Originally Posted by lwildernorva

Might be confused a bit by your presentation of facts here although I certainly agree with your overall argument. Standard price for Choice points is $11 for 1000, so you can buy 8K for $88 (currently there's a 10% bonus promo that would actually make that 8800 points). But the annual purchase cap is set at 20K. So, of the eleven routes (that I can think of) to get points (purchase, receive via a purchase/transfer from someone else, transfer from Amex MR, purchase during the Discover America promo, transfers from e-miles/e-rewards, credit to Choice for renting a vehicle rather than to the rental car program, a possible wildcard transfer from an airline/hotel program through some sort of barter site at a horrible exchange rate, make a purchase through the Choice mall, credit card bonuses and spending, pure mattress runs, and necessary stays), buying points is exhausted the quickest, is certainly more worthwhile than using a barter site, and seems only a little more efficient than a pure mattress run.

Originally Posted by lwildernorva

And BigLar stay tuned. I may stay at the Irish properties in Limerick and Sligo when I go this summer in addition to the Dublin IFSC--more likely Sligo as the world-class County Sligo Golf Club is nearby but possibly Limerick if my travels take me that way.

But first, my March trip to Italy and stays at the Choice Fiumicino and the Clarion Hotel Principessa Isabella plus a return to the Bolivar to see if there are any significant good or bad changes.

And, maybe all of those stays for little more than a one-night redemption at a top-level Hilton property under the newly announced changes to HHonors.