Points.com [Consolidated]
Aug 24, 2009 | 8:34 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Boston Massachusetts, USA
Programs: NW Gold, United Premier, Hertz 5 Star, Priority Club PLT, Hilton Gold
Posts: 617
Points.com [Consolidated]
Hi all. I was wondering if anyone has some experience with points.com. I have points with all their affiliates and want to cash them in as I am not traveling any more. Does Point.con have a good or bad reputation in the community and is it a good deal? If their reputation is bad can anyone recommend another site where I can merge points? Thanks
Aug 24, 2009 | 9:27 am
#2
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Southern California
Programs: DL: 3.8 MM, Marriott: Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 24,575
We're moving this to MilesBuzz! where it's perhaps more apropos.
Please follow at its new home.
Thanks.
_______________________
Cholula
CommunityBuzz! Co-Moderator
Please follow at its new home.
Thanks.
_______________________
Cholula
CommunityBuzz! Co-Moderator
Aug 24, 2009 | 11:46 am
#3
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: Delta DM, SPG Plat, Hyatt Diamond, MTA Rust, Hertz Five Star something or other
Posts: 2,858
In my experience, points.com is a horrible deal. It's a shame there aren't better options, but when I need to trade points/miles I go to the Coupon Connection forum of Flyertalk. Or I make deals with friends/family/coworkers.
Aug 24, 2009 | 12:55 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Home
Programs: AA, Delta, UA & thanks to FTers for my PC Gold!
Posts: 7,674
+1.
FWIW, if it had been a good deal, FTers would have been all over it.
Why don't you look into the useful Webflyer Mileage Converter first?
As far as Points.com goes, there are a handful of threads about them. Some examples:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...oints-com.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...-exchange.html
It's also costly to use Points.com to consolidate miles. See jsammerman's demo calculation for details. If you are looking for GCs from Points.com, I don't know that's a good use for one's miles since I hardly redeem miles for GCs.
FWIW, if it had been a good deal, FTers would have been all over it.
I was wondering if anyone has some experience with points.com. I have points with all their affiliates and want to cash them in as I am not traveling any more. Does Point.con have a good or bad reputation in the community and is it a good deal? If their reputation is bad can anyone recommend another site where I can merge points? Thanks
As far as Points.com goes, there are a handful of threads about them. Some examples:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...oints-com.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...-exchange.html
It's also costly to use Points.com to consolidate miles. See jsammerman's demo calculation for details. If you are looking for GCs from Points.com, I don't know that's a good use for one's miles since I hardly redeem miles for GCs.
Aug 29, 2009 | 4:24 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Nashville
Programs: delta, aa, usair
Posts: 18
The only time I use points.com is when I need a partner activity during some airline promo. Trading a handful of miles on one airline for one mile on the airline running the promo can sometimes get you to a different promo award level and mean 1000 miles or more.
Aug 29, 2009 | 6:47 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Finally back in Boston after escaping from New York
Posts: 13,684
They provide a very effective service to that extent.
Mike
Aug 29, 2009 | 7:01 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,377
From their annual report, they provide a number of services to programs:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....&p=irol-irhome
Buy and Gift facilitates the online sale and gift
of miles, points and other loyalty program
currencies;
Transfer facilitates the transfer of loyalty
program currencies among multiple accounts;
Corporate facilitates the sale of loyalty
program currencies to corporate customers;
Elite facilitates the online sale of elite-tier
status to members of loyalty programs;
AirIncentives facilitates the online sale of
several airline loyalty program currencies to third
parties that then are able to offer airline miles as
incentives to their customers and suppliers;
Systems Design custom applications
developed for select large loyalty program
partners;
Integrate functions as a common platform to
process transactions among third-party loyalty
programs in order to simplify and automate a
complex and resource-intensive process with a
single integration;
Auction via a partnership with Truition, an
industry leader in on-demand ecommerce
solutions, this service facilitates the ability for
programs to offer mileage or point based
auctions to their members; and
Earn Malls an online shopping mall platform
where affiliate commissions are partly used to
fund an extra incentive of miles or points for a
loyalty programs members.
of miles, points and other loyalty program
currencies;
Transfer facilitates the transfer of loyalty
program currencies among multiple accounts;
Corporate facilitates the sale of loyalty
program currencies to corporate customers;
Elite facilitates the online sale of elite-tier
status to members of loyalty programs;
AirIncentives facilitates the online sale of
several airline loyalty program currencies to third
parties that then are able to offer airline miles as
incentives to their customers and suppliers;
Systems Design custom applications
developed for select large loyalty program
partners;
Integrate functions as a common platform to
process transactions among third-party loyalty
programs in order to simplify and automate a
complex and resource-intensive process with a
single integration;
Auction via a partnership with Truition, an
industry leader in on-demand ecommerce
solutions, this service facilitates the ability for
programs to offer mileage or point based
auctions to their members; and
Earn Malls an online shopping mall platform
where affiliate commissions are partly used to
fund an extra incentive of miles or points for a
loyalty programs members.
Sep 2, 2009 | 6:05 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 27,218
Nonsense. It serves a purpose if you get miles in a scheme you will never use again. I had some AA miles, for instance, from flying a Mexican partner airline. I was able to move them to Priority Club which, quite frankly, was better than leaving them to expire in AA. (This option is no longer available as AA now restricts transfers to those with a 25k balance.)
You can also get some freebies out of it. Sign up for the Alaska programme with a Canadian address, for example, and you get a 3,000 mile sign-up bonus. You can then instantly transfer this to 1,020 Priority Club, 63 Sirius points, airline miles etc. What's not to like?
points.com activity also counts towards the current Priority Club '10,000 points for 4 partner activities' promo.
You can also get some freebies out of it. Sign up for the Alaska programme with a Canadian address, for example, and you get a 3,000 mile sign-up bonus. You can then instantly transfer this to 1,020 Priority Club, 63 Sirius points, airline miles etc. What's not to like?
points.com activity also counts towards the current Priority Club '10,000 points for 4 partner activities' promo.
Last edited by Raffles; Sep 3, 2009 at 6:44 am
Sep 5, 2009 | 7:09 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Boxter, MD
Posts: 247
Agreed with all above. Points.com is a terrific thing to keep tucked away for those last minute emergencies when an account is about to expire, or a bonus is associated with a (small) transfer. But as for transferring large #s from account to account, it is a complete waste of hard earned miles/points.
Aug 5, 2010 | 10:08 pm
#12
Join Date: May 2010
Programs: AA, UA
Posts: 210
New Points.com SOX big time
Just received the email about new Points.com. Logged in and played around for a while. I absoultely hate the new site!
The letter size is so small I almost needed a magnifier to read through.
Previously one could see all the GPX trades without even having an account, now you have to log in.
The communication emails said United Airlines Mileage Plus, and a few others were going to be new partners. Well the only thing you can do with United, Accor and the new "partners" is to register your account so you can see the latest balance. No mileage swapping/purchasing/GPX. This totally dents my enthusiasm - I thought I could abandon my orphan DL miles to top up my other accounts, not!
What does everyone think of the new Points.com?
The letter size is so small I almost needed a magnifier to read through.
Previously one could see all the GPX trades without even having an account, now you have to log in.
The communication emails said United Airlines Mileage Plus, and a few others were going to be new partners. Well the only thing you can do with United, Accor and the new "partners" is to register your account so you can see the latest balance. No mileage swapping/purchasing/GPX. This totally dents my enthusiasm - I thought I could abandon my orphan DL miles to top up my other accounts, not!
What does everyone think of the new Points.com?
Aug 6, 2010 | 6:25 am
#14
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Arlington, VA
Programs: Any program with a credit card, or good prices.
Posts: 438
I agree. Last week the site was offline for about an entire day well they did the "upgrade." Its extremely clunky now.
At first it could not add new GPX trades, and after that started working it had a problem with my Amex Credit card's security code, finally yesterday I was able to post a new GPX trade... But the GPX trade that posted/completed right before the conversion is not visible - I saw it in my Alaska Airlines and Continental accounts long before they notified me.
The only new items I can see are some promotions link and a big facebook tie-in link.
At first it could not add new GPX trades, and after that started working it had a problem with my Amex Credit card's security code, finally yesterday I was able to post a new GPX trade... But the GPX trade that posted/completed right before the conversion is not visible - I saw it in my Alaska Airlines and Continental accounts long before they notified me.
The only new items I can see are some promotions link and a big facebook tie-in link.