optimas

My anniversary is July and my free night just posted. I was not planning on putting any more spend on this card except for an upcoming Fairmont stay to get 5x points. However, do you think there is any chance if I get $6000 on there by the Aug deadline that I would get ANOTHER free night cert (I know that one would expire early but I would still get use out of it). Or since my anniversary is so late do you think the one I just got is going to be it? Has anyone with a recent anniversary date called Chase to inquire about this?

mhdena

It's pretty clear in the letter what needs to be done by what date.

azepine00

it's actually very unclear whether those with anniversary after change announcement can get one extra night...

azepine00

has there been any further clarification on this?
i did 6k spend and my interpretation of chase letter that doing 12k will offer longer expiration howevet the quoted post seems to contradict that...

zzrayzz

my take on this is if your anniv is before 8/14, then you can only get free nt by spending 12k. And possibly another free nt after spending $6k after your anniv date (sucks for those with anniv 8/14?!). But for those with anniv after 8/14, our free nt is only the $6k free nt? I dont think we get another at $12K?

azepine00

Perhaps i misinterpreted smth..

For those with partial year (say anniversary in january or any time before the changes letter arrived) is the only option to spend 6K to get Feb expiry? Or they still can get full year expiration (aug 15 2018?) if they spend 12K by 8/15?

lbotez

I called yesterday and talked to an agent and she wasn't convinced I'd get another free night. My anniversary date is 8/2.

I'm not so sure I want to spend $6K to "maybe" get an extra night. Might be better off to charge $6K worth of travel charges to my Chase Sapphire Reserve.. and get 3X points, instead of just 1X with Fairmont.

Spent_All_My_Miles

The former. If you anniversary date is in, say, January, even if you had already spent $12K since last January before the letter came out, you would be eligible only for the $6K offer, not the $12K offer.

This is, of course, totally bogus. Fairmont's stated reason is that to be eligible for a $12K offer, two conditions must be met: you must spend $12K since your last card anniversary date, and a year must have gone by. Since the card won't exist on your next anniversary date, the second condition cannot be met.

My card anniversary date was in early July, so I have just received my final $12K night. I'm not going to try for a $6K free night in the next five weeks. If my card anniversary date had been in January, then I would formally protest.

As it is, next March, I will send Fairmont a polite but firm letter asking for a gold floor upgrade coupon and 4x$25 dining coupons (as I have re-qualified Platinum this year for 2018), or else a refund of the $95 annual fee that I have just paid.

This abbreviated transition does not bode well for whatever may happen if/when Fairmont is rolled into Accor's loyalty program. They should have made the transition fair to everyone. Since card dates are spread throughout the year, this would have required a longer transition that the two months or so between the letter mailing and August 14. Who knows what they might do -- decide that people who have earned status in 2017 for 2018 won't actually get that status in 2018? For the main Fairmont program, they will need to have a "redeem only" year as part of the transition. If they try to foist Accor elite status benefits on people who have earned Fairmont elite status, someone somewhere will definitely sue.

azepine00

the wording in the letter below seems to indicate that spending 12K even within partial year gives 1 yr expiration but quite possibly your interpretation is correct..

"The Fairmont Visa Signature Card Complementary Night benefit that you receive after spending $12,000 on your card in a anniversary year is not a benefit of the sapphire Preferred card. If you've spent at least $12K by Aug 14, we'll deposit a Complimentary Night certificate into your profile on Fairmont.com either six weeks after your anniversary date of 8 to 10 weeks after August 15, whichever comes first. You can redeem this certificate up to one year after the date we issue it."

Brendan

I don't see how/ where Spent_All_My_Miles comes to his/her conclusion. "If you've spent at least $12K by Aug 14. . ." (since your last anniversary date, such as Nov. 2016 or Jan. 2017 or April 2017 or whatever! Basically, I read it that the time in which to spend $12K is cut short to end on Aug. 14/ 2017 instead of the next anniv. date (1 year.)
As far as those with anniv.s in July or Aug., it could go either way. They might not count that as a new partial year, because the anniv. date occurs after the announcement & those people already have had their year since Summer 2016.

Finkface

Ok, so now you have all really confused me. My anniversary date is January. I am at about $10k, working towards the $12k for the free night with a one year expiry. Is this not the case and regardless of meeting the $12k by August, I am only going to get the free night valid until Feb 28?

I read it as "If you spend at least $12k by August 14th, we will deposit a free night certificate....either 6 weeks after your anniversary date or 8-10 weeks after August 14, whichever comes first". So to me, that means you get a free night cert for $12k spend 8-10 weeks after August 15 if your anniversary is after that date.

Spent_All_My_Miles

I am just relaying what someone at Fairmont told me - I talked to someone who works specifically on the credit card - was tranferred to them from regular customer service. I have relatives with the card, and their card anniversary dates fall at different points in the year, so I asked.

I agree that the letter as written can/should be interpreted to mean that everyone spends $12K+ after their most recent card anniversary rate and before August 14 ought to get a regular free night.

But that interpretation would also mean that someone whose card anniversary date fell between the letter mailing date and August 14 would be eligible to get two "regular" free nights, one from their about-to-conclude card year, and one from the stub year. The letter could have been more explicit on that point.

Perhaps Fairmont meant to say, when composing the letter, that for customers whose card anniversary date falls after the date of the letter and before August 14 will be processed normally, but other people are only eligible for the $6K offer.

Or perhaps the person I talked to is wrong.

However you slice it, the letter is poorly written, and I wonder if Chase has given CSRs any training - the people I've talked to not get any heads up.

optimas

I don't think I'll bother either. Would not be pleased if I didn't get the night so not going to chance it.

azepine00

I spoke with Fairmont folks as well - they were pretty adamant that no matter whether we spend 6K+ or 12K+ by 8/14 we can only get february expiring certs..

Sent SM to chase for good measure, let's see what they have to say...

Finkface

Seriously? That is in total contradiction to the letter which clearly says "If you spend at least $12k by August 14th, we will deposit a free night certificate into your profile on Fairmont.com either 6 weeks after your anniversary date or 8-10 weeks after August 14, whichever comes first. You can redeem this certificate up to one year after the date we issue it".