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Is Hotels.com "free night" better than rewards program?

Is Hotels.com "free night" better than rewards program?

Old Nov 8, 2016, 12:41 pm
  #76  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 140
Can anyone who is UK based help with a query re hotels.com & combining with cashback.

If I book via quidco, quidco lists various cashback rates that either do or don’t receive reward night credit on top of the cash back. I can then click through the relevant rate I want to use via the relevant link (there is one link for each option). So far so good!

However on topcashback (who currently have a better CB rate than quidco), while they list the various rates and options with/without reward night credit that are available as per quidco, they only have one generic link to take you through to the hotels.com site. So how do I indicate on TCB that I want the rate that also earns reward night credit not the rate that doesn’t?

I assume I am missing something very basic but I can't see anywhere how I can do this & it's driving me to distraction. Thanks
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Old Nov 11, 2016, 2:04 pm
  #77  
 
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I have three nights booked so far in hotels.com and don't want to lose that credit. I found a hotel for 5 in a country I'm unlikely to visit. If I book it will that extend the expiry of my stay credits? Or will the hotel actually report back to hotels.com if I no-show and I'll end up wasting 5?
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Old Nov 11, 2016, 2:49 pm
  #78  
 
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Zkzkz, if you no-show, you will end up wasting your €5! Try booking a pre-paid but refundable ressie way out in the future (say 9 months from now.) Then if you have a real stay meanwhile, cancel the dummy stay.
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Old Nov 12, 2016, 4:23 pm
  #79  
 
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Originally Posted by Brendan
Zkzkz, if you no-show, you will end up wasting your 5! Try booking a pre-paid but refundable ressie way out in the future (say 9 months from now.) Then if you have a real stay meanwhile, cancel the dummy stay.
How does that help? Having the pre-paid but refundable stay 9 months out won't save my reward nights from expiring next month will it? According to hotels.com I have to "book and stay before Dec 23rd" to avoid having my nights expire.
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Old Nov 13, 2016, 9:43 am
  #80  
 
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Originally Posted by zkzkz
I have three nights booked so far in hotels.com and don't want to lose that credit. I found a hotel for 5 in a country I'm unlikely to visit. If I book it will that extend the expiry of my stay credits? Or will the hotel actually report back to hotels.com if I no-show and I'll end up wasting 5?
Even if it does extend your expiry, it sure is going to bring down the value of your eventual "free" night, since the free night is valued at the average amount you spent on the 10 nights credited.

I vote to let the 3 nights go.
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Old Nov 13, 2016, 11:11 am
  #81  
 
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OK, if my guess in Post #79 is wrong, then all I can advise is to phone hotels.com to ask them!
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Old Nov 13, 2016, 3:28 pm
  #82  
 
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Originally Posted by clublounger
Even if it does extend your expiry, it sure is going to bring down the value of your eventual "free" night, since the free night is valued at the average amount you spent on the 10 nights credited.

I vote to let the 3 nights go.
Well that may be wise but not because of the reason you state. The way averages go you can just multiply each night by 10% and that's what it'll contribute to the average. The 5 euros will "bring down" the average only compared to having every night be at 100 euros. But the 100 euro nights each still contribute the same 10 euros to the average when all is said and done.

It may not be wise because there's no real guarantee that the nights still won't expire in another 12 months if I keep finding better deals elsewhere and then it'll be just have been throwing good money after bad.
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Old Nov 18, 2016, 6:40 pm
  #83  
 
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Anyone with experience with the hotels.com Gold reward?

When it comes to cancelling non-cancellable bookings, how did it go?
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Old Nov 25, 2016, 2:29 am
  #84  
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Originally Posted by tycosiao
Anyone with experience with the hotels.com Gold reward?

When it comes to cancelling non-cancellable bookings, how did it go?
I booked a hotel for the wrong night for a colleague a few months ago. I realised within a few minutes and called the Gold line. They called the hotel to explain and between them agreed to change the booking for me free of charge (to the correct nights), however not sure how a total cancellation would go down. They were very helpful, though. Good luck!
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Old Nov 25, 2016, 9:59 am
  #85  
 
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I booked a non-refundable booking on hotels.com last year, several months in advance. When my plans changed, hotels.com called the hotel, which was flexible and changed my dates without a penalty. However, no cash refunds were allowed. But online, it was also non-changeable.

Then this summer, I had to cancel a non-refundable res at a Fairmont hotel because my plane ticket had changed by 2 days due to weather. Again, hotels.com called & the hotel accepted that (verifiable) excuse & issued me a refund.

So it's at the hotel's discretion.
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Old Jan 8, 2017, 5:24 pm
  #86  
 
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Is anyone finding that hotels are now showing as ineligible for hotels.com rewards which did not before? Not just cheap hotels either. For example, I stayed here in November and the stay qualified but it (and loads of others in Sydney at least) now shows as not qualifying for future stays.
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Old Jan 8, 2017, 9:59 pm
  #87  
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louie, there are a few times when staying abroad, that a hotel or B&B that allows people to reserve on hotels.com still requires that person to pay in person at the hotel. In these situations, the stays will count toward the 10 night requirement for a free night, but you cannot redeem free nights or coupon codes for these stays.

I just booked a bunch of nights in Colombia and found this to be the case quite often actually.
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Old Jan 10, 2017, 5:20 pm
  #88  
 
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I am wondering if hotels.com have sneakily changed their T&Cs without informing anyone. I've received an email today with this in the footnotes - "When you book and stay ten (10) nights at eligible pre-pay Hotels.com Rewards properties, you'll earn one (1) free night at an eligible pre-pay Hotels.com Rewards property" (emphasis added). Probably 95% of the stays I make are not prepaid yet they have always counted - and have always been shown to be eligible when I have booked. I suspect that this is why so many hotels I have previously booked and earned Hotels.com Rewards on are now showing as ineligible.
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Old Jan 10, 2017, 6:42 pm
  #89  
 
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I have seen over the years that some hotels on hotels.com were non-prepayable, all of which were ineligible for getting as award nights. Some others were also ineligible to earn &or use award nights. I guess they've tightened up their rules just now as per Louie-m.
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Old Jan 10, 2017, 8:30 pm
  #90  
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Originally Posted by louie-m
I am wondering if hotels.com have sneakily changed their T&Cs without informing anyone. I've received an email today with this in the footnotes - "When you book and stay ten (10) nights at eligible pre-pay Hotels.com Rewards properties, you'll earn one (1) free night at an eligible pre-pay Hotels.com Rewards property" (emphasis added). Probably 95% of the stays I make are not prepaid yet they have always counted - and have always been shown to be eligible when I have booked. I suspect that this is why so many hotels I have previously booked and earned Hotels.com Rewards on are now showing as ineligible.
Interesting. I just booked a bunch of nights a week or so ago and they counted. So it must be a very, very recent change. That's a bummer. If I'm not getting credit, I'll book through the hotel directly every time.
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