Cash+Points awards launched
Jan 22, 2015, 12:32 pm
#1
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Cash+Points awards launched
I'm seeing Choice award nights showing up with an option for a reduced number of points plus a cash supplement. This seems to be very new to me.
Amounts to $15 for every 2,000 points.
Examples:
A 16k award night hotel or 8000+$60
An 10k award night or 8000 +$15
Haven't run into any 6000+$15 or 4000+$15 award nights yet -- they seem excluded in my limited experience so far.
Amounts to $15 for every 2,000 points.
Examples:
A 16k award night hotel or 8000+$60
An 10k award night or 8000 +$15
Haven't run into any 6000+$15 or 4000+$15 award nights yet -- they seem excluded in my limited experience so far.
Jan 22, 2015, 1:22 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 16
Choice link
Yes they announced it http://www.choicehotels.com/en/choic...ints-plus-cash.
You need a minimum of 8,000 points. They can be purchased
in increments of 1,000 for $7.50...
You need a minimum of 8,000 points. They can be purchased
in increments of 1,000 for $7.50...
Jan 22, 2015, 3:06 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM, AA 600k, DL 500k, Hyatt GP 1M, HH Gold, Rad. Gold, CP Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
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Thanks for the good news, GUWonder. VERY new, as I've been all over the site the last several days and today, and haven't encountered it. I hope there's some consistency to it, as there isn't for several of the C+P programs. But since Choice already varies its points requirements, this is too much to hope for. Good news in any event.
Jan 22, 2015, 3:47 pm
#4
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Thanks for the good news, GUWonder. VERY new, as I've been all over the site the last several days and today, and haven't encountered it. I hope there's some consistency to it, as there isn't for several of the C+P programs. But since Choice already varies its points requirements, this is too much to hope for. Good news in any event.
Last edited by GUWonder; Jan 22, 2015 at 3:52 pm
Jan 22, 2015, 4:04 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: mountains of western NC
Programs: Life, Love and Laughter
Posts: 8,539
This is good news! A good way to stretch out the usefulness of points when I don't have too many. And this is about the value I put on Choice points (though sometimes I do better). It will be great if they continue to sell Choice points for about half that amount during the Daily Getaways promo.
Jan 22, 2015, 4:10 pm
#6
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM, AA 600k, DL 500k, Hyatt GP 1M, HH Gold, Rad. Gold, CP Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 9,950
GUWonder, Gold here, and have been on as that throughout. Haven't gone back in yet. But it's all good. Didn't mean any big "Yes, but..." ^
Going to be interesting to see how low they can go with the ~ $30 properties in Kissimmee and Monterey, and with the 6,000 point ones.
Going to be interesting to see how low they can go with the ~ $30 properties in Kissimmee and Monterey, and with the 6,000 point ones.
Jan 22, 2015, 5:35 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: mountains of western NC
Programs: Life, Love and Laughter
Posts: 8,539
GUWonder, Gold here, and have been on as that throughout. Haven't gone back in yet. But it's all good. Didn't mean any big "Yes, but..." ^
Going to be interesting to see how low they can go with the ~ $30 properties in Kissimmee and Monterey, and with the 6,000 point ones.
Going to be interesting to see how low they can go with the ~ $30 properties in Kissimmee and Monterey, and with the 6,000 point ones.
Jan 22, 2015, 5:39 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM, AA 600k, DL 500k, Hyatt GP 1M, HH Gold, Rad. Gold, CP Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 9,950
Bingo ... There it is, along with a new tile rendering of available properties.
Looks as though there's a floor: The 10,000 point level (points-only rate) can have a Cash + Points offer. No C+P for 6,000 or 8,000 points-only levels.
Still, it's all ^.
Looks as though there's a floor: The 10,000 point level (points-only rate) can have a Cash + Points offer. No C+P for 6,000 or 8,000 points-only levels.
Still, it's all ^.
Jan 22, 2015, 9:53 pm
#10
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Join Date: Nov 2002
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BTW, did they announce this anywhere, or did our friend GUWonder just stumble acrss this?
Jan 22, 2015, 10:57 pm
#11
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Didn't get an announcement about this; rather I just encountered it when booking award stays.
Not eligible for promos but still eligible for elite status acquisition/retention. Next thing I have to figure out is whether or not this works out like IHG's cash+points reservation cancellations.
Anyone seeing this option while logged in with a non-elite account?
Not eligible for promos but still eligible for elite status acquisition/retention. Next thing I have to figure out is whether or not this works out like IHG's cash+points reservation cancellations.
Anyone seeing this option while logged in with a non-elite account?
Last edited by GUWonder; Jan 22, 2015 at 11:03 pm
Jan 23, 2015, 6:06 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Monterey, California
Programs: Affiliated with all, participate in some
Posts: 2,188
Press Release on Points Plus Cash came out Jan 21.
Jan 23, 2015, 6:25 am
#13
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Press Release on Points Plus Cash came out Jan 21.
This is a door to huge savings for some of us.
Jan 23, 2015, 9:29 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: HH Gold, PC Plat, SW RR
Posts: 17
Didn't get an announcement about this; rather I just encountered it when booking award stays.
Not eligible for promos but still eligible for elite status acquisition/retention. Next thing I have to figure out is whether or not this works out like IHG's cash+points reservation cancellations.
Anyone seeing this option while logged in with a non-elite account?
Not eligible for promos but still eligible for elite status acquisition/retention. Next thing I have to figure out is whether or not this works out like IHG's cash+points reservation cancellations.
Anyone seeing this option while logged in with a non-elite account?
Jan 23, 2015, 7:29 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Freeload Univ. Where are you sitting?
Posts: 14,818
For those of us (like me) who didn't go and study the press release, here's how it (apparently) works:
1. So far, I've found just about every choice hotel I've looked at has a C+P rate.
2. No matter what the normal points rate is, the C+P rate is 8000 points, with the difference being priced out at 0.75 cents/point. So, a 10,000 point hotel has a C+P rate of 8000 points + ($0.0075 x 2000) = 8000 points + $15.00. A 25000 point hotel would be 8000 points + ($0.0075 x 17000) = 8000 points + $127.50.
3. 10000 points is the floor - no hotel at 8000 points/night or less has a C+P rate.
My takeaway - this can be a great deal, but I'm suspicious that the hotels with higher C+P add-ons might well be bookable at the same or even lower cash rate with no points on various 3rd party sites. This may be even more likely in Europe with the current downward trend of the euro.
1. So far, I've found just about every choice hotel I've looked at has a C+P rate.
2. No matter what the normal points rate is, the C+P rate is 8000 points, with the difference being priced out at 0.75 cents/point. So, a 10,000 point hotel has a C+P rate of 8000 points + ($0.0075 x 2000) = 8000 points + $15.00. A 25000 point hotel would be 8000 points + ($0.0075 x 17000) = 8000 points + $127.50.
3. 10000 points is the floor - no hotel at 8000 points/night or less has a C+P rate.
My takeaway - this can be a great deal, but I'm suspicious that the hotels with higher C+P add-ons might well be bookable at the same or even lower cash rate with no points on various 3rd party sites. This may be even more likely in Europe with the current downward trend of the euro.