How I booked 3 nights at the Dolphin for $60/night

[duffy]

Plus $35.

First, I joined Starwood. I applied for their American Express card, and was approved. Once I got the card, I had 10,000 points. Then, I started using the card for almost all the purchases I would normally make: gasoline, groceries, etc. I made the card my default card for online purchases. Slowly, slowly, I accumulated points. Each dollar charged earned me a point.

I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, paid off the balance as soon as I could. I hate owing money!! Almost every day, I would check my bank balance, and pay my AMEX bill asap. Once a month, the points would be added to my balance.

This went on for a few months. I kinda zoned out on booking a room at either the Swan or the Dolphin--I figured I had months before I needed to book, since we're not going until Feb. I had planned a split stay: check in Feb. 1 at the Wilderness Lodge, then check out on the 5th and switch to the Swan/Dolphin for Feb. 5th-9th.

A few days ago, I suddenly thought, hmm, is it too early still to book? Went to spg.com, tried my chosen nights at the Swan...no rooms available??? Panicked slightly, I tried the Dolphin...nothing? Oh, no!!! I played with the dates, and tried 2/6-2/9, and the Dolphin had openings!! Yay! I hurriedly called Disney, added a night to my Wilderness Lodge booking, so we're booked there for 2/1-2/6, instead of 2/1-2/5.

Back to the spg.com site!! Plugged in my dates of 2/6-2/9. Got these options: pay the best rate of $259/night, not so good. Use starpoints for the entire stay, which would be 40,000 points. I only have 11,500-odd points. No good. Or, pay with cash and points: 4,000 per night, and $60 per night. My ears perked up at that! I'm very close to 12,000 points!! And...only $180 for 3 nights??? Are they serious??

Yes. They are.

But, I needed just over 500 points! My husband and I discussed paying bills like crazy in the next few days to try to get 500 points, or...I could just buy 1,000 points for $35. Which is where the extra $35 comes in.

First I called Starwood, just to verify the points would be credited immediately. A very nice woman helped me, she confirmed all that the site said. I bought the points, which can only be done online, and they immediately showed up on my account. The nice woman on the phone, Veronica, put a hold on the room for me, told me the points had to be in my acc't by 10/16 or the hold would be gone. In other words, I had to buy the 1,000 points for $35 before 10/16. (I did it immediately!!) And they were immediately credited to my acc't.

I got a confirmation email, and the best part is: when do I pay the $180 for my 3 nights? Not until check out!!

I only wish I'd realized all this sooner. I had no idea I could get a room so cheaply at the Swan/Dolphin.

 

[cherylp3]

Just a note not all dates are available for cash and points.

Cheryl

 

[Timmbco]

Great job on getting that rate. I love a deal!!

 

[duffy]

Just a note not all dates are available for cash and points.

Cheryl

That's correct. My first choice was the Swan, for the sink outside the bathroom, and having 2 queens instead of 2 doubles. There was no option for cash and points. I asked if I could get the king bed w/ a fold-out couch, and was told no. But hey, I'm ok w/ 2 doubles for $60 a night!

Timmbco- yup!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I'm sorry, but that sounds like toooo much trouble to me , but then again the things I have done to score a great rate might be toooo much for the next person . Have a great time

Suzanne

 

[duffy]

I'm sorry, but that sounds like toooo much trouble to me , but then again the things I have done to score a great rate might be toooo much for the next person . Have a great time

Suzanne

Thanks!

 

[decerbod]

Congratulations on being able to use Cash and Points within the SPG program. It is a shame it isn't always an option. Have a great stay. I have to say I think you should consider changing the title of this thread because it is misleading. Coming from a household that has earned over 100K Starpoints and quadruple that in miles we very much value every point we have. You might want to acknowledge that you didn’t just use the cash and that you used points in your thread title.

And here is a tip for everyone: Alll the time I wonder why creditworthy two adult WDW fan households don’t just open one personal and one business SPG AMEX account each. Right there you have enough points for 5 free nights at the Swolphin.
-Danielle

 

[duffy]

Congratulations on being able to use Cash and Points within the SPG program. It is a shame it isn't always an option. Have a great stay. I have to say I think you should consider changing the title of this thread because it is misleading. Coming from a household that has earned over 100K Starpoints and quadruple that in miles we very much value every point we have. You might want to acknowledge that you didn’t just use the cash and that you used points in your thread title.

And here is a tip for everyone: Alll the time I wonder why creditworthy two adult WDW fan households don’t just open one personal and one business SPG AMEX account each. Right there you have enough points for 5 free nights at the Swolphin.
-Danielle

I'm not going to change my title, because I DID book the Dolphin for $60 a night.

And my husband likes using his own Amex card to get his own rewards. He usually gets gift cards at local stores, and they're just as valuable to us as a night at the Dolphin or Swan. But that's a great idea for someone else to use!!

Believe me, I'd love to get more nights, but our dates so far won't allow it. The night of Feb. 5th was not available at all, at either the Swan or the Dolphin. If it becomes available later, I'll book it, and cancel one night's stay off my reservation at the Wilderness Lodge. Having enough points to book another night isn't all that big a deal if the room is not available, not with points, not with cash and points, or not even with nothing but cash!

 

[kimberh]

I love a deal! I have hundreds of thousands of Amex points and value every one of them. We fly on them. I will sure check the Swan or Dolphin out. I have not used this option.

 

[itchin2go]

Thank you for this information. I didn't know about this program. Sounds like a great idea!

 

[npmommie]

thanks for this info. I just signed up for the card

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Ok, I wanna talk about this some more...please!

First, I want to say congrats to Duffy! I can hear the excitement in your post. We just got back from our second stay at the Dolphin and just love it.

Second...I need some help with figuring stuff out, because I am an idiot when it comes to anything mathematical. My brain just freezes up. I need to understand how points translates into dollars...or does it? I mean, I am the type of person who likes to have only one credit card. My DH has one, that he rarely uses, but he just wants to have one other one for the family "just in case." Then, we both carry the Disney Rewards Visa from Chase. Like you, we use it for EVERYTHING! I mean, I would put my motgage, health insurance and DD's tuition on there if I could. We pay it off at the end of each month. We get $1 for every $100 spent.

Ok, in my longwinded post, what I am trying to ask is....is the AmEx points thingy a better deal than Disney rewards Visa? I am an SPG member and often get stuff in the mail for the AmEx you speak of, but I just toss them because all the talk of points makes my head spin.

Also, do the points ever expire?

Thanks for any info you may have!

 

[duffy]

Ok, I wanna talk about this some more...please!

First, I want to say congrats to Duffy! I can hear the excitement in your post. We just got back from our second stay at the Dolphin and just love it.

Second...I need some help with figuring stuff out, because I am an idiot when it comes to anything mathematical. My brain just freezes up. I need to understand how points translates into dollars...or does it? I mean, I am the type of person who likes to have only one credit card. My DH has one, that he rarely uses, but he just wants to have one other one for the family "just in case." Then, we both carry the Disney Rewards Visa from Chase. Like you, we use it for EVERYTHING! I mean, I would put my motgage, health insurance and DD's tuition on there if I could. We pay it off at the end of each month. We get $1 for every $100 spent.

Ok, in my longwinded post, what I am trying to ask is....is the AmEx points thingy a better deal than Disney rewards Visa? I am an SPG member and often get stuff in the mail for the AmEx you speak of, but I just toss them because all the talk of points makes my head spin.

Also, do the points ever expire?

Thanks for any info you may have!

First, I don't know if the points ever expire, that's a good question! I don't think so, though, but I really have no idea.

We have the Disney Visa card too, but I really don't see that its benefits are that great. That would be a great thread idea: comparing benefits of each card.

For SPG and points, there are different categories of hotels. The Swan and Dolphin are both category 4, which means you need 10,000 points for one free night. You get 10,000 points for getting their AMEX card. When I pay my AMEX bill, I get the same no. of points added to my SPG account. So, if for example, you get 10,000 points getting the card, run up $300 worth of purchases with it in a month, pay the $300 off, you'll now have 10,300 points.

I kept going to the spg.com site and looking up rooms at either the Swan or Dolphin to see if one became available before I changed my dates a bit. So right now, we have 5 nights at the Wilderness Lodge and 3 nights afterwards at the Dolphin. I'd rather have 4 and 4, so I'm still keeping an eye on availability-if Feb 5th becomes available at the Dolphin, I'm going to add it to our stay, and cancel one night at the Wilderness Lodge.

 

[RachelTori]

wildernesslodgelover and duffy:

Points do not expire.

IMHO, the Amex is a much better deal. There is a $35/year charge, but you should be offered the first year "free". 10,000 starwood points after first purchase; every dollar you spend earns you 1 point; charges for a stay at any starwood property earn you double points (so in essence you earn 3 points for every dollar charged at a starwood property! ); incentive programs offered periodically where you earn "bonus" starwood points. Amex sends emails to alert you of the latest offer. They also may occasionally mail a 'thank you for your loyalty' coupon good for 50% off the rack rate at any starwood property for up to 5 nights!

spg.com has become a site I frequent! There are often 'deals' for stays at various starwood properties that you might not hear about otherwise. Plus it's really easy to manage your points and book stays on their site!

About the points: there are no 'blackout' dates - if a hotel or resort has availability, you can use points to book. There are 7 room categories. In the case of the Swan/Dolphin, they are a category 4 and require 10,000 points a night (unless you're using points & cash). The Sheraton I like, by the Atlanta Airport, is a Category 2 - which requires 4,000 points on weekdays but only 3,000 points on weekends (of course I always need them on weekdays! ) If you have enough points for a 4 night stay (in Swolphin's case 40,000 points), you can get the 5th night FREE!

I use my Disney Visa for WDW-owned properties, DVC & DCL, but for everything else, I'm racking up those Starwood points!!

 

[G8r4evr]

wildernesslodgelover and duffy:

Points do not expire.

IMHO, the Amex is a much better deal. There is a $35/year charge, but you should be offered the first year "free". 10,000 starwood points after first purchase; every dollar you spend earns you 1 point; charges for a stay at any starwood property earn you double points (so in essence you earn 3 points for every dollar charged at a starwood property! ); incentive programs offered periodically where you earn "bonus" starwood points. Amex sends emails to alert you of the latest offer. They also may occasionally mail a 'thank you for your loyalty' coupon good for 50% off the rack rate at any starwood property for up to 5 nights!

spg.com has become a site I frequent! There are often 'deals' for stays at various starwood properties that you might not hear about otherwise. Plus it's really easy to manage your points and book stays on their site!

About the points: there are no 'blackout' dates - if a hotel or resort has availability, you can use points to book. There are 7 room categories. In the case of the Swan/Dolphin, they are a category 4 and require 10,000 points a night (unless you're using points & cash). The Sheraton I like, by the Atlanta Airport, is a Category 2 - which requires 4,000 points on weekdays but only 3,000 points on weekends (of course I always need them on weekdays! ) If you have enough points for a 4 night stay (in Swolphin's case 40,000 points), you can get the 5th night FREE!

I use my Disney Visa for WDW-owned properties, DVC & DCL, but for everything else, I'm racking up those Starwood points!!

Very interesting....I also like to keep only 2 cards open and Im quite happy with the cards I have, but now Im considering a switch. I dont really like the idea of the annual feel though,,,but with all of the rewards mentioned above, I suppose it sort of pays for itself.

 

[npmommie]

G8........I didn't like the idea of the annual fee either..........which is $45.....the first year no fee............but I figure it will pay for itself with the savings on the hotels.........we travel a lot, so I checked the hotel list to be sure they would be places we would go and use and there were many, so I am anticipating this being a good deal.
I am already planning our next disney trip to stay swan or dolphin and we didn't even go for the first trip yet!!!!


I am wondering now if i have the starwood points, if I can still get the nurse's rate, or the govt worker rate ( me the nurse hubby the govt worker)........and use the points as well, that would be a great deal!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Thank you, duffy and Rachel Tori--I don't have time to really read your comments right now (running to a soccer game in a sec!) but I will be "studying" this later. I just wanted you to know I saw your comments and I do appreciate them!

 

[RachelTori]

Very interesting....I also like to keep only 2 cards open and Im quite happy with the cards I have, but now Im considering a switch. I dont really like the idea of the annual feel though,,,but with all of the rewards mentioned above, I suppose it sort of pays for itself.

You will get the first year free, plus the 10,000 points after first purchase - if nothing else, that's at least one night at the Swan/Dolphin!! When it's renewal time, you can decide to cancel the Amex card if you don't think it's worth it - you won't lose your Starwood Points and you can still earn points on stays without the Amex card (just not as quickly!).

 

[npmommie]

You will get the first year free, plus the 10,000 points after first purchase - if nothing else, that's at least one night at the Swan/Dolphin!! When it's renewal time, you can decide to cancel the Amex card if you don't think it's worth it - you won't lose your Starwood Points and you can still earn points on stays without the Amex card (just not as quickly!).

How do you earn the points without the amex card? by staying in a starwood hotel?

 

[RachelTori]

How do you earn the points without the amex card? by staying in a starwood hotel?

Yes, just make sure the starwood property has your spg # attached to your reservation (using the # qualifies you for a free upgrade too, if available). Even when my room is paid for by using points only, I can still earn points for any incidental room charges. If I charge a meal to my room, that charge earns points ($1 = 1 point); but then having paid that room charge via my Amex, I earn a total of 3 points for every $1.