News You Can Use – Starwood Adds New Airline Transfer Partner!, Meet Minimum Spending Paying Rent, New Hyatt & Starwood Promos

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1.   Transfer Your Starwood Points to Virgin America

Link:   How to Use Virgin America Miles

View From the Wing reports you can transfer Starwood points to Virgin America at a 1:1 ratio.  The option isn’t listed on the Starwood partner transfer page yet, but you can make a transfer by calling Starwood at 888-625-4990.

This could be handy for folks to visit Hawaii or Australia with Virgin America miles!

The representative I spoke to said the transfer would take 7 to 10 business days.  And the names on both accounts must match for the transfer to clear.  Once the transfer is complete, it can not be reversed.

The 1:1 transfer rate is double what you’ll get when you transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to Virgin America.  And as with all Starwood points transfers to airlines, you’ll get 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer!

Here are more ideas to use Virgin America miles, including flights on Singapore Airlines and Emirates.

2.   RadPad Will Raise Fees to 3.49%, but Plastiq Lowers to 2% for MasterCard Payments

Link:   RadPad

Link:   Plastiq

Link:   How to Use Plastiq to Pay Bills

Folks on Reddit shared the news that RadPad’s 1.99% rate for MasterCard payments will increase to 3.49% starting June 1, 2016.

Until then, you can pay your rent to help meet minimum spending requirements on MasterCards like Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard, Chase IHG Rewards, or Citi Prestige.  Friends of mine have used RadPad for a while, and found it to be very reliable.

Plastiq Counters

Also via Reddit, Plastiq has lowered their MasterCard payment fee to 2%, effective now.  I’ve written how to use Plastiq to pay bills like rent, mortgage payments, student loans, and utilities.  So this could be an excellent replacement!

And folks who don’t want to pay any fees can still get 1% back on rent payments through RadPad with the PayPal Business Debit MasterCard.  Because debit card rent payments through their service remain free.

3.   Get Bonus Starwood Points on Stays This Summer

Link:   Starwood Triple Up Promotion

Link:   Starwood Triple Up Participating Hotels

Starting May 3, 2016, you can register for Starwood’s Triple Up promotion to earn bonus Starwood points when you stay at a participating Starwood hotel 2 or more consecutive nights May 9, 2016, through July 31, 2016.

You’ll earn:

• 3X Starwood points at Sheraton hotels
• 2X Starwood points at other Starwood hotels
• 1,000 bonus Starwood points for stays including a Friday or Saturday night (or a Thursday or Friday night at Starwood hotels in the Middle East)

There’s no limit to the number of bonus Starwood points you can earn with this promotion.  But keep in mind stays booked through a 3rd party, like Expedia or Orbitz, will NOT earn bonus points.

I recommend registering for promotions like this because you never know when you’ll get a last-minute travel opportunity.

4.   Chase Hyatt Cardmembers, Check Your Mail for an Offer

Link:   Chase Hyatt

If you have the Chase Hyatt card, keep an eye on your postal mail for a promotional offer!  You can earn 4,000 bonus Hyatt points when you spend $4,000+ on purchases from April 15, 2016, to June 30, 2016.

The extra points are in addition to category bonuses, like 3 Hyatt points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels, and 2 Hyatt points per $1 spent at restaurants and airfare purchased directly with the airline.

Keep in mind, you must spend at least $4,000 within the promotional period to earn the bonus points.  Award nights at Hyatt Category 1 hotels cost 5,000 Hyatt points.  So depending on your spending habits, you can earn a free award night with this offer!