You may be wondering what the Starwood and Marriott merger has to do with Star Alliance, but if you’re a savvy TSAF reader you’ll know that Starwood SPG points convert 1:1 to a lot of airlines, including many Star Alliance airlines. This is great if you’re looking to boost your points with one of the airlines to get a reward ticket or reward upgrade, especially if you convert at least 20,000 SPG points as then you get a bonus 5,000 for free! The merger is also fantastic news for United MileagePlus members, as the status match with Starwood and Marriott gives some great benefits.
Many Starwood and Marriott loyalty members have been speculating for a long time now what would happen when the two eventually merged, and with the merger now complete, we now know some of the key benefits for members. Some have been worried about what it would mean for the Starwood SPG scheme, but what we’ve seen so far has all been good.
1. Instant status match between Starwood and Marriott
Yes that’s right, INSTANT status match between the two! This means you’ll have status with a whopping 30 brands and over 5,700 properties. If you’re a SPG Gold member you can just sign up here to claim your Marriott Gold. This is a brilliant perk for SPG members as SPG Gold doesn’t really do a lot, whereas Marriott Gold gets you a complimentary room upgrade, and guaranteed lounge access and breakfast for two!
2. Status match with United
Because of Marriott’s partnership with United with their RewardsPlus scheme, if you’re a Starwood Gold or Platinum member you can status match with Marriott (see the above benefit), and then status match with United (and the other way round for United members, so Gold United will get Gold SPG). This is great if you’re a United MileagePlus member but haven’t earned enough miles for status with them. If you’re Starwood Platinum you’ll get United Silver (and thus Star Alliance Silver) through a Marriott status match.
Although Star Alliance Silver doesn’t give many benefits, United Premier Silver is worth having and gives complimentary access to Economy Plus at check-in on United flights, instant upgrades on Y- or B-class full-fare economy tickets, and complimentary premiere upgrades. Star Alliance Silver gives priority reservations waitlist and priority airport standby whenever you fly on ANY Star Alliance airlines.
3. If you’re an SPG Amex holder you can now earn DOUBLE points at both Starwood and Marriott properties
The SPG Amex has always been a funny one, and unless you’re a high spender spending £15,000 per year or more, it’s been a questionable card to sign up for as it has a £75 fee and not a lot of benefits associated with it. However with the merger comes the announcement that you will now earn double points at both Starwood and Marriott properties when you pay for the stay with your SPG Amex.
4. You can transfer points between Starwood and Marriott
So if you need a few thousand extra SPG points to get that 5,000 point bonus for transferring 20,000 over to an airline, this is a biggie. You can transfer any extra Marriott points you have over to your Starwood account, and boost your SPG points. The conversion rate is 1:3, which isn’t great, but if you have 30,000 Marriott points that will give you 10,000 Starwood points…thus that gives you 10,000 airmiles for your chosen Star Alliance airline when you transfer them over.
5. Access to the Ritz-Carlton brand
For Starwood members this is an interesting one as it allows you to use your status match and points to get reward stays at Ritz-Carlton properties. With such a high-end and exclusive brand in the portfolio, this could be a great way to use Starpoints as you generally need less points for a complimentary stay at a Ritz-Carlton or high end Marriott property compared to the huge amount of Starpoints needed for a complimentary stay in one of the high-end Starwood properties (for example their Luxury Collection arm).
What if you have loyalty with United and want to transfer Starwood points?
Well, United and Starwood have an absolutely terrible ratio of 2:1, so you want to avoid converting Starpoints into United miles. Instead you can take advantage of the RewardsPlus scheme between Marriott and United, and transfer your Starwood points into Marriott Rewards points, and get a much better ratio. If you transfer 38,000 Starwood points into Marriott Rewards, you’ll have 112,000 Marriott Rewards, which then convert into a massive 50,000 United Miles!
The SPG Amex
This post is mostly focused on the UK SPG Amex, however if you’re based in the USA, you actually get a 25,000 point bonus when you apply for the SPG Amex and spend $3000 in the first 3 months!
There is speculation that Marriott will scrap the SPG Amex at the end of 2017, so now is a great time to sign up if you’re in need of some extra Star Alliance miles for that reward ticket. It’s a fantastic way to earn SPG points on everyday spending if you don’t stay at Starwood hotels frequently. There’s also a 10,000 point sign-up bonus, and you can earn 11,000 points if you use our referral link and spend £1000 in the first three months of card membership.
*Disclaimer: This is a journalistic news and air-mile collection advice site and not a financial advice website. It is your own responsibility to do in-depth research on a credit product and ensure that any product is right for you and your circumstances.