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Although Starpoints is just the loyalty currency of Starwood Hotels (Starwood), it has historically been one of the most valuable points currencies among all major programs (UR, MR, TYP, etc.). What makes it special is that hotel redemptions can be very attractive, especially with the cash+points option. It also stands out for airline transfers: not only does it have many transfer partners, but it also offers an extra bonus when you transfer points. That is why the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) credit card, which earns starpoints, became so popular. Many people looked forward every year to the limited-time 30,000-point welcome bonus and rushed to grab this signup bonus worth at least $700. For everyday spending in categories without bonus rewards (non-category bonus), the SPG credit card was also a top choice.

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[11/1 Update] SPG points are now on sale for as much as 50% off, which brings the cost down to about 1.75c per point, the lowest ever. After buying points, you can convert them to Marriott points at a 1: 3 ratio, which can be useful for Marriott Hotel + Air Packages. Each account can buy up to 30,000 points. The discount varies by account, ranging from 25%-50% off; you can see your offer after logging in.

Basics

Starwood Hotels (Starwood) included brands such as Four Points, Aloft, Westin, Sheraton, and St. Regis. Starpoints was the points program launched by Starwood Hotels. You could earn points through hotel stays, hotel promotions, cobranded credit card signup bonuses, and everyday card spending. Points could be redeemed for free stays, transferred to airline miles, or used to pay for airfare directly. If used well, every 10,000 points could easily be worth $240+.

How to earn points

All 1x figures below mean earning 1 starpoints per $1 spent. Any standalone numbers are in starpoints.

  • [New] Marriott points transfer: after linking the two accounts, Marriott points can be transferred to your SPG account at 3: 1, and the transfer is instant
  • Starwood hotel spending: Platinum and Gold members earn 3x; other members earn 2x
  • Starwood hotel promotions:
    • From time to time there are extra bonuses on stays, such as 1,500 bonus points for a paid night; these are usually announced by email or require registration on the official website
    • Elite members may choose points (500) as their welcome amenity at check-in
    • You can participate in Green Choice during a stay to earn a certain number of points per day (250-500)
    • Small promotions such as sweepstakes, installing the app, or subscribing to emails may also earn a few points
    • You can buy SPG points directly; 500 points cost $17.5 (buy points details), and there are usually several sales each year
  • Cobranded credit card: Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) credit card (25,000-30,000 signup bonus, 2x on hotel spending, 1x on other spending)
  • Other partner promotions:

How to use points:

  • Starwood hotel redemptions:
    • You can redeem points directly for hotel stays, and the number of points required depends on the hotel category. Cat1-Cat7 require 3,000, 7,000, 10,000, 12,000-16,000, 20,000-25,000, and 30,000-35,000 respectively. For Cat3 and above, redeem four consecutive nights and get the fifth night free. Weekend redemptions may require fewer points, and cash+points is often a better value for hotel stays.
    • Redeem for room upgrades or breakfast
  • Transfer to airline miles (for every 20,000 points transferred, you automatically receive an extra 5,000 miles)
  • You can transfer points to another person: the other person's SPG account address must match the one on your account exactly; transferring too much may carry some risk
  • You can also use points to pay for airfare directly (similar to redeeming UR, MR, and TYP points directly for flights, with a fixed point value)
    • The redemption ratio is poor, so this is generally not recommended

Points program features

  • Account feature: points are kept in your SPG membership account (not your credit card account)
  • Expiration: if there is no earning activity, redemption activity, or eligible stay in the account within 12 months, points will expire (so even transferring a small number of points to an airline program can keep them active; of course, if you have the SPG credit card, making one small purchase will also generate points and extend the expiration date)
  • Earning timeline:
    • Points from stays usually post the day after check out; timing for other promotions varies
    • The signup bonus from the cobranded credit card posts to your SPG account 1-2 days after you meet the spending requirement; regular spending posts to your SPG account 1-2 days after the statement closes
  • Transfer features
    • To transfer points, you need to provide your airline frequent flyer number; in general, your name and address must match exactly
    • Transfers to most airline mileage programs are not instant and usually take 3-14 days
    • Transfers are irreversible; the minimum is generally 2500 for regular members, 2000 for Gold members, and 1500 for Platinum members
    • For every 20,000 points converted to airline miles, you automatically receive 5,000 bonus miles, so after the transfer posts you will see a total of 25,000 miles in your airline frequent flyer account.

How to transfer points:

  • First, you need a frequent flyer or hotel loyalty account with the program you want to transfer to. If you do not have one, register on the official website first.
  • Log in to your SPG account on the official website and find transfer mile to airline. Or click here to choose a transfer option and log in
  • Select the airline you want to transfer to and enter the amount
  • Do not forget to check your airline or hotel loyalty account afterward to confirm that the points have posted

Redeeming hotels

SPG points can be redeemed at participating hotels, with the number of points required based on the hotel category (Cat). Below are the hotels included in each Cat level (clicking will automatically redirect; before the redirect happens, click the browser's stop button X). The points required per night are shown in parentheses:

Hotel needs vary from person to person, so it is hard to find one redemption strategy that works for everyone. Some people are already very happy redeeming for Cat 2-3 hotels (roughly corresponding to $100-$200 properties), while others prefer luxury hotels. At the same time, the value of points also depends on the individual. Some people like to say that they used 3,000 points for a room worth $150, which means they got $0.05 per point in value, so their SPG credit card is effectively like a 5% cash back card. Others would argue that the $150 room rate is inflated, and that with a Priceline Bid, they could get a similar room for only $80. Either way, let’s look at two examples below: one mid-to-upscale hotel and one budget hotel. For the specific points booking method, see: Booking Disney SPG hotels

Example 1: New York Aloft, non-smoking: King Bed, 285 sq ft / 26 m², 42-inch flat-screen LCD TV, Oversized shower. The cash+points option is better than redeeming points directly. In effect, you are paying 110 to buy 6,000 points, which is much better than buying points directly from the official website.

  • Value from redeeming points directly: $269/12,000 = $0.022/starpoint
  • Value from the cash+points option: ($265-$110)/6,000 = $0.025
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Example 2: A budget Category 2 hotel near Disney, which ultimately yielded $0.05 per Starpoint. For a detailed analysis, see: Disney hotel booking

Features and examples of some transfer partners

This section only covers some beginner-level redemptions. If you want to redeem for more powerful sweet spots, please refer to this site’s mileage program guides. In the examples below, award tickets were searched on the airlines’ official websites, and the corresponding cash fares were checked on Google Flights.

American Airline (AA)

Features: The transfer ratio is 1:1, and transfers usually post in about a week. For every 20,000 points transferred at one time, you get an extra 5,000 miles. Sometimes AA also runs special transfer promotions: for every 20,000 Starpoints transferred, you receive 25,000 AA miles, and then AA adds another 5,000 miles, so 20,000 Starpoints = 30,000 AA miles (see details). AA redemptions for business class are especially attractive: only 55,000 miles are needed for a one-way business class ticket between China and the U.S., while economy costs 35,000 miles one-way.

British Airways (BA)

Features: The transfer ratio is 1:1, and transfers post in 7-14 days. For every 20,000 points transferred at one time, you get an extra 5,000 miles. This is especially useful for short domestic U.S. flights, short U.S.-Canada flights, China-Japan routes, domestic Japan routes, and certain China-U.S. city pairs. Be sure to watch out for high fuel surcharges. When searching, just select award ticket search on BA’s official website. For a more detailed introduction, see: BA mileage program guide

Example: New York-Hong Kong (JFK-HKG) one-way, lowest price $666, same flight priced at $788

  • Redemption value (35,000 Starpoints = 35,000 Avios = $788), which works out to $0.02 per SPG point
  • Taking into account the 5,000 bonus for transferring 20,000 points, and prorating accordingly, the redemption value is $0.025 per point
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ANA

Features: 1:1 transfer ratio, with transfers posting in 1-2 weeks. For every 20,000 points transferred at one time, you get an extra 5,000 miles. This is good for round-trip tickets between China and the U.S. (60,000 miles). Note that ANA miles expire after two years and are not extended by account activity, so transfer only when you actually need them. For more details, see: ANA mileage guide 1, ANA mileage guide 2.

Example 1: New York-Beijing (JFK-BEIJING) round-trip, same flight priced at $1,211

  • Redemption value (60,000 Starpoints = 60,000 ANA = $1,211), giving $0.02 per SPG point redeemed (or $0.024 when accounting for the transfer bonus)
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Air Canada (AC)

Features: Transfer ratio of 1:1, with transfers usually posting in about a week. For every 20,000 points transferred at one time, you get an extra 5,000 miles. Air Canada sometimes also runs special promotions: transfer 50,000 points to Air Canada and receive an extra 10,000 miles. Therefore, 40,000 Starpoints = 50,000 AC miles = 60,000 AC miles, which is quite good (see details). Air Canada can be used for one-way China-U.S. economy at 37,500 miles, business class at 75,000 miles, and round-trip economy between China and Southeast Asia or Japan at 20,000 miles, or round-trip business class at 30,000 miles, making it especially good for booking Southeast Asia trips for family members.

Example 1: Shanghai to Singapore (PVG-SIN) business class, same flight priced at $3,200. Redemption value: (30,000 Starpoints = 30,000 miles = $3,200), which gives $0.1 per SPG point in value (or $0.12 when considering the SPG transfer bonus, and $0.15 when also considering the Air Canada transfer bonus)

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Advantages of other airline mileage programs (by OneMoreDay)

Some of the best-value options include the following:

  • American Airlines miles (AA): One of the best values for Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and other business/first class awards on China-U.S. routes. For redemption guides, see chanye’s AA mileage redemption beginner guide and advanced guide 1.
  • Air Canada miles (AC): Best value for Star Alliance business class on U.S.-Europe routes and round-trip tickets between China and the U.S. For redemption guides, see AC mileage guide (1) and AC mileage guide (2).
  • Japan Airlines miles (JL): Short hops within the U.S. can cost as little as 10,000 miles (the SPG credit card sign-up bonus can get you three tickets!).

    For redemption details, see JL mileage guide (2).

  • Alaska Airlines miles (AS): Great value for Cathay Pacific business and first class, with an exceptionally generous free stopover on one-way awards, and even access to Emirates A380 first class. For more, see Introduction to AS Miles (1) and Introduction to AS Miles (2).
  • ANA miles (ANA): The best Star Alliance business-class option for US–China routes.

    For redemption details, see Introduction to ANA Miles (1) and Introduction to ANA Miles (2).

  • British Airways miles (BA): The king of short-haul Oneworld redemptions, with no real substitute. For redemption details, see Introduction to BA Miles (1).
  • Virgin Atlantic miles (VS): One of the best ways to redeem for ANA round-trip first class between China and the US, and an outstanding value for Air China first class between China and the UK. For redemption details, see Introduction to VS Miles (1).
  • Singapore Airlines miles (SQ): To be continued.
  • Korean Air miles (KE): Excellent for Hawaii, and also a great value for SkyTeam round-trip business class between the US and Europe and round-trip first class between China and the US. For redemption details, see Introduction to Korean Air Miles (1).
  • Delta Air Lines miles (DL): To be continued.

Brief Comments (by metahacker)

  • American Airlines AAdvantage: This has always been one of the author's favorite airline programs. The miles are quite valuable and relatively easy to earn. You can build them up through various Citi AA credit cards, or by flying AA directly. The minor drawback is the limited number of transfer partners. One-way awards to China cost 37,500/70,000/110,000 in economy/business/first class, respectively. Recommended uses include booking Japan Airlines (JAL), Cathay Pacific (CX), or the Middle Eastern luxury carrier Etihad Airways.
  • Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan: Even more valuable than AA miles. A one-way Cathay Pacific business- or first-class award between China and the US costs only 50,000/70,000 miles. Also, since Alaska’s partners span all three major airline alliances, especially Oneworld, it is very convenient for trips back to China.
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: It is a transfer partner of Membership Rewards, Ultimate Rewards, and ThankYou Rewards, making it one of the easiest programs to accumulate miles in. Premium-cabin award space on Singapore Airlines’ own flights can only be booked with KrisFlyer miles.
  • Air France/KLM Flying Blue: Both are in SkyTeam, and you can use the program for many China-bound tickets on China Eastern (MU) and China Southern (CZ). Air France and KLM are also very convenient for travel to Europe. Flying Blue often offers Promo Awards, and round-trip flights from the US to Europe can cost as little as 37,500 miles!
  • British Airways Executive Club: 7,500 points can get you a short domestic US flight of up to 1,100mi.
  • Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: Great service, but award availability is very poor during peak season (Christmas).
  • Air Canada Aeroplan: Easier to accumulate than UA miles, though the redemption value is a bit weaker.
  • Delta SkyMiles: The notoriously inflated “SkyPesos,” but this year Delta suddenly showed some generosity (a last flash of conscience?) and released a lot of award tickets. Not the best program for long-term accumulation, but worth using if you find a good award.
  • ANA: ANA miles are also extremely valuable because you can redeem 95,000 miles for a round-trip business-class ticket between China and the US. They are usually transferred from MR, with SPG points serving as a supplement when MR is insufficient.
  • There are also some other programs that we will not cover in detail here: AeroMexico, Air Berlin, Air China PhoenixMiles, Alitalia, Asiana, China Eastern, China Southern, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Hawaiian, Japan Airlines (JAL), LAN, Lufthansa Miles and More, Qatar Airways, Saudia, THAI, and Virgin Atlantic.

SPG Points Value

The value of SPG points lies first in hotel redemptions, which can be extremely worthwhile. As shown in hotel redemption example 2, redeeming for cat2 hotels offers the best value. On weekends, it costs only 3000 points, and with green choice plus elite-member welcome bonus rebates, the points can come back fairly quickly. Of course, for luxury hotel redemptions at higher cat levels, the point value is not as strong. At the same time, redemptions for cat3 and above come with a stay-four-get-one-free benefit, which is also nice for five-night trips. For Platinum members, even if you redeem points for a low-cat hotel, you can still be upgraded to a suite, so using points for cat3 hotels is still a good deal. Overall, it is fairly easy to get $0.03 per point on low-cat hotel redemptions; after discounting a bit for conservatism, $0.025 per point is a reasonable estimate.

For airline transfers, the biggest drawback is the relatively long transfer time (most MR and UR transfers post instantly). This creates real trouble for booking award tickets: during peak travel periods, it is easy to run into situations where your points have not yet arrived but the award space is already gone. Therefore, SPG points are better suited to medium- or long-term travel planning. Of course, the 5,000-point bonus when transferring 20,000 points, combined with bonuses from transfer partners, can make the effective transfer ratio as high as 1:1.5. This is also one major reason people put everyday spending on the SPG credit card: with a co-branded airline card such as AA, spending $1 earns only 1 mile, while with the SPG credit card you can effectively get up to 1.5 miles. More importantly, SPG has a broader set of transfer partners spanning all three major airline alliances: Star Alliance members (ANA, AC), SkyTeam (Delta), and Oneworld (AA, BA, JAL). That effectively gives you access to award tickets across all three alliances, and also includes Alaska Airlines (AS). Recently, AS also partnered with Hainan Airlines in China, and miles can be redeemed across the two programs, which is another major advantage for people who like flying Chinese domestic carriers on trips back to China. So in general, people consider each SPG point to be worth more than $0.025.

Of course, the value of points is different from cash value and depends entirely on your needs. If you do not really need flights or hotels, then SPG points are probably not a good fit for you, and there is no need to dive deeply into the SPG ecosystem. At the same time, the value of SPG points also differs from person to person depending on airfare needs. First, it depends on which route and which airline you need. For example, on the New York–Toronto route, BA redemptions can yield $0.06 in value, about triple that of other options. In that case, SPG points are extremely valuable for you, and when choosing which credit card to apply for or which card to use for spending, you should prioritize the SPG credit card. Second, the value depends on your redemption skills—how to search for award space, how to work with customer service to book, and so on. All of this requires accumulated experience and knowledge.

In short: if you want to play the points game, do it seriously; otherwise, cash back is probably a better fit.

Conclusion

SPG points are highly sought after because they can be redeemed efficiently for hotels and can also be transferred to airline miles with bonuses. However, SPG points are relatively limited in how you can earn them. If you do not stay at Starwood properties often, then your main sources are the sign-up bonuses mentioned above and everyday credit card spending. That is why whenever people see news like the SPG credit card offering up to 35,000 points (worth $750), they rush to apply. If you have a lot of everyday spending in non-bonus categories—where other credit cards do not offer elevated rewards—such as auto insurance, tuition, Costco, or Sam's Club, then it may be worth applying for this card and using it for those categories. Saving up 20,000 points for an airline transfer or redeeming them for solid-value hotel stays can both be good options. After all, every $1 spent yields $0.025 in value, making it effectively a 2.5% cash-back credit card.