Originally Posted by
notquiteaff
Where does the 10 points per dollar come from?
Ignoring promos, base level Honors members earn 10+5 Honors points or 10 points + 1 mile per dollar. To keep it simple, the fairest comparison between Hilton and Hyatt is the first choice, so 15 points per dollar.
http://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/e...ing/index.html
Hyatt base level members earn 5 points per dollar spent.
I agree with your general point that you need to take into consideration the cost of redemption. But also the earnings rate, and promos make a huge difference. And the potential to earn points through other means. E.g, I get 3 Hyatt points per dollar spent at a Hyatt. My Hilton Surpass gives me 12 points (which is great unless you stay at international properties and pay 2.7% Forex fees).
Good point -- Hilton can be considered at 15 points per $ spent (but, to be fair, it is half that at a couple low-end brands). But look at the redemption -- nicer Hampton Inns (in Dallas TX), for example, require 25,000 points or more whereas there are a number of Hyatt Place/Houses that require 5,000 points. Getting 3X more points doesn't matter when you need 5X more on the redemption side. On the mid tier and high end the redemption doesn't look much better (you usually still need 4-5X more points than the comparable Hyatts).