TFC answers. Does it make sense to transfer hotel chain points into loyalty program miles?
Today we are responding to a request for help that came from one of our readers who asked if it is possible [...]
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Today we are responding to the request for help we received from one of our readers who asked if it is possible to transfer points from a hotel chain's loyalty to an airline's loyalty and whether or not this practice is convenient.
Good morning, I have been following your site for a few months and now I want to ask you a question. For work I often go to Hilton group hotels and now I find myself with almost 700 thousand Hilton Honors points. Of course, I know I could book in the Maldives, but I would like to know if I can better convert them to fly and with which companies.
Is it possible to transform the points?
The answer of course is Yes, although it depends from program to program and of course on the relationships that bind certain companies with certain hotel chains. However, this is only the first part of the answer to the question posed by our reader.
The fact that you can, does not automatically mean that it is convenient, quite the contrary. It is true that we have also often seen campaigns that give bonuses when transferring points from hotels to airlines, because in the end there is always a chance for the carrier to sell more points and thus collect fresh money.
Is it convenient to transfer points between programs?
Again, the answer is dry and it is NO. No in 95% of cases. The rare positive cases are so few that I am quicker to list them than to explain all the reasons why this practice is not worthwhile.
- When you need to move points and prevent points from expiring. Many loyalty programs have the expiration constraint tied to profile inactivity, so that's where moving a handful of points to a program to avoid losing accrued points makes a lot of sense.
- When you need to activate a program. Almost all loyalty programs require you to be active in order to perform actions such as reserving an award ticket, buying points, or giving the ability to option a ticket. Again, points can be transferred to get all functions opened. For example, I used this strategy to activate my Virgin Atlantic Flying Club profile and Book a $10,000 prize ticket using points.
- When there are rich bonuses between the parties. As with the practice of buying points, this can be "almost" convenient if there are generous bonuses involved between the parties.
Here I would say I have exhausted the reasons for this practice, in all other cases the risk is to lose money.
Transfer points, conversion rates
As mentioned each loyalty program has its own rules, below we have compiled a list of the main programs and their conversion rates. To understand whether this practice is convenient or not, my advice is:
Based on the points you possess and intend to transfer, just do the math on how much would be saved in terms of spending using the same points to book a stay. For example, if I know Than booking the Conrad on Ko Samui. Five nights would cost me 3 thousand euros or 320 thousand HHonors points I can then put a rough value on my points of 3,000 euros.
Hilton Honors
Let's start with our favorite program, but also from our reader's. Honors allows you to select from your personal area the various loyalty programs you prefer and to which you want to make the transfer.
A total of 27 loyalty programs are available, encompassing more than 30 airlines.
As you can see, the conversion rate from Hilton to Avios is 10:1, this means that 320 thousand points would allow me to have 32 thousand Avios points. Enough for a few intra-EU flights, but nowhere near the value one would get from booking hotels and resorts around the world.
Marriott Bonvoy
The program of the world's largest hotel chain is the only one that shakes certainties of this practice of ours, and the reason is simple: Marriott conversion rate is better than all other programs in that it is, for almost everyone, 3:1. This means that 9,000 Bonvoy points become 3,000 Avios, quite a difference from Hilton. There are over 40 partner programs, and best of all, there is a bonus with every transfer.
In addition, for every 60 thousand points sent toward the chosen loyalty program, Marriott will add a bonus of 5000 points, so always pointing toward Avios will allow you to transform 60k points Bonvoy into 25k Avios points. The bonus is cumulative and increasing according to the total points transferred. Up to a maximum of 240k points per day.
If you transfer to United's loyalty program, the conversion rate is even better: in fact, an additional bonus of 10% is offered, thus bringing the a rate to 3:1.1
Accor Hotels
The French chain also offers this option through a partnership with 30 airlines/loyalty programs.
There is no fixed exchange rate, but it varies from program to program. There are programs where the transfer has a 1:1 rate, others where you need 2,000 Reward points to get 1,000 miles. It is also good to remember how and how many points you accumulate for each stay, the more points you earn the less high the exchange will be. Conversely, if points are hard to get, it is easy to have a better conversion rate.
The music does not change with other programs such as Melia, Hyatt and the like.
In conclusion
Points from hotel chain loyalty programs are the easiest to keep alive, just one action every 2 to 3 years, even a simple 1-point transfer. By doing so, they will not be lost and can be used at the first opportunity, which is better than wasting them on a tearful transfer.
Do you have doubts and requests to learn more about the world of points? Send us your questions
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