Firewind

And the IHG deals linger on ... the marketplace at work.

wise2u

notice how little buzz the horrible deals have gotten this year...a couple of years ago all the bloggers could talk about is this program.....I was excited over the Hertz deal because I have used points for an adrenaline collection redemption in the past, and even though it costs extra for the taxes and fees, it was fun to drive a sporty car.
Since the prestige class costs the same points I figured it was a good way to get a couple of off peak rentals. Wrong!! I tried mock bookings for cash at 4 different airports that I know have adrenaline collection cars and tried 20 different dates through the end of the year at each airport....every single one had no availability for Adrenaline collection cars. Now I can understand maybe a weekend here or there being booked, but I tried everything from one day mid week rental to week long rental and everything in between for dates...Hertz booking engine has blocked availability for this class as I can't see them having all their sportscars booked all the time at 4 different airports.....makes me remember why I don't like Hertz anymore....the one time I did use points for this reward, I had to call the location, get them to check availability and reserve it, then when I got there they made me wait over an hour to "find" my 8 cylinder Camaro...when they brought it out it had road tar on the fenders and someone had tried to tint the windows themselves and then scrape the film off (unsuccessfully) when they returned it...with nothing else available but overpriced dream car collection or a plain 6 cylinder Camaro, I took the ugly excuse for the car I reserved months ahead of time......just writing this makes me wonder why I ever considered trusting them again....oh well, good luck to anyone who bought points today, you will need it!!

iahphx

Vicious competition today for the Hertz deals. I happened to have some family visiting and I "trained" them to click at the right second. We went for the second deal. None of us got it.

The ironic thing is that this deal wasn't particularly good for the vast majority of potential customers. The second deal was really the only one that was plausible (the other two were about 1/3 more expensive) -- and only if you have an absolute need for a very specific type of rental. I sometimes use Hertz points for one-way rentals. Like I once needed to take a car from Fairbanks to Juneau for a week. But these are VERY unusual rentals. Even most one-ways are cheaper by just using a code (like from National). And sometimes you run into double-cost blackout dates with Hertz. So unless you rent lots of cars, and save your points for the "weird" rental that's actually cheaper with these points, you probably lost money buying this deal.

I guess folks like to think they're getting a deal. I wish those folks would have "saved" the offers for the very few travelers who could have actually saved money with this offer.

phdtomd

Came in 10 min late, 2 clicks and got the 16k Package, not the best on a point per cent bases but Ill take it. I got my money back at least 3 times over last year.

iahphx

Wow -- you are the lottery winner today.

Although I think the most "sophisticated" buyers focused on the second package, because the other two were a bit pricey.

How do you get your money back 3x, though?

Honestly, unless you have unusual needs for one-way rentals (and are skittish about using dubious codes), or value the fancy pants cars at "full value", or (I hate to suggest it) are an "unsophisticated" car renter, the savings here are pretty modest.

I rent 30+ cars a year, have lots of Hertz points, and save money using them only 10% of the time. It's just another tool -- one I wouldn't prepay for unless I was a VERY frequent car renter.

eajusa

The number of sold out items is smaller than any year that I can remember.

iahphx

Not surprising. The Hertz, Choice, and Alamo deals are good for very frequent travelers who use those companies, and would also appeal to less frequent travelers who might not be inclined (or have the skills) to bargain shop. The Hyatt deal was good for those who don't like to do MS.

The rest of the "deals"? Mostly useless to just about everyone, I would think. Indeed, if I were running this trade association, I would send my members a very curt letter saying they needed to pony up something better -- and offer more opportunities so you don't need to be a computer wiz to win. Something that "normal" travelers might be able to take advantage of. The current auction is becoming a bit of a joke. I would suggest that only Alamo is offering something useful "for the masses." -- who should be the target audience for this travel promo.

Firewind

There are promotions that are victims of their own success. Sadly, this one goes in the opposite direction, decaying over time a la US Air's Grand Slam.

Firewind

MVF Trekker

For those who've used Marriott eGiftcards before, I have some questions:
-Are you able to combine several of them for the same booking?
-Do you earn points for stays paid with them?
-How do you redeem them? By phone or do they get credited your Marriott account?

linsj

Firewind

And the list grows...

https://dailygetaways.ustravel.org/OffersList.aspx

iahphx

The only one that surprises me are the theme parks.

Isn't $49 a good price for a Sea World ticket? I guess that "Blackfish" publicity is hurting demand, and pricing.

pacys95

is there a way to convert the e gift cards into physical gift cards?

gv111

Yes, you can print them out .