Buy miles and get up to a 100% Bonus (March 15 - April 15)
Mar 15, 2012, 9:56 pm
#16
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 668
Yes this is true, but keep in mind this is because US has increased the baseline cost of their miles (to be more in line with competitors IIRC). The 100% bonus is still equal to the best we've seen before in terms of percentages. Also note US had requirements tied to the 100% bonus before, so they obviously see it as a way to steer users in certain directions (like signing up for points.com). I would bet there will be no problems though as long as you follow the T&C.
Mar 16, 2012, 12:51 am
#17
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: US CP, MR Plat, SPG Plat, HHonors Gold, National X
Posts: 917
Buy miles 100% bonus - Till April 15
Just got this in my inbox! Nice timing for some summer award flights!!
Last edited by Nikolaos; Mar 16, 2012 at 11:56 am
Mar 16, 2012, 1:21 am
#18
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: N.Wales, UK
Posts: 933
So is it buy 50000 max, or buy 25000 max? Or am i being dumb?
Mar 16, 2012, 1:43 am
#19
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Flying: VA; Buying: AA, AS, AV, BA, UA!
Posts: 2,349
Mar 16, 2012, 3:43 am
#20
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 682
Please update when/if you get the 'points.com 50% bonus'... Will it be right before June 5, or much before you think?
Mar 16, 2012, 4:28 am
#21
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,259
Wouldn't buying 20K SPG points and transferring under the 50% hotel transfer promotion yield the same cpm without having to roll the dice with points.com?
Mar 16, 2012, 4:43 am
#22
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Here today, gone tomorrow
Programs: Nothing shiny :-(
Posts: 2,493
SPG - buy 20,000 SPG points for $700, get 37,500 US DM. 1.866666 cpm
US direct (inc points.com bonus) - (3.2 + 7.5% tax) / 2 = 1.72 cpm.
Not far off though, albeit a much smaller potential pot of miles.
Last edited by louie-m; Mar 16, 2012 at 7:03 am Reason: Wrong! As you will see below, US should be 1.88 cpm
Mar 16, 2012, 6:37 am
#23
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: zurich
Programs: Miles&Smiles Gold
Posts: 509
My calculation is 1.88 cpm. Its not 3.5 + 7,5% tax ?
Mar 16, 2012, 7:03 am
#24
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Here today, gone tomorrow
Programs: Nothing shiny :-(
Posts: 2,493
Mar 16, 2012, 8:13 am
#25
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,259
Interesting. So the SPG route is cheaper and there's no messing around with points.com? I guess the only limitation is SPG points purchases are limited to 20K per year.
Mar 16, 2012, 8:25 am
#26
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Programs: UA-1k, 1mm, Marriott-LT Platinum, Hertz-Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,355
SPG points are way more valuable to waste them on transferring to US AIR IMO. Unless you never stay in SPG, or have 100's of thousands of points then keep them in SPG and use them for cash and points and pay 4 stay 5 night award redemptions.
Mar 16, 2012, 9:00 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA LT PLT, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,564
To each his own I suppose. I'm happy to convert 60k SPG to 112.5k US. I generally redeem a couple J class partner awards on THY each year and feel that ~55k SPG is well worth the ~$5,000+ cost/ticket during peak season. Personally, I've never had good luck with SPG C&P, so typically I redeem them for 5th night free awards. A good deal for sure, but rarely do I get close to $0.10/point on free night awards.
Mar 16, 2012, 1:58 pm
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
I have gotten some good values in the last year or two out of SPG from things like cash and points awards (for properties that would normally retail at quite a bit more), and there are some really good values out there, but the thing is that while it's very, very easy to get 3-4 star hotels on heavy discount out of places like Hotwire/Priceline, or using local brands/overseas aggregator sites such as booking.com, agoda.com or wotif.com, if you're willing to toss loyalty to a hotel chain (or thinking you must stay in a USA-based brand like Starwood, Hilton, Marriott, whoever) aside. It is not so easy to get premium class airfare on heavy discount- outside of things like what US does.
To each his own I suppose. I'm happy to convert 60k SPG to 112.5k US. I generally redeem a couple J class partner awards on THY each year and feel that ~55k SPG is well worth the ~$5,000+ cost/ticket during peak season. Personally, I've never had good luck with SPG C&P, so typically I redeem them for 5th night free awards. A good deal for sure, but rarely do I get close to $0.10/point on free night awards.
Last edited by eponymous_coward; Mar 16, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Mar 16, 2012, 6:12 pm
#29
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: DPS/DXB
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, BA Silver, A3 Gold, EK Gold, HH Gold, Sixt Dmd
Posts: 259
I miss the good ol' days of 1.47 cpm for buying US miles 
Mar 16, 2012, 11:30 pm
#30
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Germany / Thailand
Programs: M&M/S SPG livetime gold, but not running behind status & points anymore! Now only book value for $
Posts: 3,090
Depends on how you use/accumulate points and miles, I think.
I have gotten some good values in the last year or two out of SPG from things like cash and points awards (for properties that would normally retail at quite a bit more), and there are some really good values out there, but the thing is that while it's very, very easy to get 3-4 star hotels on heavy discount out of places like Hotwire/Priceline, or using local brands/overseas aggregator sites such as booking.com, agoda.com or wotif.com, if you're willing to toss loyalty to a hotel chain (or thinking you must stay in a USA-based brand like Starwood, Hilton, Marriott, whoever) aside. It is not so easy to get premium class airfare on heavy discount- outside of things like what US does.
I generally agree, though I've gotten C&Ps in the past year twice at Westin Macau, once at Seoul Millennium D-Cube, once at the FRA Sheraton. Don't think I was getting $0.10 back per point, though.
I have gotten some good values in the last year or two out of SPG from things like cash and points awards (for properties that would normally retail at quite a bit more), and there are some really good values out there, but the thing is that while it's very, very easy to get 3-4 star hotels on heavy discount out of places like Hotwire/Priceline, or using local brands/overseas aggregator sites such as booking.com, agoda.com or wotif.com, if you're willing to toss loyalty to a hotel chain (or thinking you must stay in a USA-based brand like Starwood, Hilton, Marriott, whoever) aside. It is not so easy to get premium class airfare on heavy discount- outside of things like what US does.
I generally agree, though I've gotten C&Ps in the past year twice at Westin Macau, once at Seoul Millennium D-Cube, once at the FRA Sheraton. Don't think I was getting $0.10 back per point, though.
Last week we stayed some nights in CHIANG MAI and CHIANG RAI LE MERIDIEN . Normal costs 4.000 THB + 10% + 7% and 4.500 THB + 10 + 7%
157 US$ and 176 US$
I payed 32 US$ incl. + 1600 points +( if I had booked cash 350 points earned )
saving 176 - 32 = 144 $ for 1950 points aprox 7.4 US cent per points
transfering 60k spg into 75k US + 37,5k bonus = 112.5
I typically use 100k US for a first class LH FRA/MUC-HKG rt. ( which costs regular more than 12.000 US$, which I never would pay for, as you can get it on other channels for not more than 5.000- 6000 US$. I even wouln't pay that, I would book a Z fare from somewhere 2000 $ + 2 SWU's valued 600 $ and upgrade.
So as long I can get 100 k US miles for less than 2.000 US$, I go for that way, and save my SPG points for C&P nights ( where I save more than 5 cent per point ).