Here’s what not to do when redeeming hotel points, according to an expert.
You spend years diligently racking up rewards points with a particular hotel chain.
Perhaps you even open a credit card to boost your earnings and enjoy some elite benefits.
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Here are 15 common mistakes to avoid when redeeminghotel points, according to an expert.
Redeeming Points for Non-travel Awards
Hotel points are a form of currency.
That’s well below the potential when redeeming those points for rooms.
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How to Check Your Vacation Rental or Hotel Room for Hidden Cameras
3.
Best Western Rewards points don’t expire.
So, there are lots of ways to keep your points alive.
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Not Being Flexible on Dates
You probably want to use your hotel points on specific dates.
But introducing a little flexibility into your outlook might open up a world of possibilities.
Just think, you could be paying 38,000 extra points for the same room if your schedule is rigid.
Conversely, some award rates have minimum-stay requirements.
Missing out could unnecessarily cost you tens of thousands of points.
Don’t have status?
Depending on how often you redeem, this one perk alone could be worth signing up for the card.
While some hotels go down in category, and thus in points pricing, others shift upwards.
By booking before the recategorization date, though, you’re free to lock in the lower price.
Wait until after, and expect to shell out a lot more points.
While this certainly adds a level of flexibility, it can also be a drawback.
For instance, World of Hyatt award nights cost between 5,000 and 30,000 points, depending on the property.
The program’s cash and points rates range from 2,500 to 15,000 points plus half the nightly room rate.
So, you’re paying half the points and half the money.
Sounds great, right?
But let’s say you’re booking at a low-occupancy time, where room rates are fairly depressed.
By using points for half the paid rate, you could be redeeming your points at a relative loss.
For example, let’s take the Category 4 Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.
Rooms in March start at $249 or 15,000 points per night, or 7,500 points plus $125.
Wouldn’t you rather secure your points for the higher-value option?
But whether it’s worth doing so depends on how much value you’re getting.
That’s over double the points for a room that costs $29 more per night.
Staying in the same city, let’s say you wanted to book a room at the Renaissance Austin.
A standard king with an atrium view costs 25,000 points or $116 in March.
That’s an extra 19,000 points for just $18 more in value.
Due to poor conversion rates, this is an option to avoid for the most part, though.
Wyndham Rewards points transfer at 5:1 to miles with 11 airline partners.
The one exception is Marriott Bonvoy, whose points convert into miles with over40 airline partners.
“Hotel points might give you less value than that, especially if you’re traveling during off-peak dates.
I recently searched for a room at the Kimpton Muse Hotel in New York during the summer.
For instance, Hilton points cost $10 per 1,000, so one cent apiece.
But redemption values are closer to 0.4 to 0.6 cents each.
Otherwise, you might as well look into booking those cash and points rates.
Redeeming hotel points for stays can be a great way to save money when you travel.
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