Best accommodation hack?
 

Hi all

Over the years I have learned that the best hack for accruing points for flights is to apply for credit cards and accrue the sign on bonuses.

However last year I flew around the world and I found that my major expense was not the flight but in fact the accommodation.

So my question is - what is the best hack that people have found to get good quality accommodation (at least 3 stars if not 4) for unbelievably low prices eg $50 a night or less.

Now I am aware of the various booking sites and also the hack to buy points with IHG and use pointsbreaks redemptions.

But are there other ways eg buying miles on a particular airline program then trading then for hotel points in another program then redeeming them?

Please post your best accommodation hack here.

cheers Peter

I found these are the best "hacks".
Sign up for hotel co-branded credit cards for the signup bonus.
Transfer your Amex, Chase, Citi points to hotel programs.

"Cash & points" at Starwood properties is often less expensive than just cash or just points, using any reasonable valuation of SPG points. The downside is that it often isn't available, even though rooms can be had for cash or as points-only awards.

Do you have any work funded hotel stays? I'm freelance but when I travel I book my hotel stays using either Hyatt, SPG or Hotels.com for later personal award use. Hotels.com's stay 10 get 1 free has worked rather well for me. Hyatt & SPG both have their own cobranded credit cards which allow for extra points earning beyond stays. Hyatt has an edge with the free nights certificates each anniversary. Hilton has the most bonus opportunities but I find their program to be lacking in my needs.

Living in Australia the options are limited.
During the year I was in USA and mostly stayed as SPG properties using SPG points transferred from Amex Au. For me was better value than using Amex MR points directly and far better than using my hard earned cash.

Thanks
One if the difficulties we gave here in Australia is that there are not so many hotel branded credit cards that one can get bonuses for. I wish thete was a credit card that would give me 100000 sign up points for Starwood.

Even in the US the highest offer ever was 35k :rolleyes:

I'm in the States. I wish there was something like that, too.

It would supplant the CSR as the best credit card ever!

check with Airbnb. while traveling know the rush seasons. Book the rooms in the off season. You can also use sites like trip advisor to compare the room rentls.

I would also recommend to check Airbnb, they have high end opportunities in a large number of places.

Keep an eye on best rate guarantees from chain hotels. If you find a lower price on another site, they will often give you a discount, gift card or even a free night.

These two useful posts sum up most of the advice I'd offer. I'd add:

1. Though Starwood generally has the best cash + points values, other programs have similar offers that can also provide good value. (In my limited experience, IHG tends to have them more than other chains.) The further in advance you can book, the more likely you are to find them.
2. A few hotel-affiliated credit cards provide free nights rather than points for initial spending. The Chase-affiliated Hyatt, Fairmont and Ritz Carlton cards come to mind.
3. Be aware, though, that Chase has a limit on credit cards it will authorize. Basically, with limited exceptions (such as the Ritz Carlton card), it will not provide new cards if you have accumulated more than five new cards (from any source, not just Chase) over the past 24 months. So choose wisely...