Points Earned
 

I have points with many different companies! NWA, Marriott, Hilton, Delta, Starwood, American Express and American Airlines. Any hints on how I can combine any of these? I have never redeemed anything with the airlines, I am very close to a free ticket with NWA.
I received a letter in the mail from Delta saying I could spend some of my miles on free magazines, is this a good deal?
Any help or comments appreciated! :)

As a general rule from FTs here : all merchandise that are redeemble with your hard earned miles are bad ways to spend them. But i am guilty of using some miles for magazines myself because some magazines/newspapers such as Wall Street Journal are not really cheap to get.



In addition, it depends on how many miles you have with Delta and how frequent you fly them..

Welcome to Flyertalk! :)

(1) Redeeming miles for magazines can be a good deal if you really want the magazines. For example, one year I was given the option of picking 3 mags for about 1,350 US Airways miles (it was my entire balance at the time). Since there were 3 magazines on the list that I actually read somewhat regularly to begin with, I took it. It was maybe $40 total cash I would have spent, so decent return on otherwise orphaned miles. What specifically is your offer?

(2) Don't attempt to combine mileage balances unless you have a very specific purpose for doing so, such as achieving a near-term award level. Most mileage/point transfers weaken your overall earning power. Some of the programs you list can be converted from one to another in a pinch. See this calculator for more info - http://www.webflyer.com/programs/mileage_converter/

Agree with afang: generally, any merchandise deal is a bad one unless you have millions of banked points/miles and no need for additional free travel. Then...fine...burn off some points for a new plasma TV, golf clubs, etc.

Welcome to FT! :)

Northwest
 

I am so CLOSE to getting a free ticket on NWA......I only need another 2,000 points for a ticket. Seems like it takes forever. I got some good points on my last cruise by using CruiseLocators.com..........thanks for the tip on the WebFlyer Mileage Converter, that's exactly what I need! Anybody have ANY advice on getting more miles into my NWA account? :cool:

Quick option 1 - exchange 2500 SPG for 2500 NW.

Slightly slower option 2 - Do any of the restaurants you currently visit participate in Worldperks Dining? If so, you might be able to top off your account there. Three years ago, I would have said this as Option 1 - just go try a few new restaurants and earn 10-20 miles/dollar. But they've slashed the earnings for people starting up in the program, and the quality of the restaurants has gone sharply downhill - unless you already happen to know of a hidden gem or two. So I wouldn't recommend going on a Dining binge unless you really feel comfortable with the restaurants in your local list. For more info, looking for dining on the NWA site.

Option 3 - look for the best Worldperks Visa signup offer you can find. On one hand, it's probably 20,000 miles, so now you're talking Hawaii, Europe, or getting within 10k of 2 free tickets. On the other hand, costs/fees are involved so pick your signup offer wisely.

I'm sure there are more, but I don't know NW all that well. The folks here at this board can probably help turn your 23k into 83k if you like... :D Be sure to visit the specific airline boards and search for your key topics for more detailed advice...

Alexandria, we could help better if U told us all your balances.
Transferring Starwood to NW is the best option I can see. [Edited due to UpgradeMe's correction below! :o ]
If UR *wood Gold, the minimum transfer is 1500 points, so U can transfer the exact amount needed to make 25K NW. Otherwise the minimum is 2500.

Remember that DL, NW, & CO are partners. 25K on one will get an award ticket to fly any combination of the 3 carriers. If U get 25K on each of DL & NW, U & a friend can both travel together.

Just remember... anything you buy with miles will be worth it as long as you don't let it go to waste. I bought magazines using miles once and regretted doing it shortly thereafter. Of the 5 types of magazines I subscribed to, I only read 1. But since it was difficult for me to fly that airline again due to city connections, at least I had something to read while flying my newly chosen airline. ;-)

Points, points, points!
 

You guys rock! I am going to try to transfer all my American Express Points to NW. I have 3000 points with American Express Reward. I'll keep you posted on my success. The Starwood idea is a bust, do not have enough to do anything with them at present---I gotta start somewhere! ;)

Of course, NW is not a Amex partner . . . .

You can purchase miles too, to reach your balance. Or transfer them from a friend with WorldPerks miles. Also, go do the worldperks university online courses at NWA for free quick miles. Not many, but if you are going to be flying soon it'll get you 2000 bonus miles.

WorldPerks University?!
 

I've been actively trying to get enough points on NW for a few years to get at least ONE free roundtrip ticket! I have never heard of this and will give it a try. I have decided to take the free Delta magazines, since I will NEVER get enough points for a flight and my points expire next year on Delta. :(
The NW credit cards are not a good deal, that's why they give you all those points!!!!!
Thanks again for everyone's assistance.

Agreed - airline credit cards, as compared to SPG Amex, are nearly all a bad deal in the long run. (There are occasional exceptions related to promotions or bonus elite-qualifying miles, but as a rule, airline credit cards are a bit weak.)

But...viewed simply as a sign-up bonus in exchange for one annual fee, they can be worth your while.

For example, a 20k upfront offer with a $75 annual fee is likely well worth it if you have a use for the miles. Just make sure you cancel that card within the first year.

Back to the Points
 

Well, I did just sign up for the WorldPerks University, they have a few VERY good promotions. Now that I'm seeing the value of these points, I might try for the 35,000 points to Hawaii. :D

the airline CCs are usually good deal as long as you don't keep a balance on them. most of them waive the fee for the first year as well. usually all that is required to get the "sign on bonus" of 20some thousand miles is ONE purchase. buy a burger at McD, pay it off and put the card away and cancel it sometime down the road.

I wouldn't waste miles on magazines. Often, if you are in any kind of professional capacity, you can call the magazine and ask for a "professional subscription rate". As you know, magazines make money off their advertisements, not their subscription fees, so they offer magazines that will be in an office at discounted rates knowing they will be seen by more people. I used my home address for some of them (Architectural digest for $10 for 3 years for example) and it was never questioned.