This Best Western Rewards points analysis looks at the range of Best Western Rewards points redemption values for 20 different hotels (10 USA, 10 world-wide). The surprising conclusion for me is the relatively small redemption value range from $5.83 to $8.12 points redemption value for 20 different hotels indicates the chances of finding a standard hotel reward night where 10,000 Best Western Rewards points have a $100 redemption value is low. Hopefully, Best Western Rewards repeats a discount reward stay promotion it has offered several times since 2017. This is likely the best opportunity to get significantly higher redemption value from BWR points in 2023/2024.
Best Western Rewards offered 835 sets of 10,000 points for sale on June 23, 2023 through Daily Getaways at $55 each. This is a 45% discount on the regular price of $10 per 1,000 points, yet these 835 sets of points have still not sold out five days after the sale. I purchased 50,000 BWR points from this offer for $275.
The potential for finding Best Western hotels with a reward night redemption value of $7.50 per 1,000 points means there are hotels where buying 10,000 BWR points for $55 will provide $75.00 savings on a hotel rate. Booking $375.00 in hotel rates with a $275 BWR points investment through the Daily Getaways sale is a decent deal.
The highest redemption value I found in recent years on Best Western stays was in 2018 during promotion offers when hotels in North America were available for 10,000 points per night in Key West, Florida and Anaheim, California, across the street from Disneyland Park. These stays had points redemption values over $20 per 1,000 points.
Another opportunity may repeat in 2023 for a Best Western Rewards promotion offering discount redemption rates in the last months of 2023 and/or early 2024 months. There was a variation on this promotion for reward nights from Dec 6, 2021 – Feb 6, 2022, when hotels with standard reward rates up to 24,000 points were only 10,000 points per night. It was easy to find hotels offering $150 redemption value for a 10,000 points reward night.
Best Western points up to 58% more value for stays to 6 Feb 2022 – Loyalty Traveler.
- 10,000 points per night for standard reward night rates at 12,000 to 24, 000 points.
- 20,000 points per night for standard reward rates up to 40,000 points.
- 40,000 points per night for standard reward rates up to 70,000 points.
There was a much higher potential redemption value in BWR five years ago. One of the changes in the past five years that devalued Best Western Rewards is a major shift of hotels from 5,000 to 16,000 points per night upwards to 16,000 to 28,000 points. Some hotels now price at 56,000 to 70,000 points per reward night when the upper limit was 36,000 points in 2018. Given there are few hotels where hotel reward night rates offer more than $8.00 per 1,000 points redemption value savings, and the limited opportunity to buy points for less than $8.00 per 1,000 points, there are limited opportunities for significant rate savings available with Best Western purchased points. Plus, there are usually relatively small quantities of Best Western points available for purchase in the calendar year. 50,000 points can only buy 2 or 3 reward nights in most locations.
Another change that reduced the potential value of Best Western Rewards points is the standard rate shown for a hotel reward night is now a base level. A Best Western hotel showing 16,000 points for a reward night may have their lowest-priced room at 18,000 points for the specific dates you check. Best Western Rewards points rates generally increase for higher category rooms using points. Two queen beds are sometimes priced at a higher points rate than one king bed, or vice-versa.
In the not-too-distant past, Best Western Rewards offered several different room category types at many hotels for fixed standard reward rates. Finding hotels that offered high-category rooms, including suites in some places, meant there were good value reward night deals to be found in a large variety of places and seasons around the globe. In 2023, there are only a few hotels I have found still offering junior suites and suites with points reward nights.
June 2023 Best Western Rewards points redemption value
In 2018 I redeemed 170,000 Best Western Rewards points for $2,820 in room rates for 13 nights at Best Western hotels in Anaheim, Key West, Krakow, Poland and Rome, Italy. I achieved points redemption rates over $8.00 per 1,000 points on every stay and topped $20 per 1,000 points redemption value on 9 of 13 nights at Best Western Hotels.
Best Western Rewards points redemption value June 2023 conclusion
I don’t expect to save a great deal of money with the 50,000 Best Western Rewards points I purchased for $275. I now have 125,000 points total and that provides some booking opportunities for Best Western Hotels in cities and rural locations where there are no other chain hotel options for me using points. I am confident I will find Best Western reward nights for 50,000 points worth at least $375 for at least a $100 return on my $275 Best Western Rewards investment with the 2023 Daily Getaways discount rate points sale.
