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Looking for spreadsheet to analyze MR Points vs. Miles
In the last week or so I saw (but for some stupid reason didn't bookmark) a great spreadsheet that, for a given stay, laid out whether it was better to earn miles or points. I'm not sure if it was on this board or elsewhere.
Could anyone direct me to it? If I'm remembering correctly it compared three different options, and included a column for the 500 point welcome gift for plats. Thanks so much! |
I don't know anything about that spreadsheet, but it depends on the promo and the ariline even more than on what elite level you area.
The reason: Most airlines are miles/$ proportional to the points earning (with the ratio being the same as you'll later get in converting points to miles), so with that said, especially if you get an elite bonus, it usually makes more sense to earn points first and convert to miles later. But it's all different for Southwest, because Southwest earns a flat 600 RR 2.0 points for a stay, independent of the length or cost of the stay. Then the promos make it way more complicated. RIght now, you may be able to earn cat 1-4 free night certs (one for every 2 stays, up to a max of 3) if you earn points, but there's no miles promo (until July 1). How do you value a free night cert? (No one else can value it for you, since it depends on how you'll use it!) Then starting July 1, it's triple miles (starting with your second miles earning stay). So it's still proportional to spend with other airlines, and now 1800 RR 2.0 points per stay (regardless of stay length or cost) with Southwest. Southwest points are easier to value because their value is more-or-less fixed. 600 RR 2.0 points is worth $10 WGA redemption, so 1800 RR 2.0 points is worth $30 WGA redemption. A free night cert is almost certain to be worth more than $60, and so until you've maxed out the free night cert the points are probably the way better value (but because of the free night certs, not because of the points themsleves!). After that, it's harder to see how to get $30 value out of the points you earn on a cheap suburban one-night stay, but is that the kind of stays you do, or do you do week-long stays at expensive properties? Marriott points are harder to value, because again it depends on how you'll redeem them. (There's in particular a giant redemption difference depending on whether you can make use of the stay-plus-miles redemption "packages" or not.) |
This is a no brainer. POINTS.
But here is an analysis I put together in Feb 2010 that might help. Please feel free to adapt it to your own situation: So true except for those staying at Marriott so infrequently that they don't even qualify for Silver as it would take them many years to gain enough points to matter. Of course for the most part those types of people are just not found here on FT. Below is my analysis (revised form my previous posting which may be found using the search feature) and recommendation for anyone with Silver status or above, or for those who think they may reach Silver status or above in the next few years: I came to the conclusion many years ago that earning miles through Marriott rewards was not the best return on my money spent. For example: If I earn miles and have spent $20000 at full service Marriotts over the past 1, 2, or more years then I would have earned 40,000 miles in my favorite US airline program (excluding AA) and 1 mile per dollar charged, or an additional 20,000 miles, assuming one has a mileage earning CC in the same program. Total of 60,000 miles. BTW, at other Marriott properties like Courtyard, SHS, and FFI you only earn 1 mile per dollar spent. If on the other hand I had chosen points I would have earned 400,000 Marriott Reward points ($20000 x 10=200,000 + 50% Platinum bonus 100,000 + 5 points per dollar spent for using MR Premier VISA 100,000). Less if one is Gold or Silver elite. Also most bonus promotions only apply to those who have chosen to earn points, like the current Megabonus promo and those of previous years. So potentially another 100,000 points. But even not counting those bonus points, for the 400,000 points I can get a week at a category 6 hotel, plus 120,000 miles in my favorite US major airline frequent flyer program by cashing in a 300,000 points for a travel package and I would still have 100,000 MR points left over. Since a week at a Category 6 usually runs 180,000 points, that means I just swapped 120,000 (300,000 points for travel package less 180,000 points for the free week award) MR points for 120,000 UA miles (in my case since you can't exchange to AA miles anymore, but it could be US, DL, etc), a 1 for 1 exchange. So reducing this to comparable currency: Choosing to earn Marriott Reward points translates to: 100,000 Marriott Reward points Choosing miles translates to:Free week at a category 6 Marriott 120,000 miles deposited into your favorite US major airline frequent flyer program (excluding AA) 60,000 miles earned in your favorite US major airline frequent flyer program My recommendation is to make your earning preference points, the rate of return is much better.
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Marriott: points or miles?
I have an upcoming stay at a Courtyard (no choice in property for this trip). I used to be a Marriott points collector but have switched away to Hilton and Starwood in the recent years. I still have about 44K points with Marriott.
I'm trying to decide whether I want to earn points or miles for this trip. The room rate will earn me about 2500 points. For pure mileage, looks like only 1mi/$, so only about 250 (would probably book to DL or UA). Are there any promos that would make you lean one way or another? I don't seem to be able to register for megamiles, so doesn't look like that's an option. Thoughts of the larger (and wiser) community? |
If u are not planning to stay there much, miles might be fine although 2,500 points are much more valuable than 250 miles. Also it depends on if Marriott has the properties/locations u want to redeem points at. So it all depends ...
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Moderator action
Transferred to the Marriott Rewards forum where there is a greater concentration of program-specific wisdom.
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Agree with the above. Courtyards generally (I believe all of them, but not 100% sure) have a lower mileage earning rate than points. But points will be at the normal earning rate so it would be a better advantage especially if you already have some that you are sitting on.
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I earned miles until I became Platinum. And then points. It is not that complicated.
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Originally Posted by akcae
(Post 18737653)
I don't seem to be able to register for megamiles, so doesn't look like that's an option.
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Figured I would bump this thread instead of starting a new one. I think I had even read this one too, but for some reason recently I had changed my earning preference to miles in trying to beef up my miles count (I do way more hotel nights than flights).
But I just realized I may be doing myself more harm than good, especially since I am plat and stay at mainly non-FS hotels. Luckily I realized this after only making 3 stays last month. Assuming a rate of $100/night: Earning Miles = 100 miles Earning Points = 1700 points (1000 points + 500 bonus + 200 arrival bonus) Not even factoring in the travel package and going strictly on a straight points to miles conversion, it is: 10,000 points for 2,000 miles 20,000 points for 5,000 miles 30,000 points for 10,000 miles 70,000 points for 25,000 miles 125,000 points for 50,000 miles So even at the worst redemption value, it would normally take 20 nights to earn 2,000 miles. Yet it would only take 6 nights to earn the 10,000 points needed to convert to 2,000 miles. The differences are even larger for the larger redemptions (500 nights for 50,000 miles compared to 74 nights to earn 125,000 points!) Since I was amazed by the disparity, even with no status: Earning Miles = 100 miles Earning Points = 1000 points It would still only take 10 nights to get 10,000 points. Silver: Earning Miles = 100 miles Earning Points = 1200 points (1000 points + 200 bonus) It would only take 9 nights to get to 10,000 points. Gold: Earning Miles = 100 miles Earning Points = 1250 points (1000 points + 250 bonus) It would only take 8 nights to get to 10,000 points. Even for full-service hotels Platinum: Earning Miles = 200 miles Earning Points = 2000 points It would normally take 10 nights to earn 2,000 miles, but it would only take 5 nights to earn 10,000 points (and it would only take 250 nights to normally earn 50,000 miles, but it would only take 63 nights to get 125,000 points). The only time the values are equal is with no status and staying at FS properties (10 nights each), and that's only for the 10,000 points to 2,000 miles conversion. Am I missing something? Is my math horribly wrong? What's the point of earning miles? |
I'm getting 1800 Southwest Rapid Rewards points (which convert to $30 of flight credit) per stay. With a $79 rate at the Marriott I was at last week, that's a lot more valuable than the 1185 Marriott Points I would have earned.
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Originally Posted by DoctorK
(Post 19416867)
I'm getting 1800 Southwest Rapid Rewards points (which convert to $30 of flight credit) per stay. With a $79 rate at the Marriott I was at last week, that's a lot more valuable than the 1185 Marriott Points I would have earned.
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Originally Posted by GoPhils
(Post 19419165)
But that's with a promo, correct? Even without it seems like Southwest may be the better value than the other airlines...
When it's not running there's usually a stay 2, get 1 free night deal so I switch over to points for that, but the points are almost incidental compared to the certificates. |
Originally Posted by GoPhils
(Post 19419165)
But that's with a promo, correct? Even without it seems like Southwest may be the better value than the other airlines...
It's only when a flat (not multiplier) promo comes along that I choose to earn mlies from legacy airlines directly at Marriott. That last time that happened was early in 2012 when they were giving 2000 bonus miles per stay. So I was doing lots of cheap one-night stays, and who cared how few "base" miles I earned, since I was earning 2000 bonus miles per one-night stay. But without a flat bonus, yes, earning miles with an airline where you earn per-dollar miles is not a particularly good deal (unless it's to trigger an airline-end promo such as US's Grand Slam). |
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