Originally Posted by
tendi07
Ok, one more question i have- since everywhere I read it is recommended to focus on one airline to accumulate miles, how would I go about that with using SPG card? Am I understanding it correctly- if I go with US Air and use miles within Star Alliance, Im going to be crediting the miles to US Air, and of course to AA if I go that route?
You do not have to decide which program to transfer your SPG points to until you are actually ready to transfer. You can transfer some points to US Air, other points to AA, and still other points to ANA, depending on which program offers you the best redemption opportunity when you are ready to book your award seats. Until you decide to transfer points, your points are just SPG points, with no need to identify the airline program or programs to which you wish to ultimately transfer the points.
Also, low season or "off-peak" varies considerably from airline to airline. With AA to Europe, I think it runs from mid-October to mid-May; with US, it runs from mid-January to the end of February. With ANA, there are no seasons for partner airline redemptions.
If you want to fly on Star Alliance carriers, and you're planning to fly in April, May, or October, transferring your SPG points to ANA will give you an award to FRA for the fewest number of miles, assuming that there is award seat availability. Unless there is a transfer bonus to US or some other Star Alliance carrier when you are ready to transfer, ANA will be the best deal (43,000 ANA miles vs. 60,000 US Airways miles). But do some research to find out what ANA's fees are for Star Alliance award travel between the U.S. and Europe.