Airline Frequent Flier Programs

Hotel Stay Miles European EMEA Airlines Chart

Miles earned per hotel stay for ten hotel loyalty programs and nine airline frequent flyer program partners are shown in this annotated spreadsheet. When a hotel loyalty promotion offers double, triple, and even quadruple miles as has been common for the past year, the promotional rate is a multiple of the base miles earning rate. Triple miles with HHonors can mean 3 x 500 miles in British Airways Executive Club for 1,500 miles per stay. But sleep in a Hampton Inn and your triple miles is just 100 miles x 3 = 300 miles per stay.

Virgin Atlantic offers particularly good value for hotel loyalty members interested in collecting miles with a higher earning rate than most airline partners for Hyatt or Hilton stays. Best Western Rewards members choosing Miles & More earn 500 miles per stay, double the normal rate of 250 miles for airline partners. The greatest intra-program value has to be HHonors where a 3-night stay at a Hampton Inn earns 3,000 bmi miles compared to the regular fixed earning rate of 100 miles per stay total for nearly every other airline partner. And if your travels take you to Wyndham Hotels, then you should definitely remember bmi airlines for one of the highest mile earning opportunities regularly available from a hotel stay.

a table with a list of hotels

a table with numbers and a list of flights

 

1 Program offers variable earning depending on hotel brand and/or elite level.

 

2 Best Western awards 250 miles per hotel stay for all airlines with the exception of Lufthansa Miles & More at 500 miles. Miles & More is the highest earning Best Western frequent flier program partner.

3 Carlson goldpoints plus: 500 miles per stay at Radisson, Regent, and Park Plaza brands. 250 miles for Country Inn and Park Inn.

Goldpoints plus has a high points-to-miles exchange rate that often makes earning points, then redeeming points for miles a better miles earning strategy. Keep in mind that goldpoints plus has a high points earning rate at 20 base points per $1 in hotel spend at a Radisson or 15 points per $1 for Country Inn and Park Inn. Unfortunately the merger of two loyalty program systems between Europe and the Americas retained the earning formula for hotels in the EMEA region priced in Euros. Spend 100€ at a Radisson in Berlin or Amsterdam and you will receive the same number of points that you would receive for $100 in New York or Miami. This won’t be an issue if the dollar swings back to parity with the Euro, but it is an issue when the Euro is valued high against the dollar if you are an American tourist exchanging money from US dollars. Your points earning rate is 20 to 40% less for hotel stays in the EMEA. Promotional bonus points and elite bonuses may offer higher miles earning potential in a points-to-miles exchange rather than earning miles for hotel stays.

4 Choice Privileges does not partner with any of these airlines in the Europe, Middle East, or Africa region.

5 Fairmont President’s Club – General members earn 500 miles per stay. Premier elite earn 750 miles per stay. Platinum elite earn 1,000 miles per stay.

6 Hilton HHonors earns 20% miles for Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites stays with most airlines. Some airlines do not award miles for Hampton Inn and/or Homewood Suites. BMI airline (British Midland) offers the highest earning opportunity for miles at 1,000 miles per night for any Hilton brand, up to 3,000 miles per stay.

7 InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club – British Airways only earns 100 miles per stay at Holiday Inn Express. Air France/KLM Flying Blue earns 500 miles at InterContinental; 400 miles Crowne Plaza; 300 miles Holiday Inn and Hotel Indigo; 250 miles at Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

8Marriott  Rewards – Earn 2 miles per $1 at Marriott, Renaissance, J.W. Marriott, Autograph Collection, and Marriott Vacation Club International. All other brands: Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, Marriott Executive Apartments earn 1 mile per $1.

9Starwood Preferred Guest – Earning points rather than Airline Direct Deposit is a better miles earning method for most SPG airline partners with a 1 point = 1 mile exchange rate. The 25% miles bonus for 20,000 point transfers earns 25,000 miles with most airlines. SPG members may choose to earn Direct Deposit Airline Miles. Members earn points at the normal rate of 2 points per US$1. Elite members earn 3 points per $1. SPG points convert on 1:1 basis to airline miles automatically as earned. Airline Direct Deposit earns 20,000 miles for 20,000 points with airline partners using mile currencies.

10 Wyndham Rewards – bmi airlines (British Midland) earns 1,000 miles per night for Wyndham Hotel stays (5,000 max per stay); 1,000 miles per stay at Ramada, Wingate, Hawthorn; 500 miles per stay Days Inn, Baymont, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge (U.S. only), Microtel, or Knights Inn.

11 Wyndham Rewards – Miles & More only earns miles at Wyndham and Ramada brands.

12 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club – Flying Club earns miles with Hilton HHonors at double the normal rate. 1,000 miles per Hilton brand stay compared to normal 500 miles for most airline partners. Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites earn 200 miles per stay in Flying Club.

Hyatt Gold Passport awards 750 Flying Club miles per stay, 50% more than the normal earning rate of 500 miles. All hotel brands in Hyatt Gold Passport earn the same rate of miles.

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Miles promotions have been particularly fruitful this year with Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Best Western and others offering huge airline frequent flier bonuses from 1,000 to 5,000 bonus miles per stay.

Related post: Earning Miles from Hotel Stays Chart ofr US and Canada Airlines

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