Priority Club Rewards has a promotion ending today November 30 for 20% bonus points when you buy Priority Club points. Priority Club Rewards members can buy up to 50,000 points per calendar year. There is a variable price rate when buying points.

• 1,000 to 10,000 points = $13.50 per 1,000 points
• 11,000 to 25,000 points = $12.50 per 1,000 points
• 26,000 to 50,000 points = $11.50 per 1,000 points
• Must buy in 1,000 points increments.
• Priority Club Rewards members may buy up to 50,000 points per calendar year and receive up to 50,000 points per calendar year.

Loyalty Traveler analysis

The variable rate for Priority Club points purchases means it actually costs less money to buy 26,000 points at $11.50 per 1,000 points ($299) than 25,000 points at $12.50 per 1,000 points ($312.50).

20% bonus if you purchase today means you will receive 31,200 points when buying 26,000 points for US$299.

This might be a good deal if you have a definite plan for points, but it is not a great deal. There are ways to get lower cost Priority Club points.

20% bonus on Priority Club points purchases made November 30.

Choice Privileges launches a winter promotion for earning either Double Points or Miles + Points for stays from December 1, 2011 to February 29, 2012 booked on ChoiceHotels.com or by phone at 800-4CHOICE.

Promotion Registration is required before your stay to earn bonus. This offer is limited to Choice Privileges members with U.S. and Canada addresses. You cannot change your earning preference during the promotion period once you register for Double Points or Miles + Points.

I favor 2x points personally and that is how I registered.

About Choice Privileges

Most Choice Hotels brands earn 10 points per US$1 including Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites and Ascend Collection. Extended stay brands MainStay Suites and Suburban earn 5 points per US$1. Budget hotel brands Rodeway Inn and Econolodge earn 5 points per US$1.

Double Points with the winter promotion earns either 10 or 20 points per $1, depending on hotel brand.

Choice Hotels has the second largest number of hotels globally of any hotel loyalty program with about 6,100 hotels. Only Wyndham Rewards has more hotels globally with over 7,000 properties.

One of the best values in Choice Privileges are hotel partner rewards with Preferred Hotel Group and Barcelo Resorts.

Airline Miles and Points

Choice Privileges has ten North America airline partners and most stays earn 250 miles per stay. This is half the miles earned for stays with Hyatt and Hilton, but your typical hotel will likely be at least half the rate of the upscale chain hotels. Southwest points are a good value at 600 points per stay. This is comparable to other hotel programs.

Amtrak Guest Rewards are also included in this promotion offer for Miles + Points.

Chocie Privileges North American Airline Partners

The international airline partner selection is modest.

Choice Privileges International Airline Partners as of 11-30-11.

Choice Privileges Airline Partners.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis

Double points looks like the best deal here. 20 points per $1 in hotel spend can pick up a significant number of bonus points. Reward nights start at 6,000 to 8,000 points and the website now has a list of these properties. Most hotels in my area of California are more like 16,000 to 20,000 points.

Choice Privileges periodically runs discounts on Preferred Hotel Group and Barcelo Resort awards. 20,000 points can be a free resort night for just $1,000 in hotel spend. Less money if you have elite status and earn points faster.

Choice Privileges Dec 1, 2011-Feb 29, 2012 Double Points or Miles + Points

Hyatt has a promotion for 1,500 bonus points at AVIA, Hotel Sierra and Hyatt Summerfield Suites for stays from November 22 through January 8, 2012. Use Special Offer Code 1500GP when booking rates. There is no higher rate for using this code. 1500GP promotion works with AAA and AARP discount rates too.

There is no list of participating hotels. Every hotel I tried in these brands showed 1,500GP beside the rate code.

Hyatt AVIA Napa AAA discount + 1,500 bonus points per stay.

The Gold Passport Diamond customer service agent didn’t mention this offer when I booked AVIA Long Beach last week and the earliest mention I see of the offer on the web is November 26. I will see if I can get the bonus retroactively?

My AVIA Long Beach hotel review this week shows several photos of a master suite at the property along with the hotel facilities. The pool is a great hotel feature. Checking this 1500GP rate I see AVIA Long Beach has a special December 2011 offer for the master suite room category at $119. This rate also allows 1500GP bonus. That is a deal for this hotel. The lowest advance purchase rate is $171.15 for the Master Suite room.

Gold Passport Suite Upgrade rate AVIA Long Beach Dec 13, 2011.

This looks like a good Winter Hyatt Gold Passport Bonus Offer.

Winter Hyatt Gold Passport Bonus Offer AVIA, Hotel Sierra, Summefield Suites for stays Nov 22-Jan 8, 2012.

The promotion also mentions Hyatt House which is the new 2012 Hyatt brand being created from Hyatt Summerfield Suites and recently acquired Hotel Sierra extended stay properties. Four AVIA upper upscale boutique hotels were also acquired by Hyatt in the Hotel Sierra deal.

Passports with Purpose 2011 Reminder

Hyatt Gold Passport donated a 110,000 points prize to sponsor Loyalty Traveler for the Passports with Purpose raffle.

$10 per ticket can win you some really cheap points (Loyalty Traveler post Nov 30, 2011).

Loyalty Traveler is taking part in Passports with Purpose fundraiser from November 30 – December 16, 2011 in an effort to raise $80,000 and build two libraries in Zambia. Hyatt Gold Passport has donated a high value prize of 110,000 points for this fundraiser. You can buy tickets for $10 each and enter your ticket for the prize of your choice. Passports with Purpose is handling the raffle with this Hyatt Gold Passport 110,000 points prize and about a hundred other travel and travel related prizes.

Passports With Purpose 2011 – Libraries for Zambia

What –

Loyalty Traveler blog announces Passports with Purpose raffle prize of 110,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points, generously donated by Hyatt Hotels for this raffle fundraiser to build two libraries in Zambia with the organization Room to Read.

Purchase of $10 raffle tickets are your entry for the Hyatt Gold Passport 110,000 points prize or other prizes hosted by different travel blogs for this Passports with Purpose fundraiser.

When –

From November 30 through December 16, 2011 11:59pm PST each $10 ticket purchased at Passports with Purpose is valid for one entry to win the prize you select. Hyatt Gold Passport donated 110,000 points for Loyalty Traveler to host as a Passports with Purpose prize. Those can be some cheaply purchased Hyatt Gold Passport points if you win the raffle prize.

There are about 100 other prizes being hosted by different travel bloggers.

Winner of Hyatt Gold Passport points must be a member of Hyatt Gold Passport to receive prize. You can join Hyatt Gold passport at www.hyatt.com for free if you win and collect your prize.

Where –

Raffle ticket purchase website: http://www.passportswithpurpose.org/donate/

Why –

Passports with Purpose has a 2011 goal to raise $80,000 for building two libraries with books and literacy materials in Zambia.

Who –

About Passports with Purpose.

Passports with Purpose (PwP) is a fundraiser organized by a small group of energetic travel bloggers in Seattle. This annual raffle since 2008 for travel gear and travel getaway prizes procured by travel bloggers raises money for
an international humanitarian project. This year the PwP project is supporting the international organization Room to Read to establish two libraries in Zambia.

Pam Mandel – Nerd’s Eye View, Beth Whitman – Wanderlust and Lipstick, Debbie Dubrow – DeliciousBaby.com and Michelle Duffy – Wandermom.com coordinate travel bloggers and businesses through the travel community for a purpose to help save the world one location at a time.

Two years ago I participated in Passports with Purpose and hosted a Hyatt Gold Passport prize of 50,000 points. The goal in 2009 was $30,000 to build a school in Cambodia. Passports with Purpose must be a successful fundraiser. The goal this year is $80,000 for two libraries in Zambia.

Nice thing Hyatt Gold Passport more than doubled their points donation in 2011 since the Passports with Purpose fundraising goal also more than doubled since 2009. I have a feeling this 2011 Hyatt Gold Passport prize will get plenty of ticket entries.

Pam has a way with words and provides Room to Read links and some of her personal reading preferences in her October 19 post – Passports with Purpose 2011: It’s About Reading!

After reading Pam’s piece I decided to withhold my story for this post about reading Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings when I was 15 during an overcast summer beach camping holiday near Barcelona, Spain.

Over the next two weeks on Loyalty Traveler I’ll remind readers about $10 raffle prize tickets for the Passports with Purpose fundraiser and share some of my stories on libraries, books and my days working as an elementary school reading teacher.

Loyalty Traveler Hyatt Prize Analysis

110,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points is enough points for

• 5 hotel nights are 110,000 points at the best of the best Hyatt Hotels worldwide for 22,000 points per night. Hotels like Andaz 5th Avenue, Hyatt Regency Maui Resort, Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.
• 6 nights are 108,000 points at category 5 hotels for 18,000 points per night. Hotels like Park Hyatt Toronto, Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort, Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa, Florida.
• 7 nights are 105,000 points at category 4 hotels for 15,000 points per night. Hotels like AVIA Savannah Georgia, Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Hyatt at Olive 8 Seattle.
• 9 nights are 108,000 at category 3 hotels for 12,000 points per night. Hotels like Hyatt Regency Denver, Grand Hyatt Altlanta.
• 13 nights are 104,000 at category 2 hotels for 8,000 points per night. Hotels like Grand Hyatt Santiago, Chile; Park Hyatt Mendoza, Argentina; Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Hyatt Regency Lexington, Kentucky.
• 22 nights are 110,000 points at category 1 hotels for 5,000 points per night. Hotels like Hyatt Place Raleigh-Durham Airport North Carolina; Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, Nepal; Bali Hyatt Indonesia.

This prize will buy from 5 to 22 free hotel nights globally with Hyatt Hotels in the brands of Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Hyatt Place and Andaz.

Enter raffle at Passports with Purpose.

Our kitten Theron sleeping in the "For the Love of Reading" book bag.