Reminder: Buy Starpoints at 35% discount through tomorrow

As I wrote last month, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) is offering a sale where SPG members get a 35% discount when they buy Starpoints. This sale comes to an end tomorrow, March 16, 2018.

Not only this, the 35% discount is also applicable on points that you may like to gift to other SPG members. You have to purchase a minimum of 5,000 Starpoints to be eligible for the purchase discount. A maximum of 30,000 Starpoints can be purchased every calendar year. This includes points self-purchased and points received as a gift from other members. Usually, every Starpoint costs 0.035 US Dollars (INR 2.28). Under this sale, the price will drop to 0.228 US Dollars (INR 1.5)

Does it make sense to buy Starpoints?

SPG Starpoints are all about the flexibility they give you. You can convert Starpoints to Marriott Rewards points in the ratio of 1:3, so if you want to stack up your Marriott Rewards account then this offer gives you an opportunity to do that.

Then Starpoints can be transferred to over 20 airline partners including Jet Airways, British Airways, Emirates and Singapore Airlines. The usual transfer ratio of Starpoints to most Airlines is 1:1. Additionally, you earn 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 Starpoints transferred to your preferred airline programme.

However, the best value of Starpoints can come from the most obvious use of hotel points; i.e. reward stays. For example, The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa in Phuket, a category 3 Starwood hotel that sells for an average of 265 US Dollars (INR 17,000) a night.

A reward night here will cost you 7,000 Starpoints. You’ll only have to shell out 159 US Dollars (10,200 INR) to buy Starpoints under this sale.

That’s saving a 106 US Dollars or 6,800 INR every night. Moreover, SPG offers the 5th night free on all reward stays so if you book this resort on points for 5 nights you’ll only have to pay the price for 4, i.e., 28,000 Starpoints. Therefore where a 5 nights cash stay would cost you 1,325 US Dollars (INR 85,000), a 5 nights reward stay will only cost you 796 US Dollars (INR 51,000).

The Westin Siraya Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket (Picture Courtesy: Starwood Hotels)

Bottomline

35% is the highest point purchase value that I have seen SPG offer and it is identical to what SPG offered last year, so if you are short of points it may be worth stacking up. Also now that SPG and Marriott Rewards are interoperable, you may want to consider this as a way of adding up Marriott Rewards points.

If you are wondering where can you redeem these Starpoints. Here are some of our choices:

Are you planning to buy Starpoints at 35% discount? What’s been your best Starwood redemption stay?