HoKo

Hi guys, I'm a relative newcomer to the miles world but I think I've gotten up to speed pretty quickly. I was hoping I could get some input on a couple questions I still haven't found answers to (Mods if this is the wrong forum for these questions please feel free to move but I wasn't sure since my questions span multiple topics):

1. I’m aware that one of the attractive features of AMEX Membership Rewards is the fact that they transfer almost instantaneously, but if I only have SPG points how long do these take on average to transfer? Does it vary by airline, for example is Aeroplan always X amount of days whereas AA is always Y amount of days?

2. I'm currently still able to access *A inventory through ANA but I assume they will eventually close this loophole and enforce their new policy. What is the easiest way to earn a minimal amount of ANA miles so that I can access their Star Alliance inventory? I checked out their mileage mall but it appears to be mostly Japanese products and companies.

3A. If I want to fly from WAS to BKK or from anywhere to anywhere for that matter, and I have SPG points do I have to literally go through all of SPG’s partner airlines 1 by 1 to find the cheapest option or is their a resource for this? To clarify I basically want to know which of SPG's airline partner charges the least amount of miles to get from X city to Y city, is there a tool for this?

3B. is there a resource which does the same thing for routing rules so that I can easily compare # of stopovers / open jaw etc. between different airline options?

Thanks for the help guys and hopefully these answers prove to be a helpful resource for other people wondering the same questions!