Maximizing Transferrable Points

1. Maximizing Transferrable Points With The Points Guy

2. Transferrable Points 101 • Airline miles & hotel points • Fixed-value points • Transferrable points All points were not created equal!

3. The Case for Transferrable Points • Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility! • Sharing points with family/friends • Transfer partners = options • Don’t forget about partners of partners • Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket

4. The Main Credit Card Transferrable Point Programs • American Express Membership Rewards (+First) • Platinum, Premier Rewards Gold, Gold, Green and some corporate and business versions • Membership Rewards Express (Blah version) • Blue Card • Chase Ultimate Rewards • Sapphire Preferred and Ink Bold With Ultimate Rewards

5. Membership Rewards Basics Earn 1 point per dollar spent (Premier Rewards is 3x on airfare and 2x on gas & groceries) Points go into pending status for a month after statement close (can be expedited) Cannot combine Membership Rewards points

6. Flexibility • Transfer to anyone! • Link (not enroll!) their account to your accountmembershiprewards.com -> Points Summary -> Bottom right • Advance points for free, just earn them back • Up to 60,000 for Platinum • 15,000 for most other cards (not corporate) • Buy points at 2.5 cents each, up to 500,000 a year!

7. Membership Rewards- Airline Transfers Airline transfer partners (16):Star Alliance: Air Canada Aeroplan, Singapore, ANAOneworld: British Airways, IberiaSkyteam: Delta, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Alitalia, AeromexicoOther: Airtran, Virgin Atlantic, El Al, Frontier, JetBlue, Hawaiian, Virgin America * 6/10 cent excise fee on transfers to US airlines.

8. Which Star Alliance Partner? Aeroplan- Positives: Instant transfers, flexible routing, only fuel surcharges on Air Canada flightsNegatives: Recently inflated award chart, expensive one-waysGood awards- US to Western Europe 60/90/125 ANA-Positives: Distance-based awards, great award engineNegatives~48-hour transfers, no holds, hefty fuel surchargesGood awards- NY to London in business class for 63,000. Singapore--Positives: One-way awardsNegatives: ~48-hour transfer period, high surchargesGood awards- 25/40/60 for intra-North America. 55/95/135 Europe

9. Which Oneworld Partner? British Airways- Instant transfers, region-based awards. Unlimited en-route stopovers, but only one Oneworld carrier for cheapest awards Iberia- Distance-based awards, ~48-hour transfers After November 16, 2011 they will be one program, Avios. We still do not know the full details!

10. Which SkyTeam Partner? None of them (Just kidding!) DeltaPositives: Instant transfers, flexible routing, only fuel surcharges on flights that start abroadNegatives: Broken website, inflated award tiers, no one-waysGood awards- US to Africa with a stopover in Europe for 120k in business, 150k in business to Australia on V Australia (plus $600) Flying BluePositives: 50% off promo awards, one-ways, instant transfersNegatives~ Huge fuel surchargesGood awards- Most promo awards, Israel (included as Europe). Nov-Dec promos from Chicago, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Miami, Orlando, Seattle, DC and Detroit. AlitaliaPositives: Partners: Etihad, Jet, Malaysia, QantasNegatives: No one ways, sometimes flaky phone reservation agentsGood awards- 50/80 North America to Europe, 50/75 Deep South America, 50% off awards Nov 1-March 24, 2012.

11. Non-Alliance Partners Airtran: 1,500 points = 1 credit. No huge value, except if/when Airtran credits will convert to become Southwest companion pass qualifying points Virgin Atlantic: Generally huge fuel surcharges. Upgrades might make sense El Al: Huge amount of miles needed for awards Frontier: Decent for expensive domestic awards like Aspen- no business/first JetBlue: 1: .8 transfer ratio. Fixed value miles worth only about a cent a piece. Not worth it. Hawaiian: Intra-island flights for as low as 7,500 miles. Partners with Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Continental (limited) and Korean. Virgin America- Fixed value redemption- usually smarter to redeem Pay With Points instead so you earn points on the flights.

12. Transfer Bonuses Recent bonus opportunities Delta: 50% and 25,000 MQMs, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% British Airways: 50%, 40% Virgin Atlantic: 15%El Al: 25%Air Tran: 25%Iberia: 20%Aeromexico: 25%Starwood: 50%

13. Membership Rewards- Hotel Transfers Choice: 1:1Starwood 3:1Hilton 1: 1.5Best Western 1:1Priority Club 1:1Jumeirah 23:1

14. Current Sign-up Offers Mercedes Benz Platinum- 50,000. $495 annual fee Platinum- 25,000. $450 annual fee Premier Rewards Gold- 15,000. $175 annual fee waived first year Gold- 10,000. $125 annual fee Green- 0. $95 annual fee waived first year Bumping bonuses debacle Look out for targeted offers!

15. Pay With Points • Easy, but fixed value: 1 cent (1.25 for Platinum/Centurion) • A $5,000 business class ticket would require 500,000 points! • Could be an okay decision for cheap domestic tickets • Earns elite status just like a purchased ticket

16. Ways to Maximize Earning • Bonuspointsmall.com • Extra points per dollar on popular merchants (4x points on Apple, 3x on Alaska Airlines) • Bonus travel opportunities: 1,000 bonus points when you stay at a Sheraton, Aloft or Element and pay with your Amex MR card • Link Like Love • Connect with Foursquare for bonuses and discounts • Amex gift cards

17. Chase Ultimate Rewards 1:1 transfer partners with Continental, United, British Airways, Korean, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club and Amtrak You can combine points with anyone else No fees when transferring to airlines! You can transfer to anyone else Points post right after statement closes No transfer bonuses (yet)

18. Chase Ultimate Rewards Current offers: Sapphire Preferred: 50,000 after $3,000 spend within 3 months. $95 annual fee waived the first year. No foreign transaction fees. Ink Bold: 50,000 after $5,000 spend within 3 months. $95 annual fee waived the first year.