Making "Cents" Out of Points for Budget Travelers

Posts in category American Express

Daily Getaways Promotion Returns for 2013

Jun11th
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Ken

Yesterday marked the first day of deals in the 2013 iteration of the Daily Getaways promotion. We get about a month of travel deals sponsored by American Express and the U.S. Travel Association. The deals last from June 10 through July 12, 2013. If you pay with an American Express card, you’ll get an additional 10 percent off of your purchase.

In case you didn’t participate last year, there is one big caveat associated with these deals. The quantities are extremely limited so the competition is fierce. When a deal becomes “live” you’ll need to start clicking and hoping you get through. Last year, I would start clicking as soon as the clock turned and it would say all the deals were already in other people’s carts. A couple of tricks that Mommy Points advises are to start clicking one or two minutes before the start time and to remember that deals aren’t sold out unless you actually see a message that says it’s sold out. If you’re lucky enough to snag a deal, it will first go into a quasi-shopping cart. You’ll have a few minutes to enter your payment info in order to solidify your purchase. If, for some reason, you fail to complete the purchase in the allotted time, then you lose the deal and it goes back into the pot for some other lucky individual. This is why you can’t give up right away.

Here is a look at the deals calendar for the rest of this week and next week. The final three weeks of deals haven’t been announced yet. Good luck to you!

Updates to Hilton HHonors American Express AXON Awards

Jun7th
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Ken

One of the best features of the Hilton HHonors American Express is the AXON award discount that offers a 27.5% discount off of standard award rates for a 4-night stay.  A Category 7 hotel used to cost 50,000 points a night but the recent points devaluation has changed that. A 4-night stay used to cost 200,000 points. With the AXON discount, you only needed 145,000 points.

Unfortunately, as of June 15, 2013, these discounted rates are increasing to coincide with the new increased redemption rates. Here is a chart outlining the current rates and the new rates that will soon be in effect.

Award Chart

 

As you can see, Category 5 hotels are taking the smallest hit to the discount. Category 7 hotels are almost at the pre-non-AXON rate. All in all, Hilton has made it pretty hard to continue staying at their hotels with the hopes of earning and burning points. It’s also become that much harder to justify using the credit card. There are clearly better credit cards available with much more valuable currency. I actually had my Hyatt VISA (a card with an annual fee) put away in a drawer in favor of the no-fee Hilton AMEX. That’s been switched around now.

So there is just about week left before the current AXON discounts disappear. This is your last chance to save yourself some points. You’re going to need every point possible to keep up with Hilton’s new redemption rates.

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Buying Perks and Mid-level Elite Status with Credit Cards

Apr3rd
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Ken

Most major hotel chains now have co-branded credit cards that come with some intriguing benefits and in some cases, a bump in status for the respective loyalty program. Having the credit card is nice alternative to putting in the time and money to actually stay at the hotel. However, those benefits don’t come free. Most of these co-branded credit cards come with an annual fee. I was always told to get credit cards that have no annual fee, and I did at first. Now most of my cards have annual fees. It really comes down to whether or not the benefits you receive are worth paying the fee.

Here’s a look at some of the credit cards available to you along with the annual fee, benefits, and some insight as to whether or not this card is worth having.

Hilton HHonors American Express and Hilton HHonors Citi Reserve

The Hilton HHonors credit cards from American Express come in two flavors; The no-fee version and the annual fee version, the Surpass card ($75 annual fee). Here are some benefits that both cards have in common:

  • Complimentary Silver VIP status in the Hilton HHonors program
  •  Achieve Gold VIP status when you spend $20,000 on the credit card in a calendar year
  • Access to AXON and GLON discount codes that give you discounts on reward redemptions

For a $75 annual fee, the Surpass card gives you more points per dollar for when you actually stay at Hilton family hotels plus complimentary Gold status for the first year of card membership. You’ll also be able to get Diamond status if you spend $40,000 in a calendar year.

The Citi Reserve card comes with a $95 annual fee but, unlike the Surpass card, you get Gold status for as long as you have the credit card.

Analysis

With Hilton HHonors Gold status, some of the notable perks are room upgrades, free breakfast and free internet. Of the three credit cards, your best bet is the Citi Reserve card because you get Gold status for as long you keep the card. Consider the alternative where you earn Gold the old fashioned way; head in bed. You’d have to actually stay a minimum of 20 stays, which could easily be over $2,000. I could do a lot with $1,900 in savings. I’m sure you could too!

If the AMEX cards and the AXON discounts tickle your fancy, I’d recommend starting withe Surpass card to get Gold status for the first year. The $75 fee is worth it for Gold status. To avoid paying another fee, you can always downgrade your card to the no-fee version before your fees are due.

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Guides, Hilton HHonors, Hyatt Gold Passport, Hyatt VISA, Marriott, SPG    , , , , ,

Hilton HHonors American Express Bonus Categories Are Changing

Feb22nd
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Ken

The Hilton HHonors program has been pretty busy lately. Not only is their reward chart experiencing an overhaul, but the no-fee Hilton HHonors AMEX is also going through some changes. At the moment, you earn 6 points per dollar on purchases at Hilton family hotels, gas stations, supermarkets, and cable and wireless bills. You earn 3 points per dollar on all other purchases.

Beginning in May, with your new statement, you’ll now have this points earning structure:

  • 7 Hilton HHonors points per dollar spent at Hilton and Hilton family hotels
  • 5 points per dollar spent at restaurants, gas stations, and supermarkets
  • 3 points per dollar on all other purchases

So cable and wireless categories have been removed, and the restaurant category has been added. And while you will be able to earn an extra point per dollar at Hilton family hotels, the points for spending on bonus categories has been reduced. It’s a bummer to see the cable/wireless category get kicked to the curb. There aren’t too many other credit cards out there with that category and if you live in the United States, you’re familiar with how expensive these services cost on a monthly basis.

The addition of the restaurant category doesn’t sit too well with me. It’s just another category that can be found on a number of other credit cards with better earnings. Why wouldn’t you want to keep your credit card different from the competition and give card holders a reason to use your card?

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Hilton HHonors Q3 2012 Promotion – Double and Triple Points

Jun25th
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Ken

Hilton Hhonors recently announced the details for the third quarter promotion for 2012. Starting on July 1, 2012, you can earn double Hilton Hhonors points on stays from Monday through Thursday, and triple Hilton Hhonors points on stays from Friday through Sunday. The promotion ends on September 30, 2012.

Registration for the Q3 2012 promotion  is now open. Unfortunately, there appears to be a pretty extensive list of hotels that are not participating so make sure to double check the list as you finalize your travel plans.

Depending on your Hilton Hhonors points balance, this may be an opportune time for you to make a few weekend mattress runs to squeeze in a few points to get to your next award stay. If you select Points & Points for your Hilton Hhonors Double Dip options, you’ll really maximize your earnings potential.

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I Had a Dream About Buying Hyatt Gold Passport Points

May8th
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Ken

Tomorrow is the day that you’ll have a chance to pick up some additional Hyatt Gold Passport points via Daily Getaways. I guess I’m looking forward to it since I had a dream about it last night.

In the dream I was using my laptop and getting prepared for the madness. Of course my internet connection started to lag and I went into panic mode. Eventually I got through but then as I was starting to fill out the forms, all these other distractions came up. And they weren’t simple distractions either. While I can’t recall any specifics, I do remember having to hide out from someone because there was imminent danger. This was probably influenced by watching last night’s episode of Hawaii 5-0.

In the end, I don’t even know if I got the points. Hopefully this dream was just a dream and not a premonition.

Here is the chart I created if you need help determining whether or not you want to try for this deal.

 

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Breaking Down the Hyatt Gold Passport Points Daily Getaways Offer

May3rd
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Ken

On Wednesday May 9 the Daily Getaways offer will be for Hyatt Gold Passport points. There will be four offers available:

  • 24,000 Gold Passport points – 20 packages available via pre-sale and 100 available normally
  • 30,000 Gold Passport points – 35 packages available
  • 36,000 Gold Passport points – 15 packages available
  • 69,000 Gold Passport points – 15 packages available

*The Value of GP Points column is determined by using a 1.5 cent valuation for Hyatt Gold Passport points

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