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Anybody used the Citi Prestige 4th night free hotel benefit? (Dec 2014 - Jul 22,2017)

Old Jun 8, 2015, 11:36 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: swag
Reimbursement times vary but seem to have improved in 2017, now about 2 weeks is most common. See this thread for details.

Starting for reservations made on or after July 23, 2017, this benefit will give you the average nightly rate on stays of 4+ nights, and will NOT include taxes.

FAQ
Will I be able to earn points on rooms booked via the Concierge?
Yes

What rates can the Concierge book?
Any rate you can book online at the hotel website should be bookable by the Concierge.

Are taxes included in the 4th night refund?
Currently yes. For reservations made on or after July 23, 2017, this will change and taxes will not be included.

How to book.

By phone: 1-561-922-0158 (concierge direct), or call the toll free number on the back of your card.

By email: Send to [email protected].
Include:
  • Your name & email
  • Last 4 digits of your card number
  • Hotel name (plus address or link if it may be confused with a similar named property)
  • Stay dates
  • Number of guests in the room
  • Any rate type requests (AAA, AARP, etc)
  • Your hotel chain loyalty number, if applicable

Terms & Conditions: https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/additional-info/citi.action?ID=AdditionalInfo-CitiPrestige
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Anybody used the Citi Prestige 4th night free hotel benefit? (Dec 2014 - Jul 22,2017)

Old Jun 26, 2017, 2:52 am
  #2146  
 
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First time user of the benefit. Called the number in Wiki, provided name and address of property, date of check-in, and number of nights. Concierge verified rate (which was the same that I had gotten from the property's website), terms of offer, and asked for my CC #. Concierge provided the confirmation number and his name. Confirmation email came less than 10 minutes after we ended the call. Total call time 16 minutes. Very pleased with experience so far.
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Old Jun 26, 2017, 7:53 am
  #2147  
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FWIW, I did eventually get a confirmation email back from Citi stating that I will receive the 4th Night free. It's my confirmation number...the room I booked on my own...but in their standard format showing the credit amount I'll get after the stay.

So it seems like the benefit will work properly, painful as it was to get there...

Still don't understand at all why this isn't a simple online process.
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Old Jun 26, 2017, 9:54 am
  #2148  
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So on two of my last three 4th night free reservations, I have paid with a different credit card.

The first was just carelessness, checking into a Marriott/SPG, I pulled out my SPG Amex at check in out of habit, and didn't realize my mistake until a couple of days after checkout. The second time, I left my Prestige card at home, and was already on my flight when I noticed it wasn't in my wallet.

Anyway, much to my surprise, I still received the 4th night credit both times.

Has anyone else had any recent experience with booking through the Concierge, but using a card other than the Prestige to pay?

The terms on the Citi site are clear.
To receive your complimentary night (via a statement credit) you must: 1) Make a reservation for a minimum, consecutive fournight stay by contacting the Citi Prestige Concierge, to book directly with a designated concierge and 2) Fully pay for your stay with a Citi Prestige Card.
But as they say, once is a glitch. Twice is a pattern.

It would certainly be nice to be able to use a different card at times; for example, one of my tasks for the current IHG promo is to use my IHG card to pay for a stay. Still, whether it's an unpublished change or whether I just got lucky twice, I don't plan to risk further tests.
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Old Jun 26, 2017, 9:57 am
  #2149  
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Surprising, since I assumed the presence of the charge on your Citi card was the trigger for the credit.

I have no incentive to try it on my upcoming stay (it's not a brand where I hold their credit card), but it is indeed interesting if it's a reliable pattern.
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Old Jun 26, 2017, 10:06 am
  #2150  
 
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I had to email Citi concierge on my last stay when the hotel charged my credit card on file and not my Citi Prestige Card that I have presented and initial hotel folio that went to Citi had a wrong card on it. Had to email my correct folio for the credit to be processed despite a charge on my Citi card
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 6:59 am
  #2151  
 
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I suspect its dependent on property, the concierge must call to verify the stay and the card used. I can imagine that there are some properties who may not be willing to send a folio to a third party.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 7:37 am
  #2152  
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Originally Posted by swag
So on two of my last three 4th night free reservations, I have paid with a different credit card.

The first was just carelessness, checking into a Marriott/SPG, I pulled out my SPG Amex at check in out of habit, and didn't realize my mistake until a couple of days after checkout. The second time, I left my Prestige card at home, and was already on my flight when I noticed it wasn't in my wallet.

Anyway, much to my surprise, I still received the 4th night credit both times.

Has anyone else had any recent experience with booking through the Concierge, but using a card other than the Prestige to pay?

The terms on the Citi site are clear.


But as they say, once is a glitch. Twice is a pattern.

It would certainly be nice to be able to use a different card at times; for example, one of my tasks for the current IHG promo is to use my IHG card to pay for a stay. Still, whether it's an unpublished change or whether I just got lucky twice, I don't plan to risk further tests.
Originally Posted by ellinj
I suspect its dependent on property, the concierge must call to verify the stay and the card used. I can imagine that there are some properties who may not be willing to send a folio to a third party.

Credit is subject to audit.

Sometimes they check (as in they obtain actual folio from hotel which they can do since they are travel agent on record for the reservation) and sometimes they push the credit over without verification.

I've experienced both. How do I know they check folio? The reimbursed amount was less than expected and the reason given was that one of the "taxes" charged by the hotel was not a tax.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 5:54 pm
  #2153  
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Originally Posted by ellinj
I suspect its dependent on property, the concierge must call to verify the stay and the card used. I can imagine that there are some properties who may not be willing to send a folio to a third party.
I've always assumed that Citi is getting the travel agent booking commission on these stays - and that would cover a large part of their cost. (If they get 10% of 4 nights, that's 40% of the free night cost, at least after next month's changes). And if they're getting commission, the payment of that would be sufficient to verify that the stay occurred. So maybe that's what triggers the statement credit?

To verify the payment card, they could check with the hotel, but couldn't they also just check with Citi to see if the charge posted to the Prestige?

Verifying commission could easily be automated. Checking with the hotel likely can't; I suspect with the much quicker credits over recent months, there must be some additional automation compared to last year.

(FWIW, both my stays were domestic, one at a Marriott brand, one at an IHG).
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Old Jun 28, 2017, 9:18 am
  #2154  
 
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July 23 is rapidly approaching. For a reservation to have current 4th night free benefits, does the actual stay have to be before 7/23, or just the reservation booked by then?
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Old Jun 28, 2017, 9:23 am
  #2155  
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Originally Posted by DaveInLA
July 23 is rapidly approaching. For a reservation to have current 4th night free benefits, does the actual stay have to be before 7/23, or just the reservation booked by then?
Booked by then. My stay is August, and it was quoted under the current rules.
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Old Jun 28, 2017, 8:57 pm
  #2156  
 
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Originally Posted by swag
I've always assumed that Citi is getting the travel agent booking commission on these stays - and that would cover a large part of their cost. (If they get 10% of 4 nights, that's 40% of the free night cost, at least after next month's changes). And if they're getting commission, the payment of that would be sufficient to verify that the stay occurred. So maybe that's what triggers the statement credit?

To verify the payment card, they could check with the hotel, but couldn't they also just check with Citi to see if the charge posted to the Prestige?

Verifying commission could easily be automated. Checking with the hotel likely can't; I suspect with the much quicker credits over recent months, there must be some additional automation compared to last year.

(FWIW, both my stays were domestic, one at a Marriott brand, one at an IHG).
I used to think this was the case, and I'm sure it is for some of their bookings, but I've stayed at plenty of non-commissionable properties where they've literally gone on the property's website and put in my details for me. Nowhere on the sites was there anywhere to put an IATA number. I have a feeling a lot of these wind up getting paid out of Citi's marketing budget.
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 6:24 am
  #2157  
 
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Originally Posted by seawolf
Credit is subject to audit.

Sometimes they check (as in they obtain actual folio from hotel which they can do since they are travel agent on record for the reservation) and sometimes they push the credit over without verification.

I've experienced both. How do I know they check folio? The reimbursed amount was less than expected and the reason given was that one of the "taxes" charged by the hotel was not a tax.
Here's my experience and understanding. My stay at the Yosemite Majestic hadn't credited after a couple months. So I called, mentioned I had stayed, told them they could see the charge on my Prestige bill. They told me they DO NOT have access to the credit card statements. They do confirmation by calling the hotel and confirming that you stayed (as noted in other posts, unclear whether they could/would also check that Prestige was used). Well for my case, the Majestic said I had cancelled and never stayed. Since I had the folio number I gave it to them and they were able to track it down and give me credit.

So it seems very likely you can get away with using a different card. I've also heard of others using other than Prestige and getting the 4th free. Is it worth the gamble to try it?
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 6:46 am
  #2158  
 
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Originally Posted by Governator
Here's my experience and understanding. My stay at the Yosemite Majestic hadn't credited after a couple months. So I called, mentioned I had stayed, told them they could see the charge on my Prestige bill. They told me they DO NOT have access to the credit card statements. They do confirmation by calling the hotel and confirming that you stayed (as noted in other posts, unclear whether they could/would also check that Prestige was used). Well for my case, the Majestic said I had cancelled and never stayed. Since I had the folio number I gave it to them and they were able to track it down and give me credit.

So it seems very likely you can get away with using a different card. I've also heard of others using other than Prestige and getting the 4th free. Is it worth the gamble to try it?
+1 Almost word for word description of what happened to me with an early March stay. Fortunately I had held onto a paper copy of the folio. Once I submitted that to Citi concierge, everything worked out fine. No idea why hotel gave incorrect info to Citi concierge when they spoke.

This said, a stay earlier this month was reimbursed 11 days after checkout, i.e., even before the next statement closing date. Ironic, because on this one, due to a link with earlier day stays, the folio was marked "FHR" But I did pay with my Citi Prestige card.

Bottom line: Hang onto your bill (folio). Call Citi concierge if nothing has posted after a billing cycle. And pay with your Citi Prestige card. The risk/reward ratio is too high to do otherwise.
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 9:17 pm
  #2159  
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Does anybody have experience booking a Starwood meeting group code via the TA for the 4th night free?
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 10:10 pm
  #2160  
 
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Originally Posted by krazykanuck
Does anybody have experience booking a Starwood meeting group code via the TA for the 4th night free?
I have booked a stay using a meeting group code with the 4th night free benefit before with no problem, though not specifically with Starwood.

The booking process was straightforward as usual, and I simply let the agent know to book using the group code.
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