All the Right Points

October 15, 2016

Review: Transfer from Male to Conrad Maldives

Introduction
Introduction Part Two
Planning & Booking
Sheraton JFK Airport
Lufthansa Business Class Lounge JFK
Turkish Airlines Business Class 777-300ER New York (JFK) to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Istanbul Arrivals Lounge
St. Regis Istanbul
Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Business Class A330-300 Istanbul to Male
Transfer from Male to Conrad Maldives
Conrad Maldives
Transfer from Conrad Maldives to Male
Singapore Airlines Business Class 777-200 Male to Singapore
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Singapore
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge to Singapore
Singapore Airlines Business Class 777-300ER Singapore to Tokyo (HND)
Andaz Tokyo
ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo (NRT)
ANA First Class 777-300ER Tokyo (NRT) to San Francisco

After a great overnight flight on Turkish Airlines, a Conrad associate helped us check in for our Trans Maldivian seaplane ride to the Conrad. Bags were weighed (we were not) and tagged and we were given boarding passes for the 30 minute flight. We were then shown to a waiting Conrad minivan which took us to the seaplane terminal.

Trans Maldivian Airways check-in counter

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Earning with SPG's More for You Promotion

SPG's latest promotion didn't seem to be especially rewarding on the surface. I clearly wasn't doing the math right as I had a qualifying stay last weekend that ended up earning me a ton of points.

The promotion offers 2x Starpoints on weekday stays of 2+ nights and 3x Starpoints on weekend stays of 2+ nights. Our 2 night weekend stay at the Westin Riverfront Beavercreek fell into the latter category. Beyond that, this was my final (of 3) stays of a targeted promotion I received earlier in the year.

For two nights with tax, meals, valet parking, resort fees, and dog fees our total spend was $814. I had an Amex offer for Westin which reduced that by $50.

So how many points did I earn on $677 of eligible spend?

1,354 base points
677 point elite bonus
2,708 points for the More for you promotion (3x base)
3,000 bonus points for the targeted promotion
500 bonus points for making the green choice

That's a whopping 8,239 SPG points on $764 in spend or 10.8 SPG points per dollar spent (or 32.4 Marriott points per dollar spent!). I value SPG points at around 2.5 cents so that's a return of 27%!

Amazing Holiday Shopping Amex Offers

I've written numerous posts about the Amex Offers concept. Amex is out with a couple of pretty awesome shopping offers. While these are targeted, both Emily and I had each offer on our Amex Everyday/Everyday Preferred cards.

The first offers 7,500 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $500 at Saks Fifth Avenue. The second offers 4,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $200 at Bloomingdale's.

These offers are stackable so if you have a Saks/Bloomingdale's promo code or go through an online shopping mall, they are even more lucrative. Earlier this week, United's shopping mall (since expired and currently offering 4x) was offering 15x at Saks. I'm confident an offer like that will return before the Amex offer expires on 11/7. Let's do the math on that:

7,500 Amex MR points valued at $.02 each worth $150
7,500 United MileagePlus miles valued at $.02 each worth $150
An additional 500 Amex MR points for the $500 in spend worth $10

Assuming you place the same value on points as I do, that's $310 off a $500 purchase. Note that gift cards will typically trigger the bonus so that's a great way to "extend" the savings into the future.

October 9, 2016

Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class A330-300 Istanbul to Male

Turkish Airlines TK730
Istanbul (IST) to Male (MLE)
August 20, 2016
Aircraft: A330-300
Seats: 1E/1F

We headed to the gate where we'd have yet another bus gate. The gate area was pretty chaotic and there was already a lengthly line for the bus. Unfortunately, there wasn't a a business class line or bus so we headed to the back of line and waited our turn. We boarded the bus and headed out to our waiting A330-300.

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The $500 Aloft

I'm working on a November trip to the UAE to head back to Al Maha and spend a bit of time in Dubai. I'll have more on the trip soon but we'll be flying back from Abu Dhabi aboard Etihad's 777 first class.

We needed an overnight in Abu Dhabi and hotel rates are insane. All three Hyatt properties are sold out. Both St. Regis properties are selling for $700 and $1200 respectively. The city is crazy that week due to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix. I would have loved to return to the Park Hyatt given our stay earlier this year essentially was rained out.

Cash or points?

We settled on the Aloft Abu Dhabi given the proximity to the airport and a couple of sites that we'd like to check out during our overnight. Rates were insane. The Aloft was selling for more than $500 with tax.

And this is why points open up the world. 3,000 SPG points (actually 9,000 Marriott points instantly transferred) scored us a hotel room worth $500. Is it the most aspirational use of points? Definitely not. But we need a hotel room and it should do. Full trip details coming soon.

October 2, 2016

Review: Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge Istanbul

The cab to Ataturk took around 25 minutes until we came to a complete stop in less than a mile from the airport. The cab driver flipped on the lights inside the cab so the police/military security could see our faces. Not the most high tech security measure. There was more security at the airport than I remember the last time (three years ago) but not the overwhelming show of force that I expected.

After another 20 minute of moving slowly, we finally reached the checkpoint were security offices scanned our faces and waved us through. We grabbed our bags and headed into the terminal. First a security checkpoint upon entering the terminal. Once through security, we struggled to find the Turkish Airlines business class check-in row. It was late and we were a bit tired but I don't think that was it. Being in the terminal just a few months after the attack and a month after the coup that halted airport operations was surreal. We both wanted to get through security again as fast as possible.

Turkish Airlines CIP lounge pool table

Check-in was smooth and we were soon on the other side of security making a left and walking maybe 100 yards to the lounge.

The last visit, the lounge was only one level. It's since been expanded and even more amenities added. Upon entering, you simply scan your boarding pass for admittance. No lounge dragons, just a giant lounge to explore and enjoy.

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How Long Do Starwood Household Transfers Take?

The Starwood/Marriott merger opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I've been stockpiling Marriott points for a rainy day (this one) and it definitely paid off. The 3:1 transfer and instant point transfer enabled us to move points into SPG's program in order to take advantage of Starwood's resort sale which is currently offering up many amazing properties at 35% off.

First, I exhausted Emily's Marriott account by moving all of her points into her SPG account at a 3:1 ratio. I then needed to move her Starwood points into my account via the "Household transfer." Starwood will let you consolidate points into another account with the same address (don't abuse this).

Starwood household transfer

Unfortunately, this isn't an instant process. Not sure if it's because they manually review each transaction for fraud or if it's just outdated technology. Either way, the delay is annoying when you are itching to book an award.

It's been awhile since I've made one of these transfer. Reports online mentioned this could take up to 5 business days!

Transfer out

Well I'm happy to report that I submitted the transfer on a Friday afternoon (9/23 - the day I she received the instant Marriott transfer) and the points were in my account on Tuesday morning (9/27). Technically I think that's only 2 business days.

Transfer in

Kudos to Starwood for allowing this and enabling it online (despite the slow process). Marriott offers spouse pooling of accounts but in my experience, it requires paperwork. Hopefully the merged company will improve upon Starwood's online transfer process!