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Old Oct 11, 2016, 8:52 am
  #5  
lainys
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: SFO, SJC
Programs: UA MM /Gold ; AS MVP Gold; SWA A LIst and CP; HH Gold; Bonvoy Titanium; IHG Plat Elite
Posts: 588
Gave my orphan Virgin Elevate points a reprieve - changed earning miles thru Hilton

So according to my Virgin Elevate account my last flight with them was in Feb 2012. Since then I've bought the odd item from their online mall to keep the account alive.

This year for whatever reason my $50 purchase at Sephora.com did not post in June so I was resigned to the fact that I'll lose the 6000 odd points by end of this year or find a fare flash sale to Vegas and back for one!

For the heck of it I changed my earning preferences under my Hilton account to "points and miles" to gather some data on how feasible it would be to use a Hilton stay to give my Virgin Elevate account a heartbeat.

When was my hilton stay? = Hilton Portland Sept 19-20
When did the Virgin Elevate points post? Virgin calls it the "Hilton Family Points award" posted on Sept 25.
ROI? = YMMV $273 per night + tax netted me 135 Virgin points + 7617 Hilton points (a combo of whatever formula Hilton uses - Q3 double points offer, myway preference, amex online booking bonus etc.).

Unexpected was a 500 point Virgin Hotel email sign up bonus posted Oct 5th.

End result = new expiry date on my Elevate account now shows 4/30/2018

why keep the elevate account alive when I don't fly Virgin America? For the heck of it and because you never know when the 6635 points will come in handy! Who knows how many Alaskan Air miles that will translate to....
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