Ever since Starwood’s merger with Marriott, a few exciting new redemption opportunities opened up for those with Starpoints.
By the far the most lucrative new redemption is Marriott’s Travel Package, where you can redeem your points for a seven night award stay plus a set amount of airline miles (depending on the travel package you choose).
Let’s take a closer look how we can use our Starpoints for maximum value. Assume that theoretically you have earned 90,000 Starpoints from a combination of your sign up bonus and daily spend.
You could convert your 90,000 Starpoints to 110,000 Alaskan Air miles directly, or you can instead convert your Starpoints to Marriott at a 1 to 3 ratio, giving you 270,000 Marriott points.
With Marriott’s Travel Package, you can convert 270,000 Marriott points for 120,000 Alaskan Mileage Plan miles plus a seven night stay at any Marriott Category 1-5 hotel.
Even if you don’t use your hotel certificate and just want to convert your Starwood points to Alaska Mileage Plan miles, you’re still actually saving 10,000 Starwood points over converting your Starpoints directly to an airline.
Throw in a free seven night hotel stay, and it’s easy to see why the Marriott travel package is one of the best bargains out there. Besides Alaska Mileage Plan miles, you can choose from a variety of airlines including American Airlines & Southwest. If you convert choose United as your partner airline, you’ll receive an additional 10% bonus
As an added bonus, AMEX platinum cardholders receive complimentary SPG gold status, which is automatically matched by Marriott when you link both accounts.
Marriott Gold members receive complimentary lounge access and room upgrades.
I had a fantastic seven night stay using my seven night certificate at the Bangkok Marriott Sukhumvit. With its extensive complimentary lounge offerings and sumptuous breakfast spread, I found myself barely spending anything, while having a relaxing week long Chinese New Year vacation.
Redeeming your points for a Marriott Travel Package:
The process of redeeming your points for a Marriott Travel Package is relatively simple, if not cumbersome. Award packages can’t be booked online, and require contacting the Marriott hotline. A quick call and a few minutes later an e-certificate good for seven nights free at any Category 1-5 hotel will placed into your account, along with frequent flier miles around a week later.
Your e-certificate is valid for one year, but usually can be extended by Marriott. If you want to stay in a higher category hotel, you can upgrade your award by calling in and paying the difference in points.
Using the certificate is a bit complicated, as you need to first find and book a standard award reservation for your desired dates.
After you book you award, email Marriott support to apply your certificate. You should shortly get a confirmation email with an updated reservation.
How to Quickly Earn 90,000 SPG Points
The current sign up bonus for both the SPG AMEX Personal Card & the SPG AMEX Business Card is 35,000 Starpoints each. After completing the minimum spend for both cards, you’ll need to spend an additional $7000 before having enough Starpoints for a Marriot Travel Package with the maximum amount of airline miles.
View Current Travel Reward Card Offers Here
Overall, the Marriott Travel Package is one of the best award deals around, as you essentially get a free week long hotel stay, along with the same amount of points as you would have received if you merely transferred your Starpoints to an airline.
