Originally Posted by
Bohemiana
Boy, I'm not sure why we have kept this card so long. I cancelled mine after the company ditched the annual e-certificates upon renewing. My husband kept his and now we have another annual fee coming up. We originally got the cards for specific stays in Chicago (BLU) and Madrid (BLU) but now I can't find any place worth redeeming. I tried 2 nights in London for June 2020 and there are no point redemptions available the entire month. I tried Madrid and now the hotel requires a minimum of 7 nights for redemptions in June. Can you imagine spending 70k each night for 7 nights in Madrid! Most of the Country Inn & Suites are priced around $70 per night or 28k points so it seems like that's barely worth keeping the card. Have others found it frustrating to book prime properties in Europe during the summer using points?
I keep the card as the 40k is worth $200+ when doing cash and points, Spent 4 nights in OSL and the 40k saved me $205 off the cash rate. Did 4 nights in MEL last year and the 40k saved me $250 off the cash rate. The points only rate is normally not a good value. I find all hotel cards are a good value. The free nights or points are worth more than the yearly fee plus a higher status than I would obtain with stays.