Points + Cash Reward Booking – help please

[PB2]

I needed to book 4 nights at the Changi Airport Crowne Plaza. Preferred to book direct as currently Diamond Elite, for free breakfast etc.

Total cash price was 1452 SGD = £910, £227.50 per night. This was broken down as 122 SGD fees and 107 SGD tax, and the rest room rate.

I had 69k points so not enough for an outright points stay which cost 37,750 points per night.

So I looked at doing my first points and cash booking.

This priced up as 51,000 points and 800 SGD for 4 nights = 51k points and £501. £125.25 per night plus the points.

So a cash saving of £409, for 51,000 points. So if I’m not mistaken that’s over 0.8p value per point which is very good going? Thoughts?

The confusing part is the various parts of the final booking page in-app, and the subsequent confirmation email.

It appears that points and cash actually means your existing points plus using cash to buy the remaining points needed for a full reward stay. This is how my points activity shows the transaction – purchasing 4x 25,000 points and then a deduction of 151,000 points overall.

Even though my app price stated in bold that “Total charges = 51k points and 800.86 SGD”, further down it says that actually 152USD will be charged per night to buy the points needed. Above the total charges line, it displays fees 0 SGD, and taxes 0 SGD. A cash only booking as above, has figures, not zero, here so the app is certainly capable of calculating what is due, so I trust it’s fair to assume this reward booking has no further taxes or fees payable – only my existing points 51k (and the 152 USD per night to buy the rest) being due?

Then I receive the confirmation email which states “nightly cash amount $152.00 (USD)”and further down, “total credit card charge: S$608 (SGD). Clearly (I think!) this use of SGD here is a typo, as the 152 USD x4 nights = 608 USD (not SGD). Right at the bottom of the email, it then says:

“Tax and Fee Details
10% per night not included in rate effective 14 February, 2023 thru 18 February, 2023
8.8% per night not included in rate effective 14 February, 2023 thru 18 February, 2023”

Now there is no rate as such anymore as, as far as the hotel is concerned, this is a 100% points reward booking. My 152 USD per night buying the needed points.

Can I assume this is generic property information about taxes and fees, and indeed my only charge will be the 152 USD per night (which I can see is what has been taken from my credit card at time of booking).

Thanks for your help in clearing this up.

[memesweeper]

Now there is no rate as such anymore as, as far as the hotel is concerned, this is a 100% points reward booking. My 152 USD per night buying the needed points.

Correct. If you want to be sure, book something expensive somewhere else on points & cash, sufficient to require you to top up at least the equivalent number of points, wait a few minutes, cancel the booking, and you can then make the Changi CP booking just for points.

[MusicTourManager]

Tagging onto this thread …. Last week I booked 2 rooms using Points & Cash offer. Rooms were £145 each, but using 9,000 points and paying £93 [for 20,000 points] per room was best value option.

I requested a receipt, the hotel advised they cannot supply one as it was a points only stay. In a nutshell I responded ‘that may be the case but I ‘paid’ £186 to stay there and now require proof of that for my accounts’.
As yet I’ve had no resolution.

I can’t even see how I can obtain proof for buying the points except for a screen shot from my CC account.
Has anyone else had this issue and if so how did you manage to get resolved?

[NorthernLass]

Does your original confirmation email not show what you paid?

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

What does it show when you go into the booking and go into “reservation details” and scroll down it should say how you’ve paid for the booking.

But far as the hotel is concerned you’ve paid for the room using points and they don’t see any of the cash so are unable to provide any sort of receipt for it.