Originally Posted by
Tulane41
not sure if you can depart after the 15th, or just have to book by the 15th, and if so, how much later the trip can be.
My read was the you had to complete the booking transaction by Nov. 15th, and it only works up to 6 months out, so latest travel will be in March '09.
Originally Posted by
ZbadhabitZ
I DEFINITELY agree this is a major disappointment. However, are those of you serious about canceling your PLAT card because of the lack of this benefit now? I thought the PLAT was well worth the $450 fee with the concierge, FHR benefits, and overall protection that is guaranteed (plus SPG Gold), so as much as I am really bummed to see this benefit go, I can't be the only one who thinks this card is still valuable?
I value the concierge at $0. I value FHR at $0. FHR is nice, but I rarely want to pay for that price point of a hotel anyways - I've used it 2x in 4 years of having the card - so the extra benefits don't do me any good. But if one stays at that type of property anyways I see the value. I value SPG at $0 because I don't really use it. If I wanted SPG gold I'd just stay at SPG properties more. The purchase protection has some value to me, but it is hard to put a number on it. The lounge benefit is nice, but with my reduced travel this year is is worth probably no more than $150 to me. I have the Open Small Business version so I get the Regus membership that has a small bit of value and I also get some discounts at Fedex/Kinkos, Delta and a few other places that thus far has totaled ~$30 in 6 months.
That doesn't really add up to $450 for me. With a couple 241 domestic tickets I make up the difference. Without it, I don't. As a straight business decision keeping it doesn't make a lot of sense. When I consider it as a business expense and the associated tax implications I might keep it, but chances are dwindling at this point. I have 5-6 months to decide.