bmholmes

Barclay advertises prominently on the linked web page from Best Western, that if you get their credit card, you will earn 15 points per dollar spent on Best Western purchases using the card. If you read the fine print in the footnote, it tells you that you actually only get 5 points/$ as a result of using the card; the other 10 pts/$ is what you earn simply by being a BW Rewards member.

Unfortunately, I took them at their word in the boldly advertised benefits, and didn't carefully read the footnote. After a week long stay at a BW, and seeing only 5 pts/$ shown as earned on my credit card statement, I had several back and forth emails with the bank on the barclaycard web site, until they finally explained this to me. I replied to them that I thought this was blatantly false advertising.

Caveat emptor!

gaken01

I think what you've encountered pretty much applies to all credit cards linked to hotel reward programs -- Hilton Honors Am Exp., Choice Privliges Visa, etc. You do have to read the fine print. I have the Barclays BW MasterCard and pretty much just keep it in a drawer. The points awarded on regular purchases is a measly one per dollar. Unless you stay at BW properties on a very frequent basis, I think you can get a better payback with any number of other cards.

sdsearch

Actually, that's not the reason I keep the card. It's because at least a couple times a year they seem to run promos that have parts that only work if you pay for the entire stay with a BW MC. (And I tend to stay at BWs only during a promo, and only to the point I max out the promo.) So the 5 points per $ spent at BWs is actually secondary, the extra bonuses I earn for using the BW MC at BWs is the main reason I keep it.

I don't use the card for anything else though (except sometimes as a backup card in a Rewards Network dining program -- I belong to many of those programs, so need lots of cards).

jerry305

That's not false advertising, dude. You might not like it, but it's not false advertising.

bmholmes

Oh, but it is. When Chase advertises its Priority Club card, it says you get 5 points per dollar when you use it at an Intercontinental property. But if they advertised it the way Barclay does for BW, they'd say you get 15 points per dollar, because a priorityclub member earns 10 pts per dollar regardless of the card used.

My "point" is that using the Barclay BW card is only going to earn you an additional 5 pts/$, NOT 15 pts/$.

IMO, the card is useless for anything but BW charges (and the sign-up bonus). So that's all I will use it for, as well as to benefit from promotions.

BrlDsguise

Every Hilton Card I have seen has only advertised the points you receive from the card itself.

Amex HHonors Card:

Earn 7 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with a participating property within the Hilton HHonors portfolio of brands.

Citi HHonors Visa Signature Card:

Earn 6 HHonors Bonus Points per $1 spent on hotel stays within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio; 3 HHonors Bonus Points per $1 spent on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations; and 2 HHonors Bonus Points per $1 spent on all other purchases

sdsearch

Actually, not HHonors, but yes Choice. But keep in mind that Choice uses the same bank as Best Western. (As does WyndhamRewards.)

So it's probably Juniper/Barclays that is the one who comes up with this stuff.

I was just looking at it, by chance, for Choice this morning, and it's very convoluted: It says you earn 15 points/$ on your rate, but then says you earn 5 points/$ on other Choice properties charges (becuase you earn 5 points/$ from the card on, for example, taxes, but you don't earn your 10 points/$ from the program itself on, for example, taxes!). So only does it mislead some people like the OP, but it requires them to use a convoluted explanation to distiinguish between what you earn on the room rate itself and what you earn on other charges on your stay.

If they simple said "5 points/$ for all Choice hotel charges, in addition to any points the hotel itself may give you", then it'd be much simpler, and less misleading.

It's furthermore not true at EconoLodge, Suburban, etc, where you only earn 5, not 10, Choice points/$ from the hotel stay itself. (BW has no subbrands that earn less, but Choice does.)

HansGolden

Thanks for the heads-up! That's extremely misleading. I was about to apply for the card as I understood earning to be 10 (base) + 3 (diamond) + 15 (cc) = 28 points/$ which would be a pretty good rebate.

DoctorTravel

Thanks for the heads up on the 15 vs 5 points.

I stayed last year and was kicking myself because I checked out with another card..(did not think I would use the points..thought I missed 15 points per dollar, phew).

I'm currently doing their $750 a month for three months December 2013, Jan 2014 and February 2014 program to earn 16,000 extra points.

Good to know they run specials.

BW did a match my best program so I am Diamond at Best Western.
Doesn't mean much. I faxed in the proof of status along with a special claim form. They never responded back, but my status changed.