lkar

So, I transferred over 2,000 ALL points from capital one mostly to see how the 40 euro credit works on prepaid bookings and to sort of play around with it all.

I've done a bunch of searches and I do not get the coins symbol next to a single hotel and as far as I can tell there is zero way to apply the points to a new booking. I looked in a few threads, but is there like something I need to activate or some other way to spend the points? The whole set up is very clunky online.

hotel_user

There are a few threads on the forum, but first how far did you go with the booking ? need to select a room first .... and some hotels don't do the redemption on certain rates. Also check that you actually have the points available .....

Example of initial search, and then when you select a room, it shows you can pay with reward points
( Very nice hotel btw )


Rates showin , but no points


When you click to select the room, it offers points as a payment option.

lkar

Thanks for posting the images. I'll play with it a bit more tonight when I have some time but I haven't seen anything like that -- but maybe I need to go farther into the booking and click on multiple room types. I've only been checking member rates on the standad (cheapest) rooms at various London hotels for a few dates.

hotel_user

You can normally pay with points at most, if not ALL hotels in Accor. I just used this as an example. I have just booked an Ibis in North Macedonia with points and 3€ cash.

JTCz

And THIS is how you use points - for stays at Ibis, Adagio and perhaps Mama Shelters, i.e. the brands where you'd earn poorly per EUR / USD / (insert currency) spent. Spending points on stays at luxury properties is a bit of a waste.

And yes, pretty much all hotels accept payment with points - except for those not participating in ALL outright (the info box on the hotel page will say so), and some prepaid rates where it outright says it's not possible to pay with points (no coin symbol). If the rate is post-paid (settled on location) and the hotel participates in ALL, you will probably be able to settle with points (and cash for the remainder) on location.

That said, Accor's IT is as fickle as it gets, the booking system may fail to show the coins symbol next to a rate that you are perfectly fine paying with points for, and sometimes even if you are logged in, the prompt that lets you use your points won't display on the payment screen (the only solution is to restart the booking process until it does). Finally, with post-paid rates you can sometimes "burn" points when booking (and the points will disappear from your account), but on location you may discover Accor never let the hotel know of it, so some extra mailing and calling (hopefully on the hotel's part) may be necessary. In short - brace yourself, and enjoy the quirky ACCOR experience

hotel_user

Totally agree, never ever spend the points on anything more exciting than an Ibis .... lol

( I used the St James as an example as I happened to have the web booking page open at the time )

I think that the Accor IT team have now upgraded ( changed / enhanced / made worse ) the booking process, so for me at lease I can not see rates from other Accor hotels in the area, and there is no easy ( if at all ) way to see the price calendar ..... Please bring these two features back.

wkndtraveler

This only works if one is using budget brands. I wouldn’t specifically book Ibis or such just to burn points since I also want to enjoy my hotel stays. Thus, I happily burn my points in luxury hotels and make the invoice smaller.

TonyHe

I understood if you have a corporate rate set up on your profile, the system won’t show the ability to book with points.

CanadaDH

Agreed. I'm not going subject myself to a stay at a cheap brand, just to minimize the theoretical points not earned by paying with points. I burn my points at the properties I want to stay at.

hotel_user

Agree on that,, but in some places there is only the Ibis and ilk.

We use the Ibis for the "road trip" stops ( apart from Ibis Limoges North ), and the arriving back from airport at Silly O Clock stops etc. The main stops are not Ibis. However that said, at least with the Ibis Red you get a comfortable bed. That has not always been the case at some higher end hotels - I am looking directly at you Sofitel Chain Bridge !

JTCz

Not only are "red pillow" Ibises a wise, if not only, choice in many locations - especially if it is just a stop on your way - but they tend to offer good breakfasts and overall aren't that bad if what you want to enjoy is the location, not the hotel. "Green pillow" Ibis Styles take it to the next level, with many blowing competing higher-brand hotels out of the water with comfort, design and location.

As said, this all depends o nthe property - there are run down Ibises you wouldn't want to stay at unless you are looking for a "scary hotel" experience (sometimes cheaper than Disney's Haunted House), but just as well there are Mercures, Novotels, Sofitels et al. not worth staying at, even if you pay with points (i.e. stay partially for free).

hotel_user

I do not know if the F1 brand take payment in points, but even if they do, this would not be a wise choice .....

Goldorak

F1 does not participate to ALL.

SkyTeam777

So 2,000 points is always worth 40 euros no matter what country you are in? I wonder what conversion rate they use, probably not in the guest's favor most of the time. Also, is Capital One the only ALL transfer partner?

4fevrier

I am reviving this thread cause I'm also having the same issue. I've checked 4 hotels so far, including the Sofitel in London as the example below, playing around with the different rates, and there's nowhere I can insert, choose or click to use points. So either all these hotels have stopped participating, or there's an IT issue. Anybody cares to enlighten me?