makemoretospendmore

I was just reviewing all of the Fairmont Rewards this evening. Seems like the first year is great with no annual fee and all of the bonuses. It also looks like you'll have to pay the $95 annual fee at the anniversary for the free night to post after spending $12K.

In the next year, as FPC Platinum, paying the $95 will get an annual Gold upgrade cert, and after spending $12K, the free night. Using the 12K Fairmont points, you can get $120 worth of gift cards.

Looking even more closely, I can't actually find a reason to spend more than $12K on this card annually, as the way the points structure works out, the hotel redemption rate doesn't seem like it will be more than about 1%. To stay at the lowest tier (category A), you need to 25K points, meaning $25K spend, assuming they are earned at a 1 for 1 level.

Will put the $12K spending through this evening and report back...

LarkSFO

Maybe go to $15K to get the 2 nights stay credit?

"When spending $7,500, Cardmembers will receive an additional stay credit toward their Elite membership to a maximum of two stay credits per year."

Plus put your Fairmont stays on the card no matter what?

makemoretospendmore

Unfortunately stay credits do not serve any purpose for me as an automatic annual FPC Plat.

Just put the $12K through, will make the payment when it posts to the account and then ask about the anniversary free night. That might be all I put on it this year. Keep you all posted.

AMRivlin

Not certain about this but since free certs count towards plat status and 10 nights beyond equate to an additional night, lifetime plats spending 15k on the card can potentially net another free night with 4 paid nights in room.

1 annual plat night cert
2 card sign up 1k certs
1 12k spend cert
2 credits @15k
4 checkins at Newport beach.
May net a member another (their fifth night cert]

9 nights for around $500 (less if u use gift cards)

makemoretospendmore

Thanks for this line of thought. The only issue I see is that the $12K night certificate won't be available until next year (at which point there are no longer the 2 free nights with 1K spend). Therefore, it looks like one would need 5 additional nights to make it work for this inaugural year.

Right now, I have 6 nights.

Adding on:
-2 free nights from charter member offer
-$15K in spending yielding 2 more nights credit

This would total 10 nights and therefore another free night. Looks like this Chase Visa may see another 3K...

joshc40

Is this piece right? If someone stays for one night using a free room certificate rather than on a paid rate, that will give a stay credit for qualifying for platinum status? I've never stayed on a free night before that hasn't also included a paid night, so I don't know how that would work.

AMRivlin

At least in years past (2011) the free night cert = Stay Credit, with or without a paid night.

atourgates

I was a FPC member with no status, and applied for the card two weeks ago. I immediately charged $1,000 to it - and didn't expect anything so soon.

Today, I checked my FPC account, and I've been upgraded to Premier, with the following certificates showing on my account page:

• 3rd Night Free
• $25 Dining/Willow Stream Certificate x2
• Complimentary Suite Upgrade
• Complimentary Room Upgrade
• Fairmont Visa $25 Breakfast Certificate x4
• Fairmont Visa Complimentary Night x2

I am - to put it mildly - quite excited.

TravelGuy1965

My wifes account has over $1k in charges for over 3 weeks now (she is ahead of me on spending ) and had all the certificates except the free nights post to her account. Sounds like I'll need to call for her. I haven't reached the $1k yet.

Anyone else reach the spending, but not get the free night certs showing up online?

lov2trav

I am confused. Can someone explain why Fairmont Visa $25 Breakfast Certificate x4 were given?

azepine00

got the card in mid may finished spending by 20th or so and called fairmont a few days later to confirm linking the card
Whole bunch of certs posted on may 30 ^ with one year expiration

Now need to decide if i should switch from a suite at hyatt sin to a suite at fairmont sin

atourgates

I think that's the "2 Free Nights Including Breakfast For 2" part of the offer. Here's the relevant section from the offer's T&C on Fairmont's site:

lov2trav

Does that mean that the 2 free nights come with $ 100 breakfast certificates?

TravelGuy1965

Here's an email reply I received from a 'Fairmont Visa Signature Administrator' in the middle of may. It states you will get 4 $25 breakfast certificates with the 2 free night certificates. So effectively $50 a day for the breakfast. Not quite enough for 2 people at a Fairmont but when combined with all the other certs its still wonderful.

"If $1,000 USD or more if spent within the first 3 months you will receive 2 complimentary night certificates and 4 breakfast certificates valued at $25 USD each, a maximum of 2 can be used per breakfast sitting. Essentially, if you choose to combine them it’s 2 nights with breakfast."

lov2trav

Sweet