Combine Points From These 2 Sign-Up Bonuses for Ultimate Travel Experiences

  • Million Mile Secrets

    • 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. 

    I recently shared 7 fun travel goals for folks who earn the limited time AMEX Starwood sign-up bonus, which ends April 5, 2017. 

    But you can set your goals even higher if you combine the AMEX Starwood sign-up bonus with the limited time Chase Marriott card offer.  With the 2 sign-up bonuses, you can earn a total of 75,000 Starwood points after meeting spending requirements.

    Then, use the versatile Starwood points to book a once-in-a-lifetime stay at top Starwood hotels.  Or transfer points to airline partners for free flights!

    With the AMEX Starwood and Chase Marriott Card Sign-Up Bonuses, You’ll Have Enough Points for 2 Free Nights at the Luxurious Gritti Palace Hotel in Venice, Italy!

    I’ll share how you can use 75,000 Starwood points for free hotel stays, flights, and more!

    Earn 75,000 Starwood Points With Limited Time Offers

    Link:   Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

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

    Link:   My Review of the Best-Ever 35,000 Point Sign-Up Bonus With AMEX Starwood Cards

    Link:   Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card

    Link:   My Review of the Limited Time Chase Marriott 100,000-Point Sign-Up Bonus

    You can earn 100,000 Marriott points with the increased sign-up bonus on the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

    So you’ll have a total of 105,000 Marriott points (100,000-point sign-up bonus + 5,000 points from minimum spending).  That’s the same as 35,000 Starwood points because you can transfer points between your Marriott to Starwood account at a 3:1 ratio.

    You Can Instantly Transfer Marriott Points to Starwood Points!

    And until April 5, 2017, you can earn 40,000 Starwood points with the AMEX Starwood card after meeting minimum spending requirements (35,000 point sign-up bonus + 5,000 points from minimum spending).

    You’ll earn 25,000 Starwood points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.  And 10,000 more Starwood points for spending another $2,000 on purchases within the first 6 months.

    So earning the sign-up bonus and meeting the spending on both cards can get you 75,000 Starwood points!

    Note:   I only recommend applying for the 2 cards if you’re comfortable meeting the minimum spending requirements on both.

    And while it’s nice to have lots of points saved up, I recommend using your points!  Especially because there’s potential for changes to the Starwood and Marriott loyalty programs.

    Here are some example travel goals you can achieve with your Starwood points!

    1.   Nights & Flights Redemption, Including Disney World Packages

    Link:   Get a Disney World Vacation With Starwood Points!

    With Starwood Nights & Flights, you can book 5-night award stays AND get 50,000 airline miles when you redeem:

    I’ve shared how you can redeem points this way for Disney World packages.  But there are plenty of other options too!

    For example, you can choose the 70,000-point package and get a 5-night stay at the Aloft Brussels Schuman.

    With a Starwood Nights Nights & Flights Package, You Can Book a 5-Night Stay in Brussels and Explore Place du Luxembourg!

    And you can select Etihad as your airline to receive 50,000 miles.

    With 50,000 Etihad miles, you can get an amazing deal on award flights from from New York (JFK) to Brussels on Brussels Airlines.  For a round-trip award flight, you’ll pay:

    So the 50,000 miles you get from the Nights & Flights package is enough for 2 round-trip coach flights or 1 Business Class flight.

    Paying cash for a similar 5-night stay and 2 round-trip coach flights can easily cost more than $2,000.  So you’ll save lots of money with just 2 card sign-up bonuses!

    Check out my step-by-step guide to using Etihad miles for Brussels Airlines award flights.

    2.   Once in a Lifetime Experience at Top Starwood Hotels

    With 75,000 Starwood points, you can book 2 nights at top tier Category 7 Starwood hotels.  These hotels require 30,000 to 35,000 Starwood points per night depending on your travel dates.

    You can use points to save $1,000+ per night at hotels like Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai or 

    This is a great way to use points if you’re celebrating a special occasion, like a honeymoon or birthday.  For example, team member Keith used 30,000 Starwood points to stay at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort with his wife for an anniversary celebration.

    Celebrate a Special Occasion or Just Book a Relaxing Getaway at Top Tier Starwood Hotels, Like The St. Regis Punta Mita!
    Note:   Many Category 7 Starwood hotels only show limited available award nights online.  You might have to call Starwood at 888-625-4988 to redeem Starwood points for a free night.

    3.   Extra Long Stays to Explore a New Region

    Link:   Starwood Category 2 Hotels

    75,000 Starwood points is enough for 20 consecutive award nights at Starwood category 2 hotels.  Using points this way can be a great opportunity to explore a city or country for an extended time period!

    You get a discount on weekend award nights at Category 2 hotels.  So you’ll pay:

    For example, I found a 20 night award stay you can book at the Aloft Panama.

    Exploring Panama for an Extended Period? You Can Stay 20 Nights at the Aloft Panama Using 75,000 Starwood Points from 2 Card Sign-Up Bonuses

    Paying cash for a similar hotel stay or an Airbnb can be expensive!  So redeeming points can be a great option.

    4.   Award Flights With ~30 Airline Transfer Partners

    Link:   How 1 Card Bonus = 1 Round-Trip Business Class Flight or 2 in Coach!

    You can transfer Starwood points to ~30 airline partners.  And for every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer, you’ll receive a 5,000 mile bonus.

    This means 75,000 Starwood points can get you 90,000 airline miles.

    Because you’ll get three 5,000 mile bonuses after transferring 60,000 Starwood points (3 X 5,000 mile bonuses + 60,000 miles = 75,000 airline miles).  And you can transfer the remaining 15,000 Starwood points for a total of 90,000 airline miles.

    Depending on your flight plans, there are lots of ways you can use these points.  For example, you’ll have more than enough miles to book 3 round-trip Delta coach award flights from Los Angeles to New York.

    Transferring 75,000 Starwood Points to Delta Gives You More Than Enough Miles to Book 3 Round-Trip Coach Award Flights From Los Angeles to New York

    Or you can splurge and transfer Starwood points to Singapore Airlines to book a First Class Suites award ticket from New York to Frankfurt, which costs 76,000 Singapore Airlines miles.

    With the AMEX Starwood and Chase Marriott Sign-Up Bonuses, You Can Combine Points and Book a One-Way Ticket on Singapore Airlines First Class Suites!

    5.   Unforgettable SPG Moments

    Link:   SPG Moments

    Sports fans, foodies, and music lovers can use Starwood points for amazing experiences with the SPG Moments program.

    SPG Moments are either auctioned off to the highest bidder or listed for a fixed amount of points.
    With SPG Moments You Can Get Tickets to Attend Once-in-a-Lifetime Experiences, Like the US Open Tournament!

    Sometimes, the exclusive experiences can’t be purchased with cash.  So using Starwood points can be the only way to get in on the action!

    Recent experiences listed on the SPG Moments page included tickets and a behind-the scenes tour at the Coachella music festival in California.  New events are always being added to the site.  So I recommend checking periodically to see if something catches your eye.

    Bottom Line

    You can earn a total of 75,000 Starwood points with the limited time AMEX Starwood and Chase Marriott offers.  This includes the points you’ll earn from the sign-up bonuses and minimum spending requirements.

    You’ll have lots of ways to use these Starwood points for Big Travel!  For example, you can redeem 70,000 Starwood points for a Nights & Flights package and get 5-nights in Brussels and 2 round-trip coach award flights.

    Or you can book a once-in-a-lifetime stay at top tier Starwood hotels like the Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai, which regularly costs $1,000+ per night.

    What’s your most memorable Starwood point redemption?

    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! :)
    Exit mobile version