Showing posts with label Point Transfers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Point Transfers. Show all posts

March 15, 2014

Point Transfers: Chase Ultimate Rewards

I've written about how Chase Ultimate Rewards are one of my favorite point currencies.  If you are new to UR points, read these posts on how to earn them via the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and how to combine points between cardholders.

Once you have accumulated a stash of points, you're going to want to redeem them.  That is the point of this whole game/hobby anyway.  Here's a quick overview of how to redeem/transfer points to one of the UR travel partners:

  1. Login to your Chase Ultimate Rewards Account
  2. Mouse over the "Point Transfer" menu on the top navigation bar
  3. Select the travel partner (in this case I've selected United) you want to transfer points to
  4. Select the number of points/miles you'd like to transfer (in 1,000 point/mile increments)
  5. Enter your United MileagePlus number twice
  6. Enter your First and Last Name
  7. Click "Continue" and then confirm the transfer
I've found that most transfer points (I've used United and Hyatt most often) transfer immediately so Ultimate Rewards points are awesome if you find availability and want to book something while it's still available.

Select the point transfer partner

Enter the transfer amount and your personal information

March 8, 2014

Combining Points: Starwood Preferred Guest

On Thursday, I posted about how to combine Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.  Today, similar post but around transferring/combining Starwood Preferred Guest points.  Like Chase UR points, SPG points are incredibly flexible.  You can use them to redeem for hotels, combine with cash for hotel redemptions, or transfer to a variety of airlines at a 1:1 ratio and receive a 25% bonus (5,000 for each 20,000 point transfer) on top of that!

Step 2 as described below

Starwood also allows you to transfer points between accounts but the accounts must have been opened for 30 days and be registered to the same address.  This works great for couples or roommates.

During Emily's latest round of credit card applications, she picked up the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex card.  Part of the sign-up bonus offer was 10,000 points after first purchase.  Those points posted a couple days ago and I logged in to her account to transfer/combine/consolidate them into mine.

Here are the four easy steps for combining SPG points:

  1. Log in to your SPG account at www.spg.com
  2. Under the "Quick Links" menu, select "Redemption Options"
  3. Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and select "Transfer to Another Member"
  4. Complete the form and click "Transfer"
Step 3 as described above










The form states that transfers typically take 5 business days but in my experience, it's more like 2-3.  Yet another great option for leveraging Starwood points.  Keeping your points in one account (especially if that account has elite status) will ensure you get the most bang for your buck on your redemptions.


March 6, 2014

Combining Points: Chase Ultimate Rewards

Chase Ultimate Rewards are one of the most valuable points currencies because it's easy to earn a ton of them and they are incredibly flexible.  Chase offers the ability to transfer points (at 1:1 ratio) to ten different travel partners.  I typically transfer my Ultimate Rewards points to United, Hyatt, or British Airways (in that order) because they offer the best value and return.

Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners

One great thing about the UR program is the ability to instantly transfer points between accounts.  This benefit really comes in handy if you are close to an award and need a few thousands points from a friend or relative.  Emily and I keep our stash of UR points in my account so about once per month, I login to her account and transfer them over to mine.

Here are the instructions for combining points between accounts in three easy steps:

  1. Login to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account
  2. Under the "Earn Faster" menu, select "Combine Ultimate Rewards Points"
  3. Enter the Credit Card Number and Last Name of the point recipient

That's it.  This process takes a couple of minutes and because of the instantaneous nature of these transfers, can be extremely helpful when ready to book an award flight/hotel night.