Choice Privileges buy points 40% bonus offer is quicker than my method

Last Monday I felt in desperate need to acquire 20,000 Choice Privileges points and I did not want to rely on the luck of the draw to win the prize at MommyPoints. Besides, I already have Choice Privileges Platinum elite status.

As soon as I booked my two hotel stays to kickstart my Choice Privileges points balance last week, the Choice Privileges buy points with 40% bonus offer came around last Thursday.

Choice Privileges purchase price = $7.87 per 1,000 points

40% bonus points means you can actually buy up to 70,000 points for $550 with this rate offer. That reduces the purchase price to $7.86 per 1,000 points. This is a discount on the normal $11 per 1,000 points rate and a limited time offer to buy more than 50,000 points in a calendar year through normal Choice Privileges channels.

Choice Privileges Points the Hard Way

I went to my Plan B last Monday since I needed a hotel night in Stockholm next month and prices looked pretty outrageous when I checked recently.

My alternate plan was hatched before Choice Privileges points went on sale. I booked two one night hotel stays last week at Monterey Rodeway Inn $39 and Monterey EconoLodge $36 on Fremont Street in the lower rent part of town by the Monterey Fairgrounds, site of the legendary â€˜67 Monterey Pop Festival that introduced Hendrix to the USA again.

I paid $87 all-in after tax for the two hotel stays, including a $2.20 mandatory â€˜room safe feeâ€™ at the Econolodge. I earned two elite credit nights on my 2016 quest to again reach 20 elite nights for Choice Privileges Platinum elite renewal.

Loyalty Traveler – How two $36 EconoLodge nights get me to 20,000 Choice Privileges points (March 7, 2016).

Also, I picked up 8,000 points for two stays in the current Choice Privileges promotion.

Loyalty Traveler – Choice Privileges Stay Twice Earn 8,000 points Mar 3 to May 5, 2016 (March 3, 2016).

Choice Privileges Your Extras

Choice Privileges Your Extras is a newly introduced feature for a choice of bonus points or another welcome benefit on stays including a Sunday to Thursday night.

Link: Choice Privileges Your Extras.

There is a Your Extras Earning Preference link in your member account.

I registered for 500 bonus points per stay.

That was another 1,000 points in Choice Privileges on top of the 8,000 points for two stays.

From 235 Points to 33,600 points in 7 Days

Last Monday on March 7, I had 235 Choice Privileges points in my account.

Yesterday on Sunday, March 13, I had 9,600 points in my account after my two hotels stays in Monterey for $87 all-in posted bonus points.

235 points 3/7/16 Monday starting balance

9,600 points 3/13/16 Sunday balance

8,000 points (2 stays bonus)
1,000 points (Your Extras 2 stays x 500 bonus points)
365 points (about 170 more points than I expected?)

I checked out hotel rewards in Stockholm. There was a really high-priced reward night at Quality Hotel Friends in Solna Stockholm.

Sure seems like it would be a special place with a reward night price of 30,000 points when most hotels in Stockholm are 16,000 points and the upper upscale and luxury boutique Ascend Collection Hotels are 20,000 points.

My 6,000 Choice Privileges points allowed me to buy a Points Plus Cash reward night at Quality Hotel Friends for $180. The $180 cash portion purchased 24,000 Choice Privileges points for the 30,000 points reward night.

Wrong Nordic Choice?

Upon further exploration I learned that I severely overpaid for my hotel reward night at Quality Hotel Friends.

Quality Hotel Friends hotel rate is only $107 per night for the same night I booked the Points Plus Cash reward stay.

That is a surprisingly low price for a Stockholm hotel. Good thing I had not booked a nonrefundable reservation. I cancelled my Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash reservation since I certainly did not want to overpay.

I got back the 6,000 points I redeemed for the Quality Hotel Friends reward night, but the $180 cash I paid for 24,000 Choice Privileges points was nonrefundable. Basically I paid $180 for 24,000 Choice Privileges points that went back into my account.