How to Get 2 Round-Trips (or 4 One-Ways) to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and in US With Starwood Card Bonus [OFFER EXPIRED]

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Visit beautiful beaches, take a partner on a romantic getaway, or go hiking in the mountains to spot wildlife.

You can use your Starwood points to get 2 round-trip off-peak coach flights (or 4 one-ways) to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America, on American Airlines when you book award flights.

How To Get 2 Round Trips Or 4 One Ways To The Caribbean Mexico Central America And In US With Starwood Card Bonus
Costa Rica Has Gorgeous Beaches, Mountains, and Fun Activities Like River Rafting! Get There With American Airlines Miles – Bring a Friend Because the Current AMEX Starwood Card Bonus Enough for 2 Round-Trip Flights!

I’ll show you how to get there with 50,000 American Airlines miles.  And how you’ll have enough with the current 35,000 point offers on the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express personal and small business cards!

Earn 35,000 Starwood Points With the AMEX Starwood Cards

Link:   Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

Link:   Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express

Link:   How to Fill Out an American Express Business Card Application

Link:   How to Use Starwood Points

Apply before March 30, 2016, to earn the increased bonus on both cards.  You’ll get:
  • 35,000 Starwood points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the 1st 3 months of opening your account (personal card), OR
  • 35,000 Starwood points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the 1st 3 months of opening your account (small business card)
  • 2 points per $1 you spend at Starwood hotels (includes AloftDesign Hotels, Element, Four Points, Le Meridien, Sheraton, St Regis, The Luxury CollectionTribute Portfolio, Westin and W brand hotels)
  • 1 Starwood point per $1 you spend on everything else
  • Unlimited use of Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots (excluding in-flight)
  • For small business cardholders, access to Sheraton Club lounges (free breakfast and hors d’oeuvres) for cardholder and 1 guest staying in the same room (3rd party bookings are excluded).
  • 2 stay credits or 5 night credits toward Starwood Elite Status
  • $95 annual fee, waived for the 1st year
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Terms & limitations apply
Note:   American Express only allows folks to get the sign-up bonus ONCE per person, per lifetime on ALL their cards.

Get 2 Round-Trip Flights or 4 One-Ways on American Airlines With 35,000 Starwood Points

Link:   Book American Airlines Award Flights Like a Pro

Starwood points transfer to ~30 airline partners, including American Airlines.

When you transfer 20,000 Starwood points to an airline with a 1:1 ratio with Starwood (like American Airlines), you’ll get 5,000 bonus miles.  So your 20,000 Starwood points become 25,000 American Airlines miles!

How To Get 2 Round Trips Or 4 One Ways To The Caribbean Mexico Central America And In US With Starwood Card Bonus
Coach Flights Within the US, and Off-Peak Flights to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America Will Cost 12,500 American Airlines Miles Each Way. Get a Round-Trip Flight When You Transfer 40,000 Starwood Points to American Airlines!

You’ll have at least 38,000 OR 40,000 Starwood points after completing the minimum spending requirements, depending on which version of the card you get.

When you transfer 40,000 Starwood points, you’ll end up with 50,000 American Airlines miles (with the 5,000 mile bonus for every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer).  That’s enough for a 2 round-trip coach award tickets:

  • To the Caribbean
  • To Mexico
  • To Central America
  • Within the US
Off-peak dates to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America are September 7, through November 14.  And April 27, through May 20.  If you travel during those windows, you can get a round-trip coach award ticket for 25,000 American Airlines miles (or 12,500 American Airlines miles each way).

Other times of the year, flights cost 15,000 American Airlines miles each way.

How To Get 2 Round Trips Or 4 One Ways To The Caribbean Mexico Central America And In US With Starwood Card Bonus
Visit Mexico for Just 12,500 American Airlines Miles 1-Way During the Off-Peak Season

For example, I found lots of great flights from Chicago to Managua, Nicaragua.  The seats I found will cost 12,500 American Airlines miles each way now that American Airlines has  updated its award chart.  Flights to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America, are decreasing in price!

How To Get 2 Round Trips Or 4 One Ways To The Caribbean Mexico Central America And In US With Starwood Card Bonus
Go Surfing in Nicaragua! And Get a Great Deal on Round-Flights!

You can start your travels from any point in the continental US for NO additional miles!  And, you can also travel to the Caribbean or Mexico for the same number of miles.

How To Get 2 Round Trips Or 4 One Ways To The Caribbean Mexico Central America And In US With Starwood Card Bonus
Prefer the Caribbean, or Mexico? The Off-Peak Dates and Award Prices Are the Same. Visit Other Destinations Like Aruba, Cancun, & Cozumel!

For example, I found award seats from Seattle to Aruba for the same off-peak price.

How To Get 2 Round Trips Or 4 One Ways To The Caribbean Mexico Central America And In US With Starwood Card Bonus
Fly American Airlines to Flagstaff, Arizona, to Explore the Nearby Red Hills of Sedona. Or Drive to the Grand Canyon to See 1 of Our Most Treasured National Parks!

You can also fly to any airport served by American Airlines within the mainland US, like Flagstaff, Arizona.  From there, you can visit Sedona.  Or even drive to Grand Canyon National Park, which is only an hour away, for a family vacation!

American Airlines also has service near lots of other National Parks, including Yellowstone and Glacier National Park!

Need More American Airlines Miles?

Link:   Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® – 50,000 Mile Offer

Link:   Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® – 50,000 Mile Offer

Link:   CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® – 50,000 Mile Offer

When you get both AMEX personal and small business cards, and complete the minimum spending requirements, you’ll have at least 78,000 Starwood points.

When you build your balance to 80,000 Starwood points through everyday spending, you can transfer them to American Airlines and receive 100,000 American Airlines miles!

And, you can have both versions of the card, because they’re considered different card products.

If you want more American Airlines miles, you can earn 50,000 American Airlines miles with the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card or CitiBusiness AAdvantage Select card after making $3,000 in purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening your account.  The $95 on each card is waived the 1st year.

You can also earn 50,000 American Airlines miles with the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

The $450 annual fee is NOT waived the 1st year, but comes with Admirals Club membership with guest privileges, priority boarding, and 1 free checked bag for you and up to 4 companions traveling on the same domestic itinerary.

These perks can offset the annual fee, especially if you fly often on American Airlines!

The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom Line

35,000 Starwood points is the highest sign-up bonus ever for the AMEX Starwood Preferred Guest personal or small business cards.

You’ll end up with at least 38,000 OR 40,000 Starwood points, depending on which card you get, after completing the minimum spending requirements.

Every time you transfer 20,000 Starwood points to American Airlines, you’ll get 5,000 bonus miles.  So 40,000 Starwood points is worth 50,000 American Airlines miles!

That’s enough for a 2 round-trip coach award flights (or 4 one-way flights) to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Central America, during off-peak periods when you book after March 22, 2016! Off-peak dates are September 7, through November 14.  And April 27, through May 20. 50,000 American Airlines miles is also enough for 2 round-trip award flights anywhere in the mainland US! You can apply for both AMEX Starwood cards, or open an American Airlines credit card, like the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card, to boost your American Airlines balance.

Where in the Caribbean, Mexico, or Central America, would you visit?

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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