Archive for the ‘British Midland Airways’ Category

I pulled my credit report and scores after my recent application binge. I got five of my original six applications approved, and was turned down on the last day of the Citi 75K frequent flier mile promo as a previous cardholder and was rejected by Capital One for the 100K frequent flier mile match because of too many recent inquiries.

All well and good. I can accept rejections, but Capital One really pi$$ed me off. They pulled my credit from all three agencies, placing inquiries on all three bureaus. Their offer, even if I was accepted, is not worth three pulls to me. I have stayed away from these guys in the past based on vague rumor and innuendo I have heard, and now this confirms to me:

No more Capital One for me.

I hope you all get your 100,000 frequent flier mile matches and spend the points wisely. Katy may still get an approval, but I learned my lesson.

They have the right, I’m sure, to pull as many times as they want, but for a churner, it is too steep a price.

My scores changed as follows based on the recent app-o-rama:

Transunion 885 down to 848 with 2 pulls
Experian    881 down to 859 with 5 pulls
Equifax      869 down to 835 with 2 pulls

You’ll note nine new pulls for seven applications as Capital One decided to pull all three bureaus.

NOTE: My analysis this month also talks about other factors that are affecting my scores:

Experian – None of your real estate accounts show a credit amount. Lenders may be able to better evaluate your creditworthiness if there is more information about your accounts on your credit report.



TransUnion, Equifax – You have no real estate accounts that can be used in determining a credit score. A healthy balance of credit and loan accounts is key to achieving a high credit score. It is important to build a record of responsible credit use over time with different types of accounts.


TransUnion, Experian, Equifax  – “The available credit on your open revolving credit accounts is too low. Having credit available to you is a sign that you are able to manage your finances responsibly. Lenders usually like to see that consumers have a large amount of credit available to them.”


TransUnion, Experian, Equifax – “The balances on your open accounts are too high in comparison to their credit limits.  It is a good idea to use your accounts regularly, but remember to keep your balances low in comparison to your available credit limits. Having a high ratio of balances to credit limits on open accounts may be viewed negatively by lenders.”


TransUnion, Experian, Equifax – “The sum of your bank credit card account balances is too high. High credit balances may be considered by lenders to be a negative factor when determining creditworthiness. Paying down your balance may improve your score.”

The last comment is the new one on my account, which is also attributing to the decline in my scores. They must have caught my balances at a high point as there are still no interest charges on my cards. I pay them all in full each month. I still believe credit inquiries costs 2-5 points per credit pull.

A good range on this VantageScore scale is 800, so I’m still well within that range for applications, but will be on hold until some of my inquiries fall off again in the recent one’s season for at least three months. I will not be taking out a real estate loan to improve my score (unless I can make an interest arbitrage play, doubted), but I may just get an open account (store charge card) to have that reason for negatively affecting my score removed.

I just got a Scorewatch check from my FICO, and my FICO score is still 750 even after the Capital One inquiries. I am canceling the service at the end of the three-month required membership.

It is a lifetime game: Andrew just told me that the first frequent flier program was in 1979 by Texas International Airlines, which was taken over in 1981 by American Airlines and the now famous AAdvantage program. That is more than half my lifetime, and credit card sign ups are still the easiest way to build up your account balances if you play the game within some reasonable guidelines.

Take Note: I expect another big offer to happen very shortly. Wait a day or two before doing applications if you are close to the magic 700 or 800 number or worried about your inquiries. I can’t say anymore, but I’m anxiously awaiting further details. I will do a separate post when I can.

Platinum Card for the Delta Transfer Bonus, Elite Status, Lounge Access, $200 Incidental Credit and More. Read my February 6th blog post for details.

Notice to all Blog Readers regarding Spyware Attack

Some of you have indicated receiving a notice regarding spyware on the Frugal Travel Guy blog.

Be assured that I do not put anything other than travel info on this blog and have no interest or intent of installing spyware.

I cleaned the blog yesterday with full scans from Malwarebytes, CCleaner, AVG version 9 and Mcafee software.

All scans show the blog is clean.

Google Webmaster has been notified and I await their removal of the warning.

I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Rick

Star Alliance Announcement RE Continental Membership


Here is the notification by CO Insider on Flyertalk of the joining of the Star Alliance

“Hi Everyone, well it’s finally official… Continental is now a Star Alliance member!

This marks an unprecedented move from one major alliance to another, and as you might imagine, the amount of preparations that has led us up to this point has been extraordinary.

Yes, there’s going to be some bumps as we complete our transition, and we appreciate your patience while we cement everything in place. As usual, we will look to our feedback channels as issues pop up (especially here on FlyerTalk), and will do our best to correct them quickly. For those of you who want to keep up on today’s festivities, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Information about our Star Alliance joining ceremony webcast and other good stuff will be tweeted throughout the day. Now, for the stuff we couldn’t talk much about… until now. I’ll do my best to touch on the highlights. Here goes…

Mileage Earning

The mileage earning charts for our new Star Alliance partners are now posted on continental.com. Shouldn’t be any big surprises here. In addition, you can now add frequent traveler numbers of our fellow Star Alliance members for new and existing bookings.

Reward Redemptions Lots of updates on this front. Here are the highlights.

New Online Reward Charts… at last. You’ve waited long enough (especially you sbm12 and eagle92), now take it in. Our new Interactive Reward Charts are ready for you. Enjoy!

Online reward redemption. As many of you know, we have a goal to have as many of our partners available online for reward booking, and in the coming year, you’re going to see a lot of improvements on this front. In the mean time, we have our starting lineup of partners that may be redeemed online, in addition to Continental. They are: Copa Airlines (including Aero Republica), United Airlines, US Airways, Air Canada, SAS Scandinavian, TAP Portugal, LOT Polish Airlines, Air China, Blue1, plus inter-island add-ons operated by Hawaiian Airlines and Island Air. With these partners in place, you should see plenty of green on the reward calendars. Stay tuned for further expansion!

Reward bookings for all other partners, as well as three-cabin First Class rewards, will need to be booked over the phone. We look forward to adding online booking for these rewards in the coming year.

Three partners not yet ready for redemption. There are three Star Alliance members that we will not have redemption capability on day one. They are: SWISS, EgyptAir and Shanghai Airlines. We expect SWISS and EgyptAir to be available for reward redemption by early/mid-November. Shanghai Airlines will likely take longer.

Qantas partnership to end. Many of you saw this coming, and the date has been set . Continental’s OnePass partnership with Qantas will end on December 17, 2009. After this date, OnePass reward redemption and mileage earning on Qantas will no longer be offered.

Expanded First and Business Class SaverPass availability for Platinum members. Continental Platinum Elite members will now have access to expanded SaverPass inventory for First, BusinessFirst, and International Business Class on Continental flights. Previously, this benefit only included BusinessFirst itineraries. Now it applies to all front cabin itineraries on Continental-operated flights.

Star Alliance Upgrade Awards. We’re pleased to introduce Star Alliance Upgrade Awards. While our OnePass Upgrade Rewards are a better value for travel on Continental and Copa, our new Star Alliance Upgrade Awards give you an option to redeem miles for upgrades on 16 of our fellow Star Alliance members. Please note that upgrade amounts are per-segment (not per one-way) and in most cases, upgrades awards are only valid in conjunction with Y and B class fares. The Star Alliance Upgrade Award Chart PDF will be posted on our Interactive Reward Charts page shortly. For more information and online redemption, go to our new Star Alliance Upgrade Awards page.

Lounge AccessOur Presidents Club and Star Alliance Gold members have quite a bit to look forward to…

Expanded lounge access for Presidents Club members. Presidents Club members and up to two guests will now have access to United Airlines Red Carpet Clubs and US Airways Clubs without any same-day ticket requirement. In addition, members will have access to hundreds of lounges operated by Star Alliance members when departing on a Star Aliance flight. I hope you’ll agree, this is a major improvement.

Lounge access for Star Alliance Gold members. As mentioned before, our OnePass Platinum and Gold Elite members are considered Star Alliance Gold, which among other benefits, gives access to most Star Alliance member lounges (including contract lounge locations) when departing on a same-day international Star Alliance itinerary. There are over 800 lounges in all. Have at it! That’s it for now. Thanks for your patience while we complete this transition, and we hope you’ll enjoy this new chapter in Continental’s history. And yes, there’s still more to come…”

Scott O’Leary
Managing Director, Customer Experience
Continental Airlines

72 HOUR Southwest Airlines Sale

This should motivate some people to fly. Fares from $25 to $100 based on the distanced travelled (plus taxes of course). These one way fares can get you to the start of your next mileage run or off for a cheapie visit to Grandma’s house.

Remember 72 hours only

Link

One the the bonus features I got when I met Katy was her daughter Shannon. Quite the handful at 13 years of age, with a propensity to end up at the wrong place at the wrong time, if you know what I mean.

But now, she has turned her life around, and is graduating from nursing school in December. Katy and I would love to send her and her firefighter husband, Josh, to Hawaii for a graduation present. This young lady is a miracle in our lives. My United balance covers one coach ticket but not the other. If someone has 35K UA, the dates and flights are available. I have DL, NW in return or UA travel credits. Thanks for thinking of us.

Update Same Day Noon
Shannon and Josh now have their graduation present. Thank you fellow frugal travellers and Willie, you are the best.

Airtran Offers Double Credits from Atlanta

Atlanta – Earn Double A+ Rewards Credits!

During this special Atlanta-only promotion, you can earn 4 A+ Rewards credits for every round trip, which means you can earn a free* one-way after just 2 round trips!As always, if you book in Business Class, you will still receive the 1/2 A+ Rewards bonus credit for each one-way, meaning you can earn up to 5 A+ credits per round trip.

Promotion details:
Book now through September 30, 2008. Travel September 2 through September 30, 2008. Round-trip purchase is required. Atlanta-originating trips only. Valid to all destinations. Must be an A+ Rewards member registered for this promotion prior to travel.

Terms and conditions:
Tickets must be booked by September 30, 2008, and flown between September 2 and September 30, 2008. Round-trip purchase required. Flight must originate in Atlanta with service to any nonstop or connecting destination. Must be a member of A+ Rewards and registered for the promotion prior to departure. Only valid on A+ Rewards credit-earning flights and may not be combined with any other A+ Rewards promotions or offers. If any portion of the trip falls outside the promotional period, bonus A+ credits will be received for only the portion within the promotional period.

All terms and conditions of the A+ Rewards program apply

Delta just fired a shot across the bow of the other airlines by offering Honolulu for under $500 from most US cities. It appears to be good for travel through the third week of October. Check your airport now and be alert for fare matching from the competition.

Update CO and NW enter the Fray

Continental is now offering Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis, Cincinnatti and Atlanta at under $500 and Northwest is targetting the US Airways hubs of Charlotte, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. All with fares that are $450 or less. Still no word from United or American.

Amex Travellers Checks

I earned my first 2000 SPG points with my travellers check purchase in Chicago this past weekend and came home to find out that free travellers checks from American Express for American Express credit card holders will end on 12/31/08. I don’t know what the fee will be yet, but if not too high, it may still be a viable way to earn a few extra SPG or Hilton points. And one of our readers is checking on earning Delta Skymiles buying travellers checks from an official Amex Travel Service office. My memory is fading, but I seem to recall that card may not work. Report in will ya?

Another American Airlines Credit Card Retention Bonus

I had no idea that my Citibusiness card was coming due so soon after my personal Citi AA card but the bill for $75 showed up today. It is always a great opportunity to work on my negotiating skills. I did not do as well today.

Terry first offered me a $25 statement credit to keep the card and I countered with miles please. He came back with 2500 miles to keep the card and I told him about my recent 7500 miles retention for a $50 fee on the personal card.

He of course then had to speak to his supervisor and put me on hold, but not for more than 15 seconds, so I know he just yawned and connected us again. He upped his offer to 5000 American Airlines miles to keep the card and pay the fee. Not great, but between the two cards I got 12,500 miles for $125 or 1 cent each. I’ll take all the AA miles I can get at a penny each as they are worth at minimum 1.5 cents each to me.

After his latest offer I asked him what my total spend was on the card in the last year. His reply was that I had not used the card at all in the last 6 months. I figured I was done negotiating at that point and wished Terry a happy afternoon.

This card is registered with the AArewardsnetwork and this afternoon I’ll be taking advantage of the 10 miles per $ spent promo by purchasing a $500 gift card at my favorite Hilton Head Island restaurant. I waited until today as the statement just ended yesterday, and wanted to float the $500 for a month or so.

In three little moves that cost $125 I have accumulated 17,500 AA miles. A worthwhile spend in my mind.

Ask for a retention bonus to keep your credit cards and don’t necessarily take the first offer.

Restaurant.com Latest Coupon Code Save 60%

In recognintion of all of us hard working Americans the latest discount code is LABOR. Your $25 dining certificate is only $4 using this code in the promotions box when ordering your dining certs.

Four Thirty came early Saturday AM for my 6AM flight to Chicago. Simple non stop to Ohare and then supposedly simple Blue Line to Red Line to 676 N. Michigan Ave. The CTA has now added a simple (hah) bus transfer mid route as they repair track so instead of 1 hour it is now 1 1/2 hours. I was all set as my appointment wasn’t until 9:30 AM.

I headed down to the Amex Travel Service office before my hair DO but it was so humid, I changed my mind and headed into the Omni hotel for my appointment. Naturally the country bumpkin was in the wrong building but at least it was cooler. All that Novocaine from the dentist the day before was just pouring out of my veins and I was miserable.

I found the right building and was buzzed into the lobby by uniformed guard. I’m in the neighborhood of Mr. Gucci, Mr. Cartier and the Brooks Brothers here on Michigan Ave., and this is a touch out of my league.

The office was very nice. I was an hour plus early but I was treated warmly, given ice water and put in a private consultation room with a beautiful view of the city.

Latisha arrived about 30 minutes before my sçheduled appointment absolutely dressed to the “nines”and we spent about one half hour going over my receding hair line and available options. I have to give her credit as she offered other options than transplantation. The price: $11,500. Each and every hair would be transplanted one at a time after cutting a chunk of my scalp out from the back of my head, the hair follicles removed and reinserted in my less than perfect forehead.

Now I was never going to get a hair transplant in the first place, but I am the curious type and decided I ‘d go the whole route and listen to the Doctor as well.

He was a Kiwi or Aussie from the accent, and as a nice and professional as Latisha. I’ve met two of three people from different parts of the world now. In Traverse City, it is all midwesterners. There was no high pressure. No problem that I was there for the miles. I was treated with respect and as as potential patient my entire stay. I was out of there at 9:30 with my estimate, two photos of my head, a brochure and Latisha’s card. I have no receipt for the miles promotion, but am not concerned in the least. This is a high class operation and if any body was considering a hair transplant, I’d tell them to call Bosley. Maybe that in itself is reason enough for offering the promotion.

Amex Travel Service Center is the Next Stop

As I mentioned several days ago this option of buying travellers checks with your American Express card has been available for some time now. As a matter of fact, the offer of free travellers checks is written right on the cashier window.

Eva, a lovely eastern European accent and somewhat provocatively dressed, gal handled my transaction and filled me in on the $1000 per card limit for free travellers checks and I took $2000. I could have gone for a third I guess as I have my Hilton Platinum Amex with me, but decided the SPG points were what I was rally after.

I got two emails yesterday from regular blog readers.

Reader #1 had called Amex Central Service center that emphatically stated that the transaction would be treated as a cash advance and that they received that same phone call about ten times per day. Cash advance equals no points earned.

Reader #2 had contacted SPG credit card customer service that assured him, the transaction would be treated as a purchase and SPG points would be credited.

My question is: why call in the first place?

I never like alerting anybody of anything I’m doing that my take advantage of a loophole in the system. If the financial risk of trying something is minimal, and within your personal comfort zone, the only way to really know, is to try it yourself.

I can assure all of you, that in most instances, if I make two phone calls to customer service representatives within the same organization, I will get two completely different answers to my inquiry. Here is how this goes.

Most customer service representatives are entry level personnel that are under trained, first time employees that barely can keep up with standard questions and really most don’t give a rip about the correct answer in the first place. When you get a customer service rep that has some time under his/her belt, you are the lucky 100th caller. I asked one of the old pros one day to do me a favor. I asked her to stand up and look around the phone factory she was sitting in and tell me the average age of the customer service reps. Her answer in less than a second; about 18 years of age.

Everybody should do some due diligence before investing their time and maybe a few bucks in a promotion. Just don’t expect much in return from your phone call.

My personal favorite advice to people is: “If you don’t like the first answer you get, hang up and call back until you get the answer you like.”" It is usually on the next phone call. And when you got the answer you wanted, write down that employees name, employee number and date and time of your call.

When I joined Flyertalk, there were 15,000 members. Now there are over 170,000. Since I first joined, we’ve had people calling to get information on their personal dilemma when a mistake fare is in play, and thereby jeopardizing others opportunity to take advantage before the error is found out by natural causes. I plainly and simply do not call. I will email somebody that has had success or failure with a given scheme, scam whatever you prefer to call it. I guess it is just human nature to want it for yourself, without considing the other guy, but there are fewer mistake fares published on the public forums at Flyertalk now then before. Most of them pass between people privately.

The end of my story I guess is: Just try it and don’t bring unnecessary attention to what you are up to. And also remember, you are not going to get in on every deal. There are just too many. If you have to miss one to avoid possibly screwing it up for others, there will be another deal come down the pike anyday. I missed going to Cyprus, because I just could not get a handle on the intricacies of the transaction in time. Oh Well.

The Cubbies

Wrigley is my favorite ball park. You are actually at the game as it is truly the friendly confines. I asked a cop when I got off the red line what the law was about buying a ticket on the street in Chicago. He response was if you are more than 1000 feet from the stadium it is no problem and he pointed with his head about 20 feet in front of me. Is that the law? I don’t have a clue, but I had done my due diligence and then bought a great seat that regularly costs $56 for $70. He started at $80. I said I wanted a beer and a hot dog, would he take $70? I guess the guy couldn’t see I was not a candidate for malnourishment. I had my ticket to the sold out game in five minutes and a few hours later the Cubs put one in the “Win” column.

Dinner and Miles with other Miles Junkies

I had a great time with David and Win as we discussed what we were working on, programs we knew well, and things we needed help with. Win and David know Diners Club much better than I, and they gave me some parameters that may help me down the road. I nudged David towards the Bosley thingy and he got in at the last minute for his free consultation today, the last day of the promo. David 20K Delta- Bosley???

I am able to reaffirm that we are much better at playing this game if we play together. There is just so much to learn and talk about. Win has agreed to write an article about the Southwest Companion Pass for the Blog. Hello Win.

And Now my Two Nights at the Hampton and Doubletree

50,000 Hilton points will induce me to switch hotels as it gets me to four stays needed for my bonus for achieving American Airlines lifetime Gold status. It was nice of Hilton to offer me that for my accomplishment. Do you think they realize I’m going to stay at 4 low end hotels and use the 50K at high end properties? Probably not. The marketing gurus at Hilton are not points collectors. But they sure can rip you off for out of state phone calls. My new Iphone needs a program update as it is dropping calls and the hotel charges were $3.91 each for one minute calls back to Michigan last night.

Sometimes I get them and sometimes they get me.

I doubled checked the rules and it looks like there is no flight requirement with this sign up bonus. With this little 3000 destination mile kick start and the info James gave us yesterday about the 1000 destination miles per night per Hilton stay, you too can be earning your way to free flights on the Star alliance network.

I urge all our newcomers, and every single one of their family members, regardless of age, to take a moment to join the BMI program. I get nothing for the suggestion, but in time, you will be glad you did.

Here is the terms and conditions page and link to join now:

Join Now

Terms and Conditions:

This promotion is only valid for new members joining diamond club.
Only one enrolment per individual will be accepted for membership of the diamond club programme.
Any duplicate diamond club accounts will be closed and promotional miles deleted.
The 3,000 destinations miles will be added to your diamond club account within 28 working days after you have qualified, and can only be spent on the named recipient of the account.
This offer is available for a limited period of time.
This offer is non transferable and no cash alternative will be offered.

Hyatt Faster Free Nights is Official

If you are looking for a high end resort stay on a frugal budget, here is your chance. Stay two nights at a low end Hyatt Property and earn a free night at a variety high end hyatts. Pay about $70 a night at various properties and earn $400+ nights at some fine Hyatt Resorts. Here are the terms and conditions. You must be a member and register.

Hyatt Faster Free Night with MasterCard is back, starting September

1.Every 2 Stays = 1 Free Night
Earn a free night after every two eligible Hyatt stays at any Hyatt worldwide between September 1 and December 30, 2008.
Plus, earn 2,000 bonus points after every two eligible Hyatt stays paid with your MasterCard card.
To participate, join Hyatt Gold Passport™.
Current members must register @ http://goldpassport.hyatt.com/gp/en/ffn/index.jsp

Monday the 25th of August is the last day for your free consultation with Bosley Hair centers and 20,000 Delta Airline miles. I’m doing it. Here is the thought process I used to justify this hair brained scheme.

The rate from Traverse City to Chicago was $161 and with one of my many bump vouchers ($150) it costs me $11 for the one hour round trip ticket. The Cubbies are in town for two day games. No tickets, but scalpers abound around Wrigley and it is the 100th year without a World Series. Anything I can do to help the Cubbies.

I’m two stays shy of the required four for my 50K Hilton Honors bonus (targeted promo). As a senior and AARP member I got a sub $100 rate for each of the two nights at different Hilton properties.

No need to rent a car as I’m taking the Blue line into the city from the airport for my appointment and, if memory serves me right, Red or Orange line to Wrigley Field.

Out of pocket expenses: $211 plus food, subway and Cubs tickets. (I eat everyday anyway). And in return 20,000 Delta miles and 50,000 Hilton points. Our son is in town til the end of next week, Katy is saving lives full time this weekend and I get to help the Cubbies.

And for grins, I’ll see what they have to say about the slow but constant disappearance of forehead hair and increasing shine replacing it.

Free National Car Rental Emerald Club Membership from United Airlines

I got this by email this afternoon and does not appear to be targetted to me. And as a bonus you get 1000 United miles after your first and third rental before December 31, 2008, in addition to the regular miles you earn. With the $50 savings from this offer, it makes sense to join. Here is the promo page

US Mint Coins on the Way

For those of you helping the US Mint distribute the $1 coins, I am pleased to inform you that my first order dated 8/12/08 was shipped today. It appears then they are about one week from order to shipping.

I appreciate all the help you fellow mileage addicts are giving our government in this effort. Let’s all keep up the good work

I started a thread on Flyertalk last year to get some consensus of what a hotel point was worth. There were varied opinions but most fell along these lines. The parenthesis again indicate my estimate of value in cents. (2) would indicate 2 cents per point

Starwood Preferred Guest or SPG is the most valuable because of the redemption schedule with the lower end properties being available as low as 2K per night on weekend. They always have a room available with no blackout dates and the cash and points option is a real money saver in higher priced markets. (2.5)

Hyatt: I wish I could address this program, but I never use it. If I can’t look for hotels all over the world with a program, and there are not many great promos, I just don’t get to excited.. Now I know the FFN program which offers Faster Free Nights is an outstanding bargain when you can find low priced rooms and use your free nights at high end resorts in Hawaii. I just can’t find the hotels to stay in.

Marriott: Offers worldwide hotels and some nice bonuses for their elite members including free night certs. The range of hotel types goes from basic to high end. I think the best part of this program is the travel package awards that combine not only the hotel stays for a vacation, but also include a airline frequent flyer mileage redemption to the program of your choice. Example you can get an award for any category 5 hotel for 7 nights and 70,000 airline miles in the program of your choice to get you there. Or, move up the line to a category 7 hotel and 150,000 miles for a nicer stay at a more exotic location. This travel package option stands out for the Marriott chain. (1.1)

Priority Club or Holiday Inn etc

This huge chain is worldwide offering again for low end budget to high end Intercontinentals and Crowne Plazas. The best thing about this program is the PointsBreak redemptions which allow rooms at bargain redemptions of only 5K per night, that may typically be as high as 25K to 40K per night. The PointsBreaks come out quarterly and should be checked immediately for future travel bargains. (1)

Hilton Hotels: From Hampton Inns to Conrad luxury and Waldorf style, this is a great chain of properties. They do offer a 40% redemption option called Pointstretchers, but the real bargain here is again for Elite members and the GLON type awards. Six nights that typically would be 240K Honors points can be had be elites for 175K. I’ve used this award in Hawaii several times successfully as well as the Rome Cavelleri and felt I got the best end of the deal. Hilton also offers a reduced 4 night stay award for members that carry the Hilton Honors American Express card. Four nights can be had with this award (AXON) without elite status, for only 120K. That is a nice savings on the high end resort locations. In fact, Katy and I are doing back to back AXON awards in December with four nights on Kauai and the Kauai Hilton, then moving to the Big Island and the Waikolola resort for 4 more nights. (.7)

Choice Privileges: Is a smaller chain than Hilton and tends to have a move scattered range of hotel quality throughout their different member hotels. These are the Comfort Inns, Clarion Suites and Sleep Inns. I have had some nice stays and some really marginal ones with this chain and always recommend a Tripadvisor review of these hotels before booking. The redemption range runs from 6K per night to 50K in the Preferred and Summitt hotel affiliated hotels. That is quite a range of points, but is needed based on the extreme variations in quality and condition. The limiting factor for me with this chain is award redemptions cannot be made domestically until 60 days before travel and 90 days for international stays, and, the Elite members get first shot at some of the higher end hotels internationally with an extra 30 day redemption window. I know of several people that swear by these redemptions in Europe. I have no experience there, but we were pleasantly surprised in Australia and New Zealand with the hotels we picked out as they had far more options in smaller cities and the locals took nice care of the properties. (1)

Wyndham: This is a little embarrassing for me, but until yesterday I had no idea I had points with them. It seems I’ve been a member since 2005 and have 8K points or enough for a low end room redemption. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise.

This chain for me is the home of the Best Rate Guarantee and that is where I use them. I don’t pay for these rooms, but will stay one night using the guarantee. I’m not suggesting they don’t have some nice hotels, as the Wingate properties have always been fantastic free nights when I can find them, and some of the Ramadas and Days Inns are OK as well. I tend to stay away from the low end of this hotel line and again recommend a Tripadvisor review before any booking.

I’m sorry, I can’t give a value in cents per point obviously, if I didn’t even know I had them, they can’t be worth that much to me.

The value of a point varies between individual tastes and redemption options available. Obviously a European hotel room in summer season has one of the highest $$ values, and if you could get one with a Priority Club PointsBreak night, that would indicate a value 10 times more than a Choice Privileges Preferred Hotel redemption of 50K in points. Those things do happen.

This exercise was to give an approximate trade value, if and only if, I was able to trade them in an open market. Obviously, this is not the case