Hi
lot to unpack there but i will try to be quick
..
- "booking vs pointshound" = both are ok , then it depends on the price requested per property , so you should compare all options .... as you said there is much choice in booking than pointshound but the price in booking.com is higher if you use the FB version of booking.com and the earnings might be so bad it doesnt justify such difference . With pointshound you can earn decent amount of miles on high value properties , but it all depends on the contract written between them and points.com (the owner of pointshound) . Also booking.com proceed payments in the currency choosen by the hotel (the one you choose for display is just a quote) , which might not be the currency of their/your country , so it can generate extra costs for convertion if your card/account doesnt support this currency by default . Meanwhile pointshound let you choose out of 4 currencies (usd, eur, gbp , chf)
- "lacks information about cancellation/refund policies, room details etc" = well there are but you need to click and read .. about room details i agree it might not be as user friendly as booking but you have such information there too
- "FB website trying to create the link to the Accor Live Limitless account". = there is a dedicated page for that = https://all.accor.com/loyalty-progra...index.en.shtml you should go there and try a bit later (maybe your ALL account is new) , if still not working contact the support
- "I am certain I cannot redeem at the same rate" = thats right , you can't
- "700,000 Flying Blue Miles" = you can also transfer them to ALL and get 170000 ALL points
- "Is pence per Mile the best way that judge 'best value'?" = not really but it depends on the case , as you pointed out , the ratio between earning/spending is clearly not fair and good
- "I do not know if I should spend the Miles or if this is a waste" = up to you , but as you said "Since I am not flying anymore and almost certain to not fly again since my destiantion countries remain closed" , so better to use them than loosing them after one year of inactivity
- "the best use of FB Miles is with AF or KL" = indeed , but other people can find good deals with their miles other than flights
- "only option to redeem Miles for hotel reservations is with Hotels for Miles" = no , its not 100% correct (i mean if you wanna do it directly yes , otherwise you can convert to ALL)
- "Hotels for Miles" = its the new name for the flying blue website/version of pointshound , its just part of a global branding strategy
- "I usually stay at Holiday Inn" = i would recommend to sign in for IHG , sign in for fast track + 3x points and book with cash, by staying 2 nights you get gold and 5 you get platinum
Last edited by fifty_two; Sep 27, 2021 at 2:16 pm