UPDATE: SPG has merged with Marriott.  See the new Marriott Airline Transfer Partners here.

One great feature of the Starwood Preferred Guest program that I have taken advantage of many times is the ability to transfer Starpoints back and forth between SPG members. This is a great benefit that allows significant others and family members to pool their SPG points together to book a hotel award or transfer points to airline transfer partners.

Rules for Transferring Starpoints to Other SPG Members

There are a few rules for transferring Starwood points to another SPG member:

•  Transfers must be in 1,000 point increments.

•  SPG members must share the same residential mailing address (not a P.O. Box, APO or SPO address) for a minimum of 30 days prior to requesting the transfer. Note there is no requirement that members be married or related so you can transfer Starpoints to any SPG member if one person changes their mailing address to share the same address.

•  SPG members may be required to provide proof of residency prior to Starwood transferring Starpoints between the two accounts.  I have never been asked for proof but I am assuming that this could happen if SPG suspects members do not actually share the same address.  Some signs that you might be abusing this benefit is frequently transferring points to a large number of members or members that change their address frequently.

How to Transfer SPG Points to Another Member

Transferring Starpoints points to another SPG member is quick and easy and can be done online.

Here are the steps to transfer your SPG points to another member:

Login into your Starwood account online and click on “Book & Redeem” on the top of the page.  Then click on “Redeem Starpoints”:

Click on “More Options” all the way on the right:

Scroll down the page and click on “Give Starpoints”:

You will see the option to transfer Starpoints and read the terms and conditions.

In short the terms and conditions state that you can transfer Starpoints in 1,000 point increments to members that share the same residential mailing address for a minimum of 30 days prior to requesting the transfer.

To start the transfer process, click on “Transfer Starpoints” and you will see the transfer form:

You only need to enter the SPG member number of the person you are transferring points, their last name as well as the number of Starpoints to transfer. Transfers must be made in 1,000 point increments.

After you submit your request you will see confirmation of your transfer and a message that it may take up to five business days to complete transfers.

The transfer will likely be completed sooner than five business days.  In my experience, most transfers usually take 2 to 4 days.