U.S. Travel Association and American Express sponsored Daily Getaways today offers 10,000 Best Western Rewards points for $67 or $60.30 with American Express. Maximum purchase limit is 5 sets of points for 50,000 points at $301.50 (Amex price).
Presale at 12 noon eastern (Access Code = 03C70) and main sale at 1:00pm eastern.
- 835 sets of points available.
- 160 sets available during presale.
This is a discount on the normal purchase rate of $100 per 10,000 Best Western Rewards points.
Loyalty Traveler Analysis
Bottom line is I don’t find these Best Western Rewards points to be a compelling offer. These points might be used for US Airways Grand Slam hits if that offer comes around again in 2012.
In general the exchange rate for Best Western points to frequent flyer miles is 5 points to 1 miles meaning $60 in points will give you 2,000 airline miles. That is not a particularly attractive value.
Points for Hotel Rewards
Best Western hotel reward nights start at 8,000 points, but I have never been in a place where I needed a Best Western hotel stay and the reward rate was 8,000 or 12,000 points. I find nearly all the hotels I consider are in the 16,000 to 20,000 points range in places near National Parks and such where there are few other lodging options aside from Wyndham and Choice.
My basic analysis is a 20,000 points hotel for $120.60 might be a savings, but probably not a big savings on the published rate.
Friday, July 15, 2012 reward night.
The AAA rate including tax for this night at a Yosemite region Best Western is $184.30.
Buying 30,000 points from the Daily Getaways sale will cost $180.90 with an American Express payment.
There might be some deals for Europe in places like Paris and there might be some deals in rural places where there are $100 per night rooms and 8,000 or 12,000 points reward nights. My experience traveling around the western states is most of the Best Western hotels in places where I find myself are typically 16,000 to 20,000 points. Buying points might be a savings or perhaps not.
Personally I like to have points for one night in most of my hotel loyalty accounts so I have options when I find myself needing a hotel reward night.
I will try for 20,000 points. I know I will be somewhere this summer where these points will save more than the $121 to buy them today. There are over 4,000 Best Western hotels and they are one of the main hotel lodging choices for rural travel in the U.S.
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