American Express Membership Rewards - 25% devaluation in travel pay with points?

You can book travel through American Express Travel Service (or PTS) and "pay with points". Last year most hotels, cruises and airfares were at the 100 points to the dollar rate. I notice that this year many of them are coming up at 133 points to the dollar, a 25% devaluation. This seems like a much greater drop in value than Starwood's changes this year. I keep looking for a thread here discussing this and haven't found one. Is it just that no one here uses "pay with points" because you have more advantageous ways of using Membership Rewards points?

You can book travel through American Express Travel Service (or PTS) and "pay with points". Last year most hotels, cruises and airfares were at the 100 points to the dollar rate. I notice that this year many of them are coming up at 133 points to the dollar, a 25% devaluation. This seems like a much greater drop in value than Starwood's changes this year. I keep looking for a thread here discussing this and haven't found one. Is it just that no one here uses "pay with points" because you have more advantageous ways of using Membership Rewards points?

I haven't heard anything and a sample flight priced out the same in dollars and its equivalent in points (130.40 dollars and 13,040 points). What specifically were you searching for that came up with the higher rates?

I know that if you're flying somewhere international via business or first, it's fairly easy to beat the 1 cent per point valuation by simply converting MR points into FF miles.

I haven't heard anything and a sample flight priced out the same in dollars and its equivalent in points (130.40 dollars and 13,040 points). What specifically were you searching for that came up with the higher rates?

I was recently told when I called in that airfare is still 100, but hotels are 133.

You can book travel through American Express Travel Service (or PTS) and "pay with points". Last year most hotels, cruises and airfares were at the 100 points to the dollar rate. I notice that this year many of them are coming up at 133 points to the dollar, a 25% devaluation. This seems like a much greater drop in value than Starwood's changes this year. I keep looking for a thread here discussing this and haven't found one. Is it just that no one here uses "pay with points" because you have more advantageous ways of using Membership Rewards points?
I consider a penny a point an inadequate return on "investment" (use of another CC would bring me more, sometimes much more). So still less adequate returns than a penny per point, that is really inadequate returns, are of no interest to me, except as newly created ones may serve as a barometer, telling us something about the direct MR is going in.

If there has been a change, it probably hasn't been reported too much on FT because very few FTers use MR points even at the 1 penny:1 point conversion.

I haven't heard anything and a sample flight priced out the same in dollars and its equivalent in points (130.40 dollars and 13,040 points). What specifically were you searching for that came up with the higher rates?

It was a cruise where I noticed the price increase. I agree that most Frequent Travelers aren't happy with a penny a point - so how do you get much greater value from your Amex points?

It was a cruise where I noticed the price increase. I agree that most Frequent Travelers aren't happy with a penny a point - so how do you get much greater value from your Amex points?

Long-haul, premium cabin airline tickets. Or top-tier hotel stays. USA-Australia in First on Qantas is a very expensive ticket (~$20K) or 135K CO points. Sure, you have to work to find availability, but at that ratio ($0.14/mile), a little work is worthwhile.

S.

Long-haul, premium cabin airline tickets. Or top-tier hotel stays. USA-Australia in First on Qantas is a very expensive ticket (~$20K) or 135K CO points. Sure, you have to work to find availability, but at that ratio ($0.14/mile), a little work is worthwhile.

S.

Thanks, but I have a LOT of MR points, and already did the First Class to Australia thing, with no immediate need to return. All our vacations are already on points, but usually AA, UA or SPG (I did just move some points from MR to Delta now that they have non-stop to Venice).

In terms of using MR points for Top-tier hotel stays, I mostly use SPG for that, although I have transferred some MR points to Hilton. Using the MR points directly for hotel is usually a horrible deal (frequently 65,000 points per night at places I'd want to stay).

I'm still looking for higher value ways to use the MR points...

Thanks!

Using the MR points directly for hotel is usually a horrible deal

Using the MR points directly for anything is a horrible deal, though maybe the companion ticket for Eos is a reasonable reward level. As a general rule, they figure the penny/point deal on those redemptions, so unless you wash them though another partner you're not going to get much "extra" value.