Earn up to 25,000 bonus World of Hyatt hotel points

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• Sophie says:

  18 Feb18 February 05:08

  Hilton Bits: I have now been a Diamond status member for 4 stays (upgraded from Gold at start of this year through nights stayed) and have so far been extremely underwhelmed with room/ (suite!) upgrades. The executive lounge access is nice and all but all lounges seem to be fuller than I would have liked – especially for “premium” Hiltons where I would have thought the opposite to be true. I suppose the point of my post here is to say that I don’t think the effort was worth it in aspiring to Diamond after having Gold status for 5 years (just my two pence)… Happy to hear your stories to make me feel better about my self.

  • JamesB says:

    18 Feb18 February 07:52

    In my third year as Diamond via the status match although I almost qualified outright for this year. No complaints from me. I’ve been upgraded every stay, sometimes just a slightly better room but other times to awesome rooms and suites. Also, I somehow managed to get the 1000 myway stay bonus in addition to free breakfast every single stay even though I understand I am supposed to choose one or the other. Lounges have been fine, some busy but never came across a standing room only situation. I tend to avoid older shabby Hilton branded hotels, favouring newer Hiltons and other brands. I had too many disappointments with old shabby Hiltons a decade ago. I also tend to go for a second tier propery, by that I mean not the most luxurious or closest to city centres. This way, I believe I get much better value for money, better chances of upgrades, quieter lounges and better service in general. I say all this within the context of my not being too fussed about hotels, I do not understand why people want to go places to spend ages in hotels. For me, they are largely a place to sleep so as long as they are clean, the bed is comfortable and they are conveniently-located I’m happy. If that leaves you wondering why I am staying in Hiltons and not Premier Inn or Travelodge it’s because if you p)ay the game right Hiltons are often cheaper or not that much more expensive.

    • Sophie says:

      18 Feb18 February 08:11

      Thanks for your reply JamesB. I have been staying in London properties mostly – Conrad, Waldorf, Bankside, Trafalgar Rooms, Hilton Tower of London. Agree with what you’re saying that it is important to go for Tier 2 properties. I note that I am always upgraded one room grade (though in 2 of the stays this was not possible as the hotel was “fully booked” – don’t believe that for a second though.

      • David says:

        18 Feb18 February 08:32

        You can always do a dummy booking(to exactly match yours) as you arrive at the hotel to see what rooms they have available to sell – I’m (not) ashamed to say I’ve done this numerous times so I’m ready to argue the toss at check-in. However, I have found Hilton Diamond to be enormously beneficial, probably a 95% hit rate of being upgraded and generally excellent service.

        I tend to favour a Doubletree as they are nearly always fresher than Hilton branded hotels (in this country anyway), but I’ve had good experiences in Hiltons too.

      • JamesB says:

        18 Feb18 February 08:35

        I know that Conrad is popular amongst the HFP community, however, my favourite London Hilton is the Doubletree Westminster. This is the cleanest hotel I have stayed in outside Asia, rooms are bright and airy, staff are great, location is good for three tube stations, and lounge has decent snacks and drinks every night. The only downsude is the acs substitute for a TV and are obviously not big enough. How did you get on at Trafalgar? I’m staying there for first time in July.

        • Rob says:

          18 Feb18 February 09:25

          Slightly OT, but what I did notice last weekend is that DoubleTree Victoria is directly opposite the ‘secret’ backdoor exit from the Gatwick Express platforms which could be handy for some. It is certainly a better option than most of the fire-traps near Victoria.

      • Dan says:

        18 Feb18 February 09:46

        I personally still think Bankside is the nicest Hilton property in London (although I haven’t stayed at the Conrad). New property, large lounge and possibly the best breakfast spread I’ve had at any hotel in the UK.

      • Sophie says:

        18 Feb18 February 10:31

        Took the secret back door yearerday for Gatwick Express (good on the black cabbie – hadI taken an Uber I probs wouldn’t have been informed about it). It’s a game changer – made the Gatwick express all the more enjoyable

      • Sophie says:

        18 Feb18 February 10:33

        @JamesB – liked The Trafalger. Good location obviously but breakfast I though was disappointing compared to Bankside/ Conrad/ Park Lane Hiltons. Rooms are good and clearly appeal to a younger more chic clientele

    • Peter K says:

      18 Feb18 February 09:06

      As gold you choose 1000 points Or breakfast. As diamond you very both automatically.

      • JamesB says:

        18 Feb18 February 09:14

        Thanks Peter, I will get my profile updated for April.

    • Arnold says:

      18 Feb18 February 10:07

      Diamond get both MyWay Benefits

    • Mr Dee says:

      18 Feb18 February 17:31

      I think for upgrades there isn’t much difference compared to gold, lounge access is useful though.

  • Lady London says:

    18 Feb18 February 13:46

    I am wondering if even in this day and age, a single female checking in is less likely than a male or a couple, to receive an upgraded room.

    • JamesB says:

      18 Feb18 February 15:31

      I get the impression that most upgrades are already in the system before we reach check in. However, any front desk upgrades are likely at the whim of individual staff so it is anybodies guess. I am forever nice with reception but avoid going over the top. If I am not staying Hilton I like to present them with my Hilton credit card, doesn’t do any harm to remind them we have a choice.

      • Dan says:

        18 Feb18 February 15:48

        Agree with James B – 99% of the time I can tell if I’ve been upgraded by doing a dummy online check in, so don’t think the number or gender of the traveller makes much difference. Since getting Diamond (through stays) 4 years ago, I’d say I have a 80-90% upgrade success rate, although I do stay almost weekly in around 3 London Hilton’s (Bankside, DT Westminster or DT Kensington) so I’ve got to know check in staff reasonably well and they usually sort me out if the system hasn’t proactively upgraded me.

      • Genghis says:

        18 Feb18 February 15:55

        Also I never check in in advance on the app. Waiting to get to the hotel always results in better upgrades (or not any worse). I’ve gone from normal room the day before, to say an Exec room on the day to a suite when checked in at the hotel

      • Tilly says:

        18 Feb18 February 17:07

        Have you had good room upgrades even on reward stays? Hoping we get a nice upgrade in May but as we got the entire stay on points and using the 5th night free benefit I kinda thought they won’t be upgrading us ….. Plus give us the complimentary brekkie.

        What’s the complimentary continental brekkie like in Doubletree Hilton?

      • Genghis says:

        18 Feb18 February 18:25

        @Tilly. Yes. Suite in Conrad HK with harbour view, river view Exec at WA Shanghai, Junior Duite at Paris Opera etc.

    • Lyn says:

      18 Feb18 February 17:06

      I have to admit my immediate thoughts were along the same lines as Lady London’s.

      Dan – I wonder if you would mind sharing why you choose those particular 3 London Hiltons?

      I am looking at an award night stay for a few nights in July, ideally within fairly easy reach of Somerset House. I know various London Hiltons have been discussed extensively in the past but unfortunately can’t find the comments. Hope this isn’t too much trouble.

      • David says:

        18 Feb18 February 17:59

        Waldorf Hilton couldn’t be closer! And I rather like it, despite being a little faded.

      • Dan says:

        18 Feb18 February 19:07

        @ Lyn – the main reason is nothing particularly exciting, Bankside is near work, and the two DT hotels are both good in their class for the local area if I need to be in Westminster or Kensington. I have tried others I didn’t like anywhere near as much though (Hilton Olympia, Hilton Kensington and DT Victoria are the main ones).

      • Lyn says:

        18 Feb18 February 19:08

        Thank you David, yes the location would be ideal. Unfortunately the number of points required for some of the dates I need is much higher than normal. I may be able to stay there for a day or two though, so it is good to hear that you like it. Faded certainly doesn’t worry me.

      • Lyn says:

        18 Feb18 February 19:15

        Thank you also, @Dan. I have just realised that you were the person that commented above about Bankside being your favourite. It may also be the shortest walk to Somerset House apart from the Waldorf.Hilton. Even if I can stay a night at the Waldorf I will need alternatives for the other nights. I am grateful for your thoughts about the two DT hotels (I’ve only tried the DT West End) and also the ones you don’t like as much.

      • JamesB says:

        18 Feb18 February 19:31

        Lyn, given points are an issue try the Hilton and DT Islington if they are not too far out for you. Often they are 4X when others are 60-80. If you are ok with mixing hotels then find two close together and select dates as appropriate to reduce costs.

      • Lyn says:

        18 Feb18 February 19:50

        JamesB – thank you also for the Islington suggestion. Probably for another visit though. I tend to always walk in London if under 30 or 40 minutes, and take a bus if it is too far to walk, rather than the tube. So Islington seems a bit too far away this time.

        I am happy to mix hotels but don’t know much about the different Hilton hotels in London, having only stayed at the DT West End.. I’ve also been considering the Trafalgar as it seems to have good availability at 70 (the Waldorf is 80 some days, much higher on others) and is an easy walk.

    • Mr Dee says:

      18 Feb18 February 17:30

      If you believe this is the case you could also book for 2 people as you will likely be allocated a room before showing up, you could always say the other person hasn’t shown up or will show up later if necessary.

    • Cate says:

      18 Feb18 February 19:06

      My experience on rooms when traveling alone is it’s harder to change what you’ve requested if you specify a bed type. With suites I/we often get upgrades but they’re usually to suites with the silly orphan wall in the centre of the room which IMHO is a downgrade to a room.

• David says:

  18 Feb18 February 08:36

  (Very) OT – Amex Platinum

  I’ve just upgraded my PRGC top Platinum to hopefully get the 20k bonus and then cancel to avoid too much in the way of fees. However I’m tempted to keep through to the end of May for the travel insurance (as our ‘big’ Japan adventure is end of April-mid May).

  I’m trying to work out what’s covered though – nearly everything was booked prior to getting the Platinum – does that mean it’s not covered? Most of it went through one of my other Amex cards (either the BAPP or the PRGC) – do you think they’d honour those transactions?

  Any advice would be very helpful (I will speak to AmEx CS too but know that there’s some very knowledgeable people here who might have first-hand experience!).

  • JamesB says:

    18 Feb18 February 08:50

    Everything you booked for your trip on an amex card is covered. The medical cover is provided regardless of which card you paid on. With luck, your fee will not be applied until the anniversary of your PRG.

    • xcalx says:

      18 Feb18 February 10:33

      “Everything you booked for your trip on an amex card is covered”

      Is that correct, I was under the impression hotels, travel etc had to be booked with the Plat card for cover to be included with the exception of car rental or where amex is not accepted.

      I do hope your right as it would make it easier to hit spend targets on other amex cards instead of using plat for our travel plans.

      • Graham Walsh says:

        18 Feb18 February 10:45

        I was also under the impression that insurance was only valid if they flights hotels etc was paid for on the card. That is how I read the T&Cs.

    • Tilly says:

      18 Feb18 February 10:42

      This is what Genghis advised me when I asked the same. Thing is when I read the doca it all says muat be paid in full on the plat card.

      My amex annual multitrip policy expires half way through our Toronto trip in May. I need assurances that we’ll be covered with the plat insurance……..or I’ll just renew the policy which kinda defeats the purpose of upgrading my PRG to plat although I hope to benefit from the other benefits too like hotel upgrades.

      Also have another trip end of May which has some balance still to pay (BA holiday so only paid deposit). Must we pay balance on the plat to ensure we’re covered? I’d prefer to use our BAPP card for the 1.5 avios per £ on spend plus goes towards target for our next 2-4-1 companion voucher.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        18 Feb18 February 11:30

        Are you sure? It’s been over 6 months since I had the card but it used to read Amex issued card I.e. lloyds/MBNA issued does not count. This would change things

      • Rob says:

        18 Feb18 February 11:50

        BAPP is fine – any ‘personal Amex card issued directly by Amex in your name’ is fine. The insurance document is very clear about this in the definitions.

      • Liz says:

        18 Feb18 February 13:16

        Rob, You say BAPP is fine if Amex is your name. I hope supplementary Cards have the same cover as the main cardholder. We booked all our upcoming Australian flights using my BAPP but will be using Amex insurance cover from hubby’s Plat with me as a suppl.

      • JamesB says:

        18 Feb18 February 13:37

        @Liz, it is family travel insurance so you would think so, but this is what I mean about it being so vague.

      • xcalx says:

        18 Feb18 February 14:03

        Here is a section of the TCs clear as mud.

        ELIGIBILITY
        The benefits described in these Policy Terms and Conditions are
        dependent upon a Card being issued, the Card account being valid
        and the account balance having been paid in accordance with the
        Cardmember agreement at the time of any incident giving rise to a
        claim.
        The following benefits are dependent on use of the Card:
        • Cancelling, Postponing and Abandoning your Trip;
        • Cutting Short your Trip;
        • Travel Inconvenience;
        • Personal Belongings, Money and Travel Documents;
        • Purchase Protection;
        • Refund Protection;
        The benefits outlined in these Policy Terms and Conditions may be
        varied, withdrawn or cancelled at any time. You will be given at least
        30 days’ written notice of such a change.
        No claims arising directly or indirectly from any Pre-existing
        Medical Condition(s) will be covered.
        DEFINITIONS
        Whenever the following words or phrases appear in bold, they will
        have the meaning as described below:
        “£” shall mean United Kingdom pounds sterling.
        “Account” or “Card Account” means your consumer and small
        business cards issued by American Express in the UK, excluding
        corporate cards and any American Express Cards issued by bank
        partners.
        “American Express” means American Express Services Europe
        Limited.
        “Card” means any card or other Account access device issued to a
        Cardmember (or a Supplementary Cardmember) for the purpose
        of accessing the Account

      • Liz says:

        18 Feb18 February 15:33

        I’ve written down in my notes from previous times this has been debated that the Platinum insurance is valid if you have paid your flights, hotels, etc. with any Amex issued card and that car hire insurance and medical cover does not have to have been paid with an Amex. This is what we are hoping is the case as we don’t have any other travel insurance in place.

      • Tilly says:

        18 Feb18 February 16:45

        I’m going to read it again then because I had previously read that payment had to be made on the plat card.

      • Genghis says:

        18 Feb18 February 16:47

        @Tilly read the definitions section

      • JamesB says:

        18 Feb18 February 17:52

        I’m inclined to trust Rob and Genghis on this as it is consistent with what I heard from amex. If churning rules change I have to bite the bullet anyway as I will want to hold platinum long term. That in itself will solve the problem as most spend would then be on platinum.

    • JamesB says:

      18 Feb18 February 11:28

      This is what I was told by the amex rep but we all know that might not be worth much. Comments on HfP have also been conflicting. Personally, the main reason I don’t hold platinum card long term is because the insurance terms are so vague and I would feel anxious about my cover.

    • Lister says:

      18 Feb18 February 11:32

      I was out of luck then. £450 Fee charged on 1st statement after upgrade from PRG.

      • jason says:

        19 Feb19 February 19:53

        Lister was that the day before the statement was generated?

  • David says:

    18 Feb18 February 18:00

    Thanks all for the responses!

• Georges P. says:

  18 Feb18 February 09:52

  Lufthansa hotel bonus 13,000, on the face of it, it seems to be based on the total spend during the booking period. But then one of the bullet points in their Terms and Conditions seems to indicate that it is per booking. “The amount of additional miles to be earned with this offer is based on the value per booking: 100-299 EUR = one-time 1,000 miles additional, 300-1199 EUR one-time 4,000 miles additional, from 1,200 EUR one-time 13,000 miles additional”. Does anyone know what it is based on, perhaps from past experience?

  • Talay says:

    18 Feb18 February 21:44

    I have a circa £8k booking to make at a Ritz Carlton and as they don’t particulate in the Marriott Rewards etc. and I don’t want to pay £100 a day more just for some pointless Virtuoso “benefit” then this Miles & More thing might be useful ?

    Perhaps if we get me, the wife and daughter to book separate reservations then we maximise points ?

    Thoughts ?

    • Rob says:

      19 Feb19 February 08:56

      Would work, yes, if you split the booking into chunks of a few days each. We did something similar last year when I got this bonus, booked 2 rooms and put one in my wifes name so we got 5000 miles each. They post very promptly.

• AndyR says:

  18 Feb18 February 10:10

  OT Morning, does applying for an Amex supplementary card result in a credit check on that person?

  • Sophie says:

    18 Feb18 February 10:21

    No – had this confirmed recently over the phone. They do what they call a “soft check”.

    • AndyR says:

      18 Feb18 February 11:02

      Thanks Sophie!

    • JamesB says:

      18 Feb18 February 11:49

      What exactly is a soft check? Are there bonuses for applying for a supp at the moment? Nothing showing on my account.

      • mark2 says:

        18 Feb18 February 12:23

        there are bonuses on BAPP (3,000) and Platinum (5,000 but £170 charge) which do not show anywhere butt usually happen. YMMV

      • JamesB says:

        18 Feb18 February 13:39

        Thanks Mark, presumably there is still no charge for the first plat supp?

      • Genghis says:

        18 Feb18 February 15:20

        Soft check = you can see the check, other credit institutions can’t.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        18 Feb18 February 18:27

        First platinum supp is Free of charge

      • Bagoly says:

        20 Feb20 February 02:21

        Presumably for money-laundering or other criminality, rather than whether they can afford to repay.

• Concerto says:

  18 Feb18 February 12:08

  The M&M offer, if like previous times, is a one-off offer. Watch out because if you need to rebook the date or cancel you will lose the bonus. It will not work for a second, new booking, even if you cancel the first. The good thing about the M&M hotel and car rental portals is that you get your miles easily, you don’t need to fight endlessly with the individual providers to get bonus miles that are never credited.

  • Bagoly says:

    20 Feb20 February 02:22

    I’m still waiting for a Budget bonus from December despite having chased.

• jon says:

  18 Feb18 February 12:08

  O\T
  Is there a minimum wait period to churn the Creation IHG basic credit card?

  I’ve been rejected twice now (!) .[ 3 month gap in applications]
  Closed the last one in May 2017.

  Only need it for the accelerate promo TBHO.

  • Genghis says:

    18 Feb18 February 15:22

    Given it’s now what, 18 months or so since these cards were launched, has anyone had any luck in churning?

• Aliks says:

  18 Feb18 February 13:03

  OT – but I am sure the folks here can give some advice.
  I am planning a Yangtze river cruise as part of our China trip this September. Having looked at the boats sailing out of Chongqing to Yichang, I think Victoria Cruises are my best choice (on one of their recently refurbed ships like the Anna).

  The question is how to book the cruise.

  Victoria themselves advise going through a travel agent which would cost about $2,000 for 2 of us in an “executive suite”, but it seems clear that everyone gets the hard sell when they board the boat to upgrade their room and restaurant deals etc etc. So is it better to buy the cheapest option online (for about $1,000), and then haggle for a good deal on an upgrade when boarding? Or is there a good travel agent that can offer a decent deal up front?

  • Dan says:

    18 Feb18 February 15:53

    I’d always be tempted to just go with the upgrade upfront. Or I suppose the other way to think of it is – how would you feel if they weren’t offering paid upgrades to suites onboard? If you don’t think staying in a standard room would effect your enjoyment, then I’d say go for it. If you’re set on the suite or nothing – why take the risk for the sake of £200?

    • Aliks says:

      18 Feb18 February 16:37

      I know what you mean, but I usually try to get a view of the options before deciding what to do.

      If its just £200 up front, then yes the risk is not worth it, but from some of the comments on tripadvisor, those who pay everything up front still end up having to buy various “upgrades” to get the comfort they want. My guess is that about 30% of the upfront money goes to the travel agent, and the people checking you in on the boat will be getting 10% commission on anything they can sell you.

      Anyway, I’ll cast around for advice for a bit, and probably book something in a months time.

• Tom1 says:

  18 Feb18 February 14:18

  Any tips on flights to Asia/SEAsia with a stop in Maldives? Have never flown Business so would like to get at least one way in something better than economy.
  Thinking March/April next year, so probably already too late to think about BAPP as wont trigger 241 soon enough to be ready for 355 days.

  Does anything like this come up in Qatar sales if wait until next Jan/Feb ?
  will have some avios and can divert my collecting to Lloyds if thats a better way to get one way in business.
  any sweet spots in Finnair for example? or maybe Cathay Pacific for the return leg?

  sure there are some creative minds lurking who would love to help!

  • Kevin says:

    18 Feb18 February 14:36

    I think BA only fly to the Maldives during the winter so you wouldn’t be able to fly with them in April.

    You can get there via Dubai/ Abu Dhabi/ Qatar/ Istanbul/ Sri Lanka so something might turn up in a flight sale. Especially if you are willing to leave from somewhere else in Europe.

    I don’t know how easy it is to combine the Maldives with Asia but it is very easy to combine them with the middle east or Sri Lanka.

    • mark2 says:

      18 Feb18 February 18:00

      splitting hairs, but Sri Lank and the Middle East are in Asia.

  • JamesB says:

    18 Feb18 February 17:05

    UK-seAsia… redemption, BKK, PVG or HKG to minimise avios.
    seAsia-UK…cash J one way on Sri Lanka with CMB stopover, earns avios, about £800.
    CMB-MLE…return, redemption or cash

    Alternatively, LCC including AirAsia operate to MLE from seAsia so out to Asia, back from MLE or vice versa with 2x one way redemptions + one LCC sector.

    • Tom1 says:

      18 Feb18 February 18:25

      Thanks – will start looking.

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