The Big Win returns - Spring 2014

Old Jan 2, 2014, 9:27 pm
  #421  
 
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I have a "Change your view" Big Win offer described as "Stay at 2 Holiday Inn® hotels and earn 3,000 points".

Can both stays be at the same HI or do they have to be at different locations ?
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Old Jan 2, 2014, 9:38 pm
  #422  
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Originally Posted by lowimpact
I have a "Change your view" Big Win offer described as "Stay at 2 Holiday Inn® hotels and earn 3,000 points".

Can both stays be at the same HI or do they have to be at different locations ?
I had asked this question in this thread earlier, and was politely informed by an upstanding citizen of this community that besides being severely deficient in English reading and comprehension skills, I apparently also was somewhat dumb, as well, as the language clearly states it's "different ones".

Just saving you the trouble before said upstanding citizen dumps his bowl of refuse on you in turn
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Old Jan 2, 2014, 10:00 pm
  #423  
 
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Originally Posted by Pseudo Nim
I had asked this question in this thread earlier, and was politely informed by an upstanding citizen of this community that besides being severely deficient in English reading and comprehension skills, I apparently also was somewhat dumb, as well, as the language clearly states it's "different ones".

Just saving you the trouble before said upstanding citizen dumps his bowl of refuse on you in turn
danke schön
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 6:17 am
  #424  
 
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Question

Originally Posted by sdsearch
As I already mentioned before (a few pages back), I was told by a supervisor (ie, not just a front-line customer service agent), that the "best flexible rate" wouldn't count, it has to be "best flexible rate w/ breakfast". And they realize that it's a bad deal*, but then they tell me that look, it's only one night you have to use this rate, and then you'll have it completed.

*I even pointed out to them that the hotel I had been planning to stay at already gives breakfast to IHG Plats, but they wouldn't have mercy. I simply have to overpay once, no way around it.

Fortunately, I found a lower-than-normal best-flex-with-breakfast rate for a Thu Jan 2 one-night stay (which I needed in that area anyway), so that's the one I'm getting out of the way first, since I doubt such a good rate will repeat outside of the (low business travel time) holiday period. So while it's still overpaying compared to what I could have paid for another rate at another Holiday Inn that day, it's not overpaying compared to "best flexible" rates later during the promo period at the other HI that gives me free breakfast as IGH Plat).
Would like to seek opinion on this: Mine is a 2 nights stay at Holiday Inn Lisbon. My plan, 1st night at Best Flex with Breakfast rate, 2nd night at Advanced Rate. One stay, 2 nights at 2 different rates. Will this count towards getting the 2,000 points for this challenge?

Thanks.
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 6:20 am
  #425  
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Originally Posted by aerosmith
Would like to seek opinion on this: Mine is a 2 nights stay at Holiday Inn Lisbon. My plan, 1st night at Best Flex with Breakfast rate, 2nd night at Advanced Rate. One stay, 2 nights at 2 different rates. Will this count towards getting the 2,000 points for this challenge?

Thanks.
Officially, consecutive nights are considered "one stay" - but I've done this successfully a number of times. You just have to make sure the hotel doesn't merge the reservations and treats them as two separate ones. They may ask you to check out in between - or they might tell you they were able to keep you in the same room. Just make sure you double-verify that you will have two separate checkins and checkouts.
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 7:17 am
  #426  
 
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Originally Posted by Pseudo Nim
Officially, consecutive nights are considered "one stay" - but I've done this successfully a number of times. You just have to make sure the hotel doesn't merge the reservations and treats them as two separate ones. They may ask you to check out in between - or they might tell you they were able to keep you in the same room. Just make sure you double-verify that you will have two separate checkins and checkouts.
Thanks. I just login and to my big surprise, my "best flexible with breakfast" challenge now becomes "IHG Great Value Package" challenge. When I click the link in the T&C, there is no European destinations. I was planning for a European trip to achieve my Big Win. Have I been screwed?
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 7:47 am
  #427  
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Originally Posted by aerosmith
Thanks. I just login and to my big surprise, my "best flexible with breakfast" challenge now becomes "IHG Great Value Package" challenge. When I click the link in the T&C, there is no European destinations. I was planning for a European trip to achieve my Big Win. Have I been screwed?
That's... bizarre. I think I should screenshot my offers because several people are reporting changes midway - I hope people are just mixing stuff up, but this is like the fifth report of challenges being switched up. Hmm.
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 8:46 am
  #428  
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Folks, I have a bit of what could be valuable input here. I haven't read a single post on this thread yet, only just finished reading the 2013 Big Win thread, plus catching up with one or two other threads over the holiday season. It's quite a challenge staying abreast of everything.

One of my challenges includes having to book a Best Flexible Rate with Breakfast. I thought I had managed to book this at HI Dusseldorf Ratingen, which also happens to be one of my City Life cities. I would also be knocking out one of my two Saturday night stay challenges with this stay.

Here's the deal: while booking it, I was offered a 10% discount because of it being a Saturday night stay. But when I looked at the print-out (I always make a pdf of these reservations and print them out) I was a bit worried that I didn't see 'Best Flexible Rate' written anywhere. What was written was IHG® Rewards Club Member Exclusive –Flexible with Breakfast.

So I called the hotel, and they were clueless and frankly unhelpful, as was the international call center. Finally, through the chat function on the IHG website I established that the above was not a Best Flexible Rate or anything of the sort, but a different rate code altogether. So, if you are tempted by the 10% discount that staying a Saturday night would offer, then bear in mind that booking it will trigger a different rate code completely, even if it says Flexible somewhere and you end up ticking the Breakfast box.

The chat function offered a much higher rate for the desired Best Flexible Rate with Breakfast, but I managed to book a rate online that worked out 8 Euros higher than my original reservation. You just have to avoid the 10% discount offered if booking a weekend stay, and go for the full Best Flexible Rate with Breakfast, not forgetting to check the box for Breakfast.

By the way, there's seems to be no way to get out of the 20 Euro extra charge for a second person in the room, although the room is sold as a double. It's annoying, but that's the way it is in Germany and Switzerland.

Last edited by Concerto; Jan 3, 2014 at 8:53 am Reason: grammar; spelling
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 8:50 am
  #429  
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Here is my challenge, which, while not stellar, is eminently doable for me:

Stay a total of 6 nights and receive  8,800 POINTS
Stay at 3 different IHG® brands and receive  11,200 POINTS
Stay 2 Saturday nights and receive  4,800 POINTS
Stay at 2 Holiday Inn Express® hotels and receive  4,800 POINTS
Stay at 2 of the following locations and receive  9,600 POINTS
Book 1 stays through the Best Flexible Rate with Breakfast and receive  2,000 POINTS
Complete 6 of your offers and receive  41,000 POINTS

Total: 82,200 POINTS
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 12:02 pm
  #430  
 
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Originally Posted by vsevolod4
Not for purposes of the Big Win, I don't think.
At least it did not for the 2013 program. I did get a separate "badge" but my HIR stay wasn't counted towards my 6 brands.
Has anyone had any success calling to dispute this? I had a stay at a HI and a stay at a HIR to try and get 20k (2 brands get 20k). The problem I have with them is right on their own website it lists them as separate brands:

http://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/global/about/brands

I guess I was duped into thinking they were separate. I would of never paid for the resort if it weren't for the fact I was going to get 20k. I would of stayed up the road for cheaper at the HIE. Is there a customer 800# or do we just call the reservation 800#?
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 12:10 pm
  #431  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
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Hmm, here's my challenges.

Stay More, Earn More - 39 nights - 28400 points - most likely be able to do this
Explore our brands - 4 different brands - 19200 points - wont be able to do due to company expenses policy. Would probably book if it was the only hurdle to complete the whole thing.
Start the day of right - Book one flexible with breakfast - 2000 points - easy, will do it next week.
Some gobbledegook (get a Black Rewards Visa and pay for one stay) - 20000 points - not happening, I'm not paying for a credit card, I only use cashback cards. Scuppers the whole thing for me.
Win in a weekend - 2 weekend stays - 8000 points - Would do if the credit card was not a show stopper.
Stay Smart - stay at four HIX - 6400 - easy.
The Survey - 100 points - done
Win Big - 84000
Potential total: 168100

Just like the last big win, where I was required to stay in a hotel in Europe (which does not reflect my stay pattern at all), Stay in hotel brands I've never stayed in, etc I'll miss out on a good chunk of points.

Disappointing reward for my 120+ nights a year.
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Old Jan 3, 2014, 2:36 pm
  #432  
 
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Originally Posted by Willinahotel
Some gobbledegook (get a Black Rewards Visa and pay for one stay) - 20000 points - not happening, I'm not paying for a credit card, I only use cashback cards. Scuppers the whole thing for me.

I have the same, and it is also scuppering the deal for me. The points may have been an incentive to move more nights over, but I really do not like the idea that they have made the need to take out a credit card part of the requirement. I could have understood it if I had get 6/7 and get the bonus, but needing 7/7 it means I will focus elsewhere. It's a shame really, with a different target there, they may have got more rather than less business from me.
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Old Jan 4, 2014, 4:31 am
  #433  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
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Talking

Originally Posted by shorthauldad
(Apologies for being thick...)

I got the Live the City Life - "Stay at 2 of the following locations below and earn 16,000 points." I see an initial list of cities/hotels:

Madrid: Hotel Indigo, Gran Via
Amsterdam: Crowne Plaza, Amsterdam South
Munich: Holiday Inn Express, Messe
Paris: InterContinental, Avenue Marceau
London: Holiday Inn, Heathrow

and then when I click View All (next to "list of eligible hotels") I get a much longer list of "participating hotels".

Must my two stays be from the short or the long list? If the long list, what significance (if any) does the short list have?
The longer list is valid. I've used two longer list selections to score in 2013.
My humble opinion is that the short list are their properties most in need of customers....
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Old Jan 4, 2014, 4:39 am
  #434  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
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Originally Posted by WolfvanWeen
So the overall cpp was 1.44 dollar cents.
Originally Posted by mooper
Even after considering that you can buy the points for $0.007 (seven tenths of a cent) each?
Mooper, thanks for reading my post. First, the answer is yes, because the only EXTRA spend I took was around 50 Euro for a Saturday night at a HI, which I really didn't need, and that gave me 12,000 points for that challenge and unlocked the 44,000 for the Big Win. So I believe that's outstanding value. The rest of the nights I would have needed anyway (and nearly all of them have been covered by clients)

However I wasn't aware that you could buy points for $0.007, other than the 10,000 points per reward stay. Is that what you're referring to (for that you still need more miles to get the reward in the first place) or am I overlooking some other opportunities?
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Old Jan 4, 2014, 3:39 pm
  #435  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
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Big win credit card.

One card is called The Priority Club Rewards Visa and the other is called The Priority Club Rewards Black Visa. The headline offers refers to the Black Visa but in the T&C's it refers to just visa. Very confusing - I have now accidentally applied for the Visa and not the Black Visa.

If I apply for the Black Visa and cancel after 3months - will I only pay the annual fee pro rata?
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