JCary

I got free breakfast and free internet at the Times Sq. CP last year.

MDtR-Chicago

Inaccurate... I was only Gold and got it.

And, in fact, the website now shows me as Platinum, with this entry in my history:

mnredfox

Thanks for the correction on the Surpass Gold. I dropped Surpass due to the annual fee.

While I agree you have a point with HH Gold, keep in mind you have to be UG to exec level to get lounge access. My PC Plat experience has actually been very good, lots of times I get huge UG's, drink certificates, and at non-IC's I get lounge access about 60% of the time.

My UG experience as HH diamond hasn't been as good as non-IC's.

lovetotravel

One of the benefits of having this card is that you get 10% of the points used for reward nights back upon completion of the reward night stay.

This benefit is no longer mentioned in the mailer I got.

Any one familiar with this benefit and if this is still available?

MDtR-Chicago

It's still listed all over the place in Chase collateral, including application pages. I've received a rebate as recently as last month.

After you stay, it posts as a deposit to your account. Completely automatic.

sdsearch

Just to clarify: That's lounge access. HH Gold still give you free breakfast of one sort or another, whether or not you got lounge access.

PC Plat is about a lot of "may get" benefits. HH Gold is more valuable to me because it's about "will get" benefits. Upgrades, lounge access, etc, are "may get" benefits in both, and while they're nice, I can't count on them. Once I factor out the "may get" because I may not get, PC Plat gets me very little that's dependable (at random* hotels, anyway), while HH Gold gets me dependable perks at every hotel.

But, obviously, it depends on what you're intersted in, as well as which properties you stay at, which you may find more valiable yourself.

*At the very least, PC Plat is more work, because I have to research what Plat benefits are given on a hotel-by-hotel basis (since they're not program-wide like HHonors or even brand-wide within a given country like Marriott).

Happy

I notice that omission as well. The 10% rebate is automatic, posted the following month after your reward stay and can amount to large sum if you use a lot of points. Last year we had a total of 20K rebate from 2 accounts. So that benefit is very meaningful to us. Frankly if not for the boatload of points we still have we may not necessarily keep the card for the $49 fee despite the annual free night cert.

I sure hope the 10% rebate would not go away in lieu of the Plat status which really does not account for much.

MDtR-Chicago

Please allow me to stand up for PC Plat briefly.

For lower-end brands - HIX compared to Hampton Inn, say - I've found "may get" from PC to be as valuable as (or more than) "will get" from HH. Both chains will give you breakfast, regardless. I've found that HIX often has more suites to offer and is much more likely to give one than Hampton. It seems like something of a "favor" that a HIX will frequently give quite willingly, compared to Hampton with few real upgrades to offer and a "policy" that suites aren't included.

In the real world, net level of benefits outside of the full service brands, I think PC Plat holds up well. (Tho not necessarily with scientific proof to offer.)

lovetotravel

Thanks for the response. It was never automatic for me for a stay last Nov., lot of back and forth between Chase and PC as to whose responsibility it was to post these points. Finally an excellent Chase CSR called PC and stayed on line on a conference call until PC CSR agreed to open a case and then the points posted a few days later.

236Dakota

Email arrived this AM confirming Platinum Status as long as I hold the card, awesome.

janetdoe

Got an e-mail this morning informing me about the lifetime plat status.

I was planning to drop this card before the annual renewal fee, but now I will re-think that. I wasn't aware of the free night at the anniversary, so that practically makes this a 'free' card.

That's what happened to me.

bj2757

I received the email and a flyer in the mail yesterday. I am already Platinum but have booked up enough future stays to use up the 134,000 points I had - and was wavering on whether to close the card or not. The free night is a great incentive - but I am so upset with the customer service (shopping site) that I had pretty much decided to unload the card. Keeping Platinum with the card sounds good - yet chances are my only stays will be reward stays - and from everything I read here on FT Platinum status means next to nothing on reward stays. I guess I'll find out in May when I use the first of rooms I have booked. So I guess I'm still wavering :-)

BillyBaloney

I too, have received this email. The Platinum status (and I achieved that legitimately for this year) has been a good experience for me, overall. I have stayed places where they give you 2 free drink cards, and I wind up ordering $12 martini's and they don't even fuss. What I really want to know is that Platinum phone number.....does that mean we get someone from like - somewhere in America that we can understand, who isn't reading from a script? Or do I still get the martian from outer space?

ENJOY THE LASTING BENEFIT
OF PLATINUM ELITE STATUS

Dear xxx xxxxxxxx,

Get ready for more rewards and more benefits. As a
valued Priority Club Select Visa cardmember, you’ll enjoy
Platinum Elite Status and keep the exceptional membership
benefits as long as you keep the card.

Highlights of Platinum Elite Status include:

• 50% bonus on base points
• Complimentary room upgrades when available
• Room availability with 72 hours advance notice,
except during special events
• Exclusive toll-free Platinum Elite customer service number
1-800-421-5162

Earn up to 20 points per $1 as a cardmember with
Platinum Elite status*

bj2757

LOL - reminds me of a tag line I saw on Facebook yesterday. "What frustrates me is I press #1 for English - and I still can't understand them."

SkinsFan0521

I just got this card in January and I received the mailer sometime in the last few days that I will have Platinum for as long as I keep the card.

I was going to keep it anyway when the annual fee comes due just because of the free night, but the Platinum status makes it even more of a no-brainer in my opinion.