Hotels
Hilton
The best redemption is the AXON (american express) redemption rate for 4 nights. See Point section for more info
Hilton charges 700 XPF (~$7), per person, for a roundtrip to the main dock, Viatape, in Bora Bora.
There is a page that offers stay challenges for Gold, changes every so often, and reports of as little as 4 nights for Gold.
Click here for current offer
Hilton MOZ:
- good availability
- OWB appx $150-$200 extra per night on top of award redemption
- Always try to negotiate the upgrade cost for higher up bungalows, it doesn't hurt to ask
Hilton BOB - harder availability
- OWB upgrade about $150-$200 for low end bungalow
- Some report success upgrading to Royal OWB for the same price as MOZ hilton
Intercontinental
No free breakfast makes it more expensive. The only redemption discount possible is with the Chase PC 10% refund on award redemption.
IC MOZ- Appx 30k per night, 25k with Chase PC 10% discount (unconfirmed)
Thalasso BOB
- Appx 50k per night, 45k with Chase PC 10% discount (unconfirmed)
- Many state this is the nicest, more peaceful, more modern hotel in BOB
- has a free shuttle boat to the IC La Moana which is on the main island of Bora Bora. There are a few restaurants and grocery shops within walking distance of the IC La Moana
Some info taken from this extensive blog entry
http://millionmilesecrets.com/2012/1...ra/#more-17115
Earning - Transferring - Using Hotel Points
Chase Ultimate Reward Points- Available through Chase Sapphire and INK cards
- Able to transfer to all airlines mentioned with flights to PPT at 1:1 ratio (step-by-step guide)
- Able to transfer to PC points at 1:1, but airline may have better value
50k INK Bold (25k on first use, 25k after $10k spend in 90 days)
25k INK Classic (10k first use, 15k after $5k spend in 90 days)
40k Sapphire Preferred ($3k spend in 90 days)
**All are standard offers**
Intercontinental PC points
80k Chase PC (no annual fee, on first purchase, $49 fee after 1st year, one free night @ anniversary, 10% discount on award redemptions
Hilton Points
50k CITI Visa (churnable)
2 Free nights CITI Reserve Visa (must wait 65 days if applying for 100k points per CITI rules, gives gold status, $2500 spend in 4 months, $95 annual fee)
These are standard offers, head over to the Credit Card forum for any special offers that might pop up.
AMEX has some very strict rules and are NOT churnable. I recently got burnt with the 65k SURPASS deal and this is what their T&Cs state:
1) All hilton AMEX cards are seen as one product regardless of terms
2) You must have
all Hilton Amex's closed for 91 days before you apply for a new one
3) Your last bonus must have been 366 days prior to your application.
EXAMPLE: You get a Hilton AMEX Jan 1, 2012 ... you must close the account on Sept 30,2012 and will not be eligible for another hilton AMEX bonus until Jan 2, 2013
HOWEVER: It is best to apply to the no-fee card and then
UPGRADE to the Surpass to get an additional 50k bonus ($75 annual fee, $3000 spend in 3 months)
The Hilton devaluation in Q1 2013 has made these hotels more expensive.
Here is a good summary of the AXON rates. Most of these hotels have gone from 50k/night to ~90k/night, which means you need to churn a lot more !!