Uncategorized

If SPG eliminates airline transfers, where should you stash your points?

Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Dallas

We may receive a commission when you use our links. Monkey Miles is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com and CardRatings. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Monkey Miles is also a Senior Advisor to Bilt Rewards. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.


This was a question I received from a reader, Jason. He has a stash of SPG with no immediate trip planned, and taking into consideration the rumor that SPG may remove airline transfers, he wanted to know where should he move them? This is based on a comment someone made on a OMAAT post that speculated the transfers were ending on April 16th. I can’t imagine they would do this without a whisper of warning, but alas, we’ve seen such things done in the past. Can we say, “Alaska and Emirates award pricing?” So, for speculation sake, and a helpful reminder of great SPG redemption options, let’s take a look at the best ways you could transfer your SPG points.

First let’s look at the terms and conditions of SPG

It’s worth nothing that:

  • The most you can transfer in a 24 period is 79,999 SPG points
    • If you have more than that…strategize
  • Platinum has no minimum number of points
  • Gold must transfer 1500
  • Preferred must transfer 2500

a screenshot of a white text

And here is a list of all the airline partners.

Most of these partners transfer at a rate of 20k:25k. Meaning for every 20k SPG you transfer you will get 25k airline miles. There are exceptions, but by in large, this is the transfer ratio.

a screenshot of a white screen a screenshot of a phone a screenshot of a phone

In order to hedge, and extract the best value of your SPG points there are a few things I would take into consideration.

The three main things I would take into consideration are: Loyalty/Status, Redemption Value, and the Ability to shore up with other programs.  If you have a ton of United miles, carry top tier status, and are looking to take a trip with your family, it may not make sense to you to transfer your SPG into Korean. Sure Korean has sweet spots in their chart that make it a winner for redemption value, and you can shore it up with Ultimate Rewards, but it may make your life a lot more difficult than just putting them into your United account. Where you keep loyalty/status is an important factor in extending the life of the SPG points that may outweigh other value factors. After all, value is subjective, and depending on your priorities.

  1. Do you have loyalty status with any specific airline?

    • Clearly you prefer the experience on this airline, are earning their status, and many miles by putting your butt in their seats. When it comes time to redeem, you may want to plan your trip utilizing those miles. Having more of them may make more sense, even if the redemption options aren’t as great, the ease outweighs it.
      • More access to award availability
      • Familiarity with booking and product
      • Your local airport is regularly serviced by that airline
      • Elite phone lines with better agents
      • Lounge access Internationally
  2. Redemption Value

    • If you don’t carry any loyalty then you want to pinpoint programs that offer the best ways to fly in premium cabins for the least amount of points. Other things to consider are whether the programs offer access to the premium cabins that you want to fly, and whether they pass on surcharges.
  3. Ability to Shore up your Account

    • You want to be able to contribute to that loyalty account by as many ways as possible. The SPG points that you transfer may not be enough for the redemption you seek in the future, so you want to consider programs that other flexible currencies partner with as well.

Here are the programs that I think are worth considering.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska has some of the very best award charts in the game, and they also offer mileage sales quite often so if you really need to shore up your account, you can do so regularly for about 2 cents. I put together a PRO TIPS guide on the best ways/uses of Alaska miles that I’d highly recommend you reading if you’re considering transferring. I’m heading out soon to Australia in Qantas First Class, booked with 70k Alaska Miles, and last year flew on Cathay Business (50k) , Japan First (70k) , and Cathay First (70k) all with Alaska Miles. Alaska has recently merged with Virgin and expanded their route network across the US.

a man sitting in a chair with his arms raised

Asiana

Asiana, a Star Alliance airline, offers a program that is under utilized featuring incredible redemption values, especially for Lufthansa First Class. In fact, Asiana prices roundtrip North America-Europe business at 80k, and first at just 100k. With the SPG transfer bonus, that means just 80k SPG would fly you roundtrip in Lufthansa First Class. Epic deal. Here’s a peek at their award chart, and their partner award chart. Asiana doesn’t have an option for booking online, so you’ll need to phone in. Another great sweet spot is their own metal: Roundtrip First Class = 140k.

One downside of Asiana is that it doesn’t partner with any of the other three flexible currencies ( Citi, Chase, Amex). I’d take this into consideration before transferring as it’ll be harder to shore up your account if don’t have enough miles.

a seat in an airplane

Korean Airlines:

Korean Airlines, a SkyTeam member, has some incredible sweet spots in their chart. 88K Roundtrip to Europe in business class, and just 80k to fly from the States to Korea in their own First Class. The biggest downside of Korean is booking for multiple people, which requires providing them proof of a relationship ( mother, father, sibling, spouse).  Korean is also a transfer partner of Chase which makes shoring up your account much easier. Traditionally, Korean Airlines has been very reliable when it comes to releasing award space, but recently they’ve pulled inventory. Time will tell if this is a temporary adjustment, or a longer arching trend. Korean Miles also stay valid for 10 years without activity.

a seat on a plane
courtesy of KoreanAir.com

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines offers a great option when it comes to transferring SPG points. Not only does it have some great sweet spots, but it is a transfer partner of every flexible currency. Meaning, you can easily shore up your account if need be. The biggest downside to Singapore Airlines Krisflyer is their 3 year point expiration policy. There are ways to extend that time, but not indefinitely, meaning you need to use them or you lose them. Other than airlines that I’ve aligned my loyalty with ( AA and Alaska), Singapore has been my go to transfer partner for a lot of redemptions. They also have very attractive change fees ( $50 ) compared to many airlines.

a seat in a plane
Singapore Airlines Business Class A350-900

Some Singapore Airlines sweet spots:

  • US to Europe Business
    • partners for 70k
    • own metal 65k
  • US to Europe in Suites for 76k
  • US to Hong Kong for 92k in First

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Asia Miles, One World, is another transfer partner that is often overlooked. I’ve written a few posts recently about how you can take advantage of their multi partner award, but one aspect of their program that is especially attractive is access to Cathay Premium cabins. Cathay prioritizes Asia Miles members over partners, releasing space to their own members before it does so to partners. This can be very advantageous when you’re planning trips on their metal. Asia Miles is also a transfer partner of both Citi and Amex, making it quite easy to shore up an account. You can read this post where I explain how you can fly roundtrip to South America for just 85k miles

a seat in an airplane
Cathay Pacific Business 77W

ANA

ANA has some downright attractive redemption options, and not just on their own metal. ANA is a transfer partner of Amex as well, which makes shoring up easy to do. The biggest downside of ANA is that they pass on fuel surcharges. I almost left ANA off this list for that very reason, but the award prices are so compelling that I thought it warranted mentioning them. Here are a few of the great redemptions you could make using ANA.

  • US to JAPAN Roundtrip in Biz
    • 75k to 90k on their planes
    • 95k on partners
  • US to Europe roundtrip in Biz for just 88k

a stuffed animal on a bed

Honorable Mentions:

In terms of loyalty, if you’re aligned with AA it may be worth just transferring your miles into it. It has its own unique situations whereby you can get great value (AA Reduced Mileage Awards and there are good redemptions like 57.5k to Europe) I’d avoid Delta – who knows what they’re doing with their program. They devalue without notice, recently re-valued, but all in all, they’ve set a precedent that they can’t be trusted, and I certainly wouldn’t transfer my points there.

The Virgin Atlantic program is quite attractive as well. With outstanding sweet spots like r/t from LHR to Beijing on Air China for just 75k miles, and flying ANA First Class for 110k, it certainly warrants a discussion.

Japan Airlines has a very attractive award chart, especially when it comes to Emirates. However, with surcharges being added to US originating flights, and the difficulty in accumulating miles I left it off.

Aeroplan has a lot of positive attributes, but it’s partnership with Air Canada is going away in 2020. We have no idea what will happen with the program, and if you’re looking for a place to stick miles, that’s a big time time red mark. If you have redemptions to make in the next 18 months, it’s worth checking that program out as there are very attractive redemptions, and it’s a transfer partner of Amex.

What I would do:

I would probably prioritize Alaska, Singapore and Korean. That would give you access to Star Alliance, Sky Team, and great premium cabin prices on Alaska. Alaska also partners with quite a few One World Airlines so you’d gain that alliance as well.  They all have online search engines that are fairly proficient, meaning booking would be fairly straight forward and easy. You can shore all of them up with transfer partners, or purchasing in the case of Alaska. It all comes down to how many points you have, where you’re thinking of going, and the cabin of service you seek, but I like these 3 programs quite a bit, and would feel comfortable holding miles in them…for the foreseeable future. Don’t forget Singapore Miles expire in 3 years tho…so take that into consideration.

 

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

a blue credit card with lines and symbols

Learn More

 Affiliate link 

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card


4.8
4.8/5
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a great starter card that earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott.

Welcome Offer

60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months

Annual Fee

$95

Points Earned

Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards

  • 3x on dining
    •  including eligible delivery services for takeout
  • 3x on select streaming services
  • 3x on online grocery purchases
    • (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
  • 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel Portal
  • 2x on all other travel
  • $50 Annual Credit on hotel stays purchased via Chase Travel
    • The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
  • 10% Anniversary Bonus
    • Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred® continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel Portal and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including primary rental car insurance, purchase protections, etc.
  • Points are transferrable to 13 Ultimate Rewards partners
  • Redeem in the Chase Travel center for 1.25 cents per point
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
    • Primary rental car coverage is my favorite

We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.

If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners

Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

12 Comments

  • Bruce April 14, 2018

    Today, I transferred my 20,000 SPG points to Miles and More. Why? Well, I don’t have the Barclays card and Miles and More has no other great 1:1 option for miles transfer. Second, I am tired of getting hosed by these changes and I do not like surprises. Third, you can book a non-stop IAD-CPH in business using Miles and More WITHOUT huge surcharges. Did you know that? Just discovered that. Color me Copenhagen.

  • John Pettigrew April 14, 2018

    Recommending UA for a transfer out of SPG is a strange thing to do. It’s a 2 for 1, which means tat for 100,000 points SPG, you get 50,000 UA. How is that a good deal, monkey? 🐒

    • Miles April 14, 2018

      Total brain fart, removed.

  • markj April 13, 2018

    I had a large Starpoint balance so I have been reducing it by transferring mostly to JAL…love flying them and want to book an Emirates routing…and Asiana. I also am doing a Marriott Air+Hotel package to get Alaska miles.

    Monday will be interesting as we learn about the new Marriott program!

  • Clare N April 13, 2018

    Don’t forget Amtrak is also a transfer partner. One way auto and one person coach is a little over 12,000 points for the Auto Train between Sanford, FL and Lorton, VA. And the points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.

  • AdamR April 13, 2018

    What must always be included in these types of articles/lists is how available award space is in these “sweetspots”. It makes zero sense to talk about things you could book with some airline’s currency if the award space never opens up. Examples that immediately come to mind are Air New Zealand via anyone, and Virgin Australia with Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Virgin America (RIP), etc. There needs to be a disclaimer before each of these entries if award space is non-existent. I mainly say this because you picture Lufthansa F, which is rarely attainable outside the 2-week pre-departure window. Aside from full time travel bloggers, that’s not really a realistic timeline for most.

  • Gene April 13, 2018

    Mine are all going to Miles&More. Thanks to my Senator status, I get 50% of my spouse’s redemption on each award booking and access to LH and LX F in advance. The fees & taxes are outrageous, but these miles plus my LH status provide access to something otherwise relatively difficult to obtain with miles and at a reasonable price (about 127,500 miles + $1,100/person round-trip).

    Furthermore, even though their business class isn’t the greatest, it is only 78,750 miles + $670 r/t (after the companion award) for US-Europe round-trip, and availability is generally excellent.

  • rick b April 13, 2018

    Airlines that require RT bookings and don’t allow changing return flights after itinerary has started, are NO GO in my book.

    That’s a huge loss of convenience and value where I can loosely plan my travel and not worry about running out of time and having to rush to make a flight.

    Plus the way premium availability has been lately, it often only opens up in the last 2-3 weeks or less, so you either have to plan your entire trip in advance or get stuck with crappy routing and no ability to change it.

  • Jeremy April 13, 2018

    What about using Marriott nights and flights?

    • WR April 13, 2018

      Yesss. I wish I was close to 90k starpoints. If within the annual purchase limit I think it’s worth it to buy up to 90k for nights and flights. Sadly mine are mostly depleted.

      The hits keep coming in the churning game.

    • I was going to use my starpoints for the Air & Hotel travel package for Marriott’s 7-night trip to London, but I’m afraid the big Marriott announcement this coming Monday will devalue benefits for current Marriott Gold members (which means the hotel I was eyeing for the 7-night package will no longer allow free breakfasts or room upgrades… which, in an expensive city, was a dealmaker for me).

Leave a Reply to Miles Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.