SPG To Virgin America Is Now An Option At 1:1 – Should You Transfer?

So in April SPG added Virgin America as a transfer partner, you can also earn 2x Virgin America Elevate points per $1 spent on SPG bookings. Now I realize that this post is two months late, but I think this addition is interesting for three reasons:

1. The transfer rate is 1:1, you can also transfer the following flexible points to Virgin America:
   • American Express Membership Rewards at a rate of 2:1
   • Citi ThankYou Points at a rate of 2:1
2. SPG offers a transfer bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 20,000 points or more at a time. For example, transfer 20,000 SPG points and get 25,000 Virgin America miles (making it a 1:1.25 transfer rate in the perfect situation)
3. Virgin America will merge with Alaska Airlines 

Virgin America points have a fixed value of 2.2¢ when redeeming them for domestic Virgin America flights, so this would be a way to cash out SPG points for 2.75¢ if you need a Virgin America flight and transferred in chunks of 20,000 (also doesn’t account for any miles you would have earned from the flight itself, points you would have earned from booking etc etc).

Some people are speculating that when Virgin America & Alaska Airlines programs merge, that Virgin America miles will be converted at a ratio of more than 1:1. Personally I don’t see that happening, Alaska Airlines is also a transfer partner of SPG and offers that same rate of 1:1 transfer. I could have maybe understood it if they were only able to be transferred at a 2:1 rate like AmEx MR & Citi TYP. Personally I don’t see any point in making a speculative transfer to Virgin America in the hopes those miles are worth more when converted to Alaska Airlines. As far as I’m aware we don’t even have a timeline for when that merger will be completed and so much can change in a short period of time when it comes to this hobby.

In terms of transferring points to Virgin America for Virgin America flights, that really depends on your own circumstances. I wouldn’t do it because I don’t really ever take Virgn America flights and I have an excessive amount of airline miles and a depressive amount of value hotel points.