The Hyatt Gold Passport rewards program is designed to make stays at Hyatt even more rewarding for frequent business and leisure travelers. Members are welcome to any available standard room when booking a free night award, and they are rewarded with more benefits as they upgrade to higher elite statuses. The network of brands include the popular Hyatt Regency, Park Hyatt, Andaz, and more. Earn points easily through hotel stays and services by joining the Hyatt Gold Passport program today.

How do I become a Hyatt Gold Passport member?

Joining the membership rewards program is free! Join Hyatt Gold Passport today. You have the choice to earn either points or miles when you enroll in. If you prefer to earn miles, you can set your earning preference at the hotel’s front desk and avoid having to present your travel partner membership number during each check-in.

Hyatt Membership Levels and Member Benefits

Gold Passport Member

Qualification: This is the status you earn by signing up for free. Becoming a member enables you to earn and redeem points for stays and services at participating Hyatt hotel brands.

Benefits: Membership allows you to earn 5 Hyatt Gold Passport points for every eligible $1USD spent at Hyatt locations. You can also redeem points for free nights with no blackout dates, room upgrades, meals, and spa treatments. If you are short on points for hotel stay redemptions, you can combine your points with cash for a Free Night Award. Other ways to earn rewards include earning credits with Travel Partners or M life Tier Credits for Hyatt stays, as well as miles with over 30 Hyatt Travel Partners. For full details, click here.

Platinum Passport Member

Qualification: Staying 5 qualifying stays or 15 eligible nights within one calendar year earns you Platinum membership.

Benefits: Platinum members receive a 15% point bonus, or 5.75 points per eligible $1USD spent at Hyatt locations. After achieving platinum status, you can enjoy available preferred rooms, stay connected with complimentary premium Internet access, use the expedited check-in line, and extend your stay until 2 p.m. with late check out request. Your room is always ensured with Hyatt’s 72-hour guarantee and reservations can be booked through an exclusive Platinum line.

Diamond Passport Member

Qualification: You need 25 eligible stays or 50 qualifying nights in a calendar year to achieve Diamond membership.

Benefits: Diamond members earn a 30% point bonus, or 6.5 points per eligible $1USD spent at Hyatt locations. In addition to the benefits you received as a Platinum member, you also get to enjoy the best available rooms upon arrival, receive exclusive access to the Regency Club or Grand Club lounge with complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres, and receive a welcome point bonus of food and beverage amenity during each stay. Platinum members can receive a suite upgrade at the time of reservation 4 times annually on eligible paid nights, book reservations through an exclusive Diamond line, enjoy 2 complimentary one-time-use United Club passes annually, and even share their Diamond benefits with friends and family if you redeem points for a free night for them in 2015.

Upgrade to Platinum status with the Hyatt Credit Card

With the Hyatt Credit Card from Chase, members will receive credit for 2 free nights after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Members also earn 3 points for every $1USD spent at all Hyatt properties with their card, 2 points for every $1USD spent at restaurants and airline agencies, and 1 point for every $1USD spent on all other purchases. Here are some of the other benefits of this card:

• Free award night each year at any category 1-4 property.
• Earn 5,000 bonus points when you add an authorized user to your account.
• Automatic upgrade to Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum membership.
• Receive 2 stay credits and 5 night credits toward Diamond status upon spending $20,000 each calendar year; an additional 3 stay credits and 5 night credits upon spending $40,000 each calendar year.
• $75 annual fee waived the first year.
• No foreign-transaction fee.
• EMV Chip-enabled.

Click here for a full list of card benefits.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact Hyatt Customer service.

The post Become a Hyatt Gold Passport Member Today – Introducing Hyatt Membership Levels and Elite Benefits appeared first on CardBenefit.

The Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program is praised for its easy points, easy rewards design. Members can earn rewards points when they stay at Hyatt properties around the world, or from purchases with Hyatt’s rewards partners, venue bookings through Hyatt Gold Passport Planner Rewards, spending on the Hyatt credit card, and more.

Earn Hyatt Gold Passport points from hotel stays

As a Hyatt Gold Passport rewards member, you earn 5 points for every $1 spent on eligible stays and purchases at participating Hyatt hotel brands. The Hyatt Gold Passport rewards program has 3 levels: Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. When you reach Platinum status, you earn an additional 15% point bonus, or 5.75 points for every $1 spent. At Diamond status, you earn an additional 30% point bonus, or 6.5 points for every $1 spent.

Earn HGP points from rewards partners

You can earn Hyatt Gold Passport points from participating rewards partners, such as MGM Resorts, Avis Car Rental, and shopping and dining locations worldwide.

HGP members who are visiting participating restaurants and spas just have to provide their HGP account number to the Hyatt Associate at the outlet at the time of payment to process the earned points on eligible charges. They will earn 5 HGP base points per $1USD. These eligible non-stay charges do not count towards Platinum or Diamond status, and outlet visits will not count as stays or nights towards earning Hyatt Gold Passport tier status.

Earn HGP points with Events and Meetings

Members can even earn reward points for meetings and events, because Hyatt believes in recognizing and rewarding the planners behind every successful gathering. With the Hyatt Gold Passport Planner Rewards program, you can collect points for your meetings and catering/banqueting events at any Hyatt hotel or resort worldwide.

You will earn 1 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus point for every eligible $1USD spent on eligible meeting revenue, and up to 50,000 bonus points for each event. Every qualifying meeting or event helps you earn credit toward achieving elite tier status in the Hyatt Gold Passport program. Bonus points are awarded for eligible spendings on guest rooms, meetings rooms, banquets, and in-house catering. These points can be split up to three ways to reward co-workers or colleagues who helped plan the event.

After 3 qualifying meetings or events, you will be upgraded to Platinum status. After 10 qualifying meetings or events, you will automatically be bumped up to the highest level of membership at Diamond status. A qualifying meeting is defined as 10 or more occupied rooms per night.

There are many ways you can redeem your Hyatt rewards points, and if you enjoyed hosting your event with Hyatt, you can use your points for credits on future events at Hyatt hotels. You can redeem Future Meeting Credit Awards by calling 866-614-4484.

Earn Bonus Points with the Hyatt Credit Card

You can also earn HPG points from everyday purchases through a Hyatt credit card. With the Hyatt Credit Card from Chase, members will receive credit for 2 free nights after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Members also earn 3 points for every $1USD spent at all Hyatt properties with their card, 2 points for every $1USD spent at restaurants and airline agencies, and 1 point for every $1USD spent on all other purchases. Here are some of the other benefits of this card:

• Free award night each year at any category 1-4 property.
• Earn 5,000 bonus points when you add an authorized user to your account.
• Automatic upgrade to Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum membership.
• Receive 2 stay credits and 5 night credits toward Diamond status upon spending $20,000 each calendar year; an additional 3 stay credits and 5 night credits upon spending $40,000 each year.
• $75 annual fee waived the first year.
• No foreign-transaction fee.
• EMV Chip-enabled.

Click here for a full list of card benefits.

How do I earn Airline Miles?

As a Hyatt Gold Passport (HGP) member, you can switch from earning points to earning miles at any time. Members can earn a set amount of miles for each qualifying stay with 28 participating travel partners. Your earning preferences can be changed at the hotel’s front desk; just make sure to present your Passport membership number and your preferred frequent flyer program.

What are the participating airlines

Are Rewards points and miles interchangeable?

You can convert your already owned points to a frequent flyer program online. To convert points to miles, you must have a minimum of 5,000 available HGP points. Points are converted to miles at a conversion rate of 1,250 points to 500 miles (2.5 to 1); after the minimum 5,000, additional point conversion can be made in increments of 1,250. If you do not have enough points to convert points to miles, you can purchase the additional points in order to convert.

When you convert 50,000 HGP points, you get 20,000 miles, plus a 5,000 mile bonus for a total of 25,000 miles. When you convert 50,000 HGP points to Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards points, you will receive 24,000 points plus a 6,000 point bonus for a total of 30,000 Rapid Rewards points.

Currently, all HGP points converted to miles are final. Once HGP points have been converted into bonus miles, they will no longer be available for use in the HGP program.

The Fine Print

• Points will be immediately deducted from your account for conversion; but the miles can take 6-8 weeks to appear on your account.
• Because converted miles are “bonus”, they do not count toward upgraded tier status in participating Travel Partner programs.
• HGP points to miles conversions are available on participating Travel Partners. HGP points are not eligible for conversion into M life Tier Credits.
• Hyatt Gold Passport Planner Rewards Company Accounts are not allowed to participate in the Hyatt Gold Passport Points to Miles program.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact Hyatt Customer service.

The post How to Earn Hyatt Gold Passport Points and Airline Miles appeared first on CardBenefit.

The Hyatt Gold Passport rewards program is designed to make stays at Hyatt even more rewarding for frequent business and leisure travelers by offering different ways to earn points. If you are a frequent flyer, then read on to learn about how you can maximize airline mile earnings through the Hyatt Gold Passport program.

Earn Airline Miles with Hyatt directly

As a Hyatt Gold Passport (HGP) member, you can switch from earning points to earning miles at any time. Members can earn a set amount of miles for each qualifying stay with 28 participating travel partners. Your earning preferences can be changed at the hotel’s front desk; just make sure to present your Passport membership number and your preferred frequent flyer program.

Convert Hyatt points to airline miles

You can also transfer your already owned points to a frequent flyer program online. To convert points to miles, you must have a minimum of 5,000 available HGP points. Points are converted to miles at a conversion rate of 1,250 points to 500 miles (2.5 to 1); after the minimum 5,000, additional point conversion can be made in increments of 1,250. If you do not have enough points to convert points to miles, you can purchase the additional points in order to convert.

Convert to different travel partner currency

Miles is a generic term used for measuring conversion rates. Here are some travel partners that support different conversion ratios:

If you convert: 5,000 HGP points

You will receive:

• 4,000 Aeromexico/LanChile km
• 3,200 China Eastern Airlines
• 2,400 Qantas Points
• 2,400 Southwest Airlines Points
• 3,000 Virgin Atlantic Airways

Earn Bonus airline miles

When you convert 50,000 HGP points, you receive 20,000 miles plus a 5,000 mile bonus for a total of 25,000 additional miles. When you convert 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points to Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards points, you will receive 24,000 points plus a 6,000 point bonus for a total of 30,000 Rapid Rewards points.

How to maximize your airline miles

As you might have noticed already, earning airline miles directly is at a rate of miles/qualifying stay, while converting points into miles is a conversion rate of 1,250 points per 500 miles.

Let’s take a look at an example. Assuming you are a Gold member and you spend $1,000 in a qualifying Hyatt stay, you earn five points per eligible dollar, and earn a total of 5,000 HGP points. Platinum members earn a 15% bonus, or 5,750 HGP points; Diamond members earn a 30% bonus, or 6,500 HGP points. If we convert this at a rate of 2.5 points to 1 mile, we get a conversion of 2,000 miles as a Gold member, 2,300 as a Platinum member, or 2,600 as a Diamond member. If you were earning miles directly, you only earn roughly 500 miles per stay, no matter how long you stay or how much you spend.

Let’s say you spend under $200 on a qualifying stay. That earns you either 5*200 = 1000 HGP points, which at the conversion rate is only 400 airline miles, or less than the rate per stay if you were to earn miles directly. If you are not a frequent stayer of Hyatt, or you do not spend a lot on your stays, then it might be beneficial to earn miles directly.

However, let’s take into consideration points/miles earnings in the long run. Every 50,000 HGP points converted can earn you 25,000 additional miles. Since 50,000 HGP points converts to 20,000 airline miles at most participating airlines, your total earnings would be 20,000 converted miles + 25,000 additional miles for a total of 45,000 airline miles. If you frequent Hyatt hotels, this is a great bonus to take advantage of.

The Fine Print

• Points will be immediately deducted from your account for conversion; but the miles can take 6-8 weeks to appear on your account.
• All HGP points converted to miles are final. Once HGP points have been converted into bonus miles, they will no longer be available for use in the HGP program.
• Because converted miles are “bonus”, they do not count toward upgraded tier status in participating Travel Partner programs.
• HGP points to miles conversions are available on participating Travel Partners. HGP points are not eligible for conversion into M life Tier Credits.
• Hyatt Gold Passport Planner Rewards Company Accounts are not allowed to participate in the Hyatt Gold Passport Points to Miles program.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact Hyatt Customer Service.

The post Hyatt Gold Passport – How to Earn Airline Miles and Maximize Your Earnings appeared first on CardBenefit.

How do I redeem Hyatt Gold Passport points for hotel stays?

Enjoying free award nights is simple with Hyatt Gold Passport. To find participating hotels, you can view hotels by category here. You can also redeem HGP points at 12 different M life resorts on the Las Vegas Strip.

Number of points needed per night: 

* You can only redeem for suite awards for stays that are a minimum of 3 nights. You cannot redeem suite awards at the following properties: Hyatt Regency Kyoto, Hyatt Regency Paris-Madeleine, Park Hyatt Sydney, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort, Hyatt Residence Club Resorts and Hyatt Place hotels.

Upgrade your room

Regency/Grand Club upgrade costs 3,000 points and Suite upgrades cost 6,000 points. Suite upgrade awards are not valid at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort, Park Hyatt Sydney, Andaz Tokyo, Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort, Hyatt Regency Tulsa, Hyatt Regency Wichita, Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa, Hyatt Manila City of Dreams, Hyatt Santa Barbara, Hyatt Residence Club resorts, Hyatt Place hotels and M life resorts.

To reserve your reward nights or upgrade your room via phone, call 1-800-228-3360 or your nearest Hyatt Worldwide Reservation Centre.

How do I maximize my HGP Points value?

When redeeming HGP points, you can compare the rewards earn rate of different redemption options to see if you are getting the most of your points. To estimate the rewards earn rate, divide the standard rate of the hotel stay by the number of HGP points required to redeem one night. Let’s look at a few hotel stay redemption examples for a night near San Diego, California:

///This Hyatt Regency in the La Jolla Village is a 4.5-star upper upscale hotel brand. It has a nightly average of $325 USD, and requires 15,000 HGP points per night to redeem.  Let’s estimate the point-value of this redemption:

$325/15,000 = 0.0217, or 2.17 cents per point

Let’s look at another redemption option. This is the Andaz brand also located in San Diego; this is a 5-star luxury brand, with an average nightly rate of $299 and a redemption rate of 20,000 HGP points per night.

$299/20,000 = 0.01495, or 1.495 cents per point

Although the Andaz has a lower nightly rate as a higher-ranked hotel brand, its redemption value is lower than that of Hyatt Regency’s. You might consider booking the Hyatt Regency when redeeming with points, and the Andaz when not.

Here is another brand, the Hyatt Place, a 4-star upscale brand located in Vista-Carlsbad. The nightly rate is $164, and it only requires 8,000 points a night to redeem. Here’s this hotel’s earn-rate value:

$164/8,000 = 0.0205, or 2.05 cents per point

The Hyatt Place is not ranked as high as the Andaz, but what would be used to redeem 2 nights at the Andaz can redeem 5 nights at the Hyatt Place. Paying for 2 nights at the Andaz would have been roughly $600, while 5 nights in Hyatt Place would have been $820; both reward redemptions cost 40,000 HGP points. In general, for Hyatt hotel brands, you want to aim for point values above 2 cents per point in order to maximize your earning-rate.

How do I redeem HGP points for airline miles?

With Hyatt Gold Passport, you receive 1 mile for every 2.5 HGP point you convert, beginning with a minimum of 5,000 points and increasing in increments of 1,250. When you convert at least 50,000 HGP points, you also earn 5,000 Bonus Miles. Currently, you cannot redeem HGP points directly for flight tickets. Convert your points here.

Other ways to redeem HGP points

Car Rental

Apart from airlines miles, you can also redeem points for car rental awards. Car Rental Awards can be redeemed at participating Avis car rental locations. A free intermediate-size car for one day is only 6,000 points a day! You can reserve by calling 1-800-228-3360. You should book in advance and allow 4-6 weeks for the Award to arrive by mail.

Dining, Spa, and More

You can redeem HGP points at participating restaurants and spas, even when you’re not staying at a Hyatt hotel. You can also redeem your points during check-out at participating Hyatt hotels for dining and spa experiences, in-room movies, parking, transportation, and more. Below is the dining & spa award redemption rate:

Future Meeting Credit Awards

Hyatt locations are great places to host events, gatherings, and business meetings. You can use your points for credits on future events at Hyatt hotels by calling 866-614-4484 or the nearest Hyatt Worldwide Reservation Center to redeem. Minimum point amount is 15,000 HGP points, which gets you $200USD. Any unused portion of a Future Meeting Credit is non-refundable, and credit cannot be used as a deposit for a meeting. If you are using a Company Account to earn HGP points, there has to be a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 designated account administrators to manage the account and redeem points. Company Accounts do not get meeting credit toward tiers.

Purchase, Combine, or Transfer Points

• Purchase points to help you earn a free night or upgrade. Points can be purchased in increments of 1,000. You can purchase up to 55,000 points per calendar year.
• Give points to friends or family to help them earn a free night or room upgrade. Members can receive points in increments of 1,000, up to 55,000 points per calendar year. Give points now.
• Receive points as a gift. If your HGP number was provided during the purchase, the points will automatically be deposited into your account. If you have a certificate code, you can claim your HGP points online.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact HGP Customer Support.

The post Hyatt Gold Passport – Redeeming Rewards Made Simple appeared first on CardBenefit.

With the Hilton HHonors program, loyalty customers can redeem their points for all kinds of different rewards and experiences from free nights at lankmark hotels, upgrades for a spectacular view, to experiences for concerts, amazing travel excursions and more. Let’s find out how to redeem your points wisely to maximize your points value.

How do I redeem Hilton HHonors points for hotel stays?

Guests can redeem points to enjoy standard or premium room awards for as low as 5,000 points at over 4200 hotels around the world with no blackout dates. They can also collect rewards night with Points & Money Rewards; for example, guests can use 2,000 HHonors Points and $30 USD for a night at a participating category 1 hotel. Silver, Gold, and Diamond members also qualify for the 5th Night Free benefit on reward stays, meaning if they book 4 consecutive stays using reward points, they receive an additional 5th night free.

The chart below shows how many points are required for a free night in a standard room in each category.

Some hotels have seasonal reward pricing, so the points needed to redeem vary during peak or off-peak periods. For example, a category 6 hotel that requires 50,000 points during its peak period may only be 30,000 points during its off-peak period. Reward pricing vary by location, stay date, and availability, so it is best to check hhonors points search tool to obtain accurate pricing.

If you are reserving your reward stay online, check the box labeled “Use HHonors Points” on your reservation form. Then, click “Find” to view hotel availability; each room listing will show the amount of HHonors Points required for a free night, along with the regular room rate. When you book your stay, the HHonors Points are immediately deducted from your account.

If you are reserving your reward stay by phone, call +1-800-HHONORS (+1-800-446-6677, toll-free in the U.S.) or contact your local Hilton Reservations and Customer Care center, and let them know you will be using HHonors Points to book your stay. After you make your reservation, you can review your hotel reservation online.

How do I maximize my Hilton HHonors Points value?

When redeeming points, you can compare the rewards earn rate of different redemption options to see if you are getting the most of your points. To estimate the rewards earn rate, divide the standard rate of the hotel stay by the number of Hilton HHonors points required to redeem one night. Let’s look at a few hotel stay redemption examples for 1 night stays in New York:

This Hampton Inn is located in Manhattan at Times Square, and according to the hotel data collecting company STR Global, as of 2015 this brand is ranked an upscale, or 4-star level hotel. It has a nightly rate starting at $259 USD, and as a category 10 hotel, requires 70,000 HHonors Points to redeem per night. Here is an estimate of the point-value:

$259/70,000 = 0.0037, or 0.37 cents per point

Here is another brand, the Hilton, located in the New York Fashion District. According to STR Global’s 2015 hotel rankings, this brand is also an upscale hotel (4-stars). The nightly rates start from $349 a night, and also require 70,000 HHonors Points to redeem each night.

$349/70,000 = 0.00499, or 0.5 cents per point

As you can see, for the same redemption rate of 70,000 points, the Hilton is a better use of your HHonors Points than Hampton Inn.

Here is an example of a bad redemption. The Hilton Garden Inn has a nightly rate of $319, but its redemption rate is 138,730 HHonors Points a night. The monetary rate of this Hilton is even less than the previous Hilton in the Fashion District, but let’s take a look at its rewards earn rate:

$319/138,730 = 0.0023

Its points are worth half the value of the previous redemption option. Calculating the rewards earn rate of different hotels does not take into consideration all factors that go into selecting hotels, but it definitely is one way to gauge your redemption options.

How do I redeem HHonors points for upgrades?

Room upgrade rewards can be redeemed at the front-desk of some participating hotels. Make sure to ask the front desk for a free upgrade first. The front-desk person has the authority to give you free upgrade. Members can also use HHonors points to upgrade a confirmed, existing reservation to any premium room available at any of Hilton hotels and resorts worldwide, with no blackout dates. Reward pricing for upgrades varies by room, hotel, booking, and stay date.

For Gold and Diamond HHonors members, the Premium Room Rewards guarantee a premium room or suite at the time of booking, and Room Upgrade Rewards lets you upgrade an already confirmed room reservation to an available better room or suite. Reservations that were made using promotional free night certificates for Standard Room Rewards cannot be upgraded using Room Upgrade Rewards.

Redeem HHonors Points for Shopping, Dining, and Transportation Rewards

You can also redeem your points for shopping, dining and transportation rewards.

Shopping Mall. You can shop popular brands such as Samsung, Nike, Keurig, Vera Bradley, and more at the Hilton HHonors Shopping Mall. You can also use HHonors Points to redeem rewards with entertainment partners, such as Sea World and Universal Studios.

Entertainment. Bid for amazing concerts and travel experiences when you stay with Hilton. Options range from concert tickets, VIP race packages, athlete meet & greets, and more. Click for a full list.

Redeem for on-site rewards such as spa treatments, fine dining, golf lessons and much more. Details can be found at each individual hotel.

Car rentals. Car rental rewards can be redeemed through customer care; you will need your HHonors number and a reward code. Instant redemptions with Sixt Rent A Car can be booked online. You can also earn HHonors Points and receive discounts with Hilton car rental partners. Some car rental partners include Alamo, Avis, Budget, and National.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact Hilton HHonors Customer Support.

The post Redeem Hilton HHonors Points Wisely – How to Maximize Your Points Value appeared first on CardBenefit.

Hilton HHonors is a loyalty program designed for guests to easily accumulate rewards and enjoy the free nights, upgrades or special packages when they stay at one of thousands of Hilton hotels across the globe.

Hilton HHonors allows you to earn HHonors Base Points, as well as HHonors Bonus points, through hotel stays, family reunion, rewards partners and Hilton credit cards.

How many HHonors points do I earn from hotel stays?

The number of HHonors Points you earn varies by Hilton hotel brands and your elite status. To earn points, just provide your Hilton HHonors account number when making a reservation, and when checking-in at participating hotels. In order to earn both base points and bonus points, make sure you choose your earning style as “points + points” in your account profile.

There are four tiers to the rewards program: Blue, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. When you enroll for the free membership program, you are automatically Blue status; and after 4 stays or 10 nights, you will be promoted to Silver status; 20 stays, 40 nights, or 75,000 base points to Gold status; and 30 stays, 60 nights, or 120,000 base points to Diamond status. When you reach elite status, you will automatically receive extra HHonors Bonus Points on all the Base Points you earn. You will receive a 15% bonus once you reach Silver status, a 25% bonus once you reach Gold status, and a 50% bonus once you achieve Diamond status. Below is how many points you can earn with each status.

Hilton HHonors Blue

• 10 Base Points + 5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rates and services at Conrad, Canopy, Curio, Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacation, and Waldorf Astoria;
• 10 Base Points + 5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rate for Hampton and Homewood Suites.
• 5 Base Points + 2.5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rate for Home2 Suites.

Hilton HHonors Silver

• 10 Base Points + 1.5 Elite Bonus Points + 5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rates and services at the above mentioned hotel brands;
• 10 Base Points + 1.5 Elite Bonus Points + 5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rate for Hampton and Homewood Suites;
• 5 Base Points + 0.75 Elite Bonus Points + 2.5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rate for Home2 Suites.

Hilton HHonors Gold

• 10 Base Points + 2.5 Elite Bonus Points + 5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rates and services at the above mentioned hotel brands;
• 10 Base Points + 2.5 Elite Bonus Points + 5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rate for Hampton and Homewood Suites;
• 5 Base Points + 1.25 Elite Bonus Points + 2.5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rate for Home2 Suites.

Hilton HHonors Diamond

• 10 Base Points + 5 Elite Bonus Points + 5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rates and services at the above mentioned hotel brands;
• 10 Base Points + 5 Elite Bonus Points + 5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rate for Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites;
• 5 Base Points + 2.5 Elite Bonus Points + 2.5 Bonus Points for every $1 spent on room rate for Home2 Suites.

How to Earn more HHonors Points with a credit card

With a Hilton credit card, you can easily earn free hotel nights, get big welcome offers, earn more Hilton Hhonors points, reach elite status much faster and enjoy the advanced card perks.  Hilton offers travel rewards credit cards that make it easy for you to accumulate reward points.

Apply Now

Hilton Honors American Express Card

• Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• No Annual Fee.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• Terms Apply.

Intro APR

N/A

Intro APR Period

N/A

Annual Fee (rates & fees)

$0

Credit Needed

Good to Excellent

Apply Now

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

• Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card. That's up to $200 in statement credits annually.
• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
• As a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you're enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. Terms apply.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• $150 annual fee.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• Terms Apply.

Intro APR

N/A

Intro APR Period

N/A

Annual Fee (rates & fees)

$150

Credit Needed

Good to Excellent

Apply Now

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

• Welcome Offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership.
• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases.
• Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.
• Get up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors Business Card. With Hilton Honors™ Gold Status, you can enjoy benefits at hotels and resorts within the Hilton Portfolio. As a Gold member, earn an 80% Bonus on all Base Points you earn on every stay.
• You may receive an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the calendar year if the total eligible purchases on your Card Account during a calendar year reach $40,000 or more.
• As a Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you're enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. Terms apply.
• Terms apply.

Intro APR

N/A

Intro APR Period

N/A

Annual Fee (rates & fees)

$195

Credit Needed

Excellent, Good

Convert Airline Miles to HHonors points

Hilton also has airline partners whose airline miles can be converted into HHonors points:

• Amtrak: 5,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards Points for 10,000 HHonors Points.
• Flying Blue: Exchange Flying Blue miles directly for hotels within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands.
• Hawaiian Airlines: 10,000 HawaiianMiles for 15,000 HHonors Points or 20,000 HawaiianMiles for 30,000 HHonors Points.
• Icelandair: Exchange Saga Club points directly for hotels within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands.
• LifeMiles – Avianca: Exchange LifeMiles directly for hotels within the Hilton HHonors portfolio of brands
• Miles & More Lufthansa: Exchange Miles & More miles directly for hotels within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands.
• Multiplus: 5, 000 Multiplus Points for 6,250 HHonors Points.
• OK Cashbag: 37,500 OK Cashbag points for 5,000 HHonors points.
• Olympic Air: 5,000 Travelair Club miles for 10,000 HHonors Points.
• Srilankan Airlines: 20,000 FlySmiLes miles for 10,000 HHonors points.
• Virgin Atlantic Airways: 10,000 Flying Club miles for 15,000 HHonors Points*. Minimum: 10,000 miles.

What is Hilton HHonors event planner?

The Hilton HHonors® Event Planner Bonus Program allows members to plan meetings, conferences, weddings, family reunions, and other special occasions at Hilton hotels in the U.S. and Canada. Members who hold qualifying events at participating hotels can earn 1 HHonors Bonus Point or 1 airline mile per US$1 spent, with a maximum of 100,000 points and 100,000 miles. Some hotels have specific criteria, such as a spending requirement or a minimum attendees requirement. Book a venue today.

Earn Hilton HHonors points from rewards partners

You can earn even more points through purchases and services made through Hilton’s many rewards partners.

Transportation Partners: AirChina, AAdvantage, Alamo, Amtrak, Avis, British Airways, Car Club, CruisesOnly, Delta, Sixt, United, and more.

Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment: American Cellars Wine Club, Best Buy, Bloomingdales, Magazine Awards, Nike’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and more.

Buy, Give, and Receive Points: If you or someone you know is just shy of the points requirements to redeem a free night, then you can purchase or receive the points to meet the requirement. Maybe you want to combine points with your spouse or close friends in order to plan your free hotel stays.

Exchange Points with credit card partners: You can also turn points and miles from other rewards programs into more HHonors Points. For example, you can transfer 1,000 Citi Thank You points or 1,000 Amex membership rewards for 1,500 HHonors Bonus Points.

The Fine Print

When earning Hilton HHonors points, you need to keep the following things in mind:

• In order to earn bonus points, you need to select your earning style option to: points+points in your HHonors profile. If you don’t, you will only earn the base points not the bonus points.
• Only the base points you earn will qualify for your elite status.
• A Member may earn Base Points for up to two rooms per stay, if all eligible charges for both rooms are paid on one folio.
• Eligible folio charges include room rate, food and beverage, telephone, laundry, pay-per-view movies, entertainment and recreational facilities, and other incidental charges charged to the Member’s room during the Member’s stay. Dining room or other charges not billed to a Member’s room during a stay are not eligible for credit.
• Your points will expire if there is no activities in your account for 12 consecutive month.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact Hilton HHonors Customer Support.

The post Earn HHonors Points Faster with the Hilton HHonors Loyalty Program appeared first on CardBenefit.

Marriott offers rewards points for each time you stay at one of its many hotels or resorts; these points can be redeemed for free hotel nights, hotel upgrades, airline miles and spent on other things such as transportation, travel packages, and shopping vouchers. Learn about the different ways you can redeem rewards, and how to maximize your Marriott Rewards points value.

What can I redeem with my Marriott Reward points?

Understanding the point system and the different rewards available is the first step to getting the most out of your Reward points. From hotel rooms to rental cars, spa packages to cruises, there’s quite a handful of reward options, for points accumulated from simply staying at a Marriott hotel, no extra costs.

Hotels

• Convert Points to Free Nights.
• PointSavers: In a handful of locations across the globe, you can redeem rooms using less Reward points. PointSaver locations change over time.
• Room Upgrades.
• Instant Redemption: You can redeem your points for cash value at participating Marriott hotels for cocktails, meals, spa experiences – anything that can be charged to your hotel room. You can visit the link to calculate your reward. For example, if you redeem 2,500 points, a $5 value will be deducted from your bill.

Airline Miles

• Convert your rewards points into airline miles.

Shopping

• Shop Popūlr Rewards: Marriott’s online mall; ships to U.S. and 200+ countries. Start shopping by logging in with your Rewards account.
• International Retail: Use points for shopping vouchers in Japan and China. Order online before use.

Travel & Unwind

• Marriott Rewards Air + Car: Points can be used and deducted from the cost of rental cars and plane tickets. There are no blackout dates with Air + Car Rewards. Airline tickets can only be cancelled in limited circumstances, there is a cancellation fee of $35 for a car rental,  and redeemed tickets or rentals cannot be transferred to someone else.
• Cruises: When you redeem Marriott Rewards points, there is no limit to how many points you redeem towards the cruise. You also earn 3 points for every dollar spent.
• Travel Packages: Exchange your points for a week of hotel accommodations with airline miles included. Point conversion is available online.

Buy, Transfer and Gift Points

• Buy, Gift, or Transfer Points: Not enough points? You can purchase up to 50,000 points a year for yourself or to gift to someone. You can also transfer points to another Rewards account.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact Marriott customer service.

The post Overview of How to Redeem Marriott Rewards Points appeared first on CardBenefit.

The Courtyard Milpitas Silicon Valley is a Category 3 hotel with a standard room rate starting $279/night. It takes 15,000 points to redeem, so each point is worth:

$279/15,000 = 0.0186, or 1.86 cents per point

Here is another example. TownePlace Suites Milpitas Silicon Valley is within the same neighborhood, and is a Category 4 hotel with a standard room rate starting at $299/night. It takes 20,000 points to redeem, so each point is worth:

$299/20,000 = 0.01495, or 1.5 cents per point

We can see that from these specific examples, when the category increased, the value of each point decreased. The per point value is higher for the category 3 hotel rather than the category 4 suite, in this particular comparison.

This is another Courtyard hotel, but category 5. The standard room rate starts at $289/night and takes 25,000 points to redeem, so each point is worth:

$289/25,000 = 0.01156, or 1.156 cents per point

Now let’s compare this category 5 Courtyard with the first category 3 Courtyard hotel. The point value went from 1.86 to 1.156, or decreased about 38% when the category went up 2 levels; these hotels are also within the same city, a few miles from each other.

When you redeem 4 nights with Marriott Rewards points, you get a 5th night free. So, the number of nights you redeem can change the point value as well. Let’s look at the details of our first hotel example:

• The Courtyard Milpitas Silicon Valley is a Category 3 hotel with a standard room rate starting $279/night. It takes 15,000 points to redeem, so each point is worth:$279/15,000 = 0.0186, or 1.86 cents per point
• If we stay 4 nights and get the 5th night free, the return value is ($279 x 5 nights)/(15,000 * 4 nights) = 0.02325, or 2.325 cents per point
• With the free night, the point value increases by 25%

Calculating reward earn rates cannot account for all factors that go into making a hotel decision, but browsing around and comparing will definitely help you spot the better redemption options. As a general rule, a rewards earn rate above 1 cent is considered pretty good.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact Marriott Rewards customer support.

The post How Do I Maximize My Marriott Rewards Points Value appeared first on CardBenefit.

IHG Rewards Club membership levels

The membership levels of the IHG Rewards Club program are divided and based on paid nights per calendar year: Club member, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, and Spire Elite.  Here are some of the benefits of being a Rewards member.

Club Member

Qualification: This is the status you earn by signing up for free. Becoming a member enables you to earn and redeem points at over 4,900 IHG hotels worldwide. Join IHG Rewards Club today.

Benefits: Club members get access to free internet as well as the daily weekday paper. Points can be redeemed for over 4,900 IHG hotels and over 400 airlines worldwide, with no blackout dates for Reward Nights.

Gold Elite

Qualification: Staying at least 15 nights, earning 20,000 Elite qualifying points or staying 10 nights in 3 different IHG hotel brands within one year will earn you Gold Elite status.

Benefits: As a Gold Elite, you will receive all the aforementioned benefits of a Club member, as well as priority check-in on guaranteed reservations, an exclusive Gold customer service phone number, and a 10% bonus on base points.

Platinum Elite

Qualification: Staying at least 50 Elite qualifying nights, earning 60,000 Elite qualifying points, or staying 40 Elite qualifying nights at 4 IHG hotel brands in a calendar year will earn you Platinum Elite status.

Benefits: As a Platinum Elite, you will receive all the aforementioned benefits of a Gold Elite. You also have the ability to rollover your extra nights towards next year’s qualification, priority check-in on guaranteed reservations, complimentary room upgrades, guaranteed room availability, access to exclusive Platinum Elite Phone Number, and a 50% bonus on all base points.

Spire Elite

Qualification: Staying at least 75 Elite qualifying nights or earning 75,000 Elite qualifying points.

Benefits: This is the newest top membership level that IHG has unveiled, and its perks include 100% bonus points on stays, rollover nights, room upgrades, and an exclusive Choice Benefit of receiving either 25,000 points or upgrading a friend/family member to Platinum status.

IHG®Rewards Club Reward Nights consumed by members will be counted as Qualifying Nights towards Elite membership qualifications.

Platinum elite status with IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card

There is no fast way to Spire Elite via hotel stays. One shortcut would be to apply for the IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card, which is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 60,000 Elite qualifying points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months; this comes with automatic Platinum elite status (which has requirements 40 nights/40,000 points each year). The first year has no annual fee; thereafter the annual fee is $49, but you also receive an annual free night to use at any IHG hotel worldwide, which cancels out the fee.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact IHG Customer Care

The post IHG Membership Levels – How to Achieve Elite Status Faster appeared first on CardBenefit.

In addition to  redeem rewards points for hotel stays, room upgrades and airline miles, here are ways in which you can redeem your Marriott Reward points for gift cards, travel packages and merchandise.

Redeem for gift cards

When redeeming your Marriott rewards points for gift cards, you can redeem 30,000 points for a $100 gift card, or 17,000 points for a $50 gift card, or $10,000 for a $25 gift card.  Obviously, this is not a good way to redeem your points as each point only worth 0.0025 – 0.003 cents. Click here to see the participating brands and how you can redeem.

Redeem for travel expense and transportation

• Marriott Rewards Air + Car: Points can be used and deducted from the cost of rental cars and plane tickets. There are no blackout dates with Marriott Rewards Air + Car. Airline tickets can only be cancelled in limited circumstances, there is a cancellation fee of $35 for a car rental,  and redeemed tickets or rentals cannot be transferred to someone else.
• Cruises: When you redeem Marriott Rewards points, there is no limit to how many points you redeem towards the cruise. You also earn 3 points for every dollar spent.
• Travel Packages: Exchange your points for a week of hotel accommodations with airline miles included. Point conversion is available online.

Shopping and Dining Rewards

• Shop Popūlr Rewards: Marriott’s online mall; ships to U.S. and 200+ countries. Start shopping by logging in with your Rewards account.
• International Retail: Use points for shopping vouchers in Japan and China.For example, you can redeem 10,000 Marriott rewards points for 20,000 Ctrip points, or redeem 20,000 for ¥5000 Japanese Common Voucher. Order online before use.
• Instant Redemption: You can redeem your points for cash value at participating Marriott hotels for cocktails, meals, spa experiences – anything that can be charged to your hotel room. You can visit the link to calculate your reward. For example, if you redeem 2,500 points, a $5 value will be deducted from your bill.

Have any further questions or comments? Contact Marriott Rewards customer support.

The post Redeem Marriott Rewards Points for Gift Cards, Travel Expenses and Shopping appeared first on CardBenefit.