Originally Posted by alexandria789
I have points with many different companies! NWA, Marriott, Hilton, Delta, Starwood, American Express and American Airlines. Any hints on how I can combine any of these? I have never redeemed anything with the airlines, I am very close to a free ticket with NWA.
I received a letter in the mail from Delta saying I could spend some of my miles on free magazines, is this a good deal?
Any help or comments appreciated!
(1) Redeeming miles for magazines can be a good deal if you really
want the magazines. For example, one year I was given the option of picking 3 mags for about 1,350 US Airways miles (it was my entire balance at the time). Since there were 3 magazines on the list that I actually read somewhat regularly to begin with, I took it. It was maybe $40 total cash I would have spent, so decent return on otherwise orphaned miles. What specifically is your offer?
(2) Don't attempt to combine mileage balances unless you have a very specific purpose for doing so, such as achieving a near-term award level. Most mileage/point transfers weaken your overall earning power. Some of the programs you list can be converted from one to another in a pinch. See this calculator for more info -
http://www.webflyer.com/programs/mileage_converter/
Agree with
afang: generally, any merchandise deal is a bad one unless you have millions of banked points/miles and no need for additional free travel. Then...fine...burn off some points for a new plasma TV, golf clubs, etc.
Welcome to FT!