(EXPIRED) 70K points with $500 all-inclusive booking via Choice Privileges

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.
• 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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