Originally Posted by
serpens
That was my reaction, for the same reason that you gave (two weeks out is too close). But the food and beverage reward would be worth more than the 5k points, wouldn't it? (I no longer travel on Other People's Money, and I would probably use the food credit for breakfast at a Holiday Inn during a multi-night stay.)
Since I joined the program I've been redeeming at .948 (on avg) and more recently I've been redeeming points at 1.1 cent (not including the 10% rebate I receive with my old IHG cc). So, using 1 cent that makes the 5k points worth $50, $10 more dollars in value than the 2 f&b credits. As a Diamond in 2024, I'd never use those credits anyway as I would almost never eat inside a US property other than breakfast, which I receive as a Diamond. So for me - 5k points has more value than the f&b credits. Clearly $50 is much less value than upgrading and choosing the milestone cert. I just don't trust it especially since all my travels will be US based next year and they only allow usage 2 weeks prior. I recall scrambling to use Marriott's SNAs at the end of each year. So I suppose 5k points worth ~$50 it'll have to be.