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Choice Privileges is out with a new all-inclusive deal where you can score 70,000 bonus points with an all-inclusive stay of $500 or more. I think this is meant to be the same deal as the 50K deal they keep extending but with more points added for this week’s “Member Madness” campaign. Unfortunately, the deal is light on the fine print — and you’ll find that when clicking through to book the rates, the site only shows 50K points will be awarded. If this works out, it’s a great deal. On the other hand, it could be a bit of a headache.
The Deal
- Choice privileges is offering the following bonuse when you make a booking at Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Now Resorts and Spas, or Sunscape Resorts and Spas all-inclusive resorts costing $500 or more by November 22, 2020 and complete your stay by December 22, 2021:
- Earn 70,000 bonus points when you spend $500 or more on your getaway.
- Note that I think you’ll also earn all of the following (as noted above and below, I think this is meant to be 20K additional points on top of the current 50K deal that includes these benefits):
- Enjoy a free night when you book any of the collection’s luxury resorts.**
• Kids stay free** at all family-friendly resorts.
• Get a guaranteed free room upgrade at check‑in.
• Enjoy free welcome amenities at adults-only resorts.
• Plus, receive a $200 resort credit for activities.
- Enjoy a free night when you book any of the collection’s luxury resorts.**
- Direct link to this promotion
Key Terms
- This deal actually lists the terms from this 50K deal. Whether or not that is correct is anybody’s guess, so rather than put them here as though they are I refer you to the post about the 50K deal or the promo page for more information on the terms
Quick Thoughts
See my post from the ongoing 50K deal for full thoughts on the “free” nights and ancillary benefits. See also the fact that I point out in that post that terms noted free cancellation but policy looked different when on the booking page (the example hotel I used in that post showed a cancellation fee of $50 and still does if canceled more than 4 days prior to arrival date despite the terms of the original deal saying cancellation would be free). Again, that’s covered in more detail in this post.
That said, I think I’m actually going to book this. I intended to book the original deal and then thought it expired and I’d missed it (Stephen has been updating it weekly and I hadn’t realized it had been extended). On this deal, if you’re able to get a stay for around $500, you’re looking at paying a cost of around 0.71c per Choice Privileges point, which is a price at which I could be convinced to buy — and you’re also getting an all-inclusive stay. Our Reasonable Redemption Value for Choice Privileges points is 0.81cpp and I have gotten well over 1cpp in value in Europe. While Choice points aren’t always the most valuable hotel currency, they come in handy now and then (like when I needed a reasonable option in Napa Valley for a reservation at The French Laundry or when I needed an airport hotel in Oslo and the Comfort Inn was my cheapest option at $250/nt or 16K points).
At this point, I’m feeling less bullish than most about my 2021 travel plans, but given that the booking window for Choice is currently open into early November, I think I’m willing to take a gamble at this even if it may end up costing me a $50 cancellation fee. I’m seeing reasonable prices at some of the included resorts where I could grab a 3-day getaway and 70K points at an attractive price.
That said, I do think there is a good chance at inheriting a headache here. While the landing page shows the 70K points advertised (as seen in the screen shot at the top of this post), the terms on that page are for the 50K point deal and when you go through the booking process, the rate information indicates 50K points. I can’t find anything else confirming 70K points apart from the banner at the top of the booking page and the promo email from Choice Privileges. That makes me skeptical that this will get credited properly. If you book this, I strongly strongly recommend (enough to bold and double the word) that you save the email from Choice that shows the booking date for this promotion and take screen a screen shot of the promo landing page. You may need them to follow up with Choice a year from now when you’re missing 20K points and nobody knows what you’re talking about. That may make this deal not really worth it, not to mention the fact that you may pay a cancellation fee if you can’t travel.
Still, that’s the kind of fun headache I don’t mind signing up for, so I’ll probably book a stay on this before 11/22. I don’t know if that’s reasonable, but I’m willing to get a little crazy on this one — maybe cabin fever is really starting to take hold here.
If you’ve stayed at any of the included resorts, I’d love to hear your thoughts about it in the comments below.
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I did everything by the book. I confirmed the promotion with two Choice hotels booking agents on Nov 20, 2020 and completed the booking via these two agents at Dreams Huatulco Resort and Spa in mid December 2020. The booking process itself was a ridiculous story in itself as was my stay there. By the way, I live full-time at a Hilton and know a few things about hotels.
I received no bonus points 11 weeks later. And after unfruitful 7 hours spent on the phone with various Choice hotels and amresorts agents I can again summarize my experience with the same word, ridiculous. My experience included getting disconnected many times, no call back, some completely clueless low IQ agents, blatant lies of their tech folks, claims promotion never existed, etc, etc … although generally friendly agents. But their claim that Dream Huatulco is not an amresort takes the cake, given it is listed with 50 other resorts on amresorts.com front page.
Folks, all I could advise you is just avoid this brand.
Ouch
I am going to try it, I am worried though because it has two rates on there average daily rate and then best deal* I tried getting ahold of them today on the phone and have been unsuccessful
I booked it. My stay was just over $500 which should give me all the upgrades, all inclusive access, and the 70k points that were promised. Keep this article and we can post our success if choice comes through properly.
Have you stayed yet? If yes, did you get the points?
I received only 50k points and I followed all the instructions. I tried calling and letting them know but no luck. Were you able to receive the points ?
If you book now for say, next November, I assume you won’t get the points credited until you actually complete the stay and pay the full balance? I’ve got an interesting stack of promotions on my Choice CC right now that would be great to pay for this in full right now – 10 bonus points per $ + 50k bonus points at $3k spend + 0% until Feb 2022.
Correct that I assume you will not get the 70K until you complete the stay.
That said, I think that if you reached out to the property after booking to see if you can put down a deposit on your reservation, they probably won’t turn your interest-free money down (especially in this environment). I’ve had success with that sort of thing in other instances.
Again, I don’t think you’ll get the 70K points based on paying the full stay but rather upon completing the stay — so if you’re hoping to trigger that early, I think that’s very unlikely.
Thanks. I’m not concerned with getting the 70k points now – just the actual spend to help me maximize my current promotions. The sooner I hit $3k on the card the sooner I can switch back to other cards with active promotions. I realize there are ways to put spend on cards but I prefer to do it organically unless I have no choice.
Just back from PVR & Huatulco. The beach by Secrets Huatulco is very nice, like very chill for a back float / swim. Spendy hotel, even with the bonus. Did not stay there, just visited the beach.
Couldn’t seem to get the free night to price out. Maybe I need to go further in the booking process.
never mind, I do see the 3rd-5th night free calculated now.
Did you happen to get the 50k points posted yet or know of anyone who has? Want to ensure it’s not going to be spending weeks pulling teeth just to get the 70k lol. If you did get it, did they also include the standard 10 points/$ on top of it? Their typical promo of 2 stays for 8k likes to bundle the regular points with the bonus so wasn’t sure how they handle it here.
Quasimodo said they didn’t stay there, so I don’t think they were participating in the promo.
I don’t expect this will stack with the standard points per dollar earnings. Like you said, Choice promos usually replace ordinary earnings rather than stack. I wouldn’t expect this to be different.
Maybe you’ll see Gavin Newsom at the French Laundry violating his own orders.
Will going through a shopping portal effect the chances of getting the points?
Hard to say. I don’t think there is a way to end up on the promo landing page when going through a portal. That said, if you still see the package that comes with 50K points in the rate options, I guess it would probably still work.
Why would you go through a portal? Use the browser extension to add the bonus points.