Tag Archives: SPG

Using Points To Stay In Mauritius

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Any way you look at it, Mauritius is not a cheap place to stay, even on points!  Only 4 hotel chains are represented here so you don’t have a lot of options.  If you have gotten hotel points via credit cards, these could be a great use of the points as cash rates are very high.  For the examples below, I did a quote for 1 night Saturday 9 May.

ACCOR LE CLUB

With Accor, every 2,000 points acquired results in €40 off your bill. If you have enough points your stay could be free, or simply pay the remaining balance using your credit card.  For the first hotel you would need 24,000 Le Club points and 12,000 points for the 2nd one.  You have to add taxes to the rates below.   MRU Sofitel

HILTON HONORS

There is only one Hilton property in Mauritius and if you can snag a capacity controlled cash&points award this can be a really good deal! MRU HiltonIHG REWARDS

The Intercontinental would be an excellent use of a Chase free night certificate!  They also have a new hotel near the airport which could be a good idea if you have an early flight out.  The traffic can be horrendous!

MRU IHGSPG

Cash & Points looks like a pretty good deal!

MRU SPGBOOK NON-CHAIN HOTEL & EARN MILES

If you don’t have enough hotel points or prefer to pay cash, there are lots of options on both Pointshound & Rocket Miles that allow you to earn in a wide choice of airline programs.  If you use the links I posted, you and I both get a bonus after you complete your first booking.  This is currently 1000 miles!

 

Convert Your Starpoints Into AAdvantage Or US Dividend Miles – Earn 20% Bonus Miles

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This is one of the best ways especially for Australian Amex MR card holders to get miles in American AAdvantage.  Most Aussies can’t get the more lucrative AA & US credit cards so have to resort to the Amex MR transfers to SPG, then on to the US based program.

And now US Airways has jumped on the bandwagon so you have 2 choices.

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In a nutshell:

20,000 Starpoints = 20,000 AAdvantage/Dividend miles
Standard SPG bonus = 5,000 AAdvantage/Dividend miles
AAdvantage 20% mileage bonus = 5,000 AAdvantage/Dividend miles
Total = 30,000 AAdvantage/Dividend miles

Since 2 Amex = 1 SPG, 40,000 Aussie Amex MR = 20,000 SPG = 30,000 AAdvantage/Dividend.

Remember that these two programs are set to merge in 2015 and devaluations are expected so don’t convert unless you plan to redeem before then.  Otherwise it is best to keep you SPG miles in the flexible SPG program so you maintain a better choice of airlines

AAdvantage Full details and T&C’s

US Airways Full details and T&C’s

 

 

30,000 Bonus Starpoints For SPG Amex (USA)

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From time to time Amex runs specials for their card holders that allows them to refer friends for an extra special deal.  The usual sign up bonus for this card is 25,000 points but until the end of June it has increased to 30,000 points.  The card holder (me) gets a bonus of 5000 points for each referral.  I do not have an affiliate marketing relationship with Amex, any card holder gets the same offer – you will too the next time around!

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Your friends must apply for the Card through the REFER NOW buttons in the email (that I will send you) and be approved in order for you to earn your Referral Bonus.

And for a limited time, each friend can earn up to 30,000 bonus Starpoints: 10,000 Starpoints after their first purchase on the Card in addition to 20,000 Starpoints after they make $5,000 in purchases within their first 6 months of Card Membership.2,3 Referrals need to occur by June 30, 2014 and your friend must be approved by June 30, 2014 to be eligible for this limited time offer.

After you have met your minimum spend (pretty easy to do since they give you 6 months to do it), you will have at least 35,000 Starpoints in your account.  The best use of Starpoints for eco-tourists is to transfer them to airlines in blocks of 20,000 points as they give you a bonus of 5000 points so you end up with 25,000 miles in the airline.

If you would like a referral, please either comment here and make sure your real email is in the comment form, only I can see it.  Or send me an email tara at milestothewild.com.

I recommend transferring them to American AAdvantage or US Airways and depending on your destination maybe one of the others I highlighted below.  Don’t transfer them to United as they have a poor rate of exchange.  Here is the full list of partners.

Frequent Flyer Program

Exchange Ratio (Starpoints : Miles)
Aeromexico Club Premier 1:1
Aeroplan/Air Canada 1:1
Air Berlin 1:1
Air China Companion 1:1
Air New Zealand & Air Points 65:1
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan 1:1
Alitalia MilleMiglia 1:1
All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club 1:1
American Airlines AAdvantage 1:1
Asia Miles 1:1
Asiana Airlines 1:1
British Airways Executive Club 1:1
China Eastern Airlines 1:1
China Southern Airlines’ Sky Pearl Club 1:1
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles 1:1
Emirates Skywards 1:1
Etihad Airways 1:1
Flying Blue 1:1
Gol Smiles 2:1
Hainan Airlines 1:1
Hawaiian Airlines 1:1
Japan Airlines (JAL) Mileage Bank 1:1
LAN Airlines LANPASS Kms 1:1.5
Miles and More 1:1
Qatar Airways 1:1
Saudi Arabian Airlines Alfursan 1:1
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 1:1
Thai Airways International Royal Orchid Plus 1:1
US Airways Dividend Miles 1:1
United Mileage Plus 2:1
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club 1:1
Virgin Australia 1:1

USA Based Amex Card Referrals

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It’s no secret that credit card sign up bonuses are currently the biggest source of acquiring frequent flyer miles.  You have probably seen numerous posts on travel blogs about them.  I rarely blog about credit cards but just thought I would share this deal.  American Express has a special deal where existing card members can get a bonus if they refer friends and family for cards they have.  For example, I have the SPG Amex and the Amex PRG and can offer referrals for either one of them.  This is what the offer currently looks like.

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The offer of bonus points you get looks like these.

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I can’t refer for cards I don’t have such as any of the Platinum cards.  The offers above are equal to the best offer currently on the market for this card so you don’t lose anything by letting me refer you and you help me to keep traveling, birding and writing if you do use my links.  I need your first name, last name and email address to refer you so it would be best to do this privately.

The benefits of the Amex PRG include the Membership Rewards program and the ability to transfer your points to many different partners.

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This is my go-to card for airline fees as I get the 3x.  Even when booking award tickets, there will be taxes & fees.

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With the SPG card, your points will automatically sweep to your SPG account so you should have one set up before you apply.  Once they are in you SPG account, you can use them for hotels or transfer them to any of their airline partners.  It is best to transfer in lots of 20,000 points because you get a bonus 5000 miles in the program you have transferred too.  For example you transfer 20,000 SPG to American Airlines.  You will get 25,000 miles in your AAdvantage account.

If you have friends and family who want to get started in the miles & points game, once you have your own card, you can get a referral link of your own and start referring them!

REQUEST A REFERRAL FROM ME HERE

 

Central American Adventure – Choosing Accommodation

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With an eco-tourism trip, the highlight is going to be the eco-lodges so you need to choose wisely.  You will need to research the species you are hoping to see and find national parks with lodges in those areas.  Although airline miles are of use to everyone, hotel points will only be useful for stays near airports to accommodate early morning flights.  There is one exception as you will see below.  Also, this itinerary is unusual in that I organized a stopover in Hawaii on the way back to Australia so I could burn some hotel points and celebrate my birthday!  If you are USA or Europe based, this won’t be an option.  Here are my choices, how I booked them and my reasons for choosing them.  Detailed reviews on each will be forthcoming in future blogs.

BELIZE

Crooked Tree Lodge: booked direct by email (don’t use aggregators), paid cash.  Chosen because the area is known for Yellow-headed Parrots, Red-lored Parrots and White-fronted Parrots and they have a good local guide.

Parrot’s Nest, San Ignacio: booked direct by email, don’t use aggregators, paid by Visa on checkout.  Chosen because there are parrots in the area sporadically but primarily for the experience of sleeping in a treehouse.

GUATEMALA

Tikal Inn: booked direct by email, don’t use aggregators, paid by Amex on checkout.  Chosen because it’s in the Tikal National Park, there are parrots and other birds in the grounds and they have a pool.  Also they offer a free sunset/sunrise tour and some of the guides are familiar with the local birds.

Radisson, Guatemala City:  booked online with Club Carlson points.  Chosen because of proximity to airport, free shuttle and cheap points redemption.

COSTA RICA

Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui:  booked online at Hotels.com.  Used 10% promo code and Ultimate Rewards Mall.  Chosen because of excellent guides and known for being home to Great Green Macaws and many other birds.

Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, Boca Tapada:  Booked on Pointshound for UA miles.  Chosen because of recommendation by friend who was just there and area is extremely rich in birdlife.

Volcano Lodge, Arenal:  Booked on Pointshound for UA miles.  Chosen because of volcano views, garden, pool and it being a nice place to relax after full-on birding.

Cala Lodge, Monteverde:  Booked on Pointshound for UA miles.  Chosen because near town for easy meals/shopping and easy to get taxi to Monteverde Cloud Forest for Respendant Quetzals.

Villa Lapas, Tarcoles:  Booked on their website, don’t use aggregators.  Chosen because it is adjacent to Carara National Park for Scarlet Macaws and other birds.

Savegre Mountain Lodge:  Booked on their webiste, don’t use aggregators.  Chosen based on recommendation by friend who had been there recently, excellent guides and ease of finding Resplendant Quetzals.

Park Inn, San Jose:  Booked using Club Carlson points on their website.  Chosen because of cheap mistake rate of 5000 points, otherwise would have stayed closer to the airport.  Easy enough to get Alajuela bus to airport in the morning.

PANAMA

Radisson Summit:  Booked using Club Carlson points on their website.  Chosen because easy 15 minute drive to Soberania National Park and also because some rooms have spectacular view of the rainforest.

Courtyard by Marriott, Panama City:  Booked using Marriott points on their website.  Chosen because I wanted to burn my last 10k points and it was near the airport.

USA

Holiday Inn (Desert Inn), Las Vegas:  Used Chase free night certificate.  Chosen because I had to use the cert or lose it and they wouldn’t give me Venetian or Palazzo on Labor Day weekend.

Four Points Sheraton, LAX:  Got BRG with 2000 SPG point bonus.  Chosen because of this deal and free airport shuttle.

Maui Seaside Inn:  Booked on Hotels.com using free night after 10 stays and this one was the closest to the value I had on my free night.  Chosen because we wanted to stay in Kahului for easy access to Road to Hana and Haleakala.  Also rumours of Mitred Parakeets in nearby area.

Hyatt Regency Maui:  Used Chase Ultimate Rewards sent to Hyatt to book free nights.  Chosen because of resort facilities and a great place to spend my birthday!

Sheraton Waikiki:  Used SPG cash & points.  Chosen in hopes of an ocean view upgrade (got one!) and infinity pool.

Royal Hawaiian:  Used SPG cash & points.  Chosen because I have wanted to stay in the “pink palace” since I was a kid and never thought I could afford it!

 

 

 

Earn Free Starpoints With Audience Rewards

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Audience Rewards is a little-known partner of SPG.  You can earn Starpoints for purchasing theatre tickets and also simply by answering trivia questions.  You won’t get rich or even earn a free hotel room just by doing this but you will keep your account alive and prevent your points from expiring.  Roughly 6 questions are posted 3 times a month and you earn 2 points for each question you get right.  That’s a whopping 36 Starpoints a month………………..but they do all add up and it only takes a few minutes.

Sign up here and link your SPG account.  Then visit the FlyerTalk thread where helpful people will generally post the answers unless you want to Google them yourself.

This is a sample of questions so you see what to expect.  You can also earn Delta or US Airways miles but I personally prefer to stick with SPG.

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Hotel Point Devaluations On Starwood And Priority Club – Should Eco-Tourists Care?

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Well it all depends……………since you can’t book eco-lodges on points (though you can get pretty close).  I’m sure no one has missed the hubbub in the travel blogosphere and FlyerTalk.  The Priority Club devaluations were expected as they had been announced in advance.  The SPG devaluations on the popular cash and points rates were a surprise, although they at least gave notice that you can book the old rates until 5 March.  The most frustrating thing is that not all of their hotels offer C&P rates or they only put them up a few weeks in advance like the Maui properties.  Some people are liking the new option to use more SPG points to book upgraded rooms or suites.  Loyalty Traveler has an excellent analysis of the new rates.

So, do I as an eco-traveler care?  Not really.  Although we do plan to stop in Maui on the way home from Central America and were planning to use either SPG or Hyatt (via Ultimate Rewards) points; we may just Priceline it.  Otherwise, we only really use chain hotels in gateway cities such as Lima, Peru to rest up between an international flight and the domestic leg to the national park we are headed to.  SPG is a big part of my miles and points earning plan but I have better use for the transfers of points to airline miles and I prefer to use other programs such as Priority Club and Club Carlson for gateway hotels.  If they stopped giving the bonus 5000 miles with every block of 20,000 points sent to an airline such as AA, THEN I would be pretty upset!

Moving on to Priority Club…………..FlyerTalk had been speculating for days and in some cases, the devaluations were huge, but there were some bright spots.  Once again, Loyalty Traveler has an excellent blog about it.  Another hotel point specialist blogger, Loyalty Lobby has a great PDF with ALL the Priority Club properties on it which makes it very easy to see the potential gateway cities for our eco-adventures as well as his intended purpose of tracking the new point requirements.

We will be visiting Bali after 2 weeks of birding in West Papua in a couple months.  Nice little treat after hiking through rainforests and sleeping in small guesthouses!  Priority Club gaveth (HI Baruna went from 25k to 20k) and tooketh away (IC Bali went from 30k to 35k).  I still have my fingers crossed for a PointsBreak here when the list goes up probably next week.

Most Australian properties went up, bad news for birders and everyone else since the AUD is so strong right now, last thing anyone wants is something else to go up!   Gagudju Crocodile in Kakadu National Park which is one of the top eco-tourism destinatons in the world (and you can stay there on points!) went up from 15k to 20k – Ouch!  Alice Springs went down from 25k to 20k but it’s really just a jumping off point to better birding in the Outback.

HIX in Cuiaba, Brazil stayed the same.  This hotel can be useful as a jumping off point to the Pantanal but be mindful that Cuiaba is undergoing a lot of roadworks and it’s easy to get lost getting out of the city.  I got it last year on a Pointsbreak but regretted going so far from the main highway to the Pantanal.  I got lost and had to pay a local R$20 (about $10 USD or AUD) to escort us to the highway!   Also in Brazil and useful to eco-travelers is the Crowne Plaza Belem which went down from 25k to 20k.

The Pacific Islands fared a bit better.  The IC Fiji stayed the same at 30k, but the HI Suva went down from 20k to 15k and Suva is where you have to change planes on Air Pacific (soon to be Fiji Airways)  hops around the islands.  Over in Tahiti which I plan to visit in 2015 to see the Ultramarine Lorikeet in Ua Huka, the IC Papeete stayed the same at 30k but the much more pleasant IC in Moorea went down from 30k to 25k – hope it stays down!

If you are dreaming of Echo Parakeets in Mauritius, good news, the IC stayed the same.

I was happy to see CP Jerusalem go down from 25k to 20k as we plan to visit the Holy Land after the World Parrot Congress in Tenerife next year.  (More on that as the time approaches, but it’s every 4 years and I hoard miles for it).

Anyone want to see the endangered Puerto Rican Amazon?  The IC which is the closest to El Yunque Rainforest and an easy day trip stayed the same at 50k ( I would use a Chase free night for this one) but if you don’t mind a bit of a drive the HI Mayaguez is still only 15k.

It was also noted on Flyertalk that Wyndham has been quietly devaluing their hotel redemptions.  My answer is:  Who cares?  The best use of WR points is airline miles!

Has anyone else noticed any devaluations I missed that would be of interest to eco-tourists?

Hotel Point Earning Credit Cards USA Edition And Best Uses for Eco-Travelers

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This is a continuation of the Mileage Earning Credit Card post.  General advice for Americans about credit cards can be found there.

BEST HOTEL POINT EARNING CREDIT CARDS FOR ECO-TRAVELERS

CCs

Generally speaking, hotel point earning credit cards will be less valuable for eco-travelers than for mainstream tourists looking for elite status and 5 star accommodations.  The eco-lodges we are seeking won’t be affiliated with any of these programs.  There are a couple of good uses of hotel points.

  • Stays at gateway hotels in your departure city or the gateway city from where you will travel on to the rainforest, savannah or other habitat.
  • Hotel points can be converted into airline miles to top up your accounts so you can get a free ticket faster and signup bonuses really speed this along.

Here are my recommendations:

1.  Club Carlson Visa (blogged about here):  Issued by US Bank, several versions so choose the one that suits you best and you could get at least 2 free nights at any Club Carlson hotel.  My main interest in this card is the 50k after any first spend and second award night free so I will probably go for the Visa Signature in my next app-o-rama.  They have fairly decent transfer rates to airline miles and you can choose from 20 airline programs.  The best ones for eco-travelers are AA, BA, DL, UA and US.

2,000 points 250 miles
50,000 points 8,000 miles
100,000 points 18,000 miles

2. Priority Club Visa:   Issued by Chase, signup bonus is currently 60k after $1000 spend.  Historically, it’s gone as high as 80k with no minimum spend but all the Chase cards seem to have at least a $1000 in 3 month spend these days.  Annual fee of $49 is waived the first year but you get a free night certificate each year starting on your first anniversary so this card is well worth keeping.  I’m into my 3rd year with this card and have redeemed my free night at hotels that range between $160 and $230 a night.  Transfer rates to airlines are a flat 10k PC = 2k airline miles and their partners include AA, BA, DL, QF, SQ, US, UA, and DJ.

3.  SPG American Express:  Issued by American Express, signup bonus is usually 25k of which you get 10k after first spend and 15k after spending $5000 within 6 months.  They occasionally have specials where you get a total of 30k of which 20k requires the 5k spend.  Annual fee $65, waived first year.  Best values are Cash and Points redemptions which give a huge savings on regular hotel rates with fewer points than an outright free night redemption.  SPG has an amazing transfer program which is usually 1 SPG = 1 airline mile but if you transfer 20k, you get a bonus of 5k.  LOTS of partners but best ones for eco-travelers are AA, BA, DL, SQ and US.  In this case, UA is not a good option as the rate is only 2 SPG = 1 UA.

4.  Hilton Honors (several cards):  Hilton has cards issued by Citibank and Amex.  The Citicards have free night certificates or 40k sign up bonus and come in $95 annual fee/no annual fee versions.  The Amex cards give you 40k signup bonus  and come in $75 annual fee/no annual fee.  Minimum spends are between $750-$3000 in 3 months so you really need to compare all the cards on their site.  Transfer rates to airlines are very poor:  10k HH = 850 airline so only get  these cards if you want to use them for hotel rooms.

5.  Marriott Rewards Visa:  Reviewed by me and I can get you a nice bonus if you let me refer you to join Marriott Rewards.  See details on this post.  Issued by Chase, signup bonus 50k and one free night at Cat 1-4 after $1000 spend in 3 months.  Historical high 70k.  Annual fee $85 waived first year, and you receive an anniversary bonus of one free night stay at a Category
1-5 hotel every year.  Transfer rates to airlines is somewhat complicated so best to see it on their site.    AA is not a partner but eco-travelers may be interested in BA, UA, US, GOL (Brazil domestic flights), Avianca-Taca, LAN, Qantas.

6.  Hyatt Gold Passport Visa:  Issued by Chase, signup bonus is 2 free nights at any Hyatt worldwide after $1000 spend in 3 months.   People seem to find the best value in either Sydney or various European properties so limited usefulness to eco-travelers.  You get free night certificates, not points so you can’t use this signup bonus to transfer to airlines.

7.  Wyndham Rewards Visa:  Issued by Barclays, sign up bonus currently 16k, historical high 30k, no minimum spend, just “first purchase”.  Good transfer rates to airlines.  Wyndham properties are usually reasonably priced so I would just pay for hotels and transfer these points to an airline.  Rates are 8k Wyndham = 3200 airline, 17,500 Wyndham = 7000 airline, 30k Wyndham = 12k airline.  Best partners for eco-travelers:  AA, DL, UA, US.

8.  Choice Privileges Visa:  Issued by Barclays, sign up bonus 8k first spend, + 24k after using the card to pay for a stay at a Choice hotel.  No annual fee.  Transfers to airlines 5k Choice = 1k airline, partners include AA, DL, UA, US.

9.  Best Western MasterCard:  Issued by Barclays, signup bonus 16k after first spend, no annual fee.  Transfers to airlines 5k Choice = 1k airline, partners include AA, DL, US and Avianca LifeMiles.

I have put these credit cards in roughly the order of which I think they have value to eco-travelers.  People seeking elite status or stays at European and North American city properties would most likely prioritize cards in a different order.  If the SPG card didn’t have such a high spend requirement, I would have put it first but $5000 could be a challenge.  Please feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

Flexible Points Credit Cards

Hotel Chains

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These are the main hotel chains you will find at the typical gateway city.  In some cases, the parent company has several brands and they all use the same loyalty program.  I have provided links to the loyalty program on their website.  When you have a layover at a gateway city traveling to or from your destination, be sure to check if you can use your hotel points for a free night.  I generally try to stay as close to the airport as possible and get an early flight onwards but if the city interests you, you may want to layover a few days.

  • Accor:  Ibis, Mercure, All Seasons, Novotel, Sofitel
  • Best Western
  • Carlson Rezidor:  Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Hotels & Resorts  Tara’s Tips
  • Choice Hotels:  Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay,, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and Ascend Collection
  • Hilton Worldwide:  Conrad® Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by HiltonTM, Embassy SuitesTM, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Garden Inn®, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts
  • Hyatt:  AmeriSuites, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Summerfield Suites
  • Intercontinental Hotels Group: Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Staybridge Suites
  • La Quinta Inns & Suites
  • Marriott:  Autograph Collection®, Courtyard by Marriott® , EDITIONSM, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott® , JW Marriott® , Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance® Hotels, Residence Inn by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club® (mileage-earning stay)  Tara’s Tips
  • Starwood Hotels:  Aloft, Element, Four Points, Le Meridien, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts
  • Wyndham:  Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Wingate® by Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites® by Wyndham, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® Knights Inn®, Tryp by Wyndham