youngbru

I recently used the Points and Cash option for an award room purchasing 10,000 points for $60. The points showed up in my account right away listed as "POINTS AND CASH 1 NIGHT- $60" and the 25,000 pts for the award night were deducted within a few hours as expected.

BUT, my "Points Earned in 2010:" total has not changed to include the 10,000 points and the box in the upper right of my Account Status page hasn't changed to reflet the 10,000 purchased points either. I thought that all PC points, no matter how they were accrued, counted toward status. Are the Pints and Cash points different? It has been 3 days, can it take longer than that for these points to be included in Points Earned totals? I am afraid that I may need these 10k points to requalify for Platinum this year.

soitgoes

Thankfully, shortly after P&C was introduced, PCR adjusted the computer system to make these *not* count for status.

PCR Status is easy enough to get.

Shareholder

So you think these points should qualify for status? They're heavily discounted over straight purchased points, so why would PC be stupid enough to let them also be used as elite status qualifying points? As noted above, elite status is so ridiculously easy to earn as it is...

And BTW even if you cancel the award stay and the points get redeposited into your account, they still won't count for status, just in case you thought that might work.

youngbru

I don't want to get into the ethical issues of whether these points "should" apply toward status. I will leave that to those of you with higher moral authority than I!

BUT, I looked at the T&Cs and I don't see anything that states such points shouldn't be applied toward status. Here is the section that discusses Points & Cash awards:

Priority Club Rewards "Points & Cash" is an option for obtaining a Reward Night. You may choose to redeem Priority Club points for a Reward Night in three ways: using your existing points for all required points for the desired Reward Night; using your existing points and 5,000 points purchased for US $30 to total the required points; or using your existing points and 10,000 points purchased for US $60 to total the required points. Points & Cash Reward Nights may only be redeemed online at www.priorityclub.com. Point purchase amounts are subject to change by PCR. You must use a valid credit card for points purchase. Upon completion of the points purchase, you agree that the total dollar amount will be immediately charged to the credit card you specified. The cost for the points purchased is non-refundable. If the Reward Night is cancelled in accordance with these Terms & Conditions and with each hotel's cancellation policy, the purchased Priority Club points will be re-deposited into your Priority Club Rewards account. Cash components of this award that are paid in currencies other than U.S. dollars will be adjusted by Priority Club Rewards, as needed, to reflect the USD equivalent of the non-USD payment at that time. All other Reward Night terms and conditions apply.

And here is the section talking about earning status:

Priority Club Rewards Gold membership will be awarded to you if you have a minimum of 15 nights at Qualifying Rates or if you earn at least 20,000 points during a calendar year. Priority Club Rewards Platinum membership will be awarded to you if you have a minimum of 50 nights at Qualifying Rates or if you earn at least 60,000 points during a calendar year. Once you have earned Elite membership status in any calendar year, you will maintain such status through the end of the following calendar year. Members may also purchase a Gold membership for a fee of $50 USD which can only be paid for by an accepted credit card. Gold memberships that are purchased are only valid for the duration of the calendar year in which they are purchased. Follow the instructions at www.priorityclub.com/purchasegold or contact your nearest Priority Club Service Center for assistance. No cancellations or refunds are permitted.

I could not find anything in the T&Cs that describe what it means to "earn" points but as far as I know, anything other than a "Points and Cash" purchase that ends up putting points into my PC account will count as "earning points" toward elite status. So if "Points and Cash" don't apply for status, it should say so in the T&Cs.

soitgoes

Using points and cash to buy down the points required for an award night is *not* earning points. It's not intended to be a way to accumulate point balances--it's intended to be a way to make redemptions cheaper.

Please do NOT pursue this with PCR. You may find that the outcome is not a desirable one (i.e., making things even more strict).

iamthehpt

Are the Pints and Cash points different?

Now THAT is a program I could appreciate -- but wait a minute -- I would gave to give up my PINTS rather than earning them? Not a chance!!

youngbru

I don't see how it is any less "earning" points than it is when you purchase or transfer in points and I believe that those activities count toward status, right?

And no, I don't intend on following this up with PCR. I was just trying to understand what was going on and why. I don't feel any god-given right that the points need to count but I still don't see how someone would figure out that they don't count based on the T&Cs and other experience with PC points qualifying for status.

soitgoes

The difference is the cost and the lack of limits. You can only buy 40,000 points per year--and the rate is 1.15¢/pt.

Points and cash offers unlimited points at 0.6¢/pt.

mooper

I have a question that is closely related to the OP, so I figured I'd continue here instead of starting a new thread.

I understand that the purchased points from P&C redemptions don't count towards status (and I agree that IC was wise to exclude them), but I'm not clear if any points are earned for the stay itself (for the cash part you pay) or whether the night counts towards any promotions you are signed up for.

For example, if I stay one night for 5K points + $60 at a Holiday Inn and I'm registered for a promo that should give me 3,000 points for a stay, will I earn those 3,000 points with that one stay/night? Also, will I earn any PC points for the $60+incidentals spending?

Thanks in advance!

IAN-UK

I've used the cash+points arrangement, and I didn't get a stay credit. Can't say I'd expected one!

On the other issue, we are not playing with a natural law - it's Priority Club's game and, as far as I know, PC writes the rules and interprets them as it sees fit. When you join you agreed to that. The miles you purchase under the points+cash arrangements do not count towards qualification/re-qualification. End of.

Barry Bethal

I needed a few more points to top up my account to Plat before the end of the year in 2009. I purchased the points by doing a points+cash and then cancelled the booking to get the points. When I didn't get upgraded I complained as, at the time of booking, I read the T&Cs carefully to see whether there was anything that stated they didn't count towards status and there wasn't.

After getting fobbed by e-mail and phone I wrote a letter to their head office and about a fortnight later got a response saying I'd been upgraded and they were very sorry that the T&Cs weren't clear.

Needless to say, I wouldn't try doing it again but at the time I did feel harshly done by as it is not difficult to add a line in the T&Cs saying "purchased points do not count towards qualifying status".

soitgoes

Normal, full-price points purchases *do* count towards status. What you were doing is using a loophole. Nowhere does PCR advertise Points & Cash as a way to purchase points or accrue points towards status; Points & Cash is a way to "buy down" the points needed to redeem an award.

At non-ICs, you will earn PCR points for eligible incidentals. You will NOT receive points for the $60, nor will your stay be a Qualifying Stay. Points & Cash reservations are Reward nights, just with an inexpensive point requirement buy-down.

Barry Bethal

That's fair enough, but nowhere do the PCR T&Cs say this and I have little hesitation in arguing that with them when they're the first to start referring you to T&Cs in any other points dispute.

By the same principle you've stated above you could argue in favour of not getting any points on the "no points given for 2-4-1 stays" thread.

mooper

Thanks for the clarification and the help.

Shareholder

As I posted earlier in this thread, these points have never counted nor should count. I don't think PC should have given you "the benefit of the doubt" because it is absurd that any purchased points qualify for elite status let alone deeply discounted ones purchased under the guise of P+$ stays but then redeposited into an account. By that measure, every time I cancel a reward booking, those redeposited points should qualify. PC status is easy enough to earn by normal means. Why let those who don't stay at hotels enough to earn status with purchased points. Plat should really be set at 100K, not a measly 60K as it currently is.