stay away for too much MS on your amex cards (well no one knows what too much is!!).
I have 3 Amex's now and I plan on staying under 10K a month in total.
As ddallas says, if you hit 10-15K MS in 4-6 weeks, you can expect a FR. Just read the FR thread in the Amex forum and be prepared for it. If you have not reported your income correctly in the app, stay away for too much MS on your amex cards (well no one knows what too much is!!).
I have 3 Amex's now and I plan on staying under 10K a month in total.
You just accept the risk. I did get a financial review one month I did 15K when I was trying to get a bunch of Hilton points and make reservations before the big Hilton devaluation took effect. Had to fill out the IRS form but passed without any adverse action and no further problems. The Financial Review they do today is a kinder gentler FR than it was a few years ago when they acted like debt collectors. Now they act more like CSRs.
Sep 19, 2013, 8:47 pm
#9
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 970
In my experience, Amex has a way to account for MS and consolidate across all their CC's. Usually, we all think that if we break down our MS under different CC's, we will be fine.
As ddallas says, if you hit 10-15K MS in 4-6 weeks, you can expect a FR. Just read the FR thread in the Amex forum and be prepared for it. If you have not reported your income correctly in the app, stay away for too much MS on your amex cards (well no one knows what too much is!!).
I have 3 Amex's now and I plan on staying under 10K a month in total.
As ddallas says, if you hit 10-15K MS in 4-6 weeks, you can expect a FR. Just read the FR thread in the Amex forum and be prepared for it. If you have not reported your income correctly in the app, stay away for too much MS on your amex cards (well no one knows what too much is!!).
I have 3 Amex's now and I plan on staying under 10K a month in total.
Sep 19, 2013, 8:57 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 970
Via the $10 off Safeway thread, I can manufacture spend for free (small profit). I'm wondering if I should use my new SPG card (in part to meet min spend) or my Amex PRG for 2x MR points and use SPG card for manufactured spend (VR, etc)?
I know it's a bit subjective based on my travel goals, plans, etc. but I'm wondering overall which carries more value since I'm not entirely sure where I will use the points yet.
As a side note, I do have about 80k MR's already and am no where near meeting the extra 15k MR on 30k spend on PRG and likely won't make it by the end of the calendar year without getting a FR.
Thoughts are appreciated?
I know it's a bit subjective based on my travel goals, plans, etc. but I'm wondering overall which carries more value since I'm not entirely sure where I will use the points yet.
As a side note, I do have about 80k MR's already and am no where near meeting the extra 15k MR on 30k spend on PRG and likely won't make it by the end of the calendar year without getting a FR.
Thoughts are appreciated?
Absent getting "free" points, PRG at 2x can be much more useful for flights (especially if you can lever your points with the occasional Amex transfer bonus). But for hotels, MRs aren't all that good.
That said, for hotels, SPG has one of the worst redemption values of all the major hotel programs - it's dead last. So I'd redeem for airlines only on SPG, and churn other cards for hotels (like Chase URs for Hyatt/Amex Surpass for HH/USB for Carlson) where your dollar of spend goes a lot further.
Sep 20, 2013, 1:07 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: DFW
Posts: 454
Why choose one over the other when you get "free" points? This is one of the very few instances where putting spend on SPG makes sense.
Absent getting "free" points, PRG at 2x can be much more useful for flights (especially if you can lever your points with the occasional Amex transfer bonus). But for hotels, MRs aren't all that good.
That said, for hotels, SPG has one of the worst redemption values of all the major hotel programs - it's dead last. So I'd redeem for airlines only on SPG, and churn other cards for hotels (like Chase URs for Hyatt/Amex Surpass for HH/USB for Carlson) where your dollar of spend goes a lot further.
Absent getting "free" points, PRG at 2x can be much more useful for flights (especially if you can lever your points with the occasional Amex transfer bonus). But for hotels, MRs aren't all that good.
That said, for hotels, SPG has one of the worst redemption values of all the major hotel programs - it's dead last. So I'd redeem for airlines only on SPG, and churn other cards for hotels (like Chase URs for Hyatt/Amex Surpass for HH/USB for Carlson) where your dollar of spend goes a lot further.
I'm getting adjoining rooms in San Diego near Christmas time for $180 a night ($360 for both) - out 6000 points. I'm trying to talk myself into why I should transfer them over at all..
Sep 20, 2013, 1:08 am
#12
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: DFW
Posts: 454
Via the $10 off Safeway thread, I can manufacture spend for free (small profit). I'm wondering if I should use my new SPG card (in part to meet min spend) or my Amex PRG for 2x MR points and use SPG card for manufactured spend (VR, etc)?
I know it's a bit subjective based on my travel goals, plans, etc. but I'm wondering overall which carries more value since I'm not entirely sure where I will use the points yet.
As a side note, I do have about 80k MR's already and am no where near meeting the extra 15k MR on 30k spend on PRG and likely won't make it by the end of the calendar year without getting a FR.
Thoughts are appreciated?
I know it's a bit subjective based on my travel goals, plans, etc. but I'm wondering overall which carries more value since I'm not entirely sure where I will use the points yet.
As a side note, I do have about 80k MR's already and am no where near meeting the extra 15k MR on 30k spend on PRG and likely won't make it by the end of the calendar year without getting a FR.
Thoughts are appreciated?
Sep 20, 2013, 1:15 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 970
The bloggers seem to think that the SPG value is in the hotels. Pay 4 days, get 5 - or even do the miles and points where you get 50k airport miles and 5 days in a category 4 hotel for like 60-70k.
I'm getting adjoining rooms in San Diego near Christmas time for $180 a night ($360 for both) - out 6000 points. I'm trying to talk myself into why I should transfer them over at all..
I'm getting adjoining rooms in San Diego near Christmas time for $180 a night ($360 for both) - out 6000 points. I'm trying to talk myself into why I should transfer them over at all..
Read Loyalty Lobby's comparison of all the big chains - SPG comes in dead last - by a country mile: http://loyaltylobby.com/2013/05/04/m...s-conclusions/
Sep 20, 2013, 1:28 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: HNL
Posts: 781
Any blogger saying SPG is best for hotels needs to get a clue.
Read Loyalty Lobby's comparison of all the big chains - SPG comes in dead last - by a country mile: http://loyaltylobby.com/2013/05/04/m...s-conclusions/
Read Loyalty Lobby's comparison of all the big chains - SPG comes in dead last - by a country mile: http://loyaltylobby.com/2013/05/04/m...s-conclusions/
As far as whether to spend SPG points on hotel stays or airline transfers, I've always gotten far more value by using them for hotel stays but will occasionally transfer a bit to airline accounts just to top up for an award. I would not recommend the SPG card as a straight airline mileage earning card, but certainly this works for some.
As mia pointed out for this specific case, the only way 1 SPG point approaches the value of 2 MR would be through hotel stays.