Some links to products and partners on this website will earn an affiliate commission.

We have written about SPG Moments a few times before here at InsideFlyer – it offers the opportunity to trade SPG Starpoints (and therefore Marriott Rewards Points and Amex MR Points too) for unique experiences that you wouldn’t usually be able to buy for cash.

What you might not know though is just how good some of these deals can be. I was flicking through the latest offers today and came across some absolute crackers! Some of the offers are auctions and some (usually gig tickets with hospitality) have a fixed price.

SPG doesn’t always do a great job on the titles for the offers, so can end up really underselling them. Let’s take a look at some current examples:

Holiday Season Moments – The ultimate luxurious London shopping experience

The first ‘Moment’ I want to share is for a hotel, dining, shopping package in London. You will need to be available in London on the 16 Dec-17 Dec 2017 to take up your prize if you won the auction.

The auction ends at 17:30 tomorrow (Friday 8th December 2017). There are two packages available and the highest bid is currently 66,500 Starpoints, which sounds like a lot – but let’s see what you get in return:

• One-night (1-night) stay in an Executive Suite for two (2) guests at the Park Tower Knightsbridge, checking in 16 December 2017 and checking out 17 December 2017
• Enjoy a £1,000 spend in Style Concierge at Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge with a dedicated personal Stylist on hand
• Afternoon tea for two (2) on 17 December from 3:00 – 6:00 PM
• Festive set menu at Park Chinois restaurant for two (2) with transfers to and from the restaurant included

Executive Suites at the Park Tower sell for £1,100+ per night, and dinner + afternoon tea have got to be worth at least another £100, so if you value the £1,000 at Harvey Nichols at face value, you’re looking at a package worth well over £2,000.

I value SPG Starpoints very highly, but given that a night at the Park Tower in a standard room normally requires 20,000 Points, I’d say that getting an Exec Suite, afternoon tea + dinner, and £1,000 of shopping, for anything like 66,500 Starpoints is an excellent deal – assuming you’re looking for a big pre-Christmas splurge!

Holiday Season Moments: Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2017 at W Barcelona

On a similarly opulent note, how does New Years Eve in Barcelona sound? The following package is available until 2am UK time tonight/Friday morning (technically, Friday 8th December 2017) and is currently going for 45,000 Starpoints:

• Access for two (2) to the New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner and Show in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday, 31 December 2017
• A one-night (1-night) stay in a Cool Corner Suite at W Barcelona, checking in on Sunday, 31 December 2017, and checking out Monday, 1 January 2018
• Complimentary breakfast for two (2)
• Bliss spa treatments for two (2)
• Airport transfers to and from the hotel for two (2)

Looking at the cash rates, the value of that package is at least £1,550, so certainly not a bad redemption!

Christmas Markets and more in Hamburg

For something (slightly) less extravagant, how about soaking up some post Christmas cheer in Hamburg? Bid by 2 am on Saturday 19th December 2017 for a stay on 27th December 2017. The current high bid is 24,500 Starpoints and the package includes:

• Two (2) tickets for “Wintermärchen” concert in Elbphilharmonie
• One-night (1-night) stay for two (2) persons in a suite at The Westin Hamburg, checking in Wednesday, 27 December 2017, and checking out Thursday, 28 December 2017
• Complimentary breakfast for two (2)
• Lounge access for two (2) in the horizon suite
• Three-course (3-course) menu in the restaurant for two (2)
• After concert drink in the bar for two (2)
• Amenities such as flowers, champagne, and opera glasses
• A two-hour (2-hour) personal guided tour to a Christmas market and more sights of Hamburg, available on the day of arrival or checkout

How do I get Starpoints?

Great question!

I can only think of three options that might suit the timescale for these particular deals.

• Transferring Marriott Points,
• Transferring American Express Membership Rewards Points,
• Buying Starpoints 35% off at the moment)

If you want to build up a stockpile of Starpoints for future opportunities, I’d recommend either getting the (free) American Express Gold Charge Card (20,000 Amex MR Points standard sign-up bonus = 10,000 Starpoints) or the (£75 per year) American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card (10,000 Starpoints standard sign-up bonus).

(Please feel free to email me at [email protected] if you would like a referral link for a higher sign-up bonus for any of the above cards. I get some Points for referring you, so am always very happy to do so!).

Bottom line

SPG Starpoints are great anyway, but being able to redeem them for packages and special events like the ones above makes them even more valuable.

Keep a close eye on SPG Moments, because sometimes an unlikely title can hide an absolute bargain…