Originally Posted by
Boraxo
In past years my Cat 5 Cert very often went to waste as there are few Cat 5 hotels in CA and can’t use them at the resorts we like. The 35k Cert is better but I don’t like the use or lose feature as one night is rarely useful to me in any given year. If the hote is <35k then my experience is that the rate will fall In the $90-150 range. I’d rather have $95 in my pocket than a restricted Cert. the 50k Cert on the new card is much more useful as are the Chase Hyatt & Intercon free nights.
That's why it's a personal choice depending on what works for each person - I had 4 certs of 35k@ (personal and biz for both self and spouse) and used it for 2 rooms x 2 nights for a short family getaway not far from home. For me it was obviously worth it. For others this may not be the case.
Not sure if I'm allowed to say this here, but I know there are places where you can sell your free 35k night certs for $140+ depending on your status (up to $160). So if someone finds themselves not being able to use their cert they can still sell it and will cover the annual fee+.