Dave Noble

Sounds like, quite reasonably, that these refunded points do not count towards status

This would be consistent with making a normal award booking and then cancelling it.

If a booking is made for 2 nights at an 30k IC and then cancelled, this generates a refund of 60,000 poimts ; this does not count as qualifying activity and so give automatic platinum status

Dave

Raffles

I doubt it is a concious decision on PC's part, more to do with how the website is coded. However, since giving out Plat status for spending $360 is not in anyones interest (even if you don't already have it, since you don't want to eventually earn a status which will be rapidly made worthless), it is probably best if it stays this way.

spunk_tokyo

Good on you.

MrHalliday

Mentioned this in an earlier post,
but I can verify buying these points did indeed
put me over the 60K threshold.

Pplat status for next year immediately
showed up on the my account page.

dsf

Nice mishap - I booked 3 nights for points+$60 and got credited with points for 4. 0.45 cents per point

MrHalliday

This option is discussed in today's View from the Wing blog.

GLEFF mentions it as a "backdoor" to buying points,
and notes this can provide $30 Pointbreaks.

If only there were any decent PB's left....
I hate to have to wait until August.

fwfdan

Maybe I am missing something...

• I tried this for a real 3 night stay - so should the 30k points count towards PLT or do I have to cnxl?
• Seems like they only processed two nights as 15k+60$ and still deducted 75k - so effectively only purchased 20k (will have to check CC tomorrow to make sure they only charged $120 and not $180

Anyone know about the first? Anyone experience the second?

MrHalliday

AFAIK the 30K purchased points will count towards status.
You can see this online in your account,
it shows points so far towards 2010 plat.

I also think we see a pattern here of people booking
multi-night transactions getting incorrect results.
Probably a new-feature programming glitch.

I suggest you do them one night/10K at a time.

ringbahn

Yes,I experienced the second.I`ve booked 6 nights for 5K points and 60 cash.My account shows 3 nights were processed with points and cash,60000K points deductedfrom my account(plus the 30K points I`ve bought with this booking),but at least the room is reserved for 6 nights(Important,because I really want to use the room).Now I`ll have to look,if my credit card will be charged 180 or 360$.I hope,that they don`t charge too much,because I`d hate to deal with cust.service again,because their fault of not having given me the 2 free nights for a 5-night-stay in Poland in the 2nd week of May still has not been corrected.They seem to have too many promotions going on that they or their IT equipment can`t handle.

fwfdan

Checked today and indeed was charged $180 but only credited 20k points - seems to have dropped one of the 10k credits. Took them about 10-15 minutes to understand what I was saying and fix it, but it is fixed.

My points towards platinum have still not changed - I did not think you had to cancel to make it work? The 30k should have pushed me over the top...

FWFDAN

jimthehorsegod

Unlikely though it is that they'd do anything of the sort, I do hope that nobody plans on complaining here if they get their PC accounts closed for plainly cheating the system...

fwfdan

Not sure what is cheating the system? If it is an inexpensive way to purchase points and allowable to cancel the reservations it is not cheating let alone "plainly cheating".

And actually, I plan on using my nights - I just am wondering if the 30k points I purchased will count towards status.

tkyoshi

I think they likely caught on and fixed it. I tried it, got the points but Points towards elite status did not change.

Makes sense though, cause then everyone would be platinum for a few hundred dollars. So looks like MrHalliday lucked out.

GibSpmuh

Yep, my previous purchase counted towards Platinum status, but tried again and no movement this time. Oh well, I guess as always it's a lesson to get in quick when an opportunity appears!

MrHalliday

Well, maybe, maybe not.

A while ago, last PB release,
I bought 40K pts (plus 10% bonus) for $440,
thinking I needed some room to block out some PB's.
Turns out I never kept any PB to use.

A bit later Mom sends me a copy of an offer
she received to buy points with a 25% bonus.
Now I am already feeling even less lucky.

The new "backdoor" option to buy points at .6 cpm
only made me more unlucky, at least in my mind !
Plat status isn't worth much; I've already paid for Ambassador.

Still, I bought another 30K, because I can't resist a "deal".
But I have bought points which are only a deal if used with PB.

I am afraid PB options are likely to diminish;
and the value of points will be forced down
from 1 cpm towards .6 cpm.

I hope I am wrong, but this strategy is risky,
and may cut either way.
It seemed clever at the time, but cash is king these days.
I have less of it, having paid it to IHG.

Purchased points have always counted towards status;
thus anyone can purchase plat for $600-700 anyway.

I would like to feel lucky, but am not there yet.