I love double dipping. It’s fantastic when I earn two points currencies from a single activity. Most loyalty programs call this activity a crossover rewards. For example, when I stay take Uber rides I earn the 3X points from my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, but I also earn SPG Starpoints. When I stay at SPG hotels I also earn Delta SkyPesos. Overall, I love crossover rewards. Anytime I hear of an opportunity to double dip between programs I always make sure to register immediately. Often I may not have plans to stay at a qualifying hotel, but if I end up needing to in the future I’ll earn the extra points along the way.
Since my primary airline is American Airlines I often am on the lookout to earn extra AAdvantage miles wherever I can. This includes earning through the AAdvantage Dining program or through AAdvantage shopping. Both help me earn extra AAdvantage miles and generally I don’t need to do anything extra to earn those miles. Unfortunately I’ve noticed American doesn’t have many crossover rewards partners. I can’t earn AAdvantage miles from Lyft or Uber rides for example. Luckily, American recently sent out a promotional email detailing a new and exciting crossover reward opportunity.
Earn AAdvantage Miles During SPG Stays
From now until September 30, 2017 AAdvantage members can earn 1,000 AAdvantage miles per SPG Stay. A qualifying stay consists of two nights or more at most SPG properties. To register click this link and book a stay. No this is not an affiliate link and I do not receive compensation for this offer.
I dove into the terms and conditions of this offer and it appears there is no cap to this offer. Further the original email from American stated a September 30, 2017 cutoff date, but on the landing page the terms state to book and complete your stay by December 31, 2017. According to the official terms and conditions the December 31, 2017 date appears to be the correct cutoff date for the promotion.
To qualify, you must have both an eligible American Airlines AAdvantage account and a valid Starwood Preferred Guest account. If booking over the phone make sure to mention offer code: AIRPRO.
Maximizing This Benefit
Although this is an exciting opportunity to earn extra AAdvantage miles I’m not sure that I’d go out of my way to earn the miles. I have some unbooked hotel stays that I’ll probably book with SPG, but only if the prices make sense. 1,000 AAdvantage miles are not enough for me to completely adjust my travel plans.
If I were still traveling weekly for work however I’d definitely look to book only SPG stays until the end of the year. When staying 4 nights in a week I’d make sure to break each week into two night bookings to complete two stays per week. By booking all 4 nights as a single stay you’d only earn 1,000 AAdvantage miles, but if you book the 4 nights as two stays you’d earn 2,000 AAdvantage miles. I’d only avoid booking these trips as two stays if the hotel participates in the Make A Green Choice Program.
The make a green choice program doesn’t count on the day of check-out. If you “check-out” twice in a week you only earn MAGC points for two nights. By staying 4 nights in a row you’ll earn MAGC points for three nights instead of just two. By making a green choice you could earn up to 1,000 SPG points per night. Those 3,000 SPG points are way more valuable to me than a lousy 2,000 AAdvantage miles. Just something to keep in mind if taking AAdvantage (pun) of this offer.
Final Thoughts
One thing I noticed about this promotion is that it requires you to book through the link provided above. Usually when you sign-up for crossover rewards you “link” your two accounts so activity in one program automatically earn points with the other. With this program you must either book thought the online portal. This presents a problem because most corporate business travel requires you to book though a 3rd party like Concur. If this is the case for you, you may need to call Concur and mention offer code AIRPRO to qualify. Even then I’m not exactly sure if you’d earn AAdvantage miles for SPG stays, but it’s worth a shot.
All in all I’m excited about this offer because it’s a rare opportunity to earn extra AAdvantage miles. I have to book at least two upcoming weekend stays and I’m definitely going to book through the portal if the prices make sense. Otherwise I’ll continue to look for different and creative ways to earn extra AAdvantage miles.
Featured Image Courtesy of Starwood Hotels
