[HOTEL] Whether to use SPG points on Airline or Hotel

When you stay with Starwood Preferred Guest hotels, you can earn Starpoints. There is always a debate on whether it is more worth it to use your SPG points on hotel rooms or an airline ticket.

Below are a few sets of calculations for you to consider. Let’s say you have 20,000 SPG points to use, there are different ways you can leverage your points if you were visiting from Vancouver to Toronto.

If you wanted to splurge a little bit and stay at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel in downtown Toronto, it will cost you 10,000 points. If you were to pay in cash, it would cost at least $254 including taxes during low season. That means, the 20,000 points will give you 2 nights of hotel room, worth at least $508 in value.

However, let’s say you are not the type of person who was going to pay over $250 for a hotel room, and something like that Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Airport was more in your price range. One night will cost you either 4,000 points or $137. Therefore, the 20,000 points will get you 5 nights, equaling $685 ($137 x 5) in value.

If you rather convert 20,000 SPG points to Aeroplan, you will be given a 5,000 bonus points; thus, giving you 25,000 Aeroplan points. So the same 20,000 SPG points can get you an Air Canada (using Aeroplan points) flight between Vancouver to Toronto worth approximately $600, depending on the season that you travel. Assuming a $100 tax and fuel surcharge, you are getting a $500 value.

As you can see, depending on how you leverage your points, you can get different value for your points. Always do the calculations first, to determine how much value you are getting out of your points.

See also:

• How Much are Points Worth?
• [ANALYSIS] The AMEX SPG Preferred Guest Credit Card