15 Ways Y’all Saved $1000s With Starwood Points!

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I love hearing readers talk about how they like to use miles & points.  So I loved reading your comments from a recent Starwood giveaway!

We asked “what’s the best value you’ve received from Starwood points?”  And y’all have done some amazing things!

The giveaway is now closed.  But if you’d like ideas for how to use your Starwood points to get the Biggest Travel, here are comments from other Million Mile Secrets readers!

Save Money on Vacation With Starwood Points

Starwood points are some of the most flexible and valuable points you can earn!  Here’s how you saved big with Starwood points!

1.   Grand Cayman Getaway

Starwood points are great for dream destinations, like Grand Cayman.  Most hotels on this island are very expensive, and wouldn’t be an option for lots of folks.

But Million Mile Secrets reader Anya used 48,000 Starwood points for a ~$3,000 hotel stay with her daughter!

2.   5th Night Free in London

When you book 5 consecutive award nights at a Starwood (or Marriott) hotel, you’ll get the 5th night free!  That makes Starwood points even more valuable.

Adam used this technique to save even more during his trip to London ($3,250 total!).

3.   Top-Off Airline Account

Starwood has lots of airline transfer partners!  You can transfer Starwood points at a ratio of 1:1 to most airlines.  Plus you’ll get 5,000 bonus airline mile when you transfer in increments of 20,000 points.

You can transfer lots of Starwood points to an airline for an award flight, or you can top-off your account if you have nearly enough!

James combined his Starwood points with the Lufthansa miles he already had to reach enough miles for a First Class transatlantic ticket.  And he saved $7,000+ on the flight!

4.   Winter Holiday in Florida

Joeygirl spent part of the (expensive!) holiday season in Bal Harbour, Florida, and spent 148,000 Starwood points for 5 nights in a suite, which would have otherwise cost $7,500!

5.   Amazing Hotels in Switzerland

And Tamilla saved $3,200 hopping around Switzerland and staying in top-notch hotels!  Switzerland is a very expensive country to visit, but Starwood points can make just about anywhere more affordable!

6.   Transfer to Marriott

One way folks have recently been getting Big Travel with Starwood points is by transferring them to Marriott!  Because of the Starwood Marriott merger, you can transfer Starwood points to Marriott at a ratio of 1:3 (1 Starwood points = 3 Marriott points).

Million Mile Secrets reader Scott used 40,000 Starwood points to book a $1,400 Ritz-Carlton stay for free!  Marriott and Ritz-Carlton share the same loyalty program, so you can transfer your Starwood points to Marriott and book a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

7.   Marriott Travel Package

You can also transfer Starwood points to Marriott to book a Marriott Hotel + Air package!  This is one of the best ways to use Marriott points.

Simon used Starwood points to book a Marriott Hotel + Air package.  He received 120,000 British Airways Avios points, and a 7-night certificate for a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Simon can stay at incredible Ritz-Carlton hotels with his Hotel + Air package, like the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua Maui, which regularly sells for ~$590 per night!  Spending his 7-night certificate at this hotel would save him $4,100+ total!

8.   Mardi Gras

Million Mile Secrets readers know that during popular events and festivals, travel prices can spike!

When demand is high, hotels charge more.  But if you use Starwood points, the award nights will cost the same amount of points!  Scott saved $2,500+ during his New Orleans trip for Mardi Gras.

9.   Vacation to the Maldives

When the St. Regis Vommuli Resort began taking reservations, the award prices were very low.  Caye was able to book these low prices before they were corrected, and managed to get $10,000 in value from 130,000 Starwood points!  Wow!

10.   Combining Airline Transfer Bonuses

Through June 15, 2017, folks could convert Starwood points to American Airlines and receive a 25% bonus.  That was on top of the normal 5,000-mile bonus you get when transferring Starwood points to American Airlines in increments of 20,000 points!

Michael used both bonuses to get enough American Airlines miles to book tickets for his family of 4 from the US to Rome, and from Venice back to the US.  The same flights would have cost thousands of dollars!

11.   Stacking Airline Transfer Bonuses

Zach also took advantage of Starwood’s 5,000 airline mile bonus when transferring his Starwood points to Virgin America.  But he then transferred those Virgin America miles to Alaska Airlines for a 30% bonus.  And booked a $5,000 ticket with those points!

Both of these bonuses are no longer available.  Sign-up for our daily newsletter so you won’t miss out on any similar deals in the future!

12.   Kentucky Derby

Heather gave us another excellent example of beating inflated hotel prices by using Starwood points.  She saved $1,300 per night during her visit for the Kentucky Derby!

13.   5 Nights in St. Maarten

Kevin used Starwood’s 5th night free to stretch his points in the Caribbean.  He saved $2,200 and spent 48,000 Starwood points.

14.   Wedding

Avi used Starwood points to reserve lots of hotel rooms for a wedding.  This is a great idea if you’re having a destination wedding.

Congratulations on your wedding, Avi!

15.   Oktoberfest

Juan visited Germany for Oktoberfest and saved $1,350 on a 3-night stay!  And it only cost him 30,000 Starwood points.

Bottom Line

I am thoroughly impressed with the way Million Mile Secrets readers use Starwood points!  There were too many great examples to feature.  But your comments will help other readers learn to get Big Travel with Small Money with their Starwood points!