Why Starwood Points Rule

I get asked what my “go-to” credit card is. Well, when I’m not trying to meet a minimum spend, it’s the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex. Why?

  • Starwood points are the most flexible (see the airline mile partners here).
  • For every 20,000 points you transfer into miles, you get a 5,000 mile bonus.
  • If you’re short on hotel points (most people), the Cash + Points hotel options are incredible.
On top of that, they have transfer bonuses every so often. In March, it was a 50% bonus to US Airways. Right now, it’s a 25% bonus to British Airways. 
***No, British miles aren’t the best around, but they are giving out bonuses like candy (see the 30% bonus from Membership Rewards). ***

Contests

A few current contests for those of you who enter these (I’m one of you):

  • Cathay Pacific trip to Hong Kong here
  • 3-night Wyndam getaway here (Facebook)
  • 100,000 JetBlue points here (Facebook)
  • 1 million Southwest Airlines miles here 
  • Trip to the Maldives here

Allied Passport & Visa

Guys, when I started this blog, I had no clue it would ever bring friendships into my life. That’s been a total surprise. I’m so touched by all the people reaching out…it really blows my mind…so I want to tell you about one friend I’ve made who can help in your travels…

Steve Gempeler and I started talking because he was AwardWallet’s Director of Marketing. I’m a huge, huge fan of AwardWallet (as everyone knows), so we ended up becoming friends. Steve now co-owns a visa and passport service in DC, and they’re the best at what they do. They’ll help you get your international travel visas, and their customer service is shockingly good. I’d love to pass business on to someone who deserves it, so check them out at AlliedPassport.com. They can help with any country that requires a visa. Other bloggers (even you shady ones), please feel free to copy this post. I’ve had visa issues in the past, so I’m happy to say these guys are the best I’ve ever seen. Way to go, Steve!

Tuesday Hustle

  • Awesome Friends & Family sale from Hilton 
  • Miles for doing surveys from Opinion Place
  • 1200 American Airlines miles buying Bose headphones here
  • Quadruple American Airlines miles renting with Hertz 
  • 30 American miles per dollar from 1-800-Flowers here
  • 500 bonus miles when spending $250 at the Delta shopping mall 

You guys having issues finding Vanilla Reload cards should add some new words to your dictionary (Wells Fargo Prepaid, Target Amex, Paypal Debit, MyVanilla, and GreenDot). More info to come.

Repost

I can’t imagine anyone missed my post from last Monday. But I promised I’d repost it today, so here it is.