IHG 100% promotion - Is it Worth It?

IHG's 100% matching bonus promotion ends June 15th. So you might want to take a look and see if it makes sense for you to buy some points. 
I'm not usually a fan of buying points or miles, but if you need to top off an account, better to do it when there's a promotion going on. 

IHG 100% promotion - Is it Worth It?

IHG includes 14 different brands like Kimpton, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. Only Staybridge Suites, Avid, and Holiday Inn Express offer FREE breakfast. Reward nights start at just 10,000 points. You can also use the cash + points option to stretch your points even further and if you have an IHG credit card, your 4th night is FREE. Since IHG introduced dynamic pricing, the actual 4th night in your reservation is the FREEbie instead of the system using an average. So if you are flexible on your dates, you can get the most expensive night FREE. 

Me in front of Buckingham Palace

I checked hotels in London to get an idea of what you could buy with IHG points. Hotels ranged from 25,000-70,000 points per night with lots of options. If you paid cash, the hotels ranged from $75 - $250 per night. National Travel Blogger Gototravelgal.com says she buys the max IHG points on this promotion each year.

With the 100% promotion, you can buy as few as 3,000 points and as many as 250,000 points and get 100% matching bonus. 3,000 points cost $40.50 so each point costs just .007. 250,000 points cost $2,500 making each point cost  just .005.

So is the 100% promotion worth it? As with most buy points options, if you are starting at zero, then it's probably not worth it. But if you have some points and want to top off for a reward then it makes sense. The other way to use the points is to extend the expiration deadline. IHG points expire after 12 months of inactivity.

Another way to use the IHG points is to transfer them to more than two dozen different partner airlines. The points transfer 10,000 IHG points for 2,000 airline miles.
So if you were to purchase 250,000 IHG points for $2,500, you would get 500,000 points that would transfer into 100,000 airline miles. The question is can you squeeze more than $2,500 value out of 100,000 airline miles. The answer is probably yes if you leaned on Turkish Airlines and Avianca. But I would plan this one out very carefully before jumping.
The promotion ends on June 15th, 2020 so you have some time to firm up plans.

Why I'm Hanging Onto My Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

One of our best family trips ever was almost a month in Thailand. This trip really launched us into the world of points and miles. One of the credit cards that was on my bucket list was the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This card carries a hefty $550 fee, but here's why I thought it was worth it and now why it's an even better deal. 

The Chase Sapphire Reserve falls under the 5/24 rule which means you can only be approved for 5 Chase credit cards in 24 months. It earns Chase Ultimate Reward points which are super flexible since you can use them in the Chase Travel Portal or transfer them to dozens of airlines, Marriott, IHG and Hyatt. 

Why I'm Hanging Onto My Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card 

This card comes with

• a 50,000 point bonus (with a $4,000 min spend in the first three months) which is valued at $750 
• a $300 travel credit 
• Doordash membership with a $120 credit ($60 in 2020 and $60 in 2021)
• 10x points on Lyft rides 
• Priority Pass Lounge membership. 

After all the benefits, the annual fee is really less than a hundred dollars. Pretty sweet. And if you already have the card and it is coming up for renewal between April 1 and July 1, Chase gave you a $100 credit to offset the new increased annual fee. 

Now Chase announced that the $300 travel credit will be a $300 grocery and gas credit. It will automatically post to your account as you make purchases. Chase also announced that through September, if you want to trade in your points for cash, you will recieve 1.5 times just like if you used them in the travel portal instead of 1:1. 

For the Chase Sapphire Preferred, holders can cash in their points at 1.25:1 same as the value in the travel portal. The Preferred has only a $95 annual fee, but way less perks. 

So if you are looking for a long term card with tons of flexibility, don't get scared off by the hefty annual fee. 

Earn A FREE Night Twice As Fast At Hotels.com

Sometimes, your hotel points do not offer the best value when you travel. Either the properties are in the wrong location or don't offer complimentary breakfast or don't have rooms available. When that happens, my next best option is to turn to hotels.com.  This 3rd partner booking site offers a variety of hotels, bed and breakfasts and more at competitive prices. Most of the reservations can be canceled without penalty right up until your arrival too. The only catch is that you will NOT earn hotel points on your reservation. But hotels.com has its own loyalty program. Usually, it's a buy 10 nights, get 1 FREE. The FREE night is a credit for the average price of the 10 paid nights. But right now, in order to stimulate bookings, Hotels.com is running a new deal that will earn you a rewards night twice as fast. All you have to do is make a reservation by May 31st for a stay between June 1, 2020 - Aug. 31, 2021 and you’ll earn two stamps for each night stayed instead of the typical one stamp per night. And you can collect unlimited stamps. So you will earn a FREE night for every 5 stays. Pretty sweet! There are no blackout dates either.

The National Parks Are Slowly Reopening So What Does That Mean

I was reading the latest on the virus this morning and the trend seems to be going towards spending time outdoors. As the stay at home orders are being lifted, the National Parks might be your best bet for travel and staying healthy. 

As if on cue, the National Parks announced this week that they will be reopening on a limited basis. Acting National Park Service Director David Vela says that visitors should anticipate a different normal as many parks will reopen in phases with social distancing guidelines. 

The National Parks Are Slowly Reopening So What Does That Mean

Grand Teton National Park 

You can check the status of individual parks on this website.   Last summer, we visited Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, and the Grand Tetons. 

For the most part, restrooms, trails, boardwalks, and gas stations will be open. But the parks will be opening in phases so not to overwhelm neighboring towns. Check with local hotels and home rentals to see if they are taking reservations. 
Camping may be a great alternative. Campgrounds are opening on a limited basis. You can search availability and make a reservation at Reservation.gov
For food and dining, grocery stores should be open and some restaurants will be offering takeout. 

Like Marriott? Check Out The New Discount Offers

There are a few great promotions starting this week if you are looking to get a deal on Marriott Bonvoy points. Marriott Bonvoy points are flexible since not only can you use them at least a dozen hotel brands like Marriott, Sheraton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, and Fairfield Suites. Residence Inn, Springhill Suites and Fairfield Suites offer FREE breakfast and rooms big enough to accommodate a family of 5.

You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to nearly 40 different airlines like American, United, Singapore Airlines, and Aer Lingus. Marriott Bonvoy will also sweeten the deal by giving you a 5,000-mile bonus when you transfer 60,000 points. Nice!

Three Marriott Bonvoy promotions starting this week

Starting May 11th, Marriott announced a 20% bonus on purchased gift cards. So if you buy a $100 gift card, it will only cost you $80. This promotion will end on May 17th. You can buy up to $5,000 per day. Gift cards can be used for hotel reservations, spa treatments, dining, and more. But keep in mind, some Marriott brands do not accept gift cards.

Starting May 18th and through June 20th, Marriott will offer 60% bonus on purchased points. This is the best ever deal on Marriott points. The last biggest bonus was 50%. This might be a great way to rack up some points for future travel. Right now, there are no expiration dates on Marriott points, but keep in mind that usually, the points expire after 24 months. In order to take advantage of this promotion, your account needs to have been open for at least 30 days.

On May 18th and 19th, Marriott will offer 10% discount on Homes and Villas by Marriott. This program has not gotten a lot of attention mostly because it doesn't usually offer the best value. But just like Airbnb and Vrbo, it might be a good alternative moving forward to hotels.

When you buy gift cards, points or make a reservation on a home rental, be sure to use your Marriott Bonvoy credit card so you earn more points on your purchase. If you don't have a Marriott credit card yet, please use my referral link to support this blog.   You will get a bonus when you reach the minimum spend and I'll get a referral bonus. Win-win.

Wyndham Offers 40% Bonus on Points Purchase

Through May 11, Wyndham Rewards is offering a 40% promotion when you buy points. Wyndham is one of my favorite hotel loyalty programs. Most of their hotels offer FREE breakfast which is key for me as a family of five. 

The other reason I love Wyndham is that they have great properties in Europe with their partnership with Ramada. A few years ago, we stayed at the Ramada City Centre in Prague. The hotel featured a huge breakfast and our two rooms cost just 15,000 points per night each. 

Wyndham also has a fantastic property in New York City called the New Yorker which used to cost just 15,000 points per night but has increased to 30,000 points per night.

The other reason I like Wyndham is their simple three-tier point system:

7,500, 15,000, 30.000 points per night. The brand includes some all-inclusive properties as well so you can really get some value out of the points. 

Now Wyndham is offering 40% bonus if you buy points. I don't recommend doing this if you are just starting out with Wyndham, but if you need to top off an account, it may be worth it. I topped off my account by paying just $13 for 1,400 points which gives me enough points for another FREE night. This promotion ends May 11th. 

I'll be ready when we are able to travel again! 

Did you Get This Email From Southwest Airlines? Congrats!

If you already have a Southwest Airlines companion pass, you probably got a pretty exciting email in your inbox recently. The Southwest companion pass is one of the best perks in travel. It is a buy one get one FREE plane ticket on Southwest Airlines good for two years. To earn the pass, you need to earn 125,000 points in a single calendar year. You can check out the best ways to earn the pass here. 

Due to Covid-19, Southwest Airlines extended all current companion passes from December 2020 to June 2021. Woohoo!  In addition, Southwest Airlines also gave every member 25,000 companion pass qualifying so right now, you only need 100,000 points to earn it. Again, you don't need to fly to earn points. 

The good news is that you will get the value out of your companion pass once we fly again.