FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Ambassador and free weekend night voucher
Old Jan 27, 2020, 9:04 am
  #648  
Adam1222
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,269
Originally Posted by trouble747
Do you have to be an ambassador at the time of stay?

I suppose we always have been at the time, though the expiration dates did not used to align (for example my partner's ambassador membership expires at the end of this month but the paper certificate is labeled 4/2020).
Right, one of the changes from paper certificates to digital certificates is now the digital expiration aligns with the end of your membership year.
Per the T&C, only Ambassadors can redeem the certificates, although in practice some hotels may have accepted the paper certificate in the past.
("1. Only available to InterContinental Ambassador members. 2. ...Complimentary Weekend Nights are valid only for the member who has InterContinental Ambassador status")

My understanding is the hotels are now supposed to redeem the electronic certificate, even if you hand them a paper one- hence the situation that lots of folks have where you have to call in to get a night reinstated where you had a paper certificate that expired later than the corresponding electronic one. It appears IC didn't handle the migration from paper to electronic well, but this issue was the same before - a certificate has always been redeemed at the time of stay, not at the time of booking.

The change from paper to electronic was convenient to those of us who had to worry about remembering to bring the paper certificate, but my guess is was at least partially inspired by people who sold their certs, or lied and said they lost them.
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