Earning Miles instead of Points Discussion Thread
 

I am sure this has been discussed somewhere extensively, but in light of 2021
thoughts, pro's/con's of taking miles (United in particular, in my case) vs points?


I just completed a 10d CY stay - and was quite underwhelmed by the miles for the stay......

-m

Never, ever take the miles. If I’m not mistaken, you get the same number of miles whether you stay 1 night or 10 nights, possibly as little as 500 miles/stay. (I haven’t looked at this in years so maybe the numbers have changed.) You’re far better off collecting hotel points and bonuses and converting into miles (often with additional bonuses).

I got 1 mile per $

Well, that’s better than a flat number per stay, but quick math shows points are far better. Let’s assume you are Plat. You would get 15 pts/$ not including any bonuses. So if you spent $1000, you’d get 15K MAR pts. 60K MAR pts =25K UA miles (sometimes more if there is a conversion bonus).

So $4000 spend would get you 4000 UA miles or 60K MAR pts (=25K UA miles). Plus when you choose miles instead of points, you miss out on all the promotional offers.

Not worth it. Just collect the points and if required later convert them to miles.

Where have all the Marriott Points to Miles conversion bonuses gone?

Elite Earnings when selecting Miles?
 

I searched forum and read program T&C, but couldn't find a direct answer on this. I am shooting for status with American next year (no judgement please, in Austin they have many nonstop flights, expanding, I can't stand Southwest's boarding procedure with a family, plus an new lounge coming). With their switch to Loyalty Points, you can earn status from many ways not including flying.

Question: I see I can choose miles for earning for my Marriott stays. As a Titanium elite, I usually would earn bonus points on stays. If choosing miles, do you get bonus miles, bonus points still, or only the base earn (2 miles per dollar at most Marriott hotels, except the basic brands)?

None, but you could also select points to get Tit bonus and then transfer later. Dunno how that affects AA qualifying points though?

Airline status is so direct. You see people skipping the lines at checkin, security, and boarding. Then, you see people getting comfy in the big seats in the front of the plan, hidden behind the curtain. Everybody else will know that you get the special treatment. :)

Hotel status is so discrete. There is no way to show off that you are comfy in your upgraded Presidential Suite.