UPDATE: See the new Marriott Airline Transfer Partners here.

Following is a guide on how to transfer Starpoints to the SPG travel partners airlines plus rules and best practices for transfers.

(For a list of all of the SPG transfer partners and best and worst partners see related post: SPG Transfer Partners Airlines You Can Transfer Starpoints To.)

Rules for Transferring Starpoints:

•   Only one (1) transfer transaction per SPG member per transfer program per 24 hour period is allowed.

•   For every 20,000 Starpoints transferred within the same transaction, Starwood will automatically add another 5,000 Starpoints so it is best to transfer points in increments of 20,000.

•   Minimum Transfer:  Preferred members have a minimum transfer requirement of 2,500 Starpoints. Gold members have a minimum transfer requirement of 1,500 Starpoints. There is no minimum Starpoint transfer requirement for Platinum members with most airlines.

•   Maximum Transfer: In general, Starwood Preferred Guests can transfer up to 79,999 of their Starpoints per transaction per program within a 24-hour period resulting in 94,999 Starpoints after the bonus. Note: You get more miles if you cap your transfers to 60,000 rather than transfer the full 79,999 Starpoints as you are 1 point away from missing out on another 5,000 bonus.

•   Transfers are one-way, non-reversible and non-refundable.

•   The rules state that names must be identical on both accounts (but it is not always enforced in practice).

•   If you need more Starpoints, keep in mind that SPG members can transfer Starpoints to another SPG member account in 1,000 point increments if they share the same residential mailing address for a minimum of 30 days prior to requesting the transfer.

How to Transfer SPG Points to Airline Miles

Here are the steps to transfer your SPG points to airline miles.

Click on “Book & Redeem” on the top of the page.  Then click on “Redeem Starpoints”:

Click on “Travel”:

Scroll down to and click on “Transfer Air Miles”:

Click on “Transfer Starpoints to Air Miles” and you will see the transfer form:

The transfer form lists the Starwood transfer partners.

Unfortunately, transfers are not instantaneous so there is a risk the award you would like to book will be gone by the time the transfer goes through.  The transfer time varies by airline but usually you have to wait at least 1-2 days and for some airlines over a week.  A good place to research transfer times is on flyertalk.