Best way to use 1 million points
Feb 9, 2017, 7:20 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: LGA
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Marriott Plat Prem., Hilton Gold, National Exec Elite.
Posts: 2,533
Best way to use 1 million points
I now have 1 million points - I no longer have any significant spend on my Marriott CC; so going forward I will probably earn about 72,000 points per year [40 nights at $120 night w/ Platinum bonus); plus any megabonuses.
My strategy is to only book 5 nights at a time; so that I get the fifth night free.
Also, my plan is to go to China once or twice a year to stay at JW Marriott at category 2 level (!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Are there any other countries where you can stay at JW as a category 2 through 4?
What is another good use of points - I probably go on hotel vacation 15 to 20 days a year.
I don't want to squander them at anything category 7 or higher.
My strategy is to only book 5 nights at a time; so that I get the fifth night free.
Also, my plan is to go to China once or twice a year to stay at JW Marriott at category 2 level (!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Are there any other countries where you can stay at JW as a category 2 through 4?
What is another good use of points - I probably go on hotel vacation 15 to 20 days a year.
I don't want to squander them at anything category 7 or higher.
Feb 9, 2017, 7:36 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 142
get a SW companion pass if you think you might have some friends to take along on SW flights. Do that before March 31st.
Feb 9, 2017, 8:03 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2013
Location: DTW
Programs: AMEX, Ritz LT-Plat Prem, Hyatt Plat, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Delta Plat, United Gold, Sixt Plat
Posts: 866
Travel packages. With 1,080,000 Miles
You can do just about 4 of them.
28 days in a 1-5 Category Hotel. 7 Days.
528k United Miles. 132K each.
Miles are instant. Hotel stays have 1 year to use.
You can do just about 4 of them.
28 days in a 1-5 Category Hotel. 7 Days.
528k United Miles. 132K each.
Miles are instant. Hotel stays have 1 year to use.
Feb 9, 2017, 8:14 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: LGA
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Marriott Plat Prem., Hilton Gold, National Exec Elite.
Posts: 2,533
Can you explain a bit please - gracias!!
Feb 9, 2017, 8:56 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2013
Location: DTW
Programs: AMEX, Ritz LT-Plat Prem, Hyatt Plat, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Delta Plat, United Gold, Sixt Plat
Posts: 866
Feb 9, 2017, 9:13 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: LGA
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Marriott Plat Prem., Hilton Gold, National Exec Elite.
Posts: 2,533
Feb 9, 2017, 9:47 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 142
In my experience, you cannot split up the 7 days, but you can always leave early. You have to weigh some options. At Marriott, if you use points for 4 nights, you get the 5th free. So - you have to do some math and planning to see how you travel - there are some places in the world where I could stay for 7 nights and there are some I would poke my eyes out after a few days but they were fun for a short while. If you will use the flights and will stay 7 days - travel package is the way to go.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Feb 10, 2017, 7:26 am
#8
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,285
Do the math on the travel package cost. In most cases what you're getting is 1) seven nights at a hotel of a particular category, priced at 6x the nightly points rate-- the extra night comes because of the "5th award night free" thing-- plus 2) some number of airline miles converted 1:1 from Marriott points. For United there's a 10% bonus! #2 makes the package really valuable because airline miles, despite various devaluations in recent years, are still worth way more than Marriott points.
Feb 10, 2017, 8:34 am
#9
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: DAY
Programs: Rapid Rewards, Skymiles, Hilton HHonors, SPG/Marriott Rewards
Posts: 4,948
And as someone else mentioned above, if you do one of these travel packages and transfer over 110,000 points to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account prior to March 31, you get a companion pass. The companion pass will allow a person you designate to fly free with you on Southwest for the rest of this year and all of next year. Southwest is eliminating this way of obtaining the companion pass starting March 31.
Feb 10, 2017, 10:11 am
#10
Join Date: May 2013
Location: DTW
Programs: AMEX, Ritz LT-Plat Prem, Hyatt Plat, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Delta Plat, United Gold, Sixt Plat
Posts: 866
And as someone else mentioned above, if you do one of these travel packages and transfer over 110,000 points to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account prior to March 31, you get a companion pass. The companion pass will allow a person you designate to fly free with you on Southwest for the rest of this year and all of next year. Southwest is eliminating this way of obtaining the companion pass starting March 31.
Feb 10, 2017, 2:33 pm
#11
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,285
You're not forced to use the airline points for the same trip as the hotel stay. You can send them to any partner airline and then spend them however you wish, subject only to the rules of the airline's rewards program.
And you're right, Southwest Airlines is a horrible program to transfer miles to. The Companion Pass is next to worthless. We FTers who've talked it up are fools for trying. Look at what it's gotten us, Southwest is now making it harder to earn. Please, nobody try for CP anymore. Send your 120,000 miles to Delta instead, where you can totally buy 5 RT tickets for a family trip to Europe in the summer.
And you're right, Southwest Airlines is a horrible program to transfer miles to. The Companion Pass is next to worthless. We FTers who've talked it up are fools for trying. Look at what it's gotten us, Southwest is now making it harder to earn. Please, nobody try for CP anymore. Send your 120,000 miles to Delta instead, where you can totally buy 5 RT tickets for a family trip to Europe in the summer.
Feb 10, 2017, 2:49 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,668
I now have 1 million points - I no longer have any significant spend on my Marriott CC; so going forward I will probably earn about 72,000 points per year [40 nights at $120 night w/ Platinum bonus); plus any megabonuses.
My strategy is to only book 5 nights at a time; so that I get the fifth night free.
Also, my plan is to go to China once or twice a year to stay at JW Marriott at category 2 level (!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Are there any other countries where you can stay at JW as a category 2 through 4?
What is another good use of points - I probably go on hotel vacation 15 to 20 days a year.
I don't want to squander them at anything category 7 or higher.
My strategy is to only book 5 nights at a time; so that I get the fifth night free.
Also, my plan is to go to China once or twice a year to stay at JW Marriott at category 2 level (!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Are there any other countries where you can stay at JW as a category 2 through 4?
What is another good use of points - I probably go on hotel vacation 15 to 20 days a year.
I don't want to squander them at anything category 7 or higher.
The annual category changes were announced today and some lower hotels are going up, check it out before March.
Last edited by nk15; Feb 10, 2017 at 6:34 pm
Feb 10, 2017, 6:24 pm
#13
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,699
You're not forced to use the airline points for the same trip as the hotel stay. You can send them to any partner airline and then spend them however you wish, subject only to the rules of the airline's rewards program.
And you're right, Southwest Airlines is a horrible program to transfer miles to. The Companion Pass is next to worthless. We FTers who've talked it up are fools for trying. Look at what it's gotten us, Southwest is now making it harder to earn. Please, nobody try for CP anymore. Send your 120,000 miles to Delta instead, where you can totally buy 5 RT tickets for a family trip to Europe in the summer.
And you're right, Southwest Airlines is a horrible program to transfer miles to. The Companion Pass is next to worthless. We FTers who've talked it up are fools for trying. Look at what it's gotten us, Southwest is now making it harder to earn. Please, nobody try for CP anymore. Send your 120,000 miles to Delta instead, where you can totally buy 5 RT tickets for a family trip to Europe in the summer.
Feb 11, 2017, 6:38 am
#14
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Gold, AA Platinum, SQ Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,582
A little off topic: looking at the packages, the miles offered on SQ, EY, EK etc are about 30% less than AA / Delta etc.
Are those EY/QR/TK etc miles lot more valuable than AA/DL?
Are those EY/QR/TK etc miles lot more valuable than AA/DL?
Feb 11, 2017, 10:00 am
#15
Join Date: May 2013
Location: DTW
Programs: AMEX, Ritz LT-Plat Prem, Hyatt Plat, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Delta Plat, United Gold, Sixt Plat
Posts: 866
Package 1 has at least one of each in its redemption class for 120k