Another way to make money

[hermang]

I just received an email from Delta which in effect says:

 

"Are you looking for ways to save money on your summer travel? Well, don't miss out on this limited time offer! Transfer miles from May 1st to May 31st and we'll waive the $30 transaction fee. That means you only pay $0.01 per mile transferred. What a deal!"

 

So now if I want to transfer my Amex Miles to Delta skymiles after May 31st ( there is a $30 fee) Heck thats a bigger ripoff than American's $15 a bag.

 

Don't get me wrong - I love flying Delta BUT come on guys. Fees are now as much as the flights Arrrrrrgh

[Gonzo70]

I didnt even know you could transfer miles from airline to airline. Your telling me this typically could be done and with no fee in the past? That is news to me.

[Leela]

Not from airline to airline, but from frequent flier account to frequent filer account in the same airline. Or I'm guessing on the American Express program to one airline. So it's not like you can transfer miles from Northwest to Delta or anything like that.

[JanineM]

I'm not surprised ... I keep expecting to see them announce that frequent flyer miles are no longer valid. We have many, many points with American and our next trip is probably going to be flight based (rather than a cruise where we drive to the ports) so we can use them before they're gone!

[hermang]

Not from airline to airline, but from frequent flier account to frequent filer account in the same airline. Or I'm guessing on the American Express program to one airline. So it's not like you can transfer miles from Northwest to Delta or anything like that.

 

Since Delta and NW are code share partners I was able to use NW points to book on Delta.

 

Always was able totransfer Amex reward points for FREE - guess not any more

[FlyerTalker]

I didnt even know you could transfer miles from airline to airline. Your telling me this typically could be done and with no fee in the past? That is news to me.

 

This DL program is for internal transfers within SkyPiles. DL has allowed you to transfer miles already earned within the DL program for a penny a mile PLUS a processing fee. They are waiving the processing fee, not the penny charge. Even at a penny a mile, it's a pretty good return to DL for a couple of keystrokes on a computer.

 

So now if I want to transfer my Amex Miles to Delta skymiles after May 31st ( there is a $30 fee)

Not from airline to airline, but from frequent flier account to frequent filer account in the same airline. Or I'm guessing on the American Express program to one airline. So it's not like you can transfer miles from Northwest to Delta or anything like that.

 

This does NOT change AMEX Rewards into DL SkyMiles procedures. Just for DL to DL transfers. And yes, you can't transfer inter-program (airline to airline) without some hefty conversion charges through intermediate programs (even on the programs where it is possible).

 

I'm not surprised ... I keep expecting to see them announce that frequent flyer miles are no longer valid. We have many' date=' many points with American and our next trip is probably going to be flight based (rather than a cruise where we drive to the ports) so we can use them before they're gone![/quote']

Remember that AA FF miles expire if there is no account activity (either redemption or accrual) for a period of 18 months. Keep an eye out for your account activity dates so you don't lose them...do something like a car rental or online purchase through their shopping portal or dining -- anything so they don't go POOF!!

[shakespeare]

I'm confused,:confused: so hopefully someone can explain further. I got that email also but wasn't aware you could transfer miles between airlines....is it possible that we could move our Delta miles to Continental? We have a larger amount on Continental and I plan on redeeming another reward and depositing the ff miles with Continental. It would be great if we could also move our Delta miles???

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Liz

[hillslife]

Thanks SOOOO much for posting this - I need 20,000 for booking a Delta trip from London to LAX for May 2009 after our WC and after seeing this I realized I could transfer miles from my account to my husbands and make my goal....appreciate the tip!!!!:)

 

We have the Delta Am Ex card and all the miles go into my husbands name so I forget I have an old account and after checking saw that my miles will expire 12/08 - great timing.

[FlyerTalker]

I'm confused,:confused: so hopefully someone can explain further. I got that email also but wasn't aware you could transfer miles between airlines....is it possible that we could move our Delta miles to Continental? We have a larger amount on Continental and I plan on redeeming another reward and depositing the ff miles with Continental. It would be great if we could also move our Delta miles???

 

In simple terms, if you have DL miles, they are pretty much stuck as DL miles. They do not participate in any methods that transfer OUT of SkyMiles.

 

Continental has ways of transferring miles in and out, through intermediate transfers via Amtrak and hotel programs. HOWEVER, once you factor in the horrific conversion rates, it rarely becomes worth it to make the move. It would take some research to figure out if it was worth it for your particular case.

 

In general, once miles get into an airline program, they are stuck there. Hotel points can often be converted into airline miles, but that should only be done when you actually need the miles, or when there is a significant bonus being offered to convert. Reason: the flexibility of having points that can be used for air OR hotel OR other benefits makes it worthwhile keeping them in the more liquid hotel program. Starwood is probably the most versatile of the hotel programs, IMO. AMEX reward points are another versatile "currency", and should also stay in AMEX until you have a reason to convert.

 

Also know that if you are redeeming a flight award on CO, you will not earn miles for those flights. You do earn miles for paid tickets where you use miles for upgrades.

 

Hope this helps some....post more specifics if you need further assistance.

[shakespeare]

Thank you Flyertalker...I deleted the email because when I briefly scanned it I got the impression that the transfer could only be made between Delta accounts...after reading this thread I wanted to check to be sure I read it correctly. I've learned a lot on these boards (especially from knowledgeable people like you):) , so I don't hesitate to ask questions. We have a Marriott Rewards account that you can redeem points for a combined hotel and air package (does not have to be used together). I will get more miles that way than if I just converted to miles. Once I do deposit them in a FF account I can't change airlines.

 

Thanks again!

Liz

[kenish]

www.flyertalk.com is the air version of CC. There are specific boards for each FF program. Some of it gets quite complicated but it's a good resource to really understand how to best earn and use miles.

[shakespeare]

One of the posters on our Equinox roll call mentioned that site...she often finds good fares discussed...but says you have to move fast:)

 

Thanks,

Liz

[nho9504]

Since Delta and NW are code share partners I was able to use NW points to book on Delta.

 

Always was able totransfer Amex reward points for FREE - guess not any more

 

You can use DL miles to book any Skyteam partner seats when it is available. Operative word is "availability". But it does not mean you can transfer your DL miles to NW account to become NW miles. 2 different concepts.

 

You do pay tax for transfer AMEX Reward points to airline FF programs - though the tax is very tiny.

 

The thing I DONT LIKE Amex Membership Reward program is, their airline choices are POOR - only Skyteam members, and the award redemption ratio are much lower on Skyteam than on OneWorld or Star Alliance members.

 

I guess when you earn "double miles" but also need to shell out "double miles" or more, in order to get an award seat, it is no bargain - the "double miles" are just the gimmick. I wonder has AMEX used up the tons of cheap DL miles they prepaid when DL sold it for precious cash a few years ago?

[nho9504]

Thank you Flyertalker...I deleted the email because when I briefly scanned it I got the impression that the transfer could only be made between Delta accounts...after reading this thread I wanted to check to be sure I read it correctly. I've learned a lot on these boards (especially from knowledgeable people like you):) , so I don't hesitate to ask questions. We have a Marriott Rewards account that you can redeem points for a combined hotel and air package (does not have to be used together). I will get more miles that way than if I just converted to miles. Once I do deposit them in a FF account I can't change airlines.

 

Thanks again!

Liz

 

The air+hotel award packages Marriott still offers, are by far the most generous hotel awards if you have boatloads of MR pts - rumors a while ago were that Marriott is making changes to that. You may want to check the latest status of the rules, and if they are still available in the same way as before, you may want to act fast in order to preserve it.

[nho9504]

I'm confused,:confused: so hopefully someone can explain further. I got that email also but wasn't aware you could transfer miles between airlines....is it possible that we could move our Delta miles to Continental? We have a larger amount on Continental and I plan on redeeming another reward and depositing the ff miles with Continental. It would be great if we could also move our Delta miles???

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Liz

 

No, you cannot transfer DL miles to CO miles. However, I believe AMEX allows you transfer between Membership points and CO miles - 2-way street vs 1-way? You may want to check with Membership Reward rules to see if you can move DL miles back to AMEX Membership Reward and then to CO account this way. I doubt you can but it does not hurt to check.

 

SPG - Starwood program is the one program that covers almost all US airlines and some int'l ones - the SPG pts can be transferred to many airline partners, some even offer bonus, like to AA.

[shakespeare]

The air+hotel award packages Marriott still offers, are by far the most generous hotel awards if you have boatloads of MR pts - rumors a while ago were that Marriott is making changes to that. You may want to check the latest status of the rules, and if they are still available in the same way as before, you may want to act fast in order to preserve it.

 

I am very close to redeeming an air/hotel package...I check it regularly. We charge just about everything we can to that card (and pay it off at the end of the month) so I know I will definitely have enough points for a category 6 hotel and 120,000 miles within a couple of months...which would be in plenty of time to hopefully book air to Venice or Rome for November of 2009. I'd like to have enough points to redeem for a category 7 hotel with 120,000 miles. Depending on how many I need....I may decide to purchase the additional points as they are $12.50 per 1,000 points. Air won't open up until December, so I have until November to decide whether it will be worth it to go with the category 7. They have increased the number of points required several times over the years.

 

My husband used to work for IBM and travel a lot...so we were able to go to Hong Kong in 1997 on points and pay under $300 for taxes and service charges...had good flights and stayed at a JW Marriott. A while back we redeemed points and went to Aruba for a week and had enough miles left to fly r/t to California (where we at course stayed at a Marriott) first class for a cruise. We gained some points by going to a timeshare presentation and earned a ton staying at a Residence Inn for 3 months for a contract my husband was working on and the company paid for the hotel.

 

The only other cards we use are a BOA Celebrity AMEX and a RCCL Visa....have gotten some nice on board credit with those since they give you double points for any purchases to the cruise line...so if I weren't trying to acccumulate the amount of Marriott points...I would be using one or the other of those since I have future RCCL and Celebrity cruises booked.

 

Liz

[6rugrats]

No, you cannot transfer DL miles to CO miles. However, I believe AMEX allows you transfer between Membership points and CO miles - 2-way street vs 1-way? You may want to check with Membership Reward rules to see if you can move DL miles back to AMEX Membership Reward and then to CO account this way. I doubt you can but it does not hurt to check.

 

SPG - Starwood program is the one program that covers almost all US airlines and some int'l ones - the SPG pts can be transferred to many airline partners, some even offer bonus, like to AA.

 

Not possible. You can only move AMEX miles into the allowed airlines. Once moved, you are stuck with them in your mileage account.

 

I don't really understand all this debate anyway. AMEX allows you to transfer directly into Delta, so why would you mess with this crazy scheme? No need.

 

In addition, the original email the OP posted, was just about transferring your own Delta miles into someone else's Delta account; it has nothing to do with other airlines. As stated many times in this thread, you can't directly transfer from one airline mileage program to another.

[nho9504]

Not possible. You can only move AMEX miles into the allowed airlines. Once moved, you are stuck with them in your mileage account.

 

I don't really understand all this debate anyway. AMEX allows you to transfer directly into Delta, so why would you mess with this crazy scheme? No need.

 

In addition, the original email the OP posted, was just about transferring your own Delta miles into someone else's Delta account; it has nothing to do with other airlines. As stated many times in this thread, you can't directly transfer from one airline mileage program to another.

 

I dont think anyone is debating on this subj - people are just enquiring the possibilities of transfer miles among programs - at least someone was asking if DL miles can go into NW account. There is no direct way of course, but there might be an indirect way, who knows? At least Points.com and Amtrak are 2 conduits that allow people to move balance from one loyalty program to another - if one so desires, one just have to investigate the matter.

 

You can certainly transfer miles to hotel points and back to miles, to a different airline, in certain programs. However, in doing so, you lose lots of value in the process. On the other hand, some folks may have shipload of points on one program, but really want the award of another program - the most obvious would be airline miles versus hotel points - and the transfer is certainly feasible.

 

What makes you think it is a debate? Nobody is ever talking about the merit of such transfer (that is what a debate is defined, isn't it?) :confused:

[nho9504]

Liz,

 

I would definitely buy the pts to top up the account if you need to. We did that recently so we could book the Renaissance Zurich Airport. We were just short 2000 pts, so I paid $25 to buy it. It used Points.com to process the transaction, and took 4 or 5 days to have the pts show up in the account. We basically drained hubby's Marriott account (with bal at 53 pts now) but keep my account intact.

 

About Cat 7 - the Cat level in Marriott program does not necessarily co-relate to quality of the hotel. Case in point is, ALL properties in the City of London are now Cat 7 properties. There is NO WAY Marriott Marble Arch can be of the same quality as Grosvenor Square or Grosvenor House, which is undergoing continuing renovation and will be a JWM once everything is completed by early 2009. Besides, The Ren at Chancery Court is, imo, the best property, also a Cat 7. If we use the quality alone, from location to the building to the services, Marriott Marble Arch would only be a Cat 5 property, at best. Yet, it is a Cat 7. One thing I read about, Marriott determine the Category of a hotel, based on the demand of its award night. Since hotel rates in London are very high, naturally all properties in London are in high demand for award. In fact, there is practice that the 2 Grosvenors and the Ren, deliberately block nights in the middle of week, thus making the cheaper redemption of 4 nights+ UNAVAILABLE no matter what period you try. People complained a lot about near impossible to book Grosvenor House for Standard award for more than 1 night. So that forces people to book other Marriott properties in town, that include the Park Lane, and the Marble Arch. Park Lane is just about 1/4 miles uphill of Grosvenor House. It is a well-deserved Cat 6, but now is Cat 7. But Marble Arch is at least 2 levels down from the rest, yet it is also a Cat 7.

 

Bottomline, you may want to check, if Cat 7 is really worth it - for if you have the expectation that Cat 7 is top notch in quality, you may be in some disappointment when it isn't.

 

Yeah, each Feb Marriott adjusts the hotel cat levels and over the years it seems all desirable properties are either Cat 6 or Cat 7. We have stayed at JWM Ihilani at K'o Olina as Cat 6 just 2 years ago, right before it turned to a Cat 7 property. Actually one would be better off to take the Vacation Club at K'o Olina - better facilities, same lagoons and ground, but cost you less points! I am surprised Marriott has not introduced a Cat 8, yet. Or may be Ritz is the unofficial Cat 8. :D

 

We did the time sharing presentation, too. But we chose 2 Catamaran sailings instead of the points.

 

That Residence Inn stay points are well-deserved. ;)

 

I am very close to redeeming an air/hotel package...I check it regularly. We charge just about everything we can to that card (and pay it off at the end of the month) so I know I will definitely have enough points for a category 6 hotel and 120,000 miles within a couple of months...which would be in plenty of time to hopefully book air to Venice or Rome for November of 2009. I'd like to have enough points to redeem for a category 7 hotel with 120,000 miles. Depending on how many I need....I may decide to purchase the additional points as they are $12.50 per 1,000 points. Air won't open up until December, so I have until November to decide whether it will be worth it to go with the category 7. They have increased the number of points required several times over the years.

 

My husband used to work for IBM and travel a lot...so we were able to go to Hong Kong in 1997 on points and pay under $300 for taxes and service charges...had good flights and stayed at a JW Marriott. A while back we redeemed points and went to Aruba for a week and had enough miles left to fly r/t to California (where we at course stayed at a Marriott) first class for a cruise. We gained some points by going to a timeshare presentation and earned a ton staying at a Residence Inn for 3 months for a contract my husband was working on and the company paid for the hotel.

 

The only other cards we use are a BOA Celebrity AMEX and a RCCL Visa....have gotten some nice on board credit with those since they give you double points for any purchases to the cruise line...so if I weren't trying to acccumulate the amount of Marriott points...I would be using one or the other of those since I have future RCCL and Celebrity cruises booked.

 

Liz

[chipmaster]

I just received an email from Delta which in effect says:

 

"Are you looking for ways to save money on your summer travel? Well, don't miss out on this limited time offer! Transfer miles from May 1st to May 31st and we'll waive the $30 transaction fee. That means you only pay $0.01 per mile transferred. What a deal!"

 

So now if I want to transfer my Amex Miles to Delta skymiles after May 31st ( there is a $30 fee) Heck thats a bigger ripoff than American's $15 a bag.

 

Don't get me wrong - I love flying Delta BUT come on guys. Fees are now as much as the flights Arrrrrrgh

 

 

A good read on the "fee for all" by airlines

 

http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/30/news/economy/airline_fees/index.htm?cnn=yes

 

 

Next up pay by the pound :eek: :D