Originally Posted by
hinesle
Thanks all for your responses some interesting comments to ponder…
To sum up from your responses/plus my research I conclude the following:
IHG=
Pros = Quick to earn points | Reasonable redemption |Lots of Bonus point opportunities | Lots of Hotels around UK |Some nice IC hotels in Spain/ Italy/ Malta that can redeem against
Cons = No Breakfast (poor show) /Limited upgrade opportunities when redeeming (i.e. No upgrades in IC hotels).
Marriot =
Pros = Better redemption/ Collection rates than Hilton, Some nice hotels (and the Ritz is still cheaper points wise than Hilton)
Cons – No breakfast at resort hotels!!!
Thoughts/comments welcome
You need to recheck you Hilton vs Marriott conclusions.
You can churn Hilton 6x with the Surpass. Top Tier HH is 95K for Cat 10 (76K if using 5th night free), so $12.67K-$15.83K spend gets you a "free" night.
Top tier (not RC) for Marriott is 45K (40K with Point Savers), so $40-$45K spend for a "free" night as only 1x on Marriott cards (yes, 2x on travel, but that would be a dubious way to earn miles compared to earning potential on other cards).
If using CC at Hilton properties, you get 12x = $6.33K-$7.9K spend for a top tier "free" night. If using Marriott CC, you get 5x = $8K-$9K for a top tier "free" night.
Either way you're better off with HH.
Also Hilton gives Gold status with the Surpass, so wifi and breakfast to boot.