SPG Flights No Blackouts Policy

Starwood Preferred Guest, the guest loyalty program that includes brands such as Sheraton, Westin, aloft and Four Points, is bragging about its newest offering for members. What’s the big news? NO BLACKOUT DATES on flights purchased with points. Seriously, it’s just like that in all caps in the press release. That obviously says they mean business.

So what’s the deal? Starwood is launching the new SPG Flights program that lets SPG (that’s the acronym for Starwood Preferred Guest) members book flights on hundreds of domestic and international airlines with NO BLACKOUT dates. Booking is a piece of cake. You just visit the SPG website, select the flight you want and class of service, and redeem your Starpoints for the entire cost of the flight. If you’ve racked up more airline miles than Starpoints, you can use those to book too.

Why is this news? Because rewards tickets are becoming harder and harder to come by these days. Airlines are devaluing mileage programs in response to economic pressure. This will let you use your hotel points to book flights. Maybe the best part of the deal is that SPG Flights redemption includes taxes and booking fees in the price of the flight.

Here are some sample fares, straight from the horse’s mouth:

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

HIGHER PRICES (Examples)

$2,880-$3,140 235,000
$4,960-$5,220 395,000
$9,900-$10,160 775,000

To get in on the action, visit spg.com/flights.