Chase Ultimate Rewards

• FTD – Earn 15 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar and save 20 percent on all Mother’s Day flowers, plants and gifts. Purchase by May 7.
  
• ProFlowers and Teleflora - Earn 15 points per dollar
• Shari’s Berries – Earn 15 points per dollar plus save 15 percent on Mother’s Day gifts
• Sephora – Earn 8 points per dollar
• Godiva – Earn 7 points per dollar
• Nordstrom and Lancome – Earn 6 points per dollar

Hilton HHonors Shop-to-Earn Mall

• FTD and Teleflora – Earn 500 bonus Hilton HHonors points
  
• Clinique – Earn 5 Hilton HHonors points per dollar

Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping

• Sephora - Earn 8 bonus Rapid Rewards points per dollar
• Godiva - Earn 8 points per dollar
• Teleflora – Earn 7 points per dollar
• Nordstrom and Blue Nile - Earn 6 points per dollar
• Crabtree & Evelyn – Earn 5 points per dollar

HawaiianMiles Partners

• FTD – Earn 25 HawaiianMiles per dollar
  
• 1-800 Flowers and Teleflora – Earn 10 miles per dollar

I haven’t had too much experience with any of these retailers. Actually, I’ve only used ProFlowers once and it was several years ago. On special occasions like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day (I’m not really a fan of this day but that’s a whole other blog post) where companies will ask for your firstborn child for shipping, I like to have the item shipped a day or two sooner. Yeah, it’s not on the actual day but it’s the thought (and the money you save) that counts. Flowers and gifts are nice but it’s the quality family time that’s really the most important thing.

Happy early Mother’s Day to all the moms!

Let’s use Hyatt Gold Passport (HGP) points as an example. At face value, you can buy 1,000 HGP points for $24. In other words, you’re buying points at 2.4 cents each. The problem with that is that redemption values with Hyatt typically fall between 1.5 to 1.8 cents per point. Using the low end of that spectrum, you’re losing 0.9 cents per point, or $9 per 1,000 HGP points. This represents a loss of 37.5% on your $24 investment. If you’re less than 1,000 points shy of booking your reservation and it’s for a special occasion, then chalk it up to an opportunity cost and go for it.

On the flip side, if you’re short several thousand points, then you’re really pushing it. As the cost of points increases, the gap between paying for the points or simply paying out of pocket for the room decreases. Let’s say you need 4,000 points. That costs $96. How much does the room cost? Ninety-six dollars is probably a pretty significant portion of your room rate. Factor in the 37.5% loss and you’re probably going to be better off just paying out of pocket for that one extra night.

All hotel loyalty programs will overcharge you when you buy points directly so in general, it’s not really worth buying points. Every once in awhile you might see a sale on points but the higher savings threshold will only be available at larger volumes. If you can buy the points for less than their standard redemption value, then you should consider it if you have the disposable income. Otherwise, save your money.

Hawaiian Airlines (HawaiianMiles)

We already know Hilton HHonors is a transfer partner so I won’t go into detail about that. So now that it’s spring, and summer is fast approaching, are you in the market for new sunglasses? You can redeem 25,000 HawaiianMiles for a Maui Jim gift card that is good “for any one style of Maui Jim Sunglasses, inclusive of taxes and fees.” The quoted text is direct from the terms of the offer. For what it’s worth, I have a pair of Maui Jim Sport sunglasses. They are lightweight, comfortable and do a great job blocking out the glare.

American Airlines (AAdvantage)

The AAdvantage program doesn’t have any offers quite as useful as converting miles to Hilton HHonors points or getting a slick pair of sunglasses, but you do have the option of using miles to “purchase” Admiral’s Club membership. The amount of miles you pay is related to your status in the AAdvantage program.

With Admiral’s Club membership you’ll have access to private airport lounges with free drinks (including alcohol), free snacks and free Wi-Fi. Two guests or immediate family members are also allowed to enter the lounge with you.

This is quite a hefty sum of miles to throw down, especially if you don’t have any status in the program. It’s also kind of counter-intuitive from the angle of using expiring miles. If you were going to fly somewhere, then your miles wouldn’t expire due to having some amount of activity. So now you’ll burn some miles for a service that you can only use at an airport? But you never know. Maybe some trips will come up and you can make use of that membership. It’s good for a year!

United Airlines (MileagePlus)

The MileagePlus program is very similar to the AAdvantage program in that the options to redeem your miles is mostly limited to booking other travel arrangements. With both programs, there is no direct way to convert your miles into another points currency. The most interesting use of miles with MileagePlus that I see is the MileagePlus Digital Media Store. Here you can use your miles to rent or purchase music, movies and TV shows.

A quick browse of the prices shows music singles and albums have starting purchase prices of 150 and 1,150 miles, respectively. New releases and more popular songs and albums will cost more.

For movies, it appears rental prices start as low as 345 miles and can go as high as 575 miles. Each rental is good for 24 hours and can be viewed on any Windows PC, Mac, or iOS device. There’s no mention of Android devices. Movie purchase prices appear to start at 1,150 and can go as high as 2,545 miles. Movie purchases offer unlimited streaming, not a direct download.

TV shows are only available for purchase. A full season of an hour long show like Glee will cost 4,365 miles while a full season of a half hour long sitcom like The Big Bang Theory will cost 3,675 miles. These prices are for the current season. Previous seasons may have a cheaper price tag.

These prices don’t seem all that bad, especially if you don’t feel like spending out of pocket for a movie rental. You can get a few hours of entertainment, which is good for short haul flights.

Delta Airlines (SkyMiles)

Like AAdvantage and the Admiral’s Club, Delta’s SkyMiles program will allow you to to purchase a membership into their Admiral’s Club equivalent, the Delta Sky Club. The benefits are identical but the price of Sky Club membership, in both dollars and miles, is cheaper. I have no experience with either club so I can’t say which one is “better.”

The most notable benefit of the SkyMiles program is Crossover Rewards, their new partnership with the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program. This program basically allows you to double-dip when either flying with Delta or staying at a Starwood hotel.

If you’re an SPG Platinum or Gold member, you’ll receive the following benefits when flying with Delta:

• 1 Starpoint per dollar spent on eligible Delta flights
• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding
• First checked bag free

If you’re a SkyMiles Medallion member (Platinum, Gold, or Silver), you’ll receive the following benefits when staying at a Starwood hotel:

• 1 mile per dollar spent on eligible room rates
• 4pm late checkout (SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallion members only)
• Elite check-in line (SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallion members only)
• Free in-room internet (SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallion members only)
• Room upgrades (SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallion members only)

It’s a bit of a bummer that you have to have some kind of status with either program just to earn the bonus points/miles. The extra benefits are understandable but it seems to me that opening up the criteria to all basic members would be a nice incentive to move some stays/flights over when all things are equal.

Virgin Atlantic (Flying Club)

Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club is one of those rare partners that allows you to convert your miles into Hilton HHonors points. The conversion is at the same rate as HawaiianMiles; one mile equals 2 Hilton HHonors points and you can transfer in increments of 5,000, giving you 10,000 points.

An interesting thing that caught my eye when looking through the Flying Club page is the partnership with Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can convert your UR points into Flying Club miles on a 1:1 basis in increments of 1,000. What this means is that you could (theoretically) transfer your UR points to your Flying Club account, and then transfer those miles to your Hilton HHonors account.

Closing Thoughts

Airlines and their respective loyalty programs are a different beast than hotel loyalty programs. They have a pretty extensive list of partnerships that let you earn and redeem miles on other airlines. Due to that flexibility, the opportunities to combine or convert miles into points is very limited.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card normally offers 2x Ultimate Rewards points on dining but now, thanks to a partnership with OpenTable, the offer is being bumped up to 3x Ultimate Rewards points on dining. However, there is a catch. The catch is that this offer is only available on the first Friday of each month for the rest of the year. Here are the dates of each Friday for the rest of the year:

• May 3
• June 7
• July 5
• August 2
• September 6
• October 4
• November 1
• December 6

As Gary from View From the Wing points out, you’re not required to use OpenTable in order to get the 3x points. You’re free to dine as you normally would.

If you have a Chase Freedom credit card, this triple points offer still doesn’t beat the current 5% cash back second quarter promotion for restaurants. Make sure you register for that if you haven’t already done so.

I briefly explained the process in an earlier post but at that time, I hadn’t actually tried it. Now I have so I just want share the experience. I called in the middle of the day (after 1pm) and there was no wait from the moment I told the voice recognition system I wanted to speak to a representative. The whole call, from voice prompt to thanking the representative for their help, took about five minutes.

I simply told them I would like to transfer my miles to my HHonors account and proceeded to give her my HawaiianMiles and HHonors account numbers, verified my email address, answered one or two security questions, and told them how many miles I wanted to transfer. I was put on hold for less than a minute and when the representative came back, she recapped our discussion, gave me a reference number and informed me of the 10-15 business day waiting period. DONE.

So that’s it. The experience was quick and painless. The conversion transfers the miles at a 1:2 ratio (1 mile = 2 points) so now my HHonors balance is somewhat replenished. While I still don’t know what I want to do about the points, I feel confident that I’ll use my Hilton HHonors points sooner than I’d use my HawaiianMiles.

UPDATE (4/17): Over the weekend I received a call from the Hawaiian Airlines reservations line. They left a voicemail asking me to confirm that I still wanted to transfer my miles to my Hilton HHonors account. I had a “WTF?”  moment. Of course I still want to make the transfer. If I hadn’t, then I wouldn’t have called the first time.

In the voicemail, they instructed me to call back at the reservations number, not the HawaiianMiles Service Center, which is actually closed on the weekends. When I called, the agent I spoke seemed like she didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. She told me to call back on Monday when the service center would be open. I really don’t blame her for anything. She handles reservations, not miles transfers.

So I just got around to calling them back today. After pulling up my account, this agent said she had no record of my transfer so she transferred me to the Marketing department who handles the transfers. This time they asked if my first and last name matched the name on my HHonors account, asked for my HHonors account number and then told me I was all set. They mentioned that my miles would be deducted immediately but it would take 2 to 4 weeks for the points to be transferred.

So we’ll see what happens. I’ll update this post with any new developments.

UPDATE (5/1): I received my bonus points on April 29. So it took nine business days including the day I called and the day I actually received the points. Aside from getting a weird call on the weekend asking me to re-confirm my intentions, this was a smooth process and I’m glad I was able to put some points back in my account.

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.

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express

The SPG AMEX is a popular choice among frequent travelers due to the value and flexibility of redeeming Starpoints for free hotel nights or for transferring the points to airline partners. The card comes with a $65 annual fee and you’ll get perks like:

• SPG Preferred Plus status (a slight upgrade over Preferred status)
• Two stays/five nights credit towards status

Analysis

The notable perks of Preferred Plus status are rooms on higher floors and late checkout. It’s basically Gold status but without the ability to earn the extra Starpoint per dollar spent when staying at SPG hotels. There is another way to get Preferred Plus status so it’s not like the SPG AMEX is your only option.

On the other hand, the stay/night credit from the $65 annual fee is worth it from a dollar value standpoint. If you’re aiming for Gold or Platinum status, you’d be saving a few hundred dollars.

Overall though, for budget-conscious folks who are more concerned with keeping costs down, this probably isn’t the best card. There are no bonus categories (restaurants, rental cars, etc.) to earn additional Starpoints and there aren’t as many benefits that make it worth the annual fee.

Hyatt VISA from Chase

The Hyatt credit card comes with a $75 annual fee and there are a couple of perks that you should pay special attention to.

• Platinum status in the Hyatt Gold Passport program for as long as you’re a cardmember
• Receive a free night at a Category 1-4 hotel each year as an anniversary gift

Analysis

Platinum status is the middle tier status in the Gold Passport program. With this status, you’ll receive rooms on higher floors, free internet and 2pm late checkout. If you travel often to cities where Hyatt has exceptional or convenient coverage, then there’s a good chance you can get Platinum status without the credit card. It’s pretty easy to qualify for this status since it requires only five stays or 15 nights.

Where you really get the value out of the annual fee is the annual free night certificate. It’s very easy to get excellent value out of this free night certificate. There are a number of Category 4 hotels that often have rates approaching $200 a night.

So for $75, you get Platinum status and a free, albeit limited, night up. Hyatt and Chase have taken steps to improve the card so you may find yourself using it for more than just the perks.

Marriott VISA by Chase

Like the Hilton HHonors AMEX cards, the Marriott credit card has two versions, a standard and a premier. With the standard version of  and then the card, the annual fee is waived for the first year and then it’ll cost you $45. With the premier version, the annual fee is also waived for the first year and then it jumps to $85. Here are the notable perks of the cards:

• 10 nights elite credit annually (standard version)
• 15 nights elite credit annually (Premier version)
• One free night at a Category 1-4 upon account approval, and one free night at a Category 1-5 annually (Premier version)

 Analysis

With both cards, the nights credit automatically bumps you to Silver status in the Marriott Rewards program. There aren’t too many notable perks of Silver status though, except for late checkout. The value from the standard version of the card lies solely with the nights credit. Staying at a hotel for 10 nights could easily cost $1,000 so the cost of the annual fee is a great deal. However, the real question is, are you going for Gold? With the nights credit, you’ll still need another 40 nights to Gold so unless you’re going for it, the nights and the annual fee are worthless.

Like the Hyatt VISA, you’ll get the best value out of the Premier card with the annual free night. While the nights credit may still be useless, you can at least overlook it for the free nights.

As always, registration is required in order to receive your bonus points. One thing that is different from past promotions, which is pretty notable, is that there is no exclusion list this time. In other words, all Hilton and Hilton branded hotels are participating in the promo. In the past, there was always a hefty number of hotels that opted out. My guess is that this move is influenced heavily by the upcoming devaluation.

Devaluation Fallout

We’re quickly approaching the March 28 deadline when Hilton HHonors redemption rates will skyrocket, making our points less valuable. If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend finding a place to burn some of those points. The program definitely needed to do something positive to offset the backlash it received after the devaluation announcement. Making all hotels participate is certainly a step in the right direction. How can they ask us to pay more points while limiting us to the number of hotels where we can earn points? I would be surprised if this isn’t the norm for at least the next year. But then again, they just added three new categories to our redemptions so maybe I wouldn’t be that surprised.

So, what do we make of this promo? It’s certainly a different format than the popular double points/miles that has been used popular over the last couple of years. But how different is it, really? Let’s assume you have no co-branded Hilton HHonors credit card and no status and you’re paying $100 for one night. The standard earnings rate is 10 points per dollar spent.

In a double points scenario, your earnings would look like this:

• $100 x 10 base points = 1,000 base points
• $100 x 10 bonus points = 1,000 bonus points
• 2,000 points total for one night

In the case of the Daily Grand promo, here’s the weekday scenario:

• $100 x 10 base points = 1,000 base points
• 1,000 bonus points
• 2,000 points total for one night

This example is probably a little off base. A $100 rate on a weeknight is pretty hard to come by. In this case, the 1,000 bonus points is actually less lucrative than a double points promotion. Let’s say your rate was $150. That would give you 1,500 base points. A fixed bonus of 1,000 points actually shorts you 500 points.

Now here’s the weekend scenario for the Daily Grand promo:

• $100 x 10 base points = 1,000 base points
• 2,000 bonus points
• 3,000 points total

This is the scenario you want. Weekend rates at hotels are generally cheaper as all the business travelers head home. With a fixed 2,000 point bonus, you’re getting far greater value than a double points promo.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I like this promo because there are more positives than negatives. All hotels are participating and for the weekend staycationer, you get a nice bonus. It also takes a far greater investment from you before you start to lose some of the value. Remember to use the MVP discount codes to help shave a few dollars off your rate. You’ll sacrifice a few base points but it’ll be worth it to have a few extra bucks in your pocket.