# Starwoods and AGR



## Linda T (Jun 7, 2012)

My husband just received a promotion from AGR where we can transfer Starwood points into our AGR account and get a bonus point for each Starpoint we transfer. I called AGR and they said that it is correct that we can transfer basically at a 1:2 ratio. However, I haven't received the promo and I'm worried that this is targeted. All our Starpoints are in my name, and I just have AGR's word that they'll transfer this way. Wish I had my own promo as Starwoods says that both accounts have to have the same name, and they say it transfers 1:1. But then AGR is the one supposedly granting the extra bonus. Is this clear? Anyone else get this? Gotta transfer in 5,000 increments, but that's okay we have a lot of points -- this could mean our trip to NY in August would be FREE!


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## amamba (Jun 7, 2012)

I would assume that this promo is indeed targeted since I haven't seen it or heard of it, nor is it showing up on your AGR account.

I would not count on getting bonus points if you do the transfer.


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## Rail Freak (Jun 7, 2012)

Yes, I recieved it also,today. My issue is that I transfered 10k points which just posted yesterday. I called SPG & they said Amtrak gives the Bonus Pts, I called AGR & the agent said she knew nothing of the Promo & would have a supervisor contact me. I'm hoping that I'll recieve the 10k Bonus since Amtraks e-mail had my previous point balance (before transfer posted) which means they wrote the e-mail before my transfer posted!!!

Crossing My Fingers


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## Linda T (Jun 7, 2012)

FWIW, my husband just got off the phone with them, and apparently it is not a targeted promotion, I must just be slow in getting it. BUT they have no clue what the promotion is all about. The lady my husband was talking to said that they're all members there at AGR and they all called up their emails and all had the promotion, but none knew how long it would last, or whether it actually meant double points (though they all agreed that that was what the email implied), and none of them could find the terms and conditions anywhere either. So we've got an email in to AGR, a PM to an AGR rep on another forum (dunno which one -- husband did it), and we're to call back in a few days. The lady said since it just came out she doubted it would be a one day only thing, but go figure. It's the case of the left hand doesn't know what the right hand doeth.


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## amamba (Jun 7, 2012)

Did you get a promo code to register? Did you try to register for the promo on your AGR account? Or is there no promo code, its just an offer?


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## Rail Freak (Jun 7, 2012)

amamba said:


> Did you get a promo code to register? Did you try to register for the promo on your AGR account? Or is there no promo code, its just an offer?


No Promo Code in e-mail. I checked the AGR site & there's no info about it in the SPG portion!


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## Exiled in Express (Jun 7, 2012)

I just got an email from AGR telling me I could transfer from Starwood to AGR, no bonus offer though.

SPG status is Preferred (AAA basic) and I am just a base level member as well. I did get the more generous bonus TQP promotion and to the best of my knowledge have never opted for AGR points on a SPG stay.

EDIT:

_Transfer today in increments of 5,000 Starpoints and get one Amtrak Guest Rewards® bonus point for every Starpoint you convert. _

*Ispolkom* had better reading comprehension than I did. The "bonus point" nomenclature is the problem.


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## Ispolkom (Jun 7, 2012)

What does this sentence mean?



> Transfer today in increments of 5,000 Starpoints and get one Amtrak Guest Rewards® bonus point for every Starpoint you convert.


Does that mean that I get one non-tier-qualifying AGR point for each Starpoint, figuring that "bonus point" means non-TQP?

Does it mean that I get two non-tier-qualifying AGR points for each Starpoint, figuring that "bonus point" means an additional point on top of the non-tier-qualifying point I already get in such a transfer?

Does "Transfer today" mean transfer today only? Or does it mean starting today?

People on Flyer Talk seem equally mystified.

Will AGR ever have a well-written bonus offer? That is an impressive amount of ambiguity in one short sentence.


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## Linda T (Jun 7, 2012)

Exiled in Express said:


> I just got an email from AGR telling me I could transfer from Starwood to AGR, no bonus offer though.
> 
> SPG status is Preferred (AAA basic) and I am just a base level member as well. I did get the more generous bonus TQP promotion and to the best of my knowledge have never opted for AGR points on a SPG stay.



The offer is for PREFERRED Guests, so Exiled, you should qualify. Here's how the offer reads:



> As a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest program, turn your Starpoints into free Amtrak travel. Transfer today in increments of 5,000 Starpoints and get one
> 
> Amtrak Guest Rewards bonus point for every Starpoint you convert.


Hmm... now looking over it I can almost see how one would get only one point, but yet it does say *bonus* point, so that's what they're trying to figure out. I mean we've always been able to make this transfer so why announce it like it's something unique. But if they actually mean transfer 30,000 Starpoints and get 60,000 AGR points, that's HUGE! I just want to make sure I know what I'm getting into BEFORE I make the transfer, as I prefer the points sit where they can be used for hotels, trains, etc. rather than just trains.


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## Linda T (Jun 7, 2012)

Ispolkom said:


> What does this sentence mean?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's the problem, even AGR doesn't know. The lady we talked to said in her opinion it means transfer 5,000 get 10,000. She also said in her opinion that it would last for a few days, but without being able to get to the terms and conditions who knows?


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## Devil's Advocate (Jun 7, 2012)

100% bonus doesn't sound like a typical Starwood transfer.

Usually it's more like transfer a minimum of 20,000 points and receive 5,000 bonus points or something of that nature.

You know the saying. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

If you were going to transfer anyway then by all means hope for the extra points.

I would however advise against any unplanned transfers based on nothing more than speculation of a 100% bonus from AGR.


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## Ispolkom (Jun 7, 2012)

Linda T said:


> That's the problem, even AGR doesn't know.


Maybe no one knows, and every transfer is handled in a randomly different fashion. That would make it work like other functions of AGR, like award redemptions.

The pathetic thing is that it's not hard to write clearly. You just have to take some time and understand what you want to say.

Imagine if the e-mail had said, "Transfer Starpoints to AGR and receive one non-tier-qualifying AGR point for each Starpoint you transfer."

Now the verb transfer has a direct object, and you've eliminated the ambiguous word bonus. Sure, you aren't mentioning that there's a 5k minimum, but the transfer minimum is clearly shown on the page you jump to, and is much less important than the transfer ratio.

I'll also grant that "non-tier-qualifying" is ugly. It's clear, though.


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## amamba (Jun 7, 2012)

Texas Sunset said:


> 100% bonus doesn't sound like a typical Starwood transfer.
> 
> Usually it's more like transfer a minimum of 20,000 points and receive 5,000 bonus points or something of that nature.
> 
> ...


The standard Starwood offer is to transfer to AGR with a 1:1 ratio. That is what happens everyday, and has for years.

The problem is transferring points back to Starwood from AGR. It actually can't be done. Instead, one has to redeem AGR points for "one night stay certs" at Starwood properties. And the valuation on them is really, really high. One night at a cat 4 is something like 27K points on AGR, where that same night only costs 10K points from Starwood.


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## Rail Freak (Jun 7, 2012)

Just got off the phone with a Super & she was not very helpful! She said she was sending it up the line & I should hear from Amtrak within 72 hours!!! I was as polite as I could be & thanked her for her help, but I dont have a good gut feeling about this. She couldnt even tell me how long the promo would last , in case I wanted to transfer more pts.!. Sounds as though it is TARGETED!!!


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## yarrow (Jun 7, 2012)

i just called agr and asked about the "bonus point". i read the e-mail to the rep and he said "yup, 2 for 1". i then asked how long the promotion was on for and he said he would check. was on hold for maybe five minutes and he came back and said the e-mail was just to advertise the usual 1:1 transfer. there was no bonus and, in his opinion, the e-mail was very poorly worded. so evidently no bonus


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## Rail Freak (Jun 7, 2012)

If that's the case, I have a poorly worded response for Amtrak!! :angry2: !! :giggle: !! :wacko: !!  !!!!


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## PRR 60 (Jun 11, 2012)

AGR Insider at Flyertalk clarified that this is not a special 2:1 offer. The e-mail was intended to highlight the ability to transfer SPG points to AGR at the regular 1:1 ratio. The term "bonus points" was used because that is the definition used by AGR for any points earned other than base rail travel points.

AGR apologized for the misunderstanding, and stated that they will take more care with wording in the future.


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## Devil's Advocate (Jun 11, 2012)

amamba said:


> The standard Starwood offer is to transfer to AGR with a 1:1 ratio. That is what happens everyday, and has for years.


So AGR never has any SPG transfer bonuses? That's not so good since transfer bonuses are a big part of what makes SPG a better value than other programs. As for my post I did not intend to dispute that AGR does or does not have bonuses. I was simply saying that when there _is_ a bonus offered in relation to SPG it usually comes in a form similar to what I mentioned previously, rather than a two-for-one ratio with no minimums.



amamba said:


> The problem is transferring points back to Starwood from AGR. It actually can't be done. Instead, one has to redeem AGR points for "one night stay certs" at Starwood properties. And the valuation on them is really, really high. One night at a cat 4 is something like 27K points on AGR, where that same night only costs 10K points from Starwood.


I didn't think most transferable intermediary point systems allowed you to reverse exchanges unless something was screwed up on their end. For that and other reasons it's probably best to leave the points alone until you are certain how, when, and where you want to redeem them.


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## CHamilton (Feb 10, 2013)

> Delta, Starwood Link Rewards Programs
> Delta Air Lines and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide are linking their loyalty initiatives in Crossover Rewards program.
> 
> Beginning March 1, travelers enrolled in the two loyalty programs no longer have to choose between hotel points and frequent flyer miles as they will now earn both, along with a host of other crossover perks. The new program provides elite members of both loyalty programs reciprocal benefits.
> ...


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