Transfer Hotel Points to Airlines for Discounted Flights, Starwood Points on Sale AGAIN, Plastiq Gets Easier to Use, & More!

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

1.   Buy United Airlines and Cathay Pacific Miles for 1.67 Cents Each

One Mile at a Time points out that the latest IHG points sale can be a good way to effectively buy airline miles at a discount.

As a reminder, you can buy IHG points for as little as 0.5 cents each through TODAY, June 15, 2018, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.  You’ll have to buy at least 5,000 points in a single transaction to trigger the bonus.

Both United Airlines and Cathay Pacific are offering folks a 50% bonus when they convert hotel points into airline miles.  With this bonus, you’ll get an improved ratio of 10:3 (10,000 IHG points = 3,000 miles).

So, for example, if you bought 100,000 IHG points and received another 100,000 IHG points as a bonus, you’d pay $1,000 for 200,000 points.  Which converts into 60,000 United Airlines or Cathay Pacific miles!  That’s enough for:

• One-way Business Class flight from Chicago to Paris on United Airlines, that normally costs $2,000+ or 60,000 United Airlines miles
• Round-Trip coach flight from Los Angeles to Istanbul, that normally costs ~$1,200 or 60,000 United Airlines miles
• One-Way Premium Economy flight from New York to Hong Kong, that normally costs ~$1,300 or 60,000 Cathay Pacific miles

We don’t normally suggest buying miles & points unless you have a specific award flight in mind.  But if you’re confident you can get a better value from your airline miles than 1.67 cents each, this sale makes sense for you!

Note:   You can only buy 100,000 IHG points per year, before bonuses.  So with this 100% bonus, you’ll be able to buy a total of 200,000 IHG points.

You can buy IHG points at a discount here.

2.   Use Your Credit Card With Plastiq Via ACH and Wire Transfer

Plastiq is a service that allows you to pay any bill (businesses or individuals) with a credit card.  That includes bills that do NOT accept credit cards, like mortgages, rent, and car payments.

Now, Plastiq is offering wire transfers and ACH direct deposits!  Here’s what you can expect:

• Same-day payment for domestic wire transfers
• Next-day payment for international wire transfers
• 1 to 3 business days for ACH direct deposit

To use these options, you’ll have to know the routing number and account number of the individual receiving the money.  There are no additional fees for an ACH direct deposit, but there is an additional $30 fee for a wire transfer.

Folks in the miles & points hobby like Plastiq because it’s an easy way to help meet minimum spending requirements.  But because Plastiq usually charges a 2.5% fee for their services, it’s usually NOT a good idea to use the service just to earn extra miles & points.  There are other restrictions, too.

But Plastiq can be a very powerful tool in getting Big Travel with Small Money!  See how team member Keith used Plastiq to get thousands of dollars in free travel!

3.   Starwood Points Are On Sale Again!

Two weeks after their last sale, Starwood is once again selling Starwood points for 35% off!  This sale lasts through July 20, 2018.

Starwood points are handy for Starwood and Marriott hotel stays.  But you can also transfer your points to fantastic airline partners, like American Airlines and Delta!  So this sale will let you “buy” airline miles for less than the airlines charge!

Plus, when you transfer Starwood points to airlines with a 1:1 transfer ratio in increments of 20,000, you’ll get a bonus 5,000 airline miles!

This can be great for folks who have certain award stays in mind, and can use the points to potentially “buy” a night at a discount.  Or for folks who want to top off their airline mile accounts.

For example, I’m spending 2 nights at a category 1 Marriott hotel outside Chicago this weekend.  It costs 7,500 Marriott points per night.  So with this 35% bonus, I could “buy” a weekend here for just ~$114 total (~$114 for 5,000 Starwood points X 3 Marriott points per Starwood point = 15,000 Marriott points).

Check out the sale here if you’re interested!

4.   Targeted:   $60 Off a Starwood Hotel Stay of $300+

AMEX Offers are a fantastic way to save money on everyday purchases.  They’re targeted statement credits or bonus points that only folks with American Express cards receive, for things like shopping, travel, and dining.

Check your AMEX cards to see if you’re targeted for a $60 statement credit for spending $300+ on room rates and room charges at Starwood hotels!  This offer is valid through September 4, 2018.  It’s not valid at Design Hotels, all Marriott brand hotel properties, residences, Vistana Vacation, and any timeshares.

This is a nice discount if you’re planning a stay with Starwood anyway!

If you want to make sure you never miss valuable miles & points promos like this, sign up for our email newsletter!