You can use the concierge to change previously made bookings. I made about 20 before the switchover, as long as the confirmation number remains the same, I will still get the 4th night free (as well as elite credits). I just changed the dates successfully for one, but I couldn't use an updated rate now that it dropped $50 (that would involve cancel and rebooking and therefor not eligible for fourth night free).

They usually request the folio from the hotel (or from me), that will show the middle night if they are looking for it. Question is whether they will look for it.

If I get the 4th night free, it's on a reservation at $359 per night. If I cancel it and rebook (to take advantage of the lower rate), I will pay four nights at $311 (plus tax). So it's an extra cost of $58 per night for four nights if it isn't honored (call it $232, ignoring tax), vs. saving ($358-3x$57=$187 ignoring tax).

Their website does identify back to back to stays and makes them ineligible for the credit.

As others have noted the 4NF benefit is worth much less than it used to be because of all the changes.

I've got maybe 4-6 weeks to decide if I want to renew P2's Prestige, and if I can book a bunch of stays prior to the fee hitting, I'm likely to cancel P2's card.

i just booked a non-refundable 4NF reservation in late jan, but i plan on canceling my card this week. I should be fine, right, since the hotel is prepaid and I won't need to show that exact same card at checkin?

this is the one benefit of the new system - immediate credit so i can dump the prestige card immediately haha

i have done this before many times in the old system. it will actaully count as 3 stays. The hotel is just putting you in the same room the whole time

I am trying to book a refundable rate at two Taj Hotels in India for next year to use up the two 4NF stays for this year. The rate shows refundable on the page where you select the room type with a one night penalty if canceled within 3 days of check-in. But when you click through, on the next page it says non-refundable with no refund for cancellations or changes. The behavior is the same whether you apply the 4NF benefit or not. What gives?! And WT*! Has anyone else experienced this?

I had thought I would keep the Prestige till my next renewal in fall 2020 because they've basically rebated me the AF for this year with a retention bonus, but given how hard / useless the 4NF is, now I'm thinking of downgrading the card to a Rewards+ come January after I use the travel credit for next year. I also have a Premier which I can use to transfer to air miles. Sure, I'd lose the Prestige's 5x on restaurants and travel but I'm not sure that's worth $175 for 6 months - at a 1.25cpp valuation for TYP (though admittedly you can easily get more value than that), I would need $7000 in travel spend to make up the 2x TYP difference for the travel category between the Premier and the Prestige.

DP: Got credit confirmation email today (Dec 30) for a Thanksgiving long weekend stay completed on Dec 1.

So for the bookings made prior to the switchover, you can't change it to use a new rate because it'd be a different confirmation number? Since for example, for Marriott, I see I am able to change the reservation to use a different rate, not sure if that creates a new confirmation number upon the action.

If it's Marriott, just go ahead and change the rate yourself (assume date remains the same) via Marriott app or website. I have done this a number of times and always gets 4th night reimbursed without issue (except for longer delay sometimes). This trick also works for scenarios where you filed Best Price Guarantee claim(or LNF as per Marriott) , or if you want to upgrade to Breakfast rate. The best thing about BRG scenario is that SOMETIMES Citi will reimburse you pre-BRG rate

I need to book two rooms at the same hotel for the same dates. I know I'm only getting the 4th night benefit on one of them, but I can't seem to figure out how to add a room to the booking tool online.

My two 4th night credit finally posted on 1-6. Booking was for end of October and early November.

Hey Folks,

I'm considering signing up for the CitiPrestige, specifically to use the 4th night free benefit.

Before shelling out $495 for the card, I wonder if one of you wonderful FTers, with the card, would check on ThankYou.com to see if the promotion is available and valid at The Brando Resort (Tahiti) from the 18th to the 23rd of June 2020.

I've been on the phone with Citicard for 42 minutes and unfortunately they could not provide an answer.

I'd be ever so grateful.

Mahalo!

I think the answer is no. Before Citi changed to require booking through their online portal you could call the concierge and request any hotel anywhere. But now we can only select from those hotels available through the ThankYou.com booking engine. I searched French Polynesia / Tahiti / Moorea / Bora Bora and for something in the price range of The Brando only the St Regis Bora Bora and Four Seasons Bora Bora showed up.

DAK

Thanks so much for checking. Do you know if the 4th night runs concurrently with hotel specials?

Found the answer to my question. "The biggest downside to booking through the ThankYou portal is that you won’t be able to apply your hotel loyalty membership. For most hotels, you also won’t be able to receive your elite status perks – including late checkouts or free breakfast. Since you are limited to rates available on the ThankYou Travel Portal, you can’t utilize any additional promotions, such as AAA or military discounts."

Some of those higher end hotels have their own pay2stay3 or 4NF promos on their own which are available on LHR, FHR, Prive, Virtuoso etc.

You won't be able to stack those with the Prestige 4NF 'benefit'.

Basically treat the Prestige benefit as if you have an easy to use coupon for an Expedia booking that is exactly 4NF, twice a year, that you can also burn up TYP on.

If you have any TYP cows that you are milking it's a nice way to burn them, but in pure isolation, I don't think the benefit is worth all that much since you can generally replicate it by buying hotels.com gc at discounts or using OTA coupons. (Those are all harder to do of course).

And the TYP portal is - in my experience - cramped in its selection. For the types of places we travel to, it might show 15-20% of the potential hotels. For towns/resort areas which have built their own central reservations type of systems - to keep their travel commissions in house - you might find zero hotels. This is endemic to all the bank travel portals (Chase etc.) so its not a uniquely Citi problem.