Calling all Reward Program Experts

[Lisa3]

Currently the only Reward Programs I subscribe to are My Points (seems to take forever to accumulate points if you don't buy) and Hilton Honors. First, let me say that the only way I accumulate points is by using Hilton Honors Visa since we do not travel very often. I am currently looking at staying at the Renaissance Hotel by Sea World and am wondering about joining the Marriot Reward Program (if you sign up for their credit card you get 15,000 points). DH could use their business card for his business.

Currently, we charge everything to DV but with a 1% return I am wondering if we should use the Marriot card to earn enough points for a two night stay (their return is dollar for dollar). Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these point programs?

 

[Jamieb]

It really comes down to the value of the reward you are getting.

For example, you get 1 point for every dollar spent, and it takes 15,000 points for a free room night. Can you get that room for $150 or less? Using the DV you would be getting 150 points on $15K in purchases more or less.

Next you have to figure out anuual fees, if there are any for the specific credit card you are looking at getting. If your getting a bonus for signing up and there is an annual fee on the card, are you still going to save money. Will those 15,000 points get you a room for a night? Then subtract the annual fee and see how much more it is going to cost for the room over booking it directly.

You really just need to figure out the value of each point towards what your getting. Some people become obsessed with earning points that they don't look and see that the room may be cheaper to book direct.

I have been using my Disney Visa lately and usually charge $1000-$1500 a month on it but I pay it off each month. If you carry a balance on it, the interest rate will usually negate the rewards in the long run.

Sometimes you get good sign up deals. When I signed up for the United Mileage Visa I got a free companion voucher with it. It had a $60 annual fee but the voucher was worth that to me as a friend and I used it, the $300 plane ticket to Florida only costed us $150 each so it did save us money. I then converted it to the Disney Visa last fall when the annual fee was about to come due and I have used that one ever since for most of my charges.

I also received a flyer in the mail that has 2% earning on my DV through June 30th on combined monthly charges over $150 while still earning the 1% up to $150.

 

[Lisa3]

Very good points. You are right in that you would have to earn 20,000 points (charge $20,000) in order to get a free night at the Renaissance Hotel. The same $20,000 would earn you $200 on the DV. I know I could get the room for less than that. I don't know why I didn't see this before (that's why they have these boards).

When did you get the flyer about the 2% on DV? I just received my statement for the month and there was no mention of it.

 

[Jamieb]

I received a seperate flyer from Bank One around the 20th of March saying all charges between 3/15/04 and 6/30/04 would be at 2% on total charges over $150 each month.

I am not sure if it applies to all cardholders or not, it just came in the mail and since I have been using it for almost all my charges since October I hope to have enough points for all our food spending at the parks when we are there in July.

You don't get the extra points right away though. The flyer said it takes 8-10 weeks after the billing cycle to get the extra points.

 

[jgates]

I did Marriott for awhile. I still continually get offers to sign up again. Very tempting if they would give me the bonus points for a 2nd time. If I remember right though, I dropped them because the fee was $35 per year. They did offer it w/no fee for 1/2 point per $. No way. Not worth it.

I currently use the Chase iCard which gives me webbies at 1%. Every $1000 spent has a $10 webbie sent automatically for me in my email. (If I spend $2200 I get a $22 webbie - you get the idea). I still have the plastic card from when I had FreeRide and got it a few years ago so I just deposit onto that. I use that for extras, film developing ,etc.