What is a mattress run?

A mattress run is when you check into a hotel solely because you want to gain hotel elite status, or points, or free nights – NOT because you actually need a place to stay. If this sounds crazy to you, you’re not alone; I did this specifically to receive elite benefits from Hyatt, where I concentrate a lot of my loyalty.

I value elite status with Hyatt because I’ve had great experiences with Hyatt properties. Check out my (un-sponsored, as always!) reviews of the Hotel Kabuki San Francisco and the Eliza Jane New Orleans for example.

Read on for more details why mattress runs work for some people.

Should I do a mattress run?

You should only do a mattress run if the cost will be substantially less than the benefits you expect to receive from hotel elite status.

Mattress runs aren’t for everyone. If you don’t travel enough, or enough with a particular brand of hotels, then you’re not going to get much benefit out of having elite status. Here’s what you should consider, when deciding whether a mattress run is right for you:

1. How long will you benefit from elite status? Typically, you gain elite status for the rest of the year in which you earn it (e.g., 2021) AND the full following year (2022), AND the first couple months of the year after that (through February 2023). So if you can gain elite status in, say, February 2021, you will benefit from it for two years.
2. How many nights/stays do you think you’ll have with that particular hotel brand? In my case, I estimate I’ll stay at full-service Hyatts at least 10 times over the next two years. Make sure you don’t assume you’ll be at Hyatts for every.single.trip you’ll take, because it’s very likely that at some point, you’ll want to stay at a boutique, or an Airbnb, or a Hyatt won’t be available where and when you want it. Be realistic. You’re unlikely to spend 100% of your travel nights at Hyatt or any single brand, especially if you travel for work.
3. Are there any substitutes for doing your mattress run? You can simply pay for an upgraded room, or a room with lounge access, without having any elite status. If you have your heart set on this for ONE particular property, then you’re probably better off just paying for it once, rather than going for elite status. You should also know about the Hyatt Guest of Honor program, Hyatt Prive reservations, and Amex’s Fine Hotels and Resorts programs.
4. What benefits will you receive from the status you’re chasing, and how much do you value them? See below for the Hyatt elite benefits for reference. In my case, I’m really excited for Hyatt lounge access/premium breakfasts and suite upgrades. I value each of those benefits at $50-$100 per stay, depending on the length of stay. I also value 4:00p late checkout at about $20 per stay.

How I compared my costs to benefits

My net cost: $350 + 6,250 Hyatt points, or ~$460. I searched obsessively to find the cheapest Hyatt hotel within a reasonable distance of my home. For $350 in cash (including all taxes and fees) and 15,000 in points, I was able to get a room at the Hyatt Place Chicago/Schaumburg for 9 nights. Combine this with Hyatt’s Bonus Journeys promotion, and I’d earn 5,000 points; receive a rebate of 3,750 points; and earn 18 elite nights. I’d receive another 10 nights earned for being a newly-minted World of Hyatt cardholder. And with an additional $5,000 spend on the card, I’ll hit 30 elite night credits by mid-Feburary 2021. In 2021, 30 credits is all you need for Globalist status.

Expected value of benefit: $1,200, conservatively. I assumed I would stay at 10+ full-service Hyatts by February 2023, where I’d receive either a Club Lounge or a premium breakfast. I value that at between $50-$100 per stay, so I assumed $75 on average, or $750 for 10 stays. Then, I assumed I’d get a suite upgrade half the time. At my personal valuation of $50 per upgrade, this averaged out to $250 across 10 stays. And I assumed a value of $20 per 4:00p late checkout, or $200.

At a net cost of ~$460 (and only $350 in cash), this mattress run was worth it to me.

My experience in January 2021 with a Hyatt mattress run

As mentioned, I booked the Hyatt Place Chicago/Schaumburg for a 9-night stay for $350 + 15,000 up-front points.

How I booked it

I made two consecutive bookings over the app: The first 6 nights in cash, and a second reservation for 3 nights using 15,000 points. These are two reservations, but I knew I could call the hotel and have them link them. I called in and spoke to a front desk agent, who said she’d do this for me.

Description of the hotel and room

Hyatt Place hotels offer a lot of consistency. Hyatt Houses are also consistent, and so similar to Hyatt Place hotels that they might as well be the same sub-brand. If you’re staying at virtually any Hyatt Place or Hyatt House, you know what you’re getting: A comfortable, business-friendly room; a free breakfast; a modest fitness center; and a clean but no-frills experience.

The Hyatt Place Chicago/Schaumburg lived up to those expectations. The room would’ve worked perfectly well for a business trip.

The check-in experience for my mattress run

Even if you’re not staying in a hotel, you must physically check in. When I arrived at the Hyatt Place Schaumburg to check in, I noticed there was just one front-desk manager for a reasonably large hotel. She was rather busy, and she happened to be the same agent I’d spoken to over the phone. Huge pet peeve of mine, she was also wearing her mask below her nose. Anyway.

She said that my two reservations weren’t really linked, and that I’d have to come down to the front desk the morning after my 6th night. So, I decided to be up-front and explain that this is a mattress run, I’m not going to be here at all. I asked if she’d please just not check me out of my room, and not make me come back here a second time. I mentioned that other Hyatts have no trouble linking my multi-stay reservations. She seemed cool about the mattress run situation, and said this would be fine, so I figured I was all set. She even offered me my two free bottles of water on my way out, knowing that I wouldn’t be here.

My Hyatt mattress run (minor) snafu

Between my two stays, Hyatt Place failed to keep me in my room. I noticed this because I was carefully checking the app every day to make sure everything was getting credited properly. Suddenly, my second, 3-night stay with points completely disappeared.

I called the hotel and spoke to the same front desk agent again (do they only have one employee in the whole hotel?!). She explained that she’d “restore” my stay, but that it would only be a 2-night stay because 1 night had already passed. I sighed and reminded her of our conversation, and pointed out that she kept 15,000 of my points but I’m somehow only getting a 2-night stay. She said I’d have to take it up with Hyatt Corporate.

I hung up and called Hyatt and explained the situation. They told me that Hyatt Place Schaumburg was probably wrong, that they could see this was a 3-night stay, and I should just wait until I check out and make sure I get credit for 3 nights. I did exactly that, and sure enough, upon “checkout,” I only had 2 nights credited to me. I called Hyatt back again and told them what happened. They investigated my account and fixed it for me right away.

Hyatt’s customer service is pretty great. I am kinda annoyed at the (seemingly only) employee at the Hyatt Place for making me make 4 phone calls about something pretty standard. If she had just linked the two reservations together properly, it would’ve saved everyone a lot of time. However, Hyatt’s customer service was awesome and really came through for me.

Tips for making your mattress run work for you

If you decide to do a mattress run, there are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Plan out your promotions before booking. Check your hotel brand’s promotional offers page and make sure you’re signed up for everything. And, look for credit card offers; both Chase and Amex have opt-in offers for hotels sometimes. If you’re booking two separate reservations like I did, make sure they’re available consecutively before you book.
2. Be honest with the property. Not everyone shares this view, but I found it helpful to be up-front. When I checked in, I admitted that I would look at my room, but then I’d be going back home. The hotel probably wouldn’t see me again on my 9-night “stay.” I asked that they please not check me out of my room, and stated that I wouldn’t need housekeeping. Apparently they managed to make my second reservation disappear anyway, but at least they knew what was going on.
3. Be careful about your check-ins and check-outs. Watch your account each day to make sure nothing weird happens. If it does, call in promptly to correct the issue.
4. Watch for your credits after you “check out.” As before, if you don’t see the credits you’re expecting to see, call in promptly.

Bottom line

I’m glad I did my Hyatt mattress run. I effectively paid $460 for Hyatt Globalist status through February 2023, which is very worth it to me because I intend to resume traveling frequently in the second half of 2021.

Hyatt Globalist status is really valuable to me primarily because of the free premium breakfasts, lounge access, suite upgrades, and 4:00p late checkout.

However, know that mattress runs aren’t for everyone. In 2019, I spent 22 nights at Hyatts, out of about 60 total nights on the road. I spend enough time and money at Hyatts for top-tier elite status to be worth it to me. Chasing status makes little sense for someone who only stays at Hyatts 2-3 times per year. If that’s you, don’t shell out $460 for a mattress run like I did. Instead, just pay a little extra to get guaranteed benefits at each reservation.

What about you? Would you do a Hyatt mattress run?

The post Hyatt Mattress Run 2021: Worth It? appeared first on Luxury on Points.

1: Molokini, a deserted island off the coast of Maui

Molokini is an “island” off the coast of Maui, which you can only access by boat, hence part of our list of secret Maui locations. I say “island” in quotes because it’s very small, no one lives there, and it’s actually more of a crater than an island. That’s why it has amazing coral and therefore wonderful snorkeling.

To get to Molokini, you have to hire someone with a specific type of boat, and I recommend a day tour. I really loved this early-morning snorkel tour from Viator, but there are lots of options you could choose.

Taking this snorkel tour was probably my #1 highlight from all of Maui, and that’s really saying something (which you’ll see below). While snorkeling, I saw turtles, an eel, colorful coral, and countless fish in crystal clear blue water. On the boat ride towards the Molokini crater, we were even lucky enough to spot a whale!

2: Black Rock, a secret beach on Maui

On the farthest north end of Ka’anapali Beach sits Black Rock, which is a locals-only spot for snorkeling. Since you’re far away from the most popular beaches and resorts, Black Rock makes it onto our list of secret Maui locations. It is a black volcanic rock (….hence the name…), but this is important because fish and coral love volcanic rock, which means more opportunities to see cool stuff while snorkeling.

And snorkel I did! In fact, a giant sea turtle swam up pretty close to me, such that I had to get out of the way to avoid touching him or her. (You’re not supposed to touch sea turtles or other wildlife in Hawaii.) I know, this story sounds fantastical, but it’s true! I didn’t manage to get a picture because I was underwater and don’t have a GoPro, and I’m sure a blurry pic wouldn’t do justice to the experience anyway.

Ka’anapali Beach sits on the westernmost point of Maui and is less popular than Makena Beach to the south, which is where most of the high-end resorts are. (Check out why I don’t recommend the Grand Wailea Maui, which is the highest-end resort on Makena Beach, in my Grand Wailea Maui review.) If you’re staying near Makena Beach, Ka’anapali is only about a 50-minute drive. Go to the north end of Ka’anapali to see Black Rock.

3: Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm

Visiting a real-life lavender farm was surreal. First off, is a lavender farm even a thing? Yes, if you’re in Maui, it is. Keep in mind, to get here, you gotta go off the beaten path away from the touristy beaches a little bit – you’re a little over an hour away from either Makena Beach or Ka’anapali Beach. But that’s what makes this one of the secret Maui locations!

Can you smell the lavender? This question was on my mind when I visited. And the answer is YES! The second you get out of your car, you see these rolling hills of lavender everywhere and you smell it, just like if you were sniffing perfume.

If you plan to visit, as I highly recommend, admission is only $3. Before COVID-19, the lavender farm hosted guided tours, which I assume they’ll resume once everything reopens!

4: Ocean Vodka Distillery

Only a 19-minute drive away from the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm is the Ocean Vodka Distillery, which is the next stop on our secret Maui locations tour. This is the most charming, organic farm I’ve ever seen, and even better – they host vodka tastings! We went inside and tried a couple little sips, then bought a bottle from the charming couple at the counter.

Funny story, we knew our trip from the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm to here would be pretty sparsely populated. But we didn’t know how easy it would be to end up on a farm access road and almost get stuck! Although Maui is known for its tourism and beaches, most of the island is actually pretty rural and agricultural. Once you’re off the beaten path away from the resorts, you’ll often find yourself on a narrow road with little traffic.

After you visit Ocean Vodka Distillery and pick up a bottle or two of their smooth vodka, you’re only a 2-minute drive away from our next stop….

5: Surfing Goat Dairy

Practically across the street from Ocean Vodka Distillery is the Surfing Goat Dairy, which is an organic dairy farm where you get to pet the goats! This was a lovely highlight of my trip and I’m so glad we stumbled upon it. Maui is much more agricultural than it seems, and this is a must-visit if you want to experience secret Maui locations.

We went on a tour, which I highly recommend; they start at only around $10 per person. Afterwards we also bought a plate of the various goat cheeses. All were delicious.

6: Pa’ia, a secret Maui small town

Pa’ia is a small town (only ~2,400 people!) at the top of the island of Maui. It’s on our list of secret Maui locations because it’s so underrated and overlooked. It’s not particularly close to any of the touristy beaches (though it does have some good surfing spots with big waves). It does, however, happen to be about 15 minutes away from the Kahului (OGG) airport. This is why I recommend that you visit Pa’ia either at the beginning or end of your trip.

Pa’ia boasts some gorgeous points to take pictures. We pulled our car over for a picnic and enjoyed this view.

Pa’ia is also a lovely town with wonderful shops, restaurants, and friendly people. Perhaps the most famous restaurant is Mama’s Fish House, which is a bit of a splurge; all entrees are $50+ apiece. But the restaurant also sits on a gorgeous beach, albeit not one that you can easily snorkel from.

Spend an extra hour or two in Pa’ia on your way out of Maui and you won’t regret it.

I hope you enjoyed my list of secret spots on Maui! Let me know what you’re planning to visit when you go there.

The post 6 Secret Maui Locations appeared first on Luxury on Points.

In this ultimate guide, I’ll provide you my actual itinerary and what I paid. My trip was to Germany, but I’ll make it easy for you to customize this trip to pretty much anywhere in Europe!

Summary of How to Take a European Trip on Points and Miles in 2021

This is what I actually did on my trip to Germany, and it’s all still bookable for trips in 2021/2022! It’s also easy to customize this to other locations in Europe, so read on for the framework I used, in case you’d rather go somewhere besides Germany.

Part 1: Flights to/from Europe on points and miles in 2021

We’re covering flights first on how to take a European trip on points and miles in 2021. This is because airline award flights are typically the hardest to book due to limited availability. They also cost more points than most hotel award nights. For these reasons, you’ll want to book your flights first.

Step 1: Plan to spend 100K-140K points per person for a round-trip, business-class flight to/from Europe.

Sometimes, you can find ways to pay less than this, but this range is a good rule of thumb. If you don’t have anywhere near that amount of points, you’ll need to get a credit card signup bonus or two. Read on for more details to figure out which points to accumulate.

Step 2: Research airline “sweet spots” to pick your best route to Europe on points and miles.

This will depend on your home airport and where you want to go in Europe. It’s always possible, and sometimes advantageous, to take a “positioning flight” to get from your home airport to the airport you want to use to fly to Europe. But if you live near Chicago O’Hare like I do, it’s going to take a lot to convince me to fly to, say, San Francisco first.

Some “sweet spots” I like:

1. Booking with Air Canada to fly on Star Alliance metal for 120K-140K per round-trip. I did this and gave a detailed, step-by-step account of how to book (with screenshots)! These methods are the same today as in late 2019.
2. Flying to Madrid on Iberia for somewhere between 68K-100K points per round-trip.

Now, I’m no slouch in the award-flights department, but there are others out there who are true experts, if the options above don’t work for you. I use Google and some expert resources I trust: Straight to the Points, the Travel on Points Facebook group, and the 10xTravel Facebook group.

Step 3: Once you know what route you want to fly, determine your points and miles needs.

In the examples in Step 2, a flight from ORD-Madrid during the off-peak season costs only 68K points round-trip (or 100K during peak season). You can use Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Marriott points, or any combination of the above to transfer to Iberia. Flights from ORD-Vienna cost 120K points round-trip, and you can use Amex, Capital One, or Marriott to transfer.

Whatever your chosen route, you should use Google and the resources I mentioned above to figure out how many points and miles you need – and which types of currency.

Step 4: Don’t forget about fees on award flights to Europe.

In addition to ~120K miles, you’re going to pay award fees, which can range from ~$40 per ticket to $1,000+. Avoid the flights with the outrageous fees! Know what you’re getting into, by reviewing those resources I mentioned and/or fake-attempting to book the award yourself.

On most airline sites, you can act as if you’re going to purchase a major award flight, even if you have zero points in your account. That will allow you to see the exact amount of points and fees you’ll need to pay when the time comes.

As you’ll see from my account, I still paid about $1,100 in fees for two people, round-trip. I made that choice because of flight availability and the number and types of points I had, and I’m happy because I still got a value of over 4 cents per point. However, it’s best to avoid these fees whenever possible!

Step 5: Get your credit card(s) as needed for the signup bonuses.

Your next-to-last step is to sign up for whatever credit card(s) you need, to bridge the gap in points you’ll need for the award. You can do this step simultaneously with your hotel research in Part 2 below, just in case you’d like to coordinate your card acquisitions.

Right now, there are some Amex Platinum offers for 100K-125K points, as well as 60,000 points for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Step 6: Finally, book your award flight.

Expect this step to take several hours, from learning how to book, to searching for that award availability. As before, I highly recommend consulting other people who have done it before, including the Facebook group Travel On Points.

Other tips for award flights to Europe

• Consider two one-way trips. You can mix and match between most different award programs, so that you fly TO Europe using one program (say, Iberia) and fly home FROM Europe using another program (say, Air Canada). This can be really helpful if you’re a little short on one particular currency. I illustrated how to consider the different ways of booking my flights to Germany here, and how I decided my final method.
• Consider fast, cheap trains within Europe. Once you get to Europe, it’s pretty easy to get around on their high-speed trains. They’re comfortable, safe, and on time. On my epic luxury trip to Germany, I flew into Munich and spent a few days at the Andaz Munich (not recommended). Then I took a 90-minute train ride to Nuremberg and stayed by the biggest Christmas village in all of Germany for a couple days. Then I took a 2.5-hour train ride to Berlin and stayed there at two different, amazing hotels for a week. And I flew home out of Berlin. In total, I got to explore 3 different cities and didn’t spend that much time in transit.

Part 2: Luxury Hotels in Europe on Points and Miles

In Part 2 of how to take a European trip on points and miles in 2021, we focus on hotels. Figuring out hotels is my favorite, since there are so many wonderful choices. And my site is hotel-focused for a reason: I love luxury hotels.

You spend more of your vacation time in your hotels than you do on your flight across the pond. Even if you think to yourself, “I don’t spend that much time in my hotel anyway,” you’ll still want a centrally-located hotel with a nice bed. And who doesn’t want free European breakfast, like this one?!

Step 1: “Map” out your whole trip

Even if you haven’t booked your award flights yet, you should at least have a sense of what cities you’re flying into and out of, and what time of year you’ll be there. If you don’t know yet, go back to Part 1 and determine it. This is because award flights tend to be more complicated and require more advance notice than award hotel bookings.

Literally plug your arrival and departure cities into Google Maps and see what other cities might be easy to visit.

I recommend 1 European city per 3-4 days you’re in Europe. You can get away with only 2 days in smaller cities like Brussels or Nuremberg, but you really need 4+ days for larger cities like Paris or Berlin. If you’re hopping cities/hotels constantly, you’ll end up feeling like you’re spending more time in transit.

Look up potential train trips. Doing this can help you figure out which intermediate cities you’re going to visit, and in which order to visit them, to give you the most efficient route. Literally Google “Munich to Nuremberg train” and you’ll instantly know how much time it takes. If you want advice on how to book in Europe, I like The Train Line and RailEurope. Keep in mind, cheapest doesn’t always mean best; for example, an express train might cost only $10 more, but you’ll save 90 minutes in transit. Don’t actually book your train tickets until after you’ve got your hotels booked. This will allow you more flexibility on your hotel nights, if you need to play around with award availability. You’re only looking up your train routing to know what’s possible.

Here are the bones of my itinerary, which we’ll build on later:

I liked this route a lot because I got to see a large portion of Germany, including traditional Bavaria in the southern part of the country and modern Berlin in the northern part of the country. I was able to do this without spending too much time in transit too. There are many other cities you could visit, obviously, so do what works for you!

Step 2: Based on your city “map,” pick some possible hotels.

Now that you have your cities mapped out, I recommend choosing 2-4 hotels per city to research. These hotels should fit your basic requirements. I’m all about luxury hotels, so budget hostels won’t make the cut. Here’s my initial list:

Consider hotel programs’ Fifth Night Free and Fourth Night Free policies. Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton all let you book the 5th award night free if you’re booking the first 4 nights with points. IHG lets you book the fourth night free, if you have the IHG Premier card. These programs should make you consider how long you want to stay in each city.

Consider how big each city is when you’re determining how long to stay there too. I knew Nuremberg had a huge Christmas market, and that was really cool, but I also knew Nuremberg wasn’t that large. Everything was very walkable and wouldn’t take too long to see.

Consider your available hotel points and free nights. If you have 2 free nights available with the IHG program and they expire within 6 months of your trip, then you should prioritize using those free night certs. (Learn how to get organized with your points and miles here.)

Step 3: Determine your points needs.

Now that you have an idea of which hotels you want, gather your available points from the organized sheet you made, and compare what you have to what you need. As you’re doing that, you should also track the cash cost of each room and make sure you’re getting a decent value (cents per point). Here’s mine:

When I did this research, I already had:

• Hyatt: 2 Free Night certificates and ~24,000 points
• Hilton: 300,000 points
• IHG: 2 Free Night certificates
• Marriott/Radisson: Nothing

In other words, I had enough Hyatt points+certs to pay for either the Andaz Munich or the Grand Hyatt Berlin, but not both. I could use up my 2 IHG Free Night Certs in Berlin. And I had enough Hilton points to pay for 4 nights at the Waldorf Astoria Berlin and get the 5th Night Free.

Notice, I only got a value of 1.2 cents per Hyatt point on the Andaz Munich redemption. This is fairly low for Hyatt points, which are normally worth about 2 cents per point. However, my 2 Hyatt free night certificates were likely to expire before I could use them otherwise, so this was worth it to me.

My only remaining city was Nuremberg, which doesn’t have most chain hotels. I settled on paying cash for the Park Plaza Nuremberg because I didn’t want to get a Marriott credit card just for this trip, and I wanted to check out the Radisson status-match experience. (The Park Plaza Nuremberg was nicely located and I got a Gold status welcome gift, so for a total outlay of $230, I was happy with this experience.)

Step 3: Get your credit card(s) as needed for the signup bonuses.

A big part of how to take a European trip on points and miles in 2021 is to get the credit cards you need. In Step 2, I had determined that I didn’t need any new credit cards for this trip, but I was already sitting on a large stash of points. Your situation might vary.

If you already have a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points – such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred – then you might have some points that can be transferred to Hyatt hotels at a 1:1 ratio. (Chase URs also transfer to the IHG program at a 1:1 ratio. But because IHG points are worth significantly less than Hyatt points, I don’t recommend transferring Chase points to IHG unless you’re only short a couple thousand.)

Step 4: Book your hotel nights.

Now that you’ve got your city map and you’ve chosen your hotels – it’s time to book. I recommend making all your bookings at the same time, in case certain award nights aren’t available.

Let’s say you wanted to spend 3 nights in Munich at the Andaz Munich using Hyatt points, but it’s not available on the first 3 nights of your itinerary. (Note, I don’t recommend the Andaz Munich given my experience, anyway.) You still have those Hyatt points, but maybe you could use them later on in the trip – such as at the Grand Hyatt Berlin in this example. Alternatively, you can play with availability; maybe you’ll have to pay cash for your first night, but the second and third nights are available on points.

Do this across all of your chosen hotels at once.

For detailed instructions on how to book with each program, along with screenshots, check out:

• 5 Steps to Booking IHG Hotels for Free
• How to Book Hilton Hotels for Maximum Value
• 5 Steps to Booking Free Hyatt Hotels

Part 3: Bringing it all together

In the last part of how to take a European trip on points and miles in 2021, we’ll bring everything together. Congratulations! You just booked a luxury European vacation, at a huge discount, due to points and miles. But you have a few things left to do, so read on.

Step 1: Gather all of your flight and hotel confirmations.

I know, this isn’t an exciting thing to do. But you’ve just booked a complicated trip, and it’s time to make sure everything is 100% in order, long before you actually show up at the airport.

Make sure your seats are assigned for the flights. You can look this up on your electronic ticket and call the airline to determine your seat. SeatGuru can help you decide which seat is “best” for your flight if you want to change it.

Make sure your hotel nights match the itinerary you expected. It is very easy to be “off” by a single night; I’ve done it before. Get it corrected as soon as possible, because it’ll be much easier to find alternate award availability now than the day you’re trying to check in and can’t.

Confirm your hotel room types, and see if you can get upgrades. Check out my list of secrets to hotel room upgrades.

Get your confirmation numbers in order. I literally print them out and put them in a folder, which is incredibly old-school. 9 times out of 10, I don’t need them, as everything is electronic. But about 10% of the time and especially in foreign countries, there is some miscommunication about the name on the reservation, or the room type. Being able to show the confirmation to the front desk agent has really helped me a number of times, so it’s worth the several minutes of effort it takes.

Step 2. Book your transport between cities.

Back in Part 1, we talked about how you’d look up your train trips between cities. Now, it’s time to actually book those tickets. I like RailEurope.

Step 3. Book the hard-to-schedule activities.

Certain tourist attractions require advance planning. If you show up at the Anne Frank house expecting to walk in, you’re almost certainly out of luck, and you probably won’t get to see the attraction at all on your trip. So figure out which activities are “musts” for you, and plan accordingly.

Consider a guided tour or two. I have always loved going on short, 2- to 3- hour walking tours hosted by locals. I love Viator for this. Usually for about $30 per person, you can learn a lot about history and/or sightseeing directly from a local.

Consider a day trip. If you’re staying in one city for an extended period, you might want to take a day tour somewhere nearby. When I stayed in Berlin for 7 days, I considered taking a day trip to Potsdam. Again, Viator is a great resource for this.

Don’t over-schedule. Step 3 is all about making sure you’re able to do the most important things. But you don’t want to make the mistake of booking 10 non-refundable, guided tours for a 12-day trip and feeling exhausted and unable to “explore.” (I’ve done that before, believe me.) Build in some time to just wander, relax, and eat.

That’s it! I hope you feel more comfortable with how to take a European trip on points and miles in 2021. I will certainly use these techniques to book another one in 2021 myself. Please reach out via email if you have any questions!

The post How to plan a $15,000 luxury European trip – for $665/person appeared first on Luxury on Points.

Step 1: Gather your transferable and cash-back points and miles

First, to organize your points and miles, you’re going to use your bank cards (e.g. Chase) to figure out how much “transferable” currency or cash back you have. It’s pretty simple: Just go login to all of your accounts and record your points. You might use a service such as AwardWallet to help you with this, or just put it in a spreadsheet.

If you have a partner who mostly lets you manage their miles (like I do), you might want to record your partner’s miles here too.

Here’s my spreadsheet of bank card points and miles!

As you can see, I have a LOT of transferable points and miles, and that’s not all. This only represents my cashback and transferable points, not my airline- and hotel-specific points. Which brings me to Step 2….

Step 2: Gather your airline points and miles

Just like in Step 1, to organize your points and miles, you’re going to log in to all your airline programs and find your balances. However, it’s a little more complicated than Step 1 because you need to check on expiration dates. And, if you have any gift cards or club passes, this is where you should make note of those too.

Here’s mine:

Special notes about Southwest: As you can see, I have a lot of Southwest miles and a lot of Southwest travel funds that can be used like cash for future trips. (Southwest allows you to convert your travel funds to miles, but I agree with Travel on Points’s advice: Keep your travel funds for later use.)

Make sure you keep track of both travel funds and points for yourself too! I inserted a comment into Excel to indicate that $29 of my Southwest travel funds expire in January 2021. The vast majority of the rest of my funds expire September 7, 2022. I highlighted that cell to remind myself to call Southwest. Maybe they’ll let me extend the $29 beyond January 2021. It’s only $29, so it’s not a big deal if they say no, but it never hurts to ask!

I also have some United Club Passes that will probably expire before I can use them. Otherwise, most of my airline miles are “safe,” or very small amounts anyway.

Step 3: Gather your hotel points

This step is very similar to Steps 1 and 2, except you’ll need to be extra-careful to keep track of your Free Night Certificates. Hotel brands have largely extended their free night expiration policies in light of COVID-19. However, everyone’s policy is a little different.

Here’s my hotel point sheet:

You’ll see that I have six free night certificates, with expiration dates between mid-2021 and mid-2022. Couple notes about this:

Hyatt has extended its certificate expiration dates through year-end 2021, but this isn’t necessarily reflected in your account. My account still says my Club Access awards expire in February 2021, and my Free Night award expires in January 2021:

But I made sure to get Hyatt to tell me in writing (via their Messenger service) that these awards will all be extended through 12/31/2021. Yet another example of how it never hurts to ask.

Hilton makes it a little tricky to track your free night certificates. They have a very generous, updated expiration policy, but you can’t login to your account and see your certificates automatically displayed. I gave them a call and discovered I had three free night certs instead of the two I thought I had!

When I called Hilton, their customer service agent provided me the free night certificate numbers and expiration dates. (I’ve always had good experiences with Hilton’s customer service!) I’m very glad I spent ten minutes on that exercise and was pleasantly surprised with an “extra” free night I didn’t know I had.

Step 4: List out your travel “goals”

Roughly in order of priority, where do you want to go? How do you want to get there, and how many nights do you want to spend there? This will be wildly different for everyone, but I have to think about my and my partner’s available vacation days – for whenever we’re able to travel again.

I like to emphasize high-quality trips because we aren’t digital nomads; we have limited vacation days. In 2019, my partner and I took two elaborate international trips and multiple 3- and 4-day weekends domestically. That’s about as much travel time as we can manage each year. Although we haven’t traveled since COVID, once we can travel again, we’d want future years to “look like” 2019.

To organize your points and miles, think through where you want to go over the course of a year. This is because planning ahead with credit card points takes time, in case you need to gather some signup bonuses. My priorities for the next year of travel — whenever I can travel again — are:

1. Japan – I want to take another trip similar to the epic $52,000, two-week long luxury trip I took in 2019. It was amazing and I want to go again ASAP.
2. Europe – There’s a lot I haven’t seen yet in Europe, so I’ll go wherever in Europe is a “good deal” from a points-and-miles standpoint.
3. Hawaii – We normally visit Hawaii because my partner has family there. (That’s why I know the best, locals-only stuff to do in Hawaii; check out Oahu recommendations here!)
4. Domestic 3- or 4-day weekends – The U.S. has so many cool places to visit, at the “cost” of only 1-2 vacation days. Some of my favorite past weekends have included Vegas, New Orleans, Portland, San Francisco, and so many more. While I’ll definitely go back to some of my old faves, I’d love to check out some new cities too. Either way, 3- or 4-day weekends are easily do-able with my Southwest and various hotel points.

Step 5: Figure out points and miles needed for each travel goal

This seems like a really hard task, but just break it down to one step at a time. This is where you might have to do some serious Googling, but again, focus on one destination or travel goal at a time to organize your points and miles.

My Goal #1: My Japan trip will be similar to the epic $52K trip I took in 2019, and will thus require a similar number of miles. I’m sure I’ll check out a few different cities in Japan this time around, but it won’t drastically affect the number or type of points I need.

My Goal #2: To go to Europe in business class, there are lots of options, including Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, which costs 120K-140K points round-trip in business. Air Canada operates on the Star Alliance system, so you can use their program to fly a bunch of different airlines to Europe, like I did on my trip to Germany via Austrian Airways. Iberia offers a WONDERFUL value for the US to Europe in business-class, with trips from Chicago to Madrid available for 68K-100K round-trip.

My Goals #3-4: Flying domestically and to Hawaii is easy on Southwest these days, and my spreadsheet reveals I have $932 in Southwest dollars, plus another 60,000 points. While I’d prefer to fly business class to Hawaii, I’ve never had good luck finding lie-flat availability from Chicago. For that reason, my partner and I will fly in economy via Southwest with a layover in San Fran, where we have friends. Regardless, flying to Hawaii and to many other domestic locations will be easy for me.

Step 6: Compare your miles to the miles you need – and analyze the gaps

Your last step to organize your points and miles is to analyze the gaps between what you have and what you need. Below, I laid out my goals and priorities, alongside all of the miles I accumulated in earlier steps:

You’ll see I pretended as if I was heading to Japan first, and then Europe, and then Hawaii, sequentially. There’s no need to visit everything in a particular order, though. It’s helpful just to list everything out, so that you know if you need more points. In reality, it’s likely I’ll take a domestic trip or two first, because planning an elaborate international trip takes time to find the best flight and hotel availability. That’s ok.

This exercise will help you narrow your goals. One of my goals was “Europe,” but when I mapped it out, I realized that I wouldn’t have enough points and miles unless I went to Spain, because of the Chicago to Madrid sweet spot. So, Spain it is! You can change your goals based on the availability of sweet spots and your points. It’s always good to be flexible, when you can.

If you’re short on points and miles, this exercise will help you see the gaps – and plan to get certain credit cards accordingly. Some of my favorites are below, and I’m grateful if you click them when you apply – you’ll get the same bonus and I get some extra points too!

Conclusion

I’m glad I did this exercise, even though I have no plans to travel during COVID. I was excited to find out I had an “extra” free night I didn’t even know I had.

What I learned: I don’t need to earn more points for the next year-plus. I already have enough to reach all of my travel goals for that time frame, and I don’t even have any travel plans yet.

I also learned I’m a points millionnaire twice over, not even counting 6 free night certificates and $932 in Southwest dollars. That’s a little ridiculous, but I still love it.

Now, I’m going to take my own advice and focus on a good credit card cash back strategy, since I don’t need any more travel points for a while.

The post You NEED to organize your points and miles (here’s how) appeared first on Luxury on Points.

Why get Hyatt Explorist status?

You should get Hyatt Explorist status because elite status helps with perks such as upgrades, lounge access, and more. The Points Guy values Hyatt Explorist status at $995/year.

Personally, I think the biggest reasons you should do this Hyatt status match is because you’ll receive 1 free night with Hyatt (up to Category 4) and 2 Club Lounge access awards.

Note, Hyatt does allow employees of certain corporations – and they don’t tell you which ones – to get status matches. You should check your eligibility here just in case you qualify for a corporate match.

Step 1: Get Caesars Diamond status

What does Caesars’ casino status have to do with anything? Well, Caesars is a competitor of MGM, which partners with Hyatt. Having Caesars Diamond status is actually pretty cool in its own right – I wrote about getting a free $100 dinner and show tickets when I visited Vegas. But you really want Caesars Diamond status because it gets you MGM’s status. More about that later.

To get Caesars Diamond status in the past, you could get Wyndham Diamond (top-tier) status just for having any other hotel brand’s status, at any level. Since Wyndham and Caesars are partners, you could then use your newfound Wyndham status to get Caesars Diamond status. However, as I wrote in my updated status match guide, you can’t use your Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt/IHG/whatever status to get Wyndham status anymore.

However, there are still 2 ways to get Caesars Diamond status today:

1. If you already have Wyndham Diamond status, use it to automatically match to Caesars Diamond. Wyndham and Caesars are partners and you can match either status from one to the other here.
2. Obtain casino status with any other casino brand besides Caesars. Here is a full list of which casino brands match into Caesars Diamond status. If you aren’t much of a gambler, you can get the Station Casino Mastercard, which gives you Station Platinum status without having to gamble a single dollar. (Downside: It causes a hard credit check and uses up a 5/24 slot.) Check out the Caesars section of my guide for some more ideas.

Step 2: Use Caesars Diamond status to match to MLife Gold status

MGM’s casino loyalty program is called MLife. Regardless of whether you’re a member of MLife or not, you can use your Caesars Diamond status to obtain MLife Gold status. (Bear with me, we’re about to get to the actual Hyatt status match, we’ve just got to follow another step in between.)

To get MLife Gold status, you have to go to an MGM casino in-person between now and December 31, 2020. You have to go up to the MLife front desk and say that you want to get a “Tier Match.” Full details are listed here at MGM’s site.

While you do have to go to a casino in person, you don’t have to necessarily go to Las Vegas! Here’s a full list of casinos, and corresponding competitor loyalty programs. Note, you definitely want to match into either MLife Gold or Platinum. I believe the easiest way to do this is with Caesars Diamond status, but if you have other status, use that link to figure out what works for you.

Step 3: Use MLife Gold status for your Hyatt status match

Once you’ve got your MLife Gold status, the last part is pretty simple. Hyatt and MLife are partners. You automatically get Hyatt Explorist status if you have MLife Gold status.

To complete this last step, go here and login to your MLife account and follow the instructions. It’s that simple!

Bottom line

I hope you learned a little more about the Hyatt status match today. In COVID times, companies are giving out a lot of loyalty benefits. Even if you’re not traveling right now, it’s a great opportunity to take advantage for later!

Please reach out with any questions about these or other hotel status matches. And, if this was helpful to you, please share this post! Cheers.

The post Hyatt Status Match to Explorist: Alive again! (3 steps to get it) appeared first on Luxury on Points.

How much are Wyndham Rewards points worth?

Each Wyndham Rewards point is worth about 0.7 cents, but some redemptions can give you a value of over 2 cents per point. The best ways to maximize your Wyndham Rewards points are always the ones that make each point worth as much as possible! In this Wyndham Rewards guide, I’ll give you some specific ideas for that.

How do I earn Wyndham Rewards points?

Before talking about maximizing your Wyndham Rewards points with the best redemptions, let’s give a quick overview of how you earn them. These are the easiest ways to earn Wyndham points:

Stay at Wyndham hotels

Staying at a Wyndham hotel will earn you 10 points per dollar, unless you’re a Wyndham elite; Diamonds earn 12 points per dollar. (Minimum earning is 1000 points per stay regardless of status.) Wyndham used to make Diamond status matches very easy and free. These days, they’re a little harder to come by, but I cover a comprehensive guide to getting the highest hotel status possible, including at Wyndham. For instance, there’s a way to get Caesars status and use that to match to Wyndham!

Stay at Caesars hotels

Earning rates at Caesars are the same as at Wyndham, i.e. $1 in spend gives you 10 points, unless you have elite status. Caesars and Wyndham are partners, meaning if you’re a Caesars elite, you can get your status transferred to Wyndham, and vice versa. (Here’s info about how.)

Get a Wyndham credit card

There are two Wyndham Rewards credit cards, one with a $0 annual fee and one with a $75 annual fee.

$0 Annual Fee Wyndham Rewards Card:

The $0 AF card provides a signup bonus of 15,000 points and comes with Gold status. Only Diamond status grants you free suite upgrades, but Gold elite status gives you free late checkout and preferred rooms, so it’s worth something.

$75 Annual Fee Wyndham Rewards Card:

For a $75 AF, you get a signup bonus of 30,000 points and Platinum status. Again, only Diamond status will get you free suite upgrades, but Platinum gets you free early check-in on top of free late check-out and preferred rooms.

Neither of these cards have impressive earning rates, but the signup bonuses and elite statuses are valuable.

Order DoorDash (only through September 30, 2020)

If you order DoorDash food delivery through Wyndham’s site directly, you’ll get 250 points for every eligible order. (And, if you’ve never ordered DoorDash before, first-time customers get 2,000 Wyndham Rewards points.)

This offer is only good ’til September 30, 2020, so jump on it!

Transfer from Capital One

You can transfer points from Capital One to Wyndham Rewards at a rate of 2:1.5, so that 2,000 Capital One points equals 1,500 Wyndham Rewards points. You earn transferable Capital One points with a Venture- or a Spark-branded card; there are currently 4 such business and personal cards on the market.

I generally don’t recommend transferring from Cap One to Wyndham unless you have a specific, high-value redemption in mind. Why? Because Cap One rewards are worth around 1.4 cents apiece, and Wyndham Rewards are only worth about 0.7 cents, AND you’re paying 1.333 Cap One points for every Wyndham point. (Because 1.333 = 2/1.5, which is the transfer ratio.) There are situations where this can be a good redemption, though.

Here is the math you should follow to see if you’re getting good value out of your CapOne:Wyndham Rewards transfer.

The example: Let’s say I want to book a 4-night stay at the Club Wyndham Kona Resort, and it’s possible for me to book with either points or cash. A one-bedroom suite is available for 15,000 points per night on the days I want. The cash cost for the same room is $925 for those 4 nights, including all taxes and fees. I have zero Wyndham Rewards points, but plenty of Capital One miles.

Step 1. How many Wyndham points do I need? In this case, 60,000 (=4 nights * 15,000 Wyndham points per night)

Step 2. How many Cap One miles would that cost me? In this case, 80,000 (=60,000 * (2/1.5), rounded up)

Step 3. How much are those Cap One miles “worth”? Multiply by .014, because CapOne miles are worth about 1.4 cents apiece. In this case, $1,120 (=80,000 required Cap One miles in our previous step * .014)

Step 4. Compare the cash cost to the Cap One value. In this case, I’d be giving up $1,120 worth of Cap One miles, to book a room that would cost me $925 in cash. That’s not a good deal.

Math tells you that in the scenario above, you should NOT transfer your Capital One miles. However, everyone is different, and you might have extenuating circumstances. Maybe you’re about to close your Capital One card and need to get rid of those miles, AND you’re meeting family or friends at that particular resort. Whatever the case, it’s your decision, just arm yourself with that information. (Don’t you love how my Wyndham Rewards guide included a little math lesson??!)

Other ways to earn Wyndham points

There are a few other ways to earn Wyndham points too, which I cover in detail in my guide, When do Wyndham points expire? That article goes through every possible way to keep your points active – and many of them earn points at the same time.

9 Best Ways to Maximize Wyndham Rewards

This Wyndham Rewards guide wants you to make the most out of your points redemptions. Without further ado, these are some of the best values you can get for your Wyndham Rewards points.

Free stays at Wyndham Vacation Club properties

Part of Wyndham’s business includes Vacation Clubs, which is like a euphemism for “timeshares.” Timeshares are generally not a good deal for most consumers to buy and own.

While I don’t recommend owning a timeshare, I do recommend staying in one, because they tend to be located in expensive resort areas, and the “rooms” are usually suites with 1 or 2 actual bedrooms. This is a great option for families versus your typical hotel room. Keep in mind, timeshare properties typically do not offer free, daily housekeeping, because many guests are timeshare “owners.” You should be prepared to either not have your room serviced every day, or expect to pay a fee for it. These are not “hotels” in the traditional sense.

All Wyndham Vacation Club properties are only 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points per night, usually with zero resort fees. This is often going to be an excellent value, especially when you consider that you’re getting much more than a small, typical hotel room. Here is the full list (filter for “Wyndham Vacation Resorts”). Some of my favorites include…

#1: Waikiki Marina Resort at the Ilikai (Honolulu, HI): 15,000 points/night

For 15,000 points and no resort fee, you can land a studio or one-bedroom condo, both with full kitchens. This hotel is on the shores of Waikiki Beach. Other Wyndham Waikiki properties are similar (but IMO not quite as ideally located) and include Club Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk and Club Wyndham Royal Garden at Waikiki. Cash rates (with taxes/fees) vary from about $200-$400; you’re getting a good value regardless.

#2: Vino Bello Resort Napa (Napa, CA): 15,000 points + $25 resort fee/night

The Vino Bello Napa is the only property on this list to charge a $25/night resort fee. But, for that and 15,000 points/night, you get a 1-bedroom condo with a King bed, separate living and dining area, and a full kitchen. Suites even come with a washer/dryer, a jetted tub, and a bottle of wine on arrival! This hotel has multiple pools, hot tubs, a fire pit, and a free evening shuttle to and from downtown Napa. With cash rates around $300 all-in, this is a great value.

#3: Club Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort (Kailua-Kona, HI): 15,000 points/night

These Hawaii resorts are an excellent value. Kailua-Kona is on the sunny, lively west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. At 15,000 points per night, and with no resort fee, the Club Wyndham Kona offers studios and one-bedroom suites. The property has plenty of pools and outdoor activities too. Cash rates are typically $200-$260/night, so you’ll get a great value for your Wyndham Rewards points here.

#4: Club Wyndham Park City (Park City, UT): 15,000 points/night

Book way in advance for this one. It’s a ski-in, ski-out resort, and cash rates during high season can be as much as $500. (Low season tends to be around $160.) Park City, UT is a great town with a lot to do besides skiing, if you’re visiting in the warmer months. The resort has a pool, hot tubs, and a picnic area.

#5: WorldMark Whistler (Whistler, Canada): 15,000 points/night

This is another ski resort on the list and it has a lot of amenities. You’re right by the slopes, and just a 5-minute walk from a big park with lots of hiking and mountain biking options too. They have a heated outdoor pool and hot tub as well. For 15,000 points, you can get a one-bedroom suite, with a full kitchen, washer/dryer, and even a fireplace. Note, many Canadian hotels only have Queen beds instead of Kings – this one is no different, unfortunately. Room rates vary from about $110/night to $400. I’d probably pay cash at the lower end of that range, but it’s a great value for your points at the upper end.

Free stays at other high-end properties

Aside from their timeshare properties, Wyndham has a big range of brands, from the budget Super 8s and Days Inns to the higher-end Wyndhams, Wyndham Grands, and TRYPs. Wyndham’s non-timeshare properties are more like traditional hotels, where you can expect housekeeping and you’ll typically have standard rooms.

The higher-end brands are generally where you’ll get the most bang for your buck, err, point.

These are some of my favorite redemptions outside of Wyndham’s timeshare properties.

#6: Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel (Charleston, SC): 30,000 points/night

This is a unique, historic hotel in a fantastic location. It’s right by lots of museums, it’s in the middle of downtown, and it boasts a great pool. Standard rooms are about $300/night including taxes. So at 30,000 points, you’re getting a solid value of 1 cent per Wyndham point.

#7: Costa Blu Beach Resort, Trademark Collection by Wyndham (San Pedro Town, Belize): 15,000 points/night

This is an all-suite hotel with kitchenettes and separate sitting areas. The location is right on the beach, and the pool is pretty spectacular too. Note, the furnishings are a little dated, so if super-modern is your thing, you might not love this property. With cash rates around $180/night, you’ll get a value of around 1.2 cents per Wyndham point.

#8: Wyndham Loutraki Poseidon Resort (Loutraki, Greece): 15,000 points/night

Loutraki is a resort town in Greece, a short drive from Corinth and 50 miles from Athens. You’ll do a lot of lounging by the pool and sea in Loutraki, and this property has private beach access. You’re close enough to Athens or Corinth to take some easy day trips there too. All rooms at this hotel are suites, but some suites even have their own private pools or hot tubs outdoors. (This is one benefit to having Wyndham Diamond status; you can’t count on getting the special upgrades, but it’s possible.) Standard rooms run about 160EUR, providing you a value of about 1.4 cents per Wyndham Reward point.

Discounted stays (“Go Fast”) at high-end properties

In all of the above properties in this Wyndham Rewards guide, I illustrated how to get free nights using Wyndham Rewards points. However, you can also get great value for fewer points using Wyndham’s “Go Fast” promotion, where you pay 1,500, 3,000, or 6,000 points per night, plus a varying amount of cash.

This is true for ALL of the properties listed above. Usually, if you find “Go Free” availability, you can also find “Go Fast” availability. But for some properties, you won’t be able to find any “Go Free” availability, so let’s talk about how to evaluate whether “Go Fast” makes sense with an example here.

#9: Club Wyndham Ka Eo Kai (Princeville, Kauai, HI): 3,000 points + ~$140/night

This is a Club Wyndham property, so you can expect condo-like features with kitchens in the suites. I didn’t place it in the list of Club Wyndham properties above, because I couldn’t find any “Go Free” reward nights at this property. However, I found plenty of “Go Fast” availability for one-bedroom condos with kitchens. Princeville, Kauai is located on the north shore of the island and has fantastic snorkeling; it’s really a great location. These rooms cost 3,000 points per night plus about $140, all-in.

Here is the math you should follow to see if you’re getting a good value from your points using the “Go Fast” rates:

Step 1: Compare the cash cost to the “Go Fast” cost. In this example, it cost $140/night + 3,000 points OR $235/night – for the same exact room and dates. (Make sure you’re comparing the same dates and room types, and also make sure you’re including all taxes and fees!) In this example, you’re effectively getting a $95/night discount by paying the “Go Fast” cost.

Step 2: Determine how much your cash discount is worth, in points. In this example, you’re “paying” 3,000 points for a discount of $95. This is a redemption rate of 3.16 cents per point, which is actually the highest out of all properties on this list! (3.16 cents/point = $95 * 100 cents/$1 dollar, divided by 3,000 points)

“Go Fast” is a great way to maximize a small amount of Wyndham Rewards points. Note that cash rates vary, but generally, you’ll still have to pay the majority of the cost in cash.

Low-value Wyndham redemptions

There are a number of other ways to redeem your points, but I don’t recommend them in this Wyndham Rewards guide. Why? Because Wyndham points are worth about 0.7 cents, and these redemptions are all worth significantly lower than that. You should avoid these ways of redeeming your Wyndham Rewards points:

Gift cards

You can redeem Wyndham Rewards for gift cards at various stores and restaurant chains, all at very low values. For instance, a $25 Amazon.com gift card costs 7,500 Wyndham points, providing you a value of only 0.33 cents per point. (It also deprives you of a free night at a lower-end property!) Other gift cards are similar; $25 Macy’s and Papa John’s gift cards also cost 7,500 Wyndham points each. Don’t do it.

Points transfer partners

Surprisingly, Wyndham Rewards transfer over to a number of airline partners, including United MileagePlus, American Airlines, and Aeroplan. However, I don’t recommend doing this because most transfers start at 6,000 Wyndham points and only convert to 1,200 airline points. You’re effectively taking each of your Wyndham points and dividing by 5. Since Wyndham points are worth 0.7 cents per point, and these airline points are worth between 0.7 and 1.6 cents apiece, you’re getting a really poor value here. (As of this writing, United MileagePlus has a limited-time promo where 6,000 Wyndham points = 2,400 United MileagePlus miles. This is still a poor redemption rate.)

Merchandise

Please don’t use your Wyndham Rewards points on their “merchandise.” As of this writing, a Costco one-year membership costs 18,693 points when redeemed through Wyndham Rewards. This costs $60 in cash, meaning your Wyndham points are only worth 0.3 cents apiece.

Other possible purchases of “merchandise” receive similarly low value. Again, don’t do it.

Other redemptions

Generally speaking, the worst things you can do with your Wyndham Rewards points is to NOT use them to stay at Wyndham hotels. However, you might be thinking, “When can I use my Wyndham points? It’s the middle of a pandemic and I have no reason to travel right now.”

Well, I still advocate holding onto your Wyndham points. Just make sure they don’t expire, and if there’s any risk of them expiring, check out my guide to keeping Wyndham points active.

Bottom line

I hope you learned more about maximizing your Wyndham points in my Wyndham Rewards guide! At the very least, I hope you got some good ideas about future redemptions. If you feel I missed any great Wyndham properties, let me know in the comments!

The post Guide: 9 Best Ways to Maximize Wyndham Rewards (and what NOT to redeem) appeared first on Luxury on Points.

Overall review of Baltimore Marriott: Great views, comfortable luxury hotel

Pros: Views, great in-room amenities, high-end neighborhood

Cons: Lacks personality (but nothing bad!)

I paid: $505 in cash for 2 nights

How to stay at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront on points

This is a Marriott Category 4 hotel, which costs either 20,000, 25,000, or 30,000 points per night depending on whether it’s Off-Peak, Standard, or Peak pricing times (respectively). This is a pretty good value even at Peak times, given how up-market the hotel is.

If you book 4 nights on points at any Marriott hotel – even if you don’t have status – you get your 5th night free. I think 5 nights at 80K-120K points is a great value here, and it’s a trip you could take in COVID times too!

Check-in at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront

This hotel makes a good first impression, with impressive views from all directions on the water. The lobby is large and looks like a standard (but full-service) Marriott. I was staying here for work just before COVID-19, so I paid the normal rate in cash. As a Marriott Gold due to my Amex Platinum, I was hoping for an upgrade, but alas I got a standard Two Queen City View all to myself. The hotel was pretty well-occupied with other business travelers, so this made sense to me. The other perks I received due to my Gold elite status included 500 points and “enhanced” internet, nothing too exciting. I checked out at 7 a.m., so I didn’t make use of my late checkout benefit.

As readers know, I think having hotel elite status normally makes a big difference in experience. Perhaps most importantly, you avoid the worst rooms, which hotels avoid giving to elites. To learn more about how to gain elite status by using “status match” programs, check out my ultimate guide to hotel status matches here.

Location

The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront is located in the Harbor East neighborhood of Baltimore. Harbor East is, as it sounds, on the east side of the Baltimore harbor. It’s a very nice neighborhood with lots of walkways along the river and great views and high rises pretty much everywhere. This is a recently-developed neighborhood, which is reflected in the new high-rise offices, trendy restaurants, and amenities. It’s a safe, high-end neighborhood for urban professionals, and it feels pretty self-contained. To be fair, I was here for work and unable to explore much beyond Harbor East! The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront is centrally located.

Baltimore Marriott Waterfront review – The Room

My room was a standard Two Queen City View, no upgrades and two beds even though it was just me, but I was happy with it. It had a lot of in-room amenities that made for a comfortable stay.

The beds were standard but comfortable, with soft sheets and fluffy pillows.

Room decorations were based on the city of Baltimore, which I thought was a nice touch of personality. (Otherwise, this hotel tended to lack personality, so the decorations stood out.) I also liked how the hotel room had a lot of lights as well as fantastic blackout drapes.

I really enjoyed my City View, taken both at night and at sunrise below. Most if not all rooms at this hotel appear to offer great views, and my standard room was no different. You can see a bit of the harbor in the distance.

I really enjoyed the large, flat-screen internet TV, where you can log into your own Netflix account. I love when hotels let you do this and hope that this trend continues. When I travel for work, I really like to be able to relax and watch my own shows for awhile. I normally bring my iPad for this, but it’s better on a big TV!

Another nice amenity in the room: A fridge you’re allowed to actually use, without a nastygram about putting your own items into it. They included coffee too.

The bathroom was modernized, but otherwise pretty standard. There was a single sink but a good amount of counter space, and bright lighting. I liked the “thisworks” toiletries, which had subtle but modern scents. They even provided a small facial towel.

They gave me more than enough towels, which were soft and of high quality.

Not pictured was a standard desk that was good for, well, work.

Overall, this was a nice and very comfortable room.

Amenities at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront

I enjoyed a drink with a colleague at the on-site bar, along with a lot of other business travelers. A couple of groups were wearing badges for a (pre-COVID) convention. This is primarily a business hotel, so you can expect cocktails to be a bit pricey but well-made.

I had a meeting in one of their 42 different meeting rooms, which was standard and functional for a hotel event room space.

There is a fitness center that I didn’t visit, but that looks to be full-service (at least, aside from COVID).

Bottom line

Would I stay here again? Sure! I thought this hotel was modern and very comfortable, if a little nondescript. I’m not normally a huge Marriott fan, so I probably wouldn’t have visited if not for a work trip. That said, I had a very pleasant stay here and am glad I had the opportunity to check it out. If my work travels take me back to Baltimore, I’d stay here again for sure.

I hope you enjoyed my Baltimore Marriott Waterfront review! As always, please shoot me an email if you have any questions about luxury hotels on points, or if you would like to see me cover anything special in a future post. I promise to respond!

The post Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Review appeared first on Luxury on Points.

ANSWER: Combine a strong cash back card with another credit card that offers flexible travel benefits.

By pairing a cash back card with a travel card, you can earn significant cash back now, and you have the ability to change your mind in the future. Some cards allow you to consume your rewards in cash – OR to transfer them to travel. So without further ado, let’s talk about a good credit card cash back strategy!

Pair a strong cash back card with a Citi ThankYou Points-earning card

A good credit card cash back strategy is to pair a cash back card with another card that allows you to earn “transferable points.” These are points that can be redeemed at multiple different travel companies. You’ve probably heard of Chase Ultimate Rewards. Citi ThankYou Points is another transferable point “currency,” if you will. And Citi itself offers two of the strongest cash back credit cards on the market:

(1) Citi® Double Cash Card

The Citi® Double Cash Card is, IMHO, the single strongest pure-cash-back card on the market right now. It earns 1% cash back on every purchase, plus another 1% cash back when you pay off the card. This is effectively 2% cash back, as long as you don’t run up a balance (and you never should!).

Some key details:

• Earning rates: 2% cash back on ALL categories if you pay in full
• Annual fee: $0
• Signup bonus: None
• How to redeem points: Redeem in $25 minimums (via check or statement credit), or transfer to Citi ThankYou Points if you have a Citi Premier or Citi Prestige card

A big plus: This card has a $0 annual fee!

Be aware that you don’t get a signup bonus, and the card does charge 3% foreign transaction fees. On the plus side, you get a free ShopRunner membership for free two-day shipping and returns at select stores.

2% cash back on all purchases in a no-annual-fee card is a pretty strong offering. However, the biggest reason this should be part of your credit card cash back strategy is because, with either a Citi Premier Card or a Citi Prestige Card, you can convert your cash back to Citi ThankYou Points. (This is ONLY possible if you also have a Citi Premier Card or a Citi Prestige Card. See below for more details!)

(2) Citi Rewards+^® Card

The Citi Rewards+® Card is another strong card that can be paired with the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige to convert to transferable ThankYou Points. Note, this isn’t really a “cash back” card. Instead of cash, you’re earning ThankYou Points with this card, at a rate of 1 point = 1 penny. And although you’re earning ThankYou Points, they’re only redeemable for gift cards, rather than transferable to travel partners.

• Earning rates: 2% ThankYou Points on supermarkets and gas stations (up to $6K per year); 1% on everything else; AND every purchase rounds up to 10 points.
  • Example: Your $2 purchase at 7-11 earns 10 points (equivalent to a 5% rate on a $2 purchase)
  • Example: Your $11 soup-and-sandwich purchase earns 20 points (equivalent to almost 2%)
• Annual fee: $0
• Signup bonus: 15K points after $1,000 spend in 3 months
• How to redeem points: Redeem for gift cards at thankyou.com. Or, transfer your points to your Citi Premier or Citi Prestige account to make them usable with travel partners.

The reason I like this card is because, although the overall earn rate is lower than Citi® DoubleCash Card, every purchase rounds up to the nearest 10 points. So if you tend to make lots of small purchases, this is a good card for you. However, bear in mind that while the Citi® Double Cash Card earns actual CASH back, the Citi Rewards+^® Card earns ThankYou Points redeemable for gift cards. You get 10% points back for the first 100K ThankYou Points you redeem each year too.

As with the Citi® Double Cash Card, the Citi Rewards+® Card has a $0 annual fee. But a major positive is that they provide you a 15,000 signup bonus, just for spending $1,000 in the first three months!

What cards should I pair with a cash back card?

If you choose to get the Citi® Double Cash Card or the Citi Rewards+® Card, I recommend you “pair” it with a card that earns Citi ThankYou Points that are transferable to travel partners.

You can only transfer your earnings from the Citi® Double Cash Card or the Citi Rewards+® Card to Citi ThankYou Points if you ALSO have a Citi Premier Card or a Citi Prestige Card. This is called credit card “pairing” and is a good credit card cash back strategy. I recommend the Citi Premier Card because you’ll get a 60,000-point signup bonus for $4K in purchases over 3 months, for only a $95 annual fee. As an added perk, beginning in August 2020 you’ll get $100 savings on a $500+ hotel stay once per year, if you book through ThankYou.com. (You likely won’t get elite benefits and may not get the best price through that site, so double-check first before booking.)

The Citi Prestige Card is another card that allows you to redeem transferable Citi ThankYou Points. It gives you more benefits than the Citi Premier Card, but the annual fee of $495 is $400 higher. The signup bonus is 50,000 points for spending $4K within 3 months, or 10,000 less than the Citi Premier Card. Main benefits include a $250 travel credit, Global Entry credit, Priority Pass Select, and a 4th Night Free credit on hotel stays. However, recently the Citi Prestige has pared down this last benefit, limiting it to twice per calendar year and requiring you to book through ThankYou.com, which may charge a higher rate and avoids elite status benefits. For these reasons, I find the Citi Premier Card to be a better value.

How can I redeem Citi ThankYou Points?

The great thing about pairing a Citi® Double Cash Card or a Citi Rewards+® Card with a Citi Premier (or Prestige) Card is that you have lots of options. You can even change your mind about how to redeem your points, as long as you haven’t transferred them anywhere yet!

For example: Let’s say you’re thinking about taking a fantastic trip somewhere – ideas below! – using transferable points. You can get the Citi Premier Card and its signup bonus, and then focus the rest of your earning strategy on either the Citi® Double Cash Card or Citi Rewards+® Card. Then when you’ve got enough points, you can either go forward with your transferable-point-travel plan, or change your mind and get cash back or gift cards instead. This is why having a “pairing” strategy works so well during COVID-19. Things are constantly changing!

Check out the section below for some of those aspirational travel options. Also keep these rules of thumb in mind:

If you know you won’t want gift cards, but only cash back, you should get the Citi® Double Cash Card. This is the only card (discussed here) that will give you actual cash in the form of a check or statement credit. The Citi Rewards+® Card will only allow you to redeem for gift cards.

If you want the option to take some fantastic, aspirational trips, pair either the Citi® Double Cash Card or the Citi Rewards+® Card with the Citi Premier Card. Convert your points from either the Citi® Double Cash Card or the Citi Rewards+® Card over to the Citi Premier Card so that they’re all combined. Then, transfer the combined stash of points over to a travel partner, to redeem those points for maximum travel value. You can change your mind until you transfer those points to the travel partner. Just remember, once you’ve transferred your Citi TYP out of Citi and into a travel provider, you can’t bring them back.

What are the best travel redemptions for Citi ThankYou Points?

Citi ThankYou Points can be transferred to 16 airlines if you have a Citi Prestige or a Citi Premier card. But if you want to get the most bang for your buck (err, point), I think these are the best redemptions:

1. Round-trip first class to Japan for 110K-120K points. Transfer 110K-120K points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, to fly via Al Nippon Airways, in first class. This was a major part of my $53K, luxury two-week trip to Japan, where I include booking instructions. It was every bit as amazing as it looked.
2. Delta award flights. Delta and Virgin Atlantic are partners, and sometimes Virgin Atlantic’s awards are cheaper than Delta’s, for the exact same flight. (See #1 for the most extreme example.) Whether you’re considering a domestic economy trip, business-class to Europe, or anything else, check both Delta and Virgin’s award pricing. Transfer your Citi TYPs to Virgin Atlantic if it costs fewer points.
3. Economy flights to Hawaii for 15K points (round-trip). Transfer 15K Citi ThankYou Points to Turkish Airlines, enough to get a round-trip economy flight on United Airlines. This is because Turkish and United are partners and you can transfer Citi TYPs to Turkish. Theoretically, you can get a round-trip business-class flight to Hawaii for only 25K points using the same strategy, which is an even better deal. However, finding this award space is incredibly difficult, which is why I don’t recommend counting on it.

Bottom line

I believe that the best credit card cash back strategy is to pair a card like the Citi® Double Cash Card or the Citi Rewards+® Card with the Citi Premier card. That way, you can earn cash or gift cards, or change your mind and transfer your points for maximum value if/when you’re ready to take a fabulous trip. I hope you enjoyed learning about some of these options! As always, please email me if you have any questions.

The post What’s a Good Credit Card Cash Back Strategy? appeared first on Luxury on Points.

What is a hotel bond?

A hotel bond, also called a hotel credit, is something you buy now and use on a specific hotel in the future — often getting 50%-100% more value for it. Hotels are struggling for cash right now, and this is one way they can receive some income – even though you’re not staying there yet.

Note, hotel bonds are kind of like investments – you might lose money on them. I am not a lawyer or a financial advisor and this isn’t investment advice! You should be aware that there are some risks to buying hotel bonds, though. Read on to learn about those risks.

Where/how can I buy hotel bonds?

As of this writing, there are two major sites that sell hotel bonds: Hotel Credits.PorterandSail and Buy Now Stay Later. Buy them from those sites, then use the “bonds” to redeem directly with the hotels listed.

Porter & Sail’s Hotel Credits has fewer properties, but appears to focus more heavily on luxury hotels. (They also say they’ll refund you if your hotel goes out of business.) Buy Now Stay Later has more properties in more locations, but doesn’t state they’ll provide a refund if a hotel goes out of business. There doesn’t seem to be much overlap between the properties listed on both sites, so it’s worth checking them both out.

Benefits of hotel bonds

• $100 in hotel bonds will be worth $150-$200 at most hotels, effectively saving you 50%-100% off the price. This is pretty huge! If you have your eye on a particular hotel that is selling a hotel bond, you can buy the hotel bond now and stay there later at a much-reduced cost.
• They’re often for independent or boutique hotel properties. Independent hotels are wonderful, but by definition, they’re unaffiliated with points and miles programs – and thus it’s hard to use points to pay for them. Elite status is also harder, if not impossible, to obtain. While hotel bonds won’t give you elite status, they are a way to reduce your cash cost for a luxury property.
• You’re helping a struggling industry. This is one way to “give back” to hotels that are struggling to keep their lights on and their staff employed. They need cash now.

Risks of hotel bonds

• Hotel bonds are nonrefundable. Once you’ve outlaid your cash, it’s gone. There are no guarantees, which brings us to….
• The hotel may go out of business. If you buy a nonrefundable hotel bond for a particular property, there’s a risk it could go out of business before you’re able to actually stay there. Porter & Sail states they will refund your purchase in this situation, but Buy Now Pay Later says it won’t. (Even Porter & Sail’s statement has some risk; this new website may not be around forever.) It’s no secret that the hotel industry is hurting right now, and you might be negatively affected by that. If this happens to me and I’m not refunded for my purchase, I’ll try asking my credit card company to issue a chargeback. But there is no guarantee.
• You have to work directly with the hotel to redeem the hotel bond. There’s some hassle here, because while the hotel certainly knows it participates in this program, each individual employee of the hotel might not be aware. You have to call each hotel directly for the booking redemption, and thus it’s not seamless if you want to change your dates.
• Terms and conditions, and expiration dates, differ by individual hotel. Although most hotel bonds appear not to expire until year-end 2021, this doesn’t appear to be the case always. And, Ts & Cs are set by each hotel individually, so you need to read the fine print of each hotel bond you buy.
• It’s unlikely you’ll earn elite nights/points. Most but not all of the hotels on these sites are independent, in which case this doesn’t matter. But there are exceptions, like the Aloft Silicon Valley, a Marriott property listed on Buy Now Pay Later. You can and should try to get your elite nights/points when you’re working with that hotel. But there are no guarantees.

How are hotel bonds different from a regular refundable hotel reservation?

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many hotel brands have made sweeping policy changes that allows most stays to be fully refundable. Prior to COVID, hotels placed some pretty strict rules around which reservations were refundable and which weren’t. If you prepaid for the (usually) cheaper rooms, you were often out of luck if you needed to cancel or change your reservation.

Enter COVID-19, and the entire industry was struggling to fill rooms. Most brands now allow anyone to book rooms that allow free cancellation with somewhere between 24-72 hours’ advance notice – even the cheap rooms.

So why are hotel bonds different? For one thing, you get around 50% off. For another, these bonds are nonrefundable. Once you buy them for a particular property, you’ll have to work with that property directly to make reservations. Hopefully they’ll allow you to change your reservation at no additional charge, but this is up to the discretion of each hotel.

You’re getting a 50% discount for giving up the possibility of a refund, and for adding some extra hassle to the process.

What are some good hotel bond deals?

It really depends on where you’re planning to stay. For me, I checked out a few that are based on my favorite places to travel. These look like good deals to me, but I haven’t committed to anything yet:

• Roman Spa Hot Springs in Calistoga, CA: I love wine country California, and Calistoga is in the middle of it. The Roman Spa Hot Springs has natural hot springs, and they have a spa with mineral and mud baths. It’s unclear whether your hotel bonds could be used at the spa whether or not you’re a guest staying there. Buy Now Stay Later’s site just asks that you “request” the bonds from the hotel; they don’t actually process your payment. I think I can buy $300 (3 bonds) worth $450, if the hotel “accepts” my request.
• Tiara Miramar Beach in Cote d’Azur, France: I’ve been to Paris, but not to the resort-y, fancier parts of France. This is definitely on my list. Look how gorgeous!
• Hotel El Ganzo in Los Cabos, Mexico: This hotel is ridiculously beautiful, and is located in the middle of everything Los Cabos has to offer. It has a pool, sauna, steam room, and indoor gym on the property too. Rooms appear to start at around $140/night, so a hotel bond deal could really come in handy.

Should I buy a hotel bond?

Yes, you should consider a hotel bond, but only if you…

• Have plans to go to a certain place sometime between now and the expiration date of the hotel bond;
• See a beautiful hotel that’s selling bonds in the area you’re planning you travel to;
• Have the cash on hand to pay for the hotel bond now (and pay off your credit card in full);
• Are comfortable with, and very aware of, the risks that I laid out above.

If all of those apply to you, then go for it!

Bottom Line

I think hotel bonds are a very unique and creative option for the hotel industry, at a difficult time. I’m really glad I learned about them, and I am seriously considering buying a few, for the specific properties that look interesting to me. But, I do not feel that hotel bonds are a slam-dunk for me, because the average 50% savings that you achieve is subject to a number of risks and some additional hassle. That said, I’m definitely going to keep these on my radar for whenever I’m ready to book my next trip.

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What is a hotel status match?

A hotel status match is when you ask a hotel brand to grant you free elite status for a certain period of time, usually 90 days. Why would they do this? Because you already have elite status with another hotel brand, and they want your business because you’re a frequent traveler!

But what if I’m not a frequent traveler? Can I still get a status match?

YES! You can gain hotel elite status very easily, without even staying a single night in a hotel. This is especially important these days, because most people aren’t traveling yet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gain elite status NOW for perks LATER when you’re traveling! Now for the 5 steps….

Step 1: Get elite status with ONE hotel brand.

To get elite status, you can spend a number of nights in a single hotel brand, or you can just get a credit card that grants you elite status. This is a common perk provided for having certain credit cards. (If you already have status with a hotel brand, skip to Step 2.)

Which credit cards provide free hotel elite status? Below is a list of credit cards that provide complimentary hotel elite status just for having the card. Note, many of these cards also let you spend more to achieve higher status, but this table shows the status you get just for holding the card:

I had elite status before, but how long will it last?

Currently during the COVID-19 pandemic, many hotel brands are automatically extending elite status. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that your status has been automatically extended. Most hotel brands are automatically extending status through at least the end of 2020. Check out the ultimate guide to hotel program extensions during coronavirus here for a current description of what’s happening.

Step 2: Pick a hotel brand for your new status match.

Now that you have elite status with ONE brand, you can start asking different hotel brands to “match” it. They’ll do this because they want your business, you frequent traveler you! (Even if you’re not – I won’t tell.)

Find a hotel brand you want to match TO. I recommend doing this one brand at a time because typically status match benefits only last 90 days. If you use Brand 1 to match to Brand 2, and Brand 3, and Brand 4 all at once – well, usually you’re not going to stay in all 3 brands within the same 90 day window. If you are, great! Just be sure you’re able to maximize your elite perks. Usually this is difficult across 3 brands in a small time window, which is why I don’t recommend more than one at a time.

How do I choose which brand to status match TO?

First pick a hotel where you want to stay, and determine which brand they’re a part of. For example, maybe I have a trip to New Orleans coming up, and I have my eye on the Eliza Jane New Orleans and the Waldorf Astoria New Orleans. (Both are excellent hotels as I said in my reviews in the links above!)

From there, you’ll learn that the Eliza Jane is part of the Hyatt program and the Waldorf Astoria is part of the Hilton brand. I’d then see what the elite status match requirements were for Hyatt and Hilton, respectively, to try for a status match with either of them. More on that below…

Step 3: Learn the status match requirements for that program.

Not all brands are created equal when it comes to hotel status matches. Some brands are more generous than others. Also, status match requirements and programs change constantly! Below is a current, complete list of hotel brands and status match requirements.

Use the links provided in the list below to see exactly what each program requires. Most of them want you to email them a picture/screenshot proving your elite status with another brand. Some of them have an online form you fill out. All of these matches are fairly easy to accomplish, just be sure to follow the instructions and submit your details accordingly.

Wyndham status match – now dead, BUT…

This used to be the easiest hotel status match, bar none, that would get you top-tier Wyndham Diamond status almost instantly. Even better, you used to be able to receive Wyndham Diamond status and then use that to match to Caesars diamond status, which would grant you a free yearly $100 dinner in Vegas and two free show tickets every month.

According to Wyndham’s website, this status match program is now dead. They might bring it back someday! If they bring it back, I’m guessing it’s in 2021 or later, after the pandemic.

BUT… You can still get Caesars Diamond status through January 31, 2021 just for having other casino status. And, you can get MLife status (MGM’s program) through Hyatt!

Caesars status match – still alive and well

Through year-end 2020, Caesars will grant you Diamond status through January 31, 2021 – just for having other casino status. Go here for requirements and be ready to present proof of status at a Caesars counter.

Having Caesars Diamond status is pretty fantastic. I wrote about my $100 dinner in Vegas and my free show tickets, which I got through status matches – and you can too!

Unless you’re a regular gambler, it will probably be easiest for you to use MLife Gold status to receive Caesars Diamond status. You can get MLife Gold status with Hyatt Explorist or Hyatt Globalist status. If you ARE a regular gambler, the link above shows you all the various casino programs that will get you Caesars Diamond status.

There are several casino brand credit cards that will provide automatic casino elite status, which can then be used to upgrade to Caesars Diamond. One example is the Station Casino Mastercard, which grants you Station Platinum status. Downside: This eats up one of your 5/24 slots. Personally, I’d rather earn Hyatt Explorist status and then match to MLife Gold, and THEN match that to Caesars Diamond.

Hilton status match

What you need: They don’t explicitly say, but as long as you have mid- or top-tier status with most other hotel brands, you should be able to qualify. Having IHG Platinum status (which you can get from the IHG Premier card alone), or Marriott Gold, or Hyatt Explorist, or Wyndham Diamond, or Radisson Gold status (which you can get from the Radisson Business or Radisson Rewards Premier cards alone) should all count.

What you receive: Gold status for 90 days automatically, meaning free breakfast and room upgrades. If you manage to stay 10 nights during the 90 days, you’ll keep Gold status for about a year and a half. Stay 18 nights during the 90 days and receive Diamond status for about a year and a half. If you don’t meet the stay requirements during the 90 days, you’ll still get 90 days worth of elite status that will then expire.

Link to submit status match: Fill out the online form here. You’ll need your Hilton Honors number and proof of your status. You’ll ALSO need to upload proof that you actually stayed at least once, at the other brand, within the past 12 months. This is a requirement I haven’t seen before; it appears to be unique to Hilton for status matches.

One other way to get Hilton Gold status: You’ll receive Hilton Gold status just for having the Amex Platinum card. However, you will have to enroll in this program through Amex. It only takes a few minutes to enroll, but is not automatic.

Hyatt status match (UPDATED Sept 2020)

What you need: Hyatt doesn’t make status matches very easy. If you work for a certain set of corporations – and they don’t tell you which ones – you might be able to get one by entering your work email address. Alternatively, if you have MLife status (MGM’s casino loyalty program), you can match to Hyatt status because they are partners.

What you receive: The corporate program will grant you either Explorist or Globalist (top-tier) status, giving you Club level access, breakfast, and suite upgrades. If you stay 10 nights in 90 days, you get to keep your status for about a year and a half. If you don’t meet the stay requirements during the 90 days, you’ll still get 90 days worth of elite status that will then expire.

The MLife-Hyatt program will grant you either Discoverist (low-level) or Explorist status. This is a straight-up match partnership, meaning you do NOT have to stay at Hyatt properties a certain number of nights to retain status.

Link to submit status match: Go here to see if you qualify for the corporate status match. Or, sign into your MGM account and then go here to take advantage of the MLife-Hyatt partnership.

One more way to get Hyatt Explorist status, only from now through December 31, 2020: Follow the three steps listed here in my post. Essentially, you’ll get Caesars Diamond status, then use that to match to MGM MLife, then use that to get Hyatt Explorist status. Limited time only!

Marriott status match

What you need: Marriott doesn’t do hotel status matches anymore, only status challenges. The good thing about this is, you don’t have to show proof of another hotel brand’s status. The bad news is, you’ve gotta actually stay there a certain number of days in order to receive status. You also must call Marriott to request a status match at 801-468-4000.

What you receive: If you stay 8 nights in 90 days (for Gold) or 16 nights in 90 days (for Platinum), you will receive that status after the 90-day period is up. This is different from the other status matches we discuss because you don’t receive elite status up-front. If you meet the requirements, you’ll get your newfound status for the next ~year and a half or so.

Two other ways to get Marriott status: Marriott and United are partners, so if you’re a United Gold or above, you automatically receive reciprocal status on Marriott! Check it out here.

You also get Marriott Gold status just for having the Amex Platinum card. You do have to enroll in the benefit, which takes just a few minutes, but it’s not automatic.

IHG status match

IHG currently does not offer a status match program. However, they have done so in the past, so it’s worth checking out IHG’s promotions page occasionally to see if they’ve changed their policy. For now, there are no status matches available though.

Remember that you automatically receive IHG Platinum status with your IHG Premier card. That’s a pretty sweet benefit for only an $89-annual-fee card. Platinum status normally takes 40 nights to receive.

Radisson status match

Online, there’s no Radisson status match page. However, if you email statusmatch@radissonhotels.com, in my experience you’ll automatically get a status match. (I got matched up to Radisson Gold, for which I received a welcome gift during my stay at the Park Plaza Nuremberg, a Radisson hotel.)

In your email, state your Radisson Rewards number, and provide proof of your status with another brand. I showed that I was a Hilton Diamond member – which I got just for having the Amex Hilton Aspire card. Radisson responded within a business day that I had been granted Radisson Gold status. Note, Radisson Gold is the highest status they’ll give you; even though I had top-tier Hilton Diamond status, they only matched me to Radisson Gold.

Accor status match

Accor hotels are best known for their luxury Fairmont and Sofitel brands in the U.S. Otherwise, they’re a Europe- and Asia-focused brand. And unfortunately, as I said in my Ultimate Guide to Accor Hotels, I couldn’t find any evidence that Accor has ever granted status matches.

Step 4: Receive your newfound status and use your perks to book!

Now for the fun part. Depending on the program, you should receive your status match sometime between 1 day and 1-2 weeks after requesting it. (Follow up if not.) Once you have your status, confirm it by logging into your account. Book your next stay directly through the hotel brand to ensure you get your elite status perks.

Elite status perks range from a free drink, to a welcome gift, to free room upgrades, to reduced parking passes. Make sure you pay attention to the perks of each program and know what they are, so that when you check in, you can receive them correctly! Sometimes hotels tend to “forget” and you have to remind them when you check in.

Links to the complete benefits of each program are below:

• Wyndham
• Caesars
• Hilton
• Hyatt
• MLife
• Marriott
• IHG
• Radisson
• Accor

Step 5: Repeat this process with other brands.

Now that you know how to do a hotel status match, do some more of them for future stays! Remember, you don’t want to try to do 5 status matches all at once because the perks will run out before you can use them to maximum benefit. But you could do a Caesars signup for now (if you have a Vegas trip planned), and then 3 months from now try a Hilton status match, or vice versa.

Timing is an important part of this game. Right now, make calendar reminders of important dates:

• Date you signed up for/requested the hotel status match;
• Reminders between 2 days – 2 weeks after you signed up (to follow up and check);
• Date the status match started;
• Date the status match ends (probably 90 days after it started, but pay attention to the program).

For those who already have either Wyndham OR Caesars status, note January and February as important dates. You need to keep “matching” your status between these two partner programs in January-February of each year, in order to receive perpetual status with both brands.

With this information, you can start to map out when you want to do your next status match.

Bottom line

Hotel status matches are an excellent, easy way to gain elite status perks for free. For only about 5-15 minutes of paperwork, you can gain some great benefits, at least temporarily!

I’d love to hear how your hotel status match experience went! Tell me about it here or shoot me an email!

The post 5 steps to a hotel status match: Don’t miss your free perks! (Updated Sept 2020) appeared first on Luxury on Points.