Marriott Air + Hotel Package or Starwood Nights and Flights
 

I am looking to go to Amsterdam in November and have bought my ticket already. I don't need the points for it but figured I would transfer my points to miles as the packages are a better deal. I have 90k starpoints and 30k american airline points already.

I was looking at doing the 7 night air+hotel package for 270k from Marriott or the 5 nights and flight for 70k starpoints. I think the Marriott maybe a better deal however none of the Amsterdam hotels are that good of a redemption value.

Thoughts?

Also, may use the additional airline points to try and upgrade my ticket to first class.

You don't have to use the TP Hotel cert for your trip to Amsterdam. It can be used at any hotel within the Category level the cert was issued for. And the cert will have a 1-year expiration (which usually can be extended for another year if you really want to.)

So for 90K SPG points, you could transfer into AA and get 110K miles. With the nights and flights, you could get 5 nights at a Cat. 4 hotel plus 50K AA miles with enough points for another 2 nights (7 total) or another 25K AA miles (75K total).

Or you can order a Marriott TP award to get 120 AA miles plus 7 nights in a Cat. 1-5 hotel. While there are a couple of Cat. 5 hotels in Amsterdam, most will require more points. So unless you can come up with 30K for upgrading to a Cat. 6 you might be looking at other options for a hotel with this approach.

So how much are the extra AA miles worth to you? If you can't use the Marriott hotel cert now, you can wait to use it when you do have more points and can upgrade it to a Cat. 6/7/8/9.

But if you don't have the money to pay for a hotel now and you can't or don't want to stay at either of the Marriott Cat. 5 hotels, then the SPG Nights/Flights might be the better option in this case. The question there is how many miles will it take to upgrade to Business Class and will you get enough with the Nights/Flights award?

Time to transfer to RR?
 

Does anybody have any recent data points on the time it takes to transfer a MR travel package to Southwest? I'm trying to get the companion pass completed by the 3/31/17 deadline.

48 hours, max.

but i'd err on the safe side..

Thanks for the quick reply. Just got off the phone with Plat. line and she said 3 business days max, and no need to pay for express service.

oh yeah if you're ordering now def don't need express service.

I bought a UA package yesterday around 1 pm and miles were in my account this morning. Color me impressed! ^

I guess what I am trying to figure out, is the Marriott flight and nights worth it in Amsterdam. The hotels seem to be cheaper so not sure if it is a good value to stay at category 5 that I can get for $130 or so a night.

Thoughts?

If you are confident you have a need & can use those points elsewhere for better value in the near future, then pay cash.

But decent Cat 1-5 is very hard to find in the US. And points devalue the longer you hold onto them. And this will have a 2 year max shelf life. If you bought your ticket already, what do you value the extra miles at, do you really have the need for more right now?

7 nights at a Cat 5 is already (6 x 30k) 180,000.

I personally would do it if all the stars aligned. But that is me.

I don't really need miles right now, however, the package seems like a good deal. Transfer 90k points for 120k aa miles and 7 nights somewhere.

However, I do need a hotel for 8 nights in Amsterdam. So if I use points at spg then I would be looking at 70k or more just for hotel vs. booking package and scoring aa miles.

I guess my issue is there isn't many good Marriott hotels in Amsterdam, however, the spg ones look better. Anyone have experience with this?

You can't Nights & Flights SPG in Amsterdam, unless you want to stay way out of the centre at the Element.

It also not clear whether you're planning to spend the extra points for a Category 8 Marriott package, or stay way out at the equally distant Courtyard.

A Marriott Travel Package is good value for the miles. (Alaska is better than AA though) It becomes great value if there is a Category 5 you actually want to spend a week at.

https://insideflyer.co.uk/2017/01/ma...avel-packages/

The three I was considering were:

1) Courtyard Amsterdam Arena Atlas - not sure if being 4-5 miles away is too far. I hear there is good public transport.

2) Hotel Van Oranje, Autograph Collection - Pay the difference to upgrade. I realize this is farther but the hotel itself looks very nice. Going in Nov so beach not really important though.

3) Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel - try to find the points to upgrade. I really don't have enough now to but have till november to rack up points.

If you go Marriott & those are your 3 choices, I'd go w/ the Ren. Good location, exec lounge.

Also the $130 rates you're seeing must really be off season. Both the Ren & Marriott are normally a lot more. I've been to AMS a # of times on business & rates are more in the mid 200Euros.

Cheers.

Marriott Vacations
 

Any DPs on people temporarily signing up for a timeshare to get the 5-night package and promptly rescinding?

If not.... I see a DP in our future....

First, you don't sign up for a timeshare. You buy one.

So basically you are asking if anyone bought an MVCI week and then tried to sell it back later to get rid of it? I'm thinking that would cost you a whole lot more than just paying for the nights at a resort somewhere (both in cash and a lot of time/effort).

Marriott charges tens of thousands for a week at their properties. But you won't be able to sell it for close to what you would be required to pay. And if you tried to buy on the re-sell market, you'd still have to pay a bunch of legal and paperwork transfer fees and you'd still probably have to wait months before you actually received ownership and the logon ID with the ability to order a 5-night TP award.

And if you are purchasing with the intent to cancel the purchase during the week or so you have to rescind the purchase, you could find yourself in legal issues if someone figures that out. Not to mention you might still be out a deposit for the purchase. :eek:

So I'm doubtful you will find a lot of folks here that have gone down that path.