Originally Posted by
Matt Newman
mercruiser - that makes sense. One follow up question: for the two nights you booked with the reserve card, did you have to pay extra for the bungalow? And for the four nights you booked with points, did you have to pay extra for the bungalow? if so, how much?
About six weeks after I made my reservation, they sent an email with an offer. Mine was Panoramic overwater for 29 000 XPF. I countered with an offer for 24500 XPF per night, which they accepted. (Other room types are cheaper). I did this for all six nights. The rate offered varies by time of year. Always negotiate.
Here is the view from my Panoramic OWB from our stay in 2013.
So out of the hilton cards I can get, and outside of the reserve card, which two cards would you recommend getting in order to surpass the 260,000? I have similar plans as you and staying similar days. Can I skip the american express platinum card and just get the get the Virgin Atlantic Card and convert the 75k point bonus over to hilton for 100k plus per person. And then get one of the cards without an annual fee? Just looking to confirm strategy. I don't have any of the hilton cards yet.
A really good deal for the signup bonus is the "Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express - 60,000 Hilton points after you spend $750 in purchases on the Card within your 1st 3 months of opening your account." - per Million Mile Secrets web site.
Also look at "Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Visa Signature® Card - 75,000 Hilton points after spending $2,000 in purchases within the 1st 3 months of account opening"
For transferable Hilton points, look at Citi Thankyou points, AMEX Ultimate Rewards, and Virgin Atlantic. AMEX and Citi Thankyou have multiple cards (both personal and business) with multiple offers. You are going to have to research this an decide what fits you best.
I'm not a fan of the $450 per year AMEX Platimum Card. I much prefer the "Premier Rewards Gold - 50,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $1,000 on purchases within 1st 3 months of account opening, $0 Intro Annual Fee for the 1st year, then $195"