Priority Club’s Crack the Case is a fantastic promotion for me. You will have to check your own email offer to decide the promotion value for yourself. There are so many variations to this email offer that I can only explain mine as an example of the Crack the Case promotion released today.

Crack the Case 162,000 Bonus Points Offer for Ric Garrido

I will earn bonus points for completing each of five tasks called “latches”.  I need to complete or “open the latch” for only four of the five latches to earn my “Crack the Case” bonus of 91,000 bonus points. The timeframe for accomplishing the tasks of this promotion is through May 31, 2011.

My five latches to open (fulfilling four of these five tasks earns an additional 91,000 bonus points)

• Stay 10 room nights = 5,000 points
• Stay at 2 brands = 2,200 points
• Stay 2 Saturdays = 3,300 points
• Priority Club Select Visa = 60,000 points
• Take a Survey = 500 points

FlyerTalk thread shows wide range of ‘Crack the Case’ offers

This FlyerTalk thread details dozens of individualized offers. Some members have high hurdles and others, like me, have easily manageable, relatively low cost latches to open for a huge overall bonus.

The tasks are similar for the various targeted promotions, however, the quantities needed to fulfill the tasks and the bonus points earned for each task are the main variables differentiating individual offers.

For example, one FlyerTalker stated the survey earns 2,000 points in his case; 68 room nights required to earn 12,800 points; and 38 hotels to earn 21,700 points.

68 room nights and 38 different hotels is quite a higher hurdle than 10 room nights and 2 brands for earning the “Crack the Case” bonus.

Another FlyerTalker states a Crack the Case potential bonus of 467,700 points, but to fulfill the requirements will take either 108 nights or 68 properties by May 31, 2011. Perhaps that is not insurmountable for this particular Priority Club member, but I would be highly unlikely to reach that level of hotel stays – even with half a million points incentive.

It appears that Priority Club members with infrequent stays received the low threshold, high bonus  offers. I had a few IHG brand hotel stays last summer and fall, but no IHG hotel stays so far in 2010.

I plan to Crack My Case

My offer will earn 102,000 bonus points without even bothering to take on a Priority Club credit card. If I choose the credit card offer, then I could get 157,000 bonus points after just two hotel nights in two different IHG brands between now and May 31, 2011.

For me, this a 5-key Priority Club promotion offer that will entice me to Crack the Case.

Is “Crack the Case” a good promotion for you?

Check your email to find out the individual latches you need to open in order to crack your case for Priority Club bonus points.

Here is a guide to cheap partner activities by March 31 for 6,000 bonus points in addition to the free 300 survey bonus points for answering four easy questions.

Priority Club has a partner activity promotion for 6,000 bonus points with three activities by March 31.

Register here for Partner activity bonus.

• Earn 1,000 points for one activity.
• Earn 2,000 additional points for second activity.
• Earn 3,000 additional points for third activity.

Total = 6,000 bonus points + bonus points earned from three activities.

Cheap and Easy ways to Earn Partner Activity

1.       Points.com exchange (Points.com homepage)

If you are not yet a member, you can receive 25 Priority Club bonus points just for signing up. If you are a member, American Airlines AAdvantage has no minimum transfer requirement. 3 AA miles = 1 Priority Club point. That will hardly make a dent in your AA account and you will earn 1,001 Priority Club points after the transfer and bonus for the partner activity. [Update - Read the comments section. Apparently you need AA elite status for this.] 

Delta does not allow miles swap. Alaska has a 4,000 mile minimum swap so that is not a good value for points unless you have orphan miles that are unlikely to be used before they expire. I had Frontier miles that I swapped out (1,000 mile minimum) since I do not think I will earn sufficient miles in that account for a free ticket. I realized I lost 5,000 Distancia miles that were sitting orphan and at least I would have had some value if I had swapped them out in the past before I lost them. 

2.       Priority Club Rewards Shopping (limit of one partner purchase for promotion)

There are 200 partners. You may want to shop at Sears or Chicos, but if not, there are some store partners that most anyone can use for household or office necessities.

Walgreens has free shipping with a $25 order. Need some soap or diapers? 

Petco offers free shipping on $50 purchases. Are there hungry critters in your house?

Target has a daily special with a few items like $12 pants and $11 shoes and offers free shipping on the daily specials. The regular shipping cost is about $8. 

3.       Office Max (Free Shipping on $50 purchase)

Orders through Office Max appear to count as a separate partner and do not fall under the Priority Club Rewards Shopping limit of one purchase. Order $50 of stuff and get free shipping or you can pay $8 shipping for a lesser transaction.

4.       Buy Priority Club Points

Purchase the minimum 1,000 points for $13.50. This will give you a partner transaction bonus on top of the 1,000 purchased points.  

5.       Priority Club Dining (limit of one dining partner transaction for promotion)

Register a credit card for the Priority Club Dining program and go out to eat. New members earn 500 bonus points after first $25 dining transaction. I haven’t used dining for miles in a while, but for many travelers this is an easy way to get one transaction.

 6.       Just a small selection of other transactions are Hertz Rental Car, e-Rewards transfer to Priority Club points, Priority Club Visa purchase, transfer American Express Membership Rewards points or Diners Club Rewards points to Priority Club.

Three partner activities buying stuff you will buy anyway at some store can be achieved for just $20 or so in extra shipping. You can possibly earn 6,000 points at no additional expense if you order in quantities to earn free shipping.

Remember PointBreaks free nights are only 5,000 points so thiese bonuses can earn one or two free nights. Not even Priceline will get you a hotel room for $20.

Best of all is your bonus points all count for Priority Club elite status. Gold elite takes 20,000 points in a calendar year and Platinum elite takes 60,000 points in a calendar year.

A new Priority Club Rewards promotion is offering 10,000 points for 4 unique InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards partner activities between August 20 and October 31.

Registration online between August 20 and October 31 is required.

Registration Link: https://secure.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/pc/1/en/ep?secure=true&_promoCode=3558

Priority Club Rewards Offer:

First activity = 1,000 points

Second Activity = 2,000 points

Third Activity = 3,000 points

Fourth Activity = 4,000 points

Maximum bonus points from this promotion = 10,000 points.

One eligible activity is a purchase of Priority Club points. This will assist the new member to Priority Club hotel stays with points to add to the 10,000 bonus to reach the 15,000 to 25,000 required for a free room night at most InterContinental Hotels Group hotels like Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inns, and Hotel Indigo. An InterContinental Hotel will run 30,000 to 40,000 points. PointBreaks are hotel offers at just 5,000 points for a free night with participating hotels.

A partner points to points conversion through Points.com is also an eligible activity and a good way to get more value out of some frequent flyer miles sitting in an orphan account that is unlikely to grow since you have no plan to fly the airline again anytime soon.

If you have a Priority Club branded VISA card, then you can count a credit card purchase as one activity.

Exchanging American Express Membership Rewards points counts as an activity.

Diners Club points exchanged into Priority Club points counts as an activity.

A Hertz car rental; Priority Club Rewards Shopping purchase, Netflix rental, Priority Club Rewards Dining by Rewards Network restaurant meal purchase, floral purchase, OfficeMax and a variety of other options can easily generate activity without the need to spend much money.

Here is the list of Priority Club Rewards Shopping partners: https://pcrshopping.dbgloyalty.com/all.jsp

Personally I can do Points.com, Diners Club exchange, purchase Priority Club points, and make a Priority Club Rewards Shopping Purchase in less than one hour and earn the bonus while spending less than $20.

Many Priority Club Rewards members can likely generate four activities with less than $20 in spending and earn the 10,000 Priority Club Rewards points bonus.

Priority Club Offer: For one month only earn 1,500 points per stay for every InterContinental Hotels Group online booking with VISA from August 15-September 15, 2009. Up to 7,500 points for 5 stays.

Registration required. Priority Club Promotion link.

Participating Hotels: USA and Canada IHG brand hotels

Promotion Code: 4021 “2009 Q3 VISA Online Bonus”

VISA has your points with Marriott for their 2009 Fall MegaBonus and now with Priority Club for the next month. Between IC Hotels Group and Marriott, VISA has hotel points bonuses for just about anywhere you need to be.

If MasterCard is your hotel card, then you might want to look at Hyatt Hotels for its current 2,500 points per stay MasterCard bonus. Are there any American Express hotel bonuses right now aside from the new AMEX card bonus for Starwood hotel stays?

And Hotel Indigo in San Diego just keeps on becoming a better megabonus points destination if you cleverly plan your stay and time it right. 

InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco

An exclusive bonus points offer was received by Priority Club Rewards Visa online community members last week. The email states the offer may be shared with friends and family. Anyone involved in social networking on FlyerTalk, Facebook, or Twitter knows some people have thousands of friends.

Priority Club Offer: Triple points for a three night stay at any IHG branded property, except the offer is not valid for stays at InterContinental Hotels brand.

Triple Points     

Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, or Hotel Indigo  = 30 points/US$1

Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites = 15 points /US$1

Loyalty Traveler Key Ranking = 4 Key High value promotion

Triple Points Promotion Codes

Your personal code: 1444
www.priorityclubrewards.com/triplepoints

Your personal code: 1447
www.priorityclubrewards.com/triplepoints

FlyerTalk has two different links using 1444 or 1447 as the code for this offer, depending on who is “your friend”. Either link works.

Priority Club Insider has 1444 personal code link.

The offer will request where you heard about this promotion. The email states friends should reply “Referred by a friend” using the drop down menu when prompted.

I actually responded truthfully and selected “From a blog”. I do not have a Priority Club Rewards Visa card.

This promotion has high value, but only if you need a 3-night hotel stay during the August 15-September 15 period. Think Labor Day weekend. Otherwise, this is a 3-Key promotion with good value even for the occasional traveler.  Priority Club offers free nights at only 5,000 points at select properties during most months of the year. Virtually any 3 night hotel stay in Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express with a base rate of $56 per night will earn at least 5,000 points with the triple points promotion.

There are around 4,000 Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, and Hotel Indigo properties globally for earning the triple points for three night or longer stays over the next month from August 15 to September 15. The exclusion of InterContinental Hotels blocks fewer than 200 hotels from the triple points offer.

Priority Club’s double points promotion was analyzed on Loyalty Traveler last week and starts September 15.

Loyalty Traveler analysis:

Holiday Inn San Francisco Golden Gateway Hotel

August 17-20, 2009

3-night stay

$139.30 Advance Purchase Rate (prepaid, nonrefundable)

1 King Bed with View

$476.70 after tax for 3 nights.

Triple points for this sample stay are only awarded on base points.

$417.90 x 10 points/US$1 = 4,179 points x 3 = 12,537 points.

Basic Priority Club member = 12,537 points

Gold Elite (10% bonus points) = 12,954 points

Platinum elite (50% bonus points) = 14,626 points

Earning points at this level is nearly sufficient for a free hotel night at lower points IHG Hotel brands like Candlewood Suites (15,000 points) or Staybridge Suites (20,000 points) and low level Holiday Inn and HI Express. 25,000 points earns a free night reward with Crowne Plaza or Hotel Indigo, and upper end Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Express.

Crowne Plaza Pleasanton, California

The economy is falling at an accelerated pace and hotels along with hotel guests are just more dominoes waiting in the line.  Your personal financial situation may or may not be on the skids.

If 2009 is looking brighter than sleeping on your couch and watching TV glare, then here are some more tips for planning hotel elite status in 2009 for travelers who have not yet locked up elite status in a hotel loyalty program or are looking to change brand loyalty for 2009.

InterContinental Hotels Group  - Priority Club Rewards

No more Four Seasons or Mandarin Oriental hotels budgeted for your business retreats?  Is 75 nights for Marriott Platinum looking as easy to see as Russia from Wasilla, Alaska?

IHG Priority Club Rewards is the hotel loyalty program for around 4,000 hotels worldwide.  Priority Club has more hotels than Marriott or Hilton and covers the major IHG hotel brands of Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express in addition to several other brands in the upscale and luxury segments and two extended stay hotel brands. 

On the luxury side is the InterContinental Hotels brand, originally started as a division of Pan Am airline back in the 1950s to place luxury hotels in major cities around the globe.  InterContinental Hotels has a separate, highly rewarding hotel loyalty program with a $150 annual membership fee  – InterContinental Ambassador – recommended for Priority Club members planning stays at InterContinental Hotels.  (A link at the end of this post has more on elite benefits of Priority Club Rewards and Ambassador.)

Crowne Plaza is the more prevalent IHG upscale hotel brand in the USA.  Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites round out the IHG chain as extended stay, apartment style brands. Hotel Indigo is the newest brand filling a boutique niche, but still relatively few in number with less than 30 hotels currently open.

Top Elite for Cheap

Priority Club Rewards offers the cheapest route to top elite among the major hotel loyalty programs and is expedient.  Basically, Priority Club allows you to buy elite status.  Priority Club Gold Elite membership is available for just $50 and offers some amenities like a 10% points bonus for hotel spending. 

Priority Club Platinum elite is the top-tier membership available through two different qualification standards:

1.      Stay 50 nights during a calendar year at any of the IHG brand hotels. 

2.      Earn 60,000 Priority Club points in a calendar year.

The 60,000 points method is the fast-track way to Priority Club elite.  One of the features of IHG Priority Club that is different from other hotel loyalty programs is allowing points earned from activities other than hotel stays to count towards elite status. 

Fast-track to IHG Priority Club Rewards Platinum Elite with more cash, fewer hotel nights

Earning Points Option 1: The current Priority Club Rewards VISA credit card offer is 30,000 points for new cardholders. You are Gold elite after reaching 20,000 points and this current credit card offer puts you half way to Platinum elite membership.

Earning Points Option 2: A points purchase of 30,000 points for $345.00, in addition to the credit card 30,000 points, puts the member all the way to Platinum elite membership.

Alternatively, a member can buy 40,000 points ($460) and probably earn the remaining 20,000 points through hotel stays, promotion registrations, or online shopping. 

Caution: There is a 40,000 points purchase limit per 12 months.  Do not purchase points in 2008 unless you can reach 60,000 total points for 2008 and you will have Platinum elite for all of 2009.  Elite status is based on points earned in a calendar year.  Your Priority Club elite qualification points are reset to zero (0) on January 1, 2009. New Priority Club Rewards loyalists should wait until January 2009 to buy points and when you reach 60,000 points in 2009 you will have Platinum elite for all of 2009 and 2010.

Priority Club Rewards Bonus Points

Priority Club Rewards Bonus Points can be purchased as an addition to your room rate for many hotels.

InterContinental San Francisco regularly awards 2,000 Priority Club points per stay.  The regular rate for Nov 26 is $169 and offers 1,000 bonus points.  The Priority Club member will receive 3,000 Priority Club points for a one-night stay. 

Another rate plan offers 4,000 bonus points for $179 rate.  The Priority Club member will earn 6,000 Priority Club Rewards points for this stay.  To earn 3,000 additional points will only increase your room rate by $10 (actually $10 + 14% San Francisco hotel tax = $11.40 more).  $11.40 for 3,000 points is less than 1/3 the purchase price to buy points from Priority Club.

Priority Club Bonus Points can add 1000s of points at low cost

Priority Club Rewards Shopping Partners

Priority Club has an extensive network of more than 200 online shopping partners.  And 25 of the merchant partners are offering double points for the holiday shopping season. 

Word of caution if planning elite status around shopping bonus points.  Elite status is based on calendar year activity.  Bonus points earned will be posted to your Priority Club account no later than 12 weeks after the promotion ends. Bonus points will appear as a separate deposit into your Priority Club account.

Earning 60,000 points before December 31, 2008 will give you platinum elite status for all of 2009, however, if you earn 60,000 points in January 2009 through credit card activity, online shopping, points purchases and hotel stays, your Platinum elite status will be valid for all of 2009 and 2010.

Points purchases will post to your account almost immediately and are the way to go if you are within reach of Platinum elite for 2008. 

A new member to Priority Club should try to push online purchases as close to the end of December as possible to allow little time for the points to post in 2008.  Ideally you will receive your points in 2009, and can then apply for a credit card, or purchase points, or sign up for Priority Club bonuses and begin earning hotel stay points in January.  60,000 points is not a difficult threshold to meet for Platinum elite.

Priority Club is the easiest program to reach top elite membership without having to spend money on hotel stays.  Of course, top elite status only has value if you are planning hotel stays for 2009.  And if you are looking for the amenities and benefits of top elite with the widespread availability of hotels in both the upscale and mid-market segments, then Priority Club Rewards may be a good option for your hotel loyalty in 2009.

Priority Club Double Points Merchants for Holiday Shopping

Priority Club Shopping 2008 Holiday Promo Terms and Conditions

Double Priority Club Rewards points will be awarded to members for each qualifying transaction made only through the Priority Club Shopping site between November 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008.

·         Apple Store (2 points/$1)  remember i-Phones are excluded

·         Barnes & Noble.com (8 points/$1)

·         Circuit City (2 points/$1)   

·         CompUSA (4 points/$1)  

·         Current Catalog (8 points/$1)

·         Dell Home (2 points/$1)   

·         Dell Small Business (2 points/$1)    

·         Hickory Farms (10 points/$1)

·         HP Home Store (4 points/$1)

·         JCPenney (4 points/$1)   

·         Kmart (4 points/$1)   

·         Lands’ End (8 points/$1)

·         Macy’s (6 points/$1)

·         Nordstrom (8 points/$1)

·         OmahaSteaks.com (8 points/$1)

·         Overstock (6 points/$1)  

·         REI (8 points/$1)

·         RitzCamera.com (4 points/$1)  

·         Ross-Simons (8 points/$1)

·         Sears (4 points/$1) –  

·         The Home Depot (4 points/$1) – you can’t sell it so you might as well fix it up

·         TigerDirect (4 points/$1) – one of the best online computer discount store

·         Victoria’s Secret (6 points/$1) – just don’t tell her you did it for the points

·         VistaPrint.com  (20 points/$1) – get your new business cards ready

·         Walmart.com (2 points/$1) – points are even more value for your money

No bonus points will be awarded for purchases at any other merchants at Priority Club Shopping. Double point offers only valid on the US Priority Club Rewards Shopping mall website. Points per dollar spent are awarded on purchase totals before taxes and shipping costs.

Bonus points earned will be posted to your Priority Club account no later than 12 weeks after the promotion ends. Bonus points will appear as a separate deposit into your Priority Club account.

Participating merchants may have additional terms and conditions, see website for details.

I was thinking of an i-Phone purchase for points (played around with my sister’s and loved it), but then read the fine print to find i-Phones are excluded from earning points.  There is a lot of fine print and I have included it here.

Three of these merchants award points for gift cards: Overstock.com, Sears.com, and TigerDirect.com.

Merchant T&Cs and Custom Exclusions

Apple Store Exclusions: As of March 22, 2008 purchases of iPhones are not eligible to earn Priority Club points. Purchases of iPhones, gift certificates, gift cards, prepaid cards and gift wrapping are not eligible to earn Priority Club points. You will not earn Priority Club points from Apple iTunes if you click the Apple iTunes tab from the Apple Store website link. To earn Priority Club points from the Apple iTunes, shop directly with Apple iTunes.

Barnes & Noble.com Exclusions: Not valid with any other offers or promotions.

Circuit City Exclusions: The following are not eligible to earn Priority Club points – Circuit City Gift Cards and/or all other gift cards/prepaid cards purchased through Circuit City, Purchase of Music Digital downloads, Memberships, Subscriptions, Car Style and Performance Parts, Wireless Phones (not including Prepaid Wireless or Wireless Accessories), Vonage or any VoIP items, or any services, including but not limited to: Direct TV installations, Home Theater installations or Home Network installations or any purchases made from partner links where the customer is leaving the CircuitCity.com web site.

CompUSA Exclusions: Purchases of training, services, Business Sales and gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points. The CompUSA Business, Auction & Clearance sites are excluded from earning Priority Club points.

Current Catalog Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates and gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

Dell Home Exclusions: The following are not eligible to earn Priority Club points – Dell Auction@DellExchange, Dell Donation@DellExchange, Dell Host, Dell Employee Purchase Programs, Dell’s Business Systems Division (“”BSD”"), purchases of gift certificates and gift cards. You will not earn Priority Club points from Dell Small Business if you click the Dell Small Business tab from the Dell Home website link. To earn Priority Club points from Dell Small Business, shop directly with Dell Small Business.

Dell Small Business Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates and gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points. You will not earn Priority Club points from Dell Home if you click the Dell Home tab from the Dell Small Business website link. To earn Priority Club points from Dell Home, shop directly with Dell Home.

Hickory Farms Exclusions: None.

HP Home Store Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates and gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points. Only purchases from HP Home Store and Home Office Division are eligible to earn Priority Club points. Purchases from other areas of the HP site, including Small Business Division, are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

JCPenney Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates and gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points. Sephora orders made through JCPenney.com are not eligible to receive Priority Club points. To earn Priority Club points for Sephora purchases, shop directly with Sephora.

Kmart Exclusions: None.

Lands’ End Exclusions: The following are not eligible to earn Priority Club points: Products listed on the www.landsend.com website as “not available”, gift cards, orders that include products with custom embroidery or logos including products listed and/or purchased under the Lands’ End Business Outfitters portion of the web.

Macy’s Exclusions: The following are not eligible to earn Priority Club points – Gift Certificates, Gift Cards, Electronic Gift Cards, Virtual Gift Cards, Macy’s Bridal, Macy’s Wedding & Gift Registry and Phone Orders (which include Tag Heuer).

Nordstrom Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates and gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

OmahaSteaks.com Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates and gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points. Orders that use a “priority code,” or orders placed through the “Order from a mailing” link are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

Overstock.com Exclusions: Purchases from Overstock Auctions, Overstock Cars and Overstock Real Estate, as well as travel and the redemption of gift certificates or gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points. Purchases of gift cards are eligible to earn Priority Club points.

REI Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates and gift cards are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

RitzCamera.com Exclusions: Free Shipping Offer – Free Shipping offer applies to US orders over $100 and excludes Auction, Clearance, Oversized Items, Limited Specials, Heavier Items and service to AK & HI. If other shipping is selected, consumer will be charged the cost of the upgraded service.

Ross-Simons Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates, gift cards and loose diamonds are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

Sears Exclusions: Purchases made on Sears auctions, Sears Canada, Sears Showplace, Room for Kids, Homecenter, Protection/Service agreements, delivery, installation or any licensed partners are not eligible to earn v points. Purchases of gift cards ARE eligible to earn Priority Club points.

The Home Depot Exclusions: The following are not eligible to earn Priority Club points – Gift certificates/Gift Cards, Installation Services, Contractor Services, and purchases made from links where the customer is leaving the Homedepot.com web site.

TigerDirect Exclusions: The following are not eligible to earn Priority Club points – “out of print”, “hard to find”, and “special orders” (or other words to similar effect indicating that a product is not readily available for delivery). Business Sales, Government Sales and Educational Sales. Purchases of gift certificates and gift cards ARE eligible to earn Priority Club points.

Victoria’s Secret Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates, gift cards and products offered by third parties at the time of checkout are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

VistaPrint Exclusions: Purchases of gift certificates, gift cards and products offered by third parties at the time of checkout are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

Walmart Exclusions: Purchases from Sam’s Club and Samsclub.com, pharmacy, optical products, travel, tires, financial Services, Wal-Mart Connect Internet Service, movie downloads, gift cards, online gift cards or purchases made from links where the customer is leaving the Walmart.com web site are not eligible to earn Priority Club points.

Related Loyalty Traveler post:

IHG Priority Club Rewards Elite Status Overview

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2008/08/25/ihg-priority-club-rewards-gold-platinum-ambassador-and-royal-ambassador/

Comparison of Hotel Loyalty Program Affinity Credit Cards

Over the years in my conversations with travelers it seems to me that many people develop hotel loyalty based initially on their acquisition of a hotel loyalty program affinity credit card.  I frequently state that I don’t consider credit card earnings in my analysis of hotel stay promotions. 

Loyalty Traveler took a look at hotel loyalty credit cards for the major upscale hotel programs of Hilton HHonors, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Priority Club Rewards, Marriott Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest.  The new card member bonuses and interest rates are based on the affinity card offer presently shown on the hotel loyalty program website on 8-22-08.

My analysis shows American Express affinity cards for Hilton HHonors and Starwood Preferred Guest have the greatest earning power based on a sample scenario of $15,000 in annual spending.  The Hilton HHonors American Express card has the best earning power for non-hotel spending as it awards a generous 5 points per $1 for restaurants, wireless phone payments, groceries, and gas.

Hilton HHonors VISA  (no annual fee)  Signature card (14.99%); Gold Card (16.99%)

Automatic upgrade to HHonors silver elite membership

·         Earn 6 HHonors points for every dollar spent at Hilton Family hotels.

·         3 HHonors points for purchases made at grocery stores, drugstores, and gas stations.

·         2 HHonors points for purchases made at other sites.

·         Enrollment bonus of 15,000 points for a purchase within two months of card membership.

Hilton HHonors American Express (no annual fee) (14.99%)

Automatic upgrade to HHonors silver elite membership and cardholder will be upgraded to Gold membership if $20,000 is charged to card in calendar year.

·         Earn 5 HHonors points for every dollar spent at Hilton Family hotels.

·         5 HHonors points for purchases made at grocery stores, drugstores, gas stations, restaurants, US postal service, and wireless phone bills.

·         3 HHonors points for purchases made at other sites.

·         Earn 500 points online booking bonus when booking your stay on a Hilton website with your HHonors American Express.

·         10,000 points bonus for first purchase within the first year of card membership.

·         2,500 points bonus for each of first four Hilton Family hotel stays paid with Hilton HHonors American Express card.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Priority Club Rewards VISA (12.99%)

·         $29 per year after no-fee first year

·         Earn 3 points per $1 spent at IHG hotels

·         Earn 1 point per $1 spent at other locations.

·         Receive a 10,000 points bonus for first purchase made after spending $15,000 or more in the card member’s year.  [LT note: The card member’s annual year is based on the enrollment date as a card member and subsequent anniversary dates – not the calendar year.]

·         One-time upgrade to Gold membership (a $50 value) through December of the year after the year of card member activation.  [LT note: This rule favors waiting until the beginning of a calendar year for maximizing the length of complimentary elite status.]

·         One-time bonus offer of 30,000 points after first purchase for first-time card members with new accounts.

·         One-time $20 credit on statement after first card purchase.

·         Priority Club VISA Business Card has same earning power except the spending bonus is 15,000 points bonus for first purchase made after spending $20,000 or more in the card member’s year. 

Marriott Rewards VISA (14.99%)

·         $30 per year after no-fee first year

·         Earn 3 points per $1 spent at Marriott Family hotels

·         Earn 1 point per $1 spent elsewhere.

·         10 nights credit toward elite status every year of card membership.

·         One-time bonus offer of 20,000 points after first purchase or balance transfer for first-time card members with new accounts.

·         One-time bonus offer of 5,000 points after first purchase for first-time card members with new accounts.

·         One-time free night certificate valid for a Category 1 to Category 4 hotel property.

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express (14.99%)

·         $45 per year after no-fee first year

·         Earn 2 points per $1 spent at Starwood brand hotels

·         Earn 1 point per $1 spent elsewhere.

·         One-time bonus offer of 10,000 points after first purchase during first year of card membership for first-time card members with new accounts.

***********************************************************

Comparison of hotel points earned annually by a new cardmember

Assume annual spending includes $3,000 at the hotel chain, $6,000 at grocery stores, drugstores, and gas stations, and $6,000 elsewhere during the membership year.

Hilton HHonors VISA

63,000 points for new member; ($630 value based on $10/1,000 points)

48,000 points without new member bonuses ($480 value)

New member bonus = 15,000 points

Hotel stays = $3,000 x 6 points = 18,000 points

Groceries and gas = $6,000 x 3 points = 18,000 points

Other charges = $6,000 x 2 points = 12,000 points

Hilton HHonors American Express

89,000 points for new member;  ($890 value based on $10/1,000 points)

69,000 points without new member bonuses ($690 value)

New member bonus = 10,000 points

Hotel stays = $3,000 x 5 points = 15,000 points

Groceries, gas, restaurants, wireless phone bill = $9,000 x 5 points = 45,000 points

Other charges = $3,000 x 3 points = 9,000 points

First four Hilton Family hotel stays = 10,000 points

Priority Club VISA

61,000 points for new member;  ($610 value based on $10/1,000 points)

31,000 points without new member bonus and spending $15,000+ annually  ($310 value)

21,000 points without bonuses for $15,000 in spending ($210 value)

New member bonus = 30,000 points

Hotel stays = $3,000 x 3 points = 9,000 points

Other charges = $12,000 x 1 points = 12,000 points

Bonus points for $15,000+ spending = 10,000 points

Marriott Rewards VISA

66,000 points for new member ($660 value based on $10/1,000 points)

21,000 points without new member bonuses ($210 value)

New member bonus = 25,000 points

Hotel stays = $3,000 x 3 points = 9,000 points

Other charges = $12,000 x 1 points = 12,000 points

One-time free night at Category 4 hotel = equivalent to 20,000 points

10 nights elite credit may or may not have significant value depending on member’s hotel lifestyle.  Mid-tier elite status requires 50 nights for Marriott Rewards Gold membership.

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express

28,000 points for new member ($980 value based on $35/1,000 points)

18,000 points without new member bonuses ($630 value)

New member bonus = 10,000 points

Hotel stays = $3,000 x 2 points = 6,000 points

Other charges = $12,000 x 1 points = 12,000 points

This is a simple analysis of the different affinity cards currently being offered through links on the hotel loyalty program websites.  Please provide comments to enlighten the Loyalty Traveler readers to other considerations not addressed in this summary.

Holiday Inn Park View, Singapore

New Card Members Only
Priority Club VISA Signature Card
25,000 points after 1st purchase
25th Anniversary Priority Club Visa Signature Bonus: 15 points per $1 spending at IHG hotels through July 31, 2008 (12 points Bonus + 3 points regularly earned with IHG hotel spending).

Promotion: InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Visa Signature Bonus
Dates: May 1, 2008 through July 31, 2008

Bonus: 25,000 Bonus points for Visa Signature card, after first purchase. Other card offers award 30,000 points after first purchase, but depending on your hotel stay plans for the next 90 days, the added bonus below can make this card offer a better deal.

Added bonus: 15 Priority Club points for purchases at IHG hotels through July 31, 2008 charged to Visa Signature Card holder. Only new account members are eligible for this offer.

Target Audience: Loyalty Traveler thinks this is a great deal for someone looking at 10 to 20 hotel nights in the next three months. The potential value of Priority Club points earned will provide a significant future rebate on IHG hotel stays.

I received a VISA offer from Priority Club today. A 25,000 points bonus is given after the first purchase. In addition, VISA will award 15 points per $1.00 spent at IHG hotels.

Add the VISA bonus offers to the 10 base Priority Club points regularly earned for hotel stay spending + any bonus points for elite status.

Another card offer I saw on the Priority Club website gives you 30,000 points and the regular 3 points per $1 IHG hotel spending, but not the 12 bonus points with this Visa Signature card offer through July 31. This is a great opportunity to earn lots of Priority Club points with summer travel. If you are making business or vacation plans, this offer may be a large enough rebate to steer you to Priority Club loyalty.

By the numbers:

Spend $1,000 with VISA at IHG and get 12,000 extra points. $1,000 should buy 3 to 12 hotel nights, depending on location. 12,000 Priority Club points has a base value of $120 which is the purchase price through Priority Club.

Redemption value for a free hotel night is 30,000 points at a Crowne Plaza hotel or at some InterContinental Hotels. 30,000 points may be worth as little as $125 or as much as $400 at most upscale hotels in the 30,000 points redemption bracket.

The best redemption value is Priority Club PointBreaks which offer hotel rooms at 5,000 points per night. The hotels being offered at PointBreaks special redemption rates change every couple of months. Occasionally there is a luxury InterContinental in some part of the world or an upscale Crowne Plaza on the list.

Currently there is the Crowne Plaza, Montauban, North Toulouse, France on the PointBreaks list for bookings through July for only 5,000 Priority Club points per night. This hotel is located in a 17th century refurbished monastery and typically rooms sell on the low end for around $160 per night.

Sample Scenario to Illustrate VISA Promotion Value
A 10-night international vacation may cost $2,000 in hotel rooms. 15 to 20 nights in the USA could be about $2,000 in spending and would make a long summer vacation. The rebate on a $2,000 hotel vacation with Priority Club will be generous if planned carefully.

Points earned (The Priority Club Visa card will grant you Gold elite status, a $50 value.)
*$2,000 in hotel charges at Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, and Crowne Plaza hotels (10 Priority Club points per $1 for base earning) = 20,000 base points.
(If you plan to stay in InterContinental Hotels, you will earn 2,000 base points per stay and you should look into InterContinental Ambassador Club membership for $150).

*Elite Bonus for Priority Club Gold = 10% of base points (Elite status is a complimentary privilege for the first year of Priority Club Visa card holder membership. Gold elite membership can also be purchased by any Priority Club member for $50) = 2,000 points.

*Other promotions should add at least 5,000 points for multiple hotel stays over next 90 days, and likely other promotions can be used to earn as much as 20,000 additional bonus points without extra expense. Assume 8,000 points will be earned through other offers.

*Visa Signature Card 1st Purchase = 25,000 points

*Visa Signature Card hotel spending bonus = 15 points per $1 for $2,000 in hotel charges = 30,000 points.

Summary: $2,300 spent on hotels by July 31, 2008 using new Priority Club Signature Visa card

Spend $2,000 in base hotel charges for room rate, food, etc.
Assume $250 taxes depending on location. Europe tends to have hotel rates with taxes already included.
$50 Gold elite membership in Priority Club.

Rebate Value: 85,000 to 100,000 Priority Club points earned with a purchase value of $850 -$1,000 and a potential value of $3,000+ if redeemed strategically with awards like PointBreaks.

85,000 -100,000 points are enough for 3 free nights at high-end hotels or up to $200 per night value for 17 nights ($3,400 value) if used for PointBreaks award nights at upscale locations.

Strategic use of Priority Club points earned can provide future room value equivalent to the $2,300 paid for this summer’s vacation travel.

Pay Now and Redeem Later will be a strategy that pays off over the next year.