blueeagle3

Thank you for your help!

So i will follow your lead and buy the nights...Gives some points too - and helps with the status too...So maybe a not that bad idea..

CokeandTaco

As noted here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18595924-post623.html
The cost of Points and Cash has increased.....
$40 for 5k (no change)
$70 for 10k (+$10)

Bummer.....

FWIW, the official terms have yet to be updated with the change.....

JonathanIT

Ugh, just saw this when I was looking for some rates. At first I thought it was a mistake! After the big point devaluation at the beginning of the year, PC is slowly losing it's "great value" imho.

mareh

Yeah, I just noticed too. Disappointing, but after the 5K points went up to $40, I kind of expected more changes.

Shimon

Just noticed this.

vmsea

wwooowww... I bought 200K pts I needed at 0.6 cents last Wednesday (May 16th).. I still need 100K tho.. damn it.. cost me $100 more

Abducted Alien

I have 25000 points for use. I´m going to book five nights with points and cash. That is 5000 + 70$ x 5. If I cancel my reservation I will get pack my 25000 points + 25000 just bought points = 50000 p and not 350$ as cash is non refundable. Or just 25000 and lose 350$?

canesfan

If you have 25K points for use and want to stay somewhere for 5 nights, then you are staying at hotel that is 15K points per night. You are using 5K points then buying 10K at $70. If you cancel, you will have 75K points in your account.

Exiled in Express

It has been over a year since I made one of these reservations. How does the cash portion appear on the credit card statement,is it IHG or Points.com? Asking to see if the Chase Freedom 5% would be applicable.

xenole

Sorry for being a bit dopey here but if you book a reward night for say 40,000 points + $70, and then cancel, how many points does the $70 equate to? Is it the same conversion rate for $40?

scubaccr

The $40/70 money buys you 5000/10000 points towards your award free night
So .... for each
us$40 you get 5K points back to your account
us$70 you get 10K points back to your account

xenole

Is this actually worth it?

Say it's 50k points for night at the IC in Hong Kong. They'll put you in some room with no real view I'm guessing and the room with cost say £240 a night.
Might as well pay £30 extra and get a decent room + stay credit + some points.

To get the 50k points, I need to spend 5 x $70 = $350 or £225ish.

So I'm saving next to nothing here unless I'm just slightly topping up points for a redemption or maybe a bargain rate.

scubaccr

I see you are just PCR Gold. You will get no recognition at an IC as a non-Ambassador (even PCR Plats get nothing usually at IC's), so the room type you book is the type you'll end up with.

Points nights only bookable for lowest category room, but hotel will never give you a worst basic room because you used points rather than paid cash.

Unless hotel occupancy exceeds 95% hotel receives a low fixed rate per night, thus asking at checkin if you can pay for an upgrade can often result in a relatively cheap upgrade to next level room or so, as that money all goes to the hotel.
Paying cash + points makes no difference, it is IHG who absorbs the cash part of you award night stay, hotel won't know about or see extra from IHG.

An IC outside USA (where it is points per $) stay only gives you 2000points per stay whether for 1night or 14nights duration.

xenole

Was looking at this again and could work out well in some cases.

Was looking at hotels that around NYE are coming in at £300-400+ a night.
By booking say 3 nights at a cheap local HI/HIEX for 5-15k + $70 a night and then cancelling to get 3 x 10k points, I could get the required extra points to stay 3 reward nights for a 1/5 of the price. No amazing views out of the window but a £1k saving trumps that.

Added: Just tried this and points instantly appeared in my account

mgo72

I think I know the answer but want to be stubborn and naiev :-)

Points and cash will not bring in points and will not be counted as 1 night stay for IC-ambassador and promotion nights, not?