nmenaker

Anyone calling, can you please inquire to the CHASE FAIRMONT points that are good towards hotel stays, what happens with all that accumulation? I have about 100K points at the moment, didn't want to try and use them on the LAST trip, but would force to use them soon.

Incidentally, at my last stay at the Orchid recently, my receipt printed out with the CHASE FAIRMONT ads on the back, so I asked, could one get the card still and they said "yes, we recently just had a briefing on it for new customers"..maybe that was 'recent' as in last year?

azepine00

They will convert into chase points - the letter is very clear on that

azepine00

if you spend 12k you ll get a free nt cert with 1 yr expiration, if only 6k then it will expire on 2/28

not everyone has less that 12 mo - those with anniversary between now and august are still on original terms and only get a free night after 12k.

dmodemd

Why not let the points roll over into UR? Seems like you already have a UR account. They are worth more as URs for travel than as cash 1:1.

I don't know. The letter says "If you've spent at least $12,000 by August 14...". I interpret that as from your anniversary date any time until 8/14. So if your anniversary date is 7/31, then you have another period (less than 12 months) between 8/1 and 8/14 to get the $6K or $12K target it seems? That's all the interpretation upthread I presume...

Everyone has a less than 12 month period.

bmvaughn

I have 300k UR, not really aching for more... I may do that, but was thinking of calling and cancelling earlier than waiting 2 months

lbotez

depends on how many Fairmont Rewards points you earned so far.

Sorry, but I don't feel your pain. I have 200K UR and could use more anytime.

Use 'em to go First Class to Australia... for instance. You can never have enough UR points.


You can call the number on the back of your card, try to get the Fairmont specialist, and ask for the free Freedom card instead. No fee. Then you can move your Fairmont Rewards points and combine them with the card that you have 300 UR points (guessing it's one of the Sapphire cards).

Spent_All_My_Miles

The letter is definitely confusing - multiple things could have been made clearer.

The letter should have explicitly addressed the treatment of customers with an anniversary falling between June 12 (date of letter) and August 14.

After talking last night to Chase, it sounds like their next anniversary date is processed normally, and they have a super-short stub year to get the $6K. Everyone else has a longer amount of time to get the $6K.

There is one difference between spending $12K and $6K in the stub year: the free night cert issued by spending $12K expires one year after it is issued, which will be a little while after Aug 14, while the free cert issued for $6K expires Feb 28, 2018.

That does not explain why the text says "if you have a full 12 months to reach $12,000". That text only makes sense if Fairmont is effectively immediately not awarding free nights on one's card anniversay date, and is instead going to wait until August 14 to process all of them. I don't think this is the case after my call,
and other language weighs against it. "[The free night] is not a benefit of the Sapphire Preferred Card" and "On August 15, we're replacing your Fairmont Visa Signature Card..." suggest that it is business as usual until then.

Suppose instead that Chase is no longer processing free nights on the anniversary date and instead waiting until August 15 to process all remaining ones. That raises other questions -- what if you card anniversary date was a few weeks before the June 12, and the free night was going to post in the next few weeks ... will it, and what is the cutoff date for that?

Other questions:
- Will the gold floor upgrade coupon and 2/4 x $25 dining certs that have been posted in March for people who earn status the hard way not post next year? I think anyone who has paid a $95 annual fee since April 2017 or so would feel deprived of a benefit that was part of why they paid for the card
- Similarly, will people who paid the annual fee since March 2017 and don't have status get Premier status next March 2018?

Both of these benefits clearly end at some point when the card is ended, but for those who have already paid their annual fee, it is unfair not to get them next time. March 2019 should be when those benefits disappear.

Too bad this board doesn't have an Insider like some other loyalty programs.

HeavenlyJane

You can often book a Fairmont room on the UR travel portal, using UR points. The redemption is often much better than using Fairmont points. We usually use UR points to book 3rd night when we used my husband and my annual free night certs. UR cost is always based on the current rate. We often book a refundable room so we can change our reservation if the price drops. For example, an extra night at the Hamilton Southampton (Bermuda) was 37,311 UR pts and 22,500 UR pts at the Chateau Frontenac. Compare those prices to the Fairmont point charts.

mahasamatman

I'd say that's 99.9% likely.

Runner123

OK, I am really confused. I have my FPC status through the Fairmont card. The card is going away now, so that means my FPC Premier status will be gone as well, right? My renewal is coming up in June or July and my card would be converted to a Chase Sapphire Preferred. I have a stay booked at the Fairmont Singapore in late October. If I cancel my Fairmont card, do I still have my FPC status? I don't want to get my card converted to a Chase; I'd rather earn the bonus myself. I only have about 4500 points anyway. Do I need to get the Chase card to protect my status in FPC through the end of the years? Thanks!

mahasamatman

My wife called to tell them not to give her the Sapphire Preferred, and to get the Freedom Unlimited instead. They said they cannot process any requests until 15 August. Is anyone else getting pushback?

AMRivlin

My annual fee just hit. I too DO NOT want a CSP, (as I have a CSR). I feel like one can downgrade and get annual fee back.

Finkface

It isn't the downgrading and annual fee rebate I am concerned with. It is the burning my chance for a future sign-up bonus for the CSP. One can only get a sign up bonus if you have never had the card before. If they automaticaly convert to a CSP, even if I downgrade/rebate immediately, I will have already 'had' the card and presumably can not get the sign up bonus in the future.

Brendan

I'm happy, too! I have only ~9100 Chase Fairmont points, which can now become ~9K Hyatt points on Aug. 15 or 16--much better than $91 in gasoline GCs! Lark's 100K can become 100K Hyatt, good for 3--4 nights in top-of-the-line Hyatts or 8 nights in very nice Hyatts vs. $1000 GCs or 3 nights of Ovation certificates for Fairmont Collection B hotels such as Banff, Jasper, and most Canadian downtown hotels.

I'm happy to have grabbed my last opportunity to milk this card for 3 (or 4 incl. B2G1) Fairmont nights + $50 in gas cards + 9 or 10K Hyatt! All for ~$12,300 spend.

My one minor disappointment is that I won't have the Fairmont Visa in Jan. 2018 to trigger another year of Premier status & corresponding certs. If I want that, I'll have to earn it this year !

Brendan

You can get 2--4 nights of Ovation certificates, which IIRC do not expire, for your points, depending on which hotel(s) you want to book & whether you want a Fairmont Room, Gold, or Suite. Or $1000 in GCs, say for gasoline. But IMO the best deal is to wait till Aug. 15 or 16 to convert them into 100K Hyatt points or 100K airline miles or any combination. 100K Marriott is a possibility, but a poorer value unless you're aiming for a Travel Package.