The Big Win returns - Spring 2014
Dec 22, 2013, 1:56 pm
#301
Join Date: Apr 2013
Programs: UA MPE, BA Blue, AA, IHG Plat Amb, Marriot Silver, HHonors Silver, National Exec, Avis First
Posts: 553
I'm going to try to get my Big Win Q1 2014 and also want to redeem my IHG free certificate within the next several months. I'm going to take a short trip to Vegas in Feb or March and want to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. I think award or certificate stays don't count toward Big Win, but my plan is for a 2-3 night stay, and redeeming my free night for 1 of the nights, and pay for the other night(s). Should I book a single stay and use my certificate to pay for 1 night, or should I book 2 separate stays for this trip (1 free, 1 paid)?
The second question is regarding the brands. For Big Win, I need 4 brands. On the IHG website, the Palazzo and Venetian are both "Intercontinental Alliance Resorts". Will this count as a regular Intercontinental hotel? Will it count as an IHG brand at all? I don't know what "alliance" means in this situation.
The second question is regarding the brands. For Big Win, I need 4 brands. On the IHG website, the Palazzo and Venetian are both "Intercontinental Alliance Resorts". Will this count as a regular Intercontinental hotel? Will it count as an IHG brand at all? I don't know what "alliance" means in this situation.
Both the Palazzo and Venetian are IC, and paid stays will count as such.
Dec 22, 2013, 7:23 pm
#302
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 140
2014 Offer:
Stay more and earn (10 nights) - 10,400
Start the day off right (1 Breakfast rate) 2,000
Change your view (3 Holiday Inns) 5,600
Survey - 100
Win big (Complete all 4 offers) - 18,000
---------------------------------------+
Total: 36,100 points
Strange that my net yield has greatly diminished from the 2013 Big Win, especially given that I was barely able to complete the 2013 promo with fewer stays and 3x the payoff.
Stay more and earn (10 nights) - 10,400
Start the day off right (1 Breakfast rate) 2,000
Change your view (3 Holiday Inns) 5,600
Survey - 100
Win big (Complete all 4 offers) - 18,000
---------------------------------------+
Total: 36,100 points
Strange that my net yield has greatly diminished from the 2013 Big Win, especially given that I was barely able to complete the 2013 promo with fewer stays and 3x the payoff.
Dec 22, 2013, 8:59 pm
#303
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: hh diamond, cp diamond priority club plat Alaska 75k Delta Gold
Posts: 78
similar unrealistic goals for me too
2014 Offer:
Stay more and earn (10 nights) - 10,400
Start the day off right (1 Breakfast rate) 2,000
Change your view (3 Holiday Inns) 5,600
Survey - 100
Win big (Complete all 4 offers) - 18,000
---------------------------------------+
Total: 36,100 points
Strange that my net yield has greatly diminished from the 2013 Big Win, especially given that I was barely able to complete the 2013 promo with fewer stays and 3x the payoff.
Stay more and earn (10 nights) - 10,400
Start the day off right (1 Breakfast rate) 2,000
Change your view (3 Holiday Inns) 5,600
Survey - 100
Win big (Complete all 4 offers) - 18,000
---------------------------------------+
Total: 36,100 points
Strange that my net yield has greatly diminished from the 2013 Big Win, especially given that I was barely able to complete the 2013 promo with fewer stays and 3x the payoff.
Mine was very similar
last time this time
11 nights 24 nights
2 sat nights 2 sat nights
2 cities one was a challenge 3 holiday inns (normally stay at HIE
92000 61000
made the last one, not even going to try for this one, back to HH for me
Dec 22, 2013, 9:12 pm
#304
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,677
Can't go with that answer - where is the IHG rep in all of this????
Dec 22, 2013, 9:29 pm
#308
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,677
Oh no Santa - you will not make me call the IHG space aliens, rest assured of that. Nothing good comes from that.
It is just that sometimes -- the IHG rep (I believe her name is Carolyn) gives us this important information from time to time. So I thought I would put it out there. And let me assure you, I am quite relaxed. Merry Christmas! Let your heart be light!
It is just that sometimes -- the IHG rep (I believe her name is Carolyn) gives us this important information from time to time. So I thought I would put it out there. And let me assure you, I am quite relaxed. Merry Christmas! Let your heart be light!
Dec 23, 2013, 3:49 am
#309
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: MAN
Programs: BA Blue, Priority Club Plat (again!), Marriott Rewards Gold
Posts: 541
I think it is particularly bad form by IHG to ask UK members to take out a Credit Card in order to achieve their Big Win target. I think this is inappropriate.
I am also sure that many may even get rejected for the credit card if they applied making the whole thing actually impossible to achieve.
I am also sure that many may even get rejected for the credit card if they applied making the whole thing actually impossible to achieve.
Dec 23, 2013, 3:51 am
#310
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 43
Some advice 2014 Credit Card
My offer:
Stay a total of 27 nights and receive 17,200 POINTS
Stay at 3 different IHG® brands and receive 11,200 POINTS
Stay 2 Saturday nights and receive 4,800 POINTS
Complete a simple survey and receive 100 POINTS
Stay at 4 Holiday Inn Express® hotels and receive 6,400 POINTS
Get the Priority Club Rewards Black Visa, brought to you by IHG® Rewards Club, use it to book and pay for 1 stay and earn 20,000 points. 20,000 POINTS
Stay at 2 of the following locations and receive 9,600 POINTS
Complete 7 of your offers and receive 69,000 POINTS
My 2013 offer was for 118,000 and I will just make it with my last stay on the 30th.
To achieve 2014 I need to get the credit card which I think is very poor to encourage you to need to get a credit card to complete a challenge.
However you get 30,000 for your first purchase on the credit card, and I would get 87,000 points for completing that aspect of the challenge so if I applied make the purchase that's 117,000 points which I thought made it worth it until I seen the credit card had a £99 annual charge!!!!!! does anybody know if I applied make my purchase then cancelled within a month how much of the £99 I would owe? would It be pro rata?
thanks
Stay a total of 27 nights and receive 17,200 POINTS
Stay at 3 different IHG® brands and receive 11,200 POINTS
Stay 2 Saturday nights and receive 4,800 POINTS
Complete a simple survey and receive 100 POINTS
Stay at 4 Holiday Inn Express® hotels and receive 6,400 POINTS
Get the Priority Club Rewards Black Visa, brought to you by IHG® Rewards Club, use it to book and pay for 1 stay and earn 20,000 points. 20,000 POINTS
Stay at 2 of the following locations and receive 9,600 POINTS
Complete 7 of your offers and receive 69,000 POINTS
My 2013 offer was for 118,000 and I will just make it with my last stay on the 30th.
To achieve 2014 I need to get the credit card which I think is very poor to encourage you to need to get a credit card to complete a challenge.
However you get 30,000 for your first purchase on the credit card, and I would get 87,000 points for completing that aspect of the challenge so if I applied make the purchase that's 117,000 points which I thought made it worth it until I seen the credit card had a £99 annual charge!!!!!! does anybody know if I applied make my purchase then cancelled within a month how much of the £99 I would owe? would It be pro rata?
thanks
Dec 23, 2013, 4:54 am
#312
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Somewhere in Europe
Posts: 3,362
However you get 30,000 for your first purchase on the credit card, and I would get 87,000 points for completing that aspect of the challenge so if I applied make the purchase that's 117,000 points which I thought made it worth it until I seen the credit card had a £99 annual charge!!!!!! does anybody know if I applied make my purchase then cancelled within a month how much of the £99 I would owe? would It be pro rata?
thanks
As for the £99 I'm not sure if it works pro-rata, you would need to check the small print for that one. I'd also imagine that you would need to keep the card until the points posted through on IHG and the Big Win site, recently it has been taking about four weeks for points to post from statement to IHG although if you search back this forum it's not too long ago it was taking up to three months for the points to transfer across.
Dec 23, 2013, 10:11 am
#313
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: UK
Programs: BA S, VS S, SQ G, HH D, IHG D/A, Marriott G, Radisson G, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,945
If you check Raffles' website (http://www.headforpoints.com) there was a link for 40,000 points when signing up to the black card, I'm not sure if it is still working though.
As for the £99 I'm not sure if it works pro-rata, you would need to check the small print for that one. I'd also imagine that you would need to keep the card until the points posted through on IHG and the Big Win site, recently it has been taking about four weeks for points to post from statement to IHG although if you search back this forum it's not too long ago it was taking up to three months for the points to transfer across.
As for the £99 I'm not sure if it works pro-rata, you would need to check the small print for that one. I'd also imagine that you would need to keep the card until the points posted through on IHG and the Big Win site, recently it has been taking about four weeks for points to post from statement to IHG although if you search back this forum it's not too long ago it was taking up to three months for the points to transfer across.
Dec 23, 2013, 1:15 pm
#315
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 34
It's still working in that it let me apply OK - if I don't get the 40k I've made sure I've taken screen shots and printouts of the page and will be challenging them on that front! Agree it's poor that they've made applying for and getting a CC a core component of Big Win - some folk have been let off (only needing 6/7 complete to still get the Big Win), but for the rest of us a full sweep is needed. Mind you if it works then I'll probably not go for the full Big Win and just take the 20k + 40k sign-up bonus. The £99 fee isn't pro-rated, although if you can get £10k spend onto the card in a year you'll get a free night certificate which helps a bit.
The problem I see is that it's not clear if you can receive the normal sign up bonus (40K points) as well as the 20k as part of the big win. The reason I say this is that I have an application link on the big win web page - does this mean that you must apply via this link (therefore missing out on the other points) in order for your application to be tracked as part of the big win? How did you apply for the card?