Starwood Flights

[me]

Does anyone know what method starwood uses to decide how much points they charge for the flight? Is it based on how much it would cost to buy?

Anyone know?

[Mikeoracle]

Yes, they buy the ticket for you and charge you a set amount of points for whatever level the price comes out to. There was a chart posted once somewhere on DD ( i think the main site) they give you aprox value between 1-1.5 cpm. The only upside is that since this is a paid ticket you can put in your FF# and earn miles for the flight.

[danR]

It is now possible to redeem Starwood points directly for airline tickets on hundreds of airlines worldwide — with no blackout dates — even during peak periods such as holidays or for last-minute flights. Click on the SPG Flights Starpoint Chart link near the bottom of the page to see how many points you need to get your flight. I like the flexibility of this, but be sure to do the math to see if you are better off with this offer or by transferring points to miles on a specific airline. The chart shows a not bad conversion rate, but it all depends on whether or not Starwood's travel agent has access to the least expensive tickets.


Link

http://www.spgflights.com/travel/arc.cfm?tab=a

[Mikeoracle]

Here is the chart of how many points they charged based on their cost$ (i hope it posts clearly);


Ticket Price* Starpoints
up to $150 10,000 
$150-$215 15,000 
$215-$280 20,000 
$280-$345 25,000 
$345-$410 30,000 
$410-$475 35,000 
$475-$540 40,000 
$540-$605 45,000 
$605-$670 50,000 
$670-$735 55,000 
$735-$800 60,000 
$800-$865 65,000 
$865-$930 70,000 
$930-$995 75,000 
$995-$1060 80,000 
Higher prices (examples)
$2,880-$3,140 235,000 
$4,960-$5,220 395,000 
$9,900-$10,160 775,000 

[Dan]

http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/4133