uk behind or ahead? new points conversion to cash card
Nov 13, 2007, 3:10 am
#1
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uk behind or ahead? new points conversion to cash card
have searched and couldn't find anything so unsure whether this already exists in North America. uk offer leads to www.priorityclub.com/anyhotels. use points to credit a prepaid card for use in IC Hotels and beyond - regular rates of 48,000 points for £100 ($205), 82,000 for £200. special offer of 50% off until mid dec. 12 months validity. must use amex to pay. seems expensive at the full rate, reasonable in some circumstances during the special offer. views?
Nov 13, 2007, 3:58 am
#2
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The page you link is dead. If you go to 'Anyhotels' through the standard PC home page for the UK, you do not see anything about a 50% discount. Is there another link to this?
(I have, in the past, redeemed at 82k for £200 when I had more points than I could use, and thought it an OK deal since I only redeem at IC's and the 2-4-1 voucher means I value points at less than some people. At 50% off it would be a steal, quite frankly, especially as you earn points on stays paid for on the card.)
(I have, in the past, redeemed at 82k for £200 when I had more points than I could use, and thought it an OK deal since I only redeem at IC's and the 2-4-1 voucher means I value points at less than some people. At 50% off it would be a steal, quite frankly, especially as you earn points on stays paid for on the card.)
Nov 13, 2007, 4:50 am
#3
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK.
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I got the same offer in the post this morning. The link is singular, it says Visit priorityclub.com/anyhotel. It also says it doesn't start until 15th November (and finishes 15th December)
Nov 13, 2007, 5:05 am
#4
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Link now works but no mention of 50% discount .... lets wait until the 15th and see. If the discount really happens, it may be worth clearing out some points - you'd be looking at 41,000 for £200, so 1c per point, with the flexibility to spend where you want AND earn points back on stays when using the card.
(In fact, there would be even be a tiny arbitrage available, given that you can currently buy points for 0.9c each because of the '10% bonus points' promo!)
Another interesting tweak, at 50% discount, is that you could effectively cash out American Express Membership Reward points for just under 1p (2c) each. This is twice as much as you get by redeeming them for the cash-based items like gift cards on the UK MR website.
(In fact, there would be even be a tiny arbitrage available, given that you can currently buy points for 0.9c each because of the '10% bonus points' promo!)
Another interesting tweak, at 50% discount, is that you could effectively cash out American Express Membership Reward points for just under 1p (2c) each. This is twice as much as you get by redeeming them for the cash-based items like gift cards on the UK MR website.
Last edited by Raffles; Nov 13, 2007 at 7:21 am
Nov 13, 2007, 8:53 am
#5
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maybe the 50% off is targeted - definitely on the flyer I received this morn ing. does lack of any us response suggest that this is a UK trial only? (the actual web pages refers to all continents)
Nov 13, 2007, 4:10 pm
#7
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Link now works but no mention of 50% discount .... lets wait until the 15th and see. If the discount really happens, it may be worth clearing out some points - you'd be looking at 41,000 for £200, so 1c per point, with the flexibility to spend where you want AND earn points back on stays when using the card.
Nov 13, 2007, 4:40 pm
#8
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So what do you all think, which IC hotels are better, UK or others? Or is that a different thread?
Nov 13, 2007, 4:40 pm
#9
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I got the postcard but totally unsure I get this ...
if I wanted to do an award stay at an IC/PC property, is it now redeemed at 50% the points? As many times as I want during this period?
... or is it only good in exchange for the card value that I guess is used only at hotels (?) for the "choice" they are offering?
if I wanted to do an award stay at an IC/PC property, is it now redeemed at 50% the points? As many times as I want during this period?
... or is it only good in exchange for the card value that I guess is used only at hotels (?) for the "choice" they are offering?
Nov 13, 2007, 5:18 pm
#10
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I got the postcard but totally unsure I get this ...
if I wanted to do an award stay at an IC/PC property, is it now redeemed at 50% the points? As many times as I want during this period?
... or is it only good in exchange for the card value that I guess is used only at hotels (?) for the "choice" they are offering?
if I wanted to do an award stay at an IC/PC property, is it now redeemed at 50% the points? As many times as I want during this period?
... or is it only good in exchange for the card value that I guess is used only at hotels (?) for the "choice" they are offering?
At least according to the text above you can buy the ANY HOTEL ANY TIME prepaid debit card for half number of points. This is a good deal.
Nov 13, 2007, 5:50 pm
#11
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ah - that does make better sense-its all about the card. Not sure I'll be jumping on this after all. thanks for the clarification.
Nov 14, 2007, 2:21 am
#12
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I used a £200 card at a Four Seasons in the UK with no problem. They charged £200 to the pre-paid card and the rest to my normal credit card.
You will only have a problem (well, not really a problem) if you use the card in a different country to the one in which your card is denominated. What I mean is that if I have a £200 card and I try to pay a bill in the US in $, I cannot be certain how much can be charged to the card - $400, $404, $408, $410? - due to the exchange rate and the Amex foreign loading charge. You will end up with some wastage because you will end up going with a low number so you don't get the embarrassment of your card being declined.
You will only have a problem (well, not really a problem) if you use the card in a different country to the one in which your card is denominated. What I mean is that if I have a £200 card and I try to pay a bill in the US in $, I cannot be certain how much can be charged to the card - $400, $404, $408, $410? - due to the exchange rate and the Amex foreign loading charge. You will end up with some wastage because you will end up going with a low number so you don't get the embarrassment of your card being declined.
Nov 14, 2007, 6:14 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2007
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PC Website now shows the 50% discount, JUST for the UK cards though. Still a good deal though due to the strength of the pound. Even if you lost a few dollars/euros depending on where you use it, you are still ahead of the game. I plan to use in this summer - London, Paris and Cannes. I think Paris is still better off using the 40K rather than the cards due to peak season rates. London and Cannes seem close to breaking even, PLUS you get the stay credit and points.