Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash reward nights are MIA. And I am not saying “lost in Miami Airportâ€. Points Plus Cash reward nights are missing in action from hotels worldwide.
Checking properties on different continents around the world shows there are no Points Plus Cash awards for any of dozen or so hotels among 6,000+ Choice Hotels worldwide I searched on Choice Hotels website room rate searches.
My most recent bookings for summer travel with Choice Privileges were made two weeks ago. I booked three reservations using Points Plus Cash reward nights in Europe. Today I do not see any Points Plus Cash reward nights offered at any Choice Hotel worldwide.
Hopefully this is just a temporary computer glitch.
The value of Points Plus Cash is the need for only 6,000 points per reward night and the opportunity to buy remaining points needed for a stay using points at the rate of $7.50 per 1,000 points.
A hotel that is 16,000 points per reward night can be booked for 6,000 points + $75 with Points Plus Cash. The $75 cash portion buys 10,000 points needed for the reward night.
This means a hotel reward night at 16,000 points for Clarion Collection Carmel-by-the-sea is potentially only 6,000 points + $75 per night rather than 16,000 points. A member normally has a choice to pay 16,000 points for one standard reward night at this hotel or book two Points Plus Cash reward nights for 12,000 points + $150.
Clarion Carmel is $170 + tax = $192.61 or 16,000 points standard reward night on July 4, 2017. This hotel would be 6,000 points + $75 if Points Plus Cash reward night offered.
Value of Choice Privileges points $192/16 = $12.00 per 1,000 points when booking Standard Reward night.
Value of Choice Privileges points with Points Plus Cash reward night would be 192 – 75 = $117.
$117/6,000 points = $19.50 per 1,000 points redemption value.
Points Plus Cash Reward Night would increase the redemption value of Choice Privileges points by more than 50% for this reward night in Carmel, California on July 4.
In practice, any hotel that had Choice Privileges Standard Reward Night availability also offered Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash reward night availability.
Choice Privileges reward nights generally offer the choice of Standard Reward or Points Plus Cash Reward. This image is from my stay at Clarion Hotel Sign Stockholm in March 2017.
Choice Privileges has been my most used hotel loyalty program over the past two years with 20 or more nights with nearly all nights at Choice Hotels and Nordic Choice Hotels booked using Points Plus Cash Reward Nights.
I think it unlikely the Points Plus Cash program has been discontinued after rolling it out to Preferred Hotels & Resorts and BlueGreen Vacation properties over the past two years.
But it appears there is no Points Plus Cash availability for any Choice Hotels worldwide today or for the past week.
This change will result in a major shift for my travel bookings for the remainder of 2017 if Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash Reward Nights are discontinued.
Fortunately I have my Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash summer 2017 travel bookings all in place. Fingers crossed this is only a temporary glitch.
Shout out to Charlie West for bringing Choice Privileges lack of Points Plus Cash availability issue to my attention.
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