PC Points earnings

[Mox_Fulder]

Hi All

I am thinking of joining a couple of hotel loyalty programs and from what I have read so far, it seems Priority Club from ICH is pretty good. I just have a couple of questions for those who are members of PC.

If you earn from stays in say, Hong Kong, will the amount of points earned (10 points per US dollar) first converted from HK dollars into Aussie and then into US ? Or will it be the points earned in HK dollars ?

Also, I assume this is ontop of any promotional bonus that PC may have eg 4000 points for every second stay currently offered ?

And just one last question, in order to reach gold PC level, one requires 15+ stays a year or 20000 points. Could this be reach by staying a few nights at a higher room/suite rate at a pricier PC hotel in combination with any bonus promo running ?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated as I really like this site and am looking to learn a few tips for airline and hotel points accruals...

Cheers
Mox

 

[Dave Noble]

You can get Gold status even more quickly by purchasing 20,000 points for USD200. This will get you Gold instantly as well as enough points for a night in a Holiday Inn hotel

As far as earning goes, the amount paid is converted to USD and then used as base for earning

Any promotions such as the 4k every 2nd stay are on top of the normal earniings

Dave

 

[Evan]

With the points bonus's offered by IC chain (more at begining of year it seems) you can easily make a higher level with less nights and not even in expensive rooms, oftwn just taking advantage of there offers as montions at the moment every second stay 4000 points bonus.

20000 points for $200 is a great deal if you already know somewhere you want to get 4 nights at the "point breaks" 5000/night rate

In my opinion if you stay in mid range hotels the PC program is almost the only option to use, atleast outside the USA.

E

 

[NM]

With the points bonus's offered by IC chain (more at begining of year it seems) you can easily make a higher level with less nights and not even in expensive rooms, oftwn just taking advantage of there offers as montions at the moment every second stay 4000 points bonus.

Last year I requalified Platinum with 13 nights, mostly at HI Express in the US, with a few other HI and CP nights in the mix. the bonus promos sure can add up fast.

 

[Shano]

I have another PC points earning question:

I booked a stay at the Sydney CP in January this year on the wotif website, as it was significantly cheaper than what was showing on the ICH website.

When I checked in I was told that points are not earned on bookings made on third party websites, so I didn't bother have my PC # added to the reservation.

Even though I would not have earned points, would the 3 nights have counted towards stay promos and status qualification?

 

[JohnK]

PC Club is a good hotel loyalty program. As Evan mentioned they have nice consistent mid range hotels.

If you earn from stays in say, Hong Kong, will the amount of points earned (10 points per US dollar) first converted from HK dollars into Aussie and then into US ? Or will it be the points earned in HK dollars ?

It will be converted into US$. Note that all spend at the hotel is included but generally the tax and service charges are not included in the PC point calculation.

And just one last question, in order to reach gold PC level, one requires 15+ stays a year or 20000 points. Could this be reach by staying a few nights at a higher room/suite rate at a pricier PC hotel in combination with any bonus promo running ?

I have qualified Gold level with 4 nights, 3 stays, in the first quarter this year. I should be able to qualify Platinum with another 5-6 nights.

I think it is great value if you are able to find suitable 5,000 PC point break awards but generally find the PC points required for normal award nights to be expensive.

 

[oz_mark]

Even though I would not have earned points, would the 3 nights have counted towards stay promos and status qualification?

Generally not, at best it would be counted as a non-qualifying stay. However, if you had some room charges (mini-bar etc) you may/should have got points for those

 

[Mox_Fulder]

Thanks for reply guys...I am looking to spend a few nights in CP at KL shortly and trying to get ideas to maximise points earning per stay.

Also, with the CP program, do points earned have an expiry date ? Did not seem to find those details on its website.

I think HHonors have some expiry after 12 months ?

Thanks again....

 

[oz_mark]

Thanks for reply guys...I am looking to spend a few nights in CP at KL shortly and trying to get ideas to maximise points earning per stay.

Also, with the CP program, do points earned have an expiry date ? Did not seem to find those details on its website.

I think HHonors have some expiry after 12 months ?

Thanks again....

Priority Club points do not have an expiry date. It is one of their advertised features

 

[Mox_Fulder]

Doh ! Now I see it plain as day on the homepage. Was searching for details in the T&Cs...pays to open ones eyes while reading...

 

[Mox_Fulder]

Hi folks
Just another question re-earnings. I have joined PC today and they sent a welcoming email along with the fact that as a new member, I get a bonus 1500 points if I stay within 90 at any of the hotels.

Also, they mentioned that before Apr 30, any 2nd qualifying stay, I would also get 4000 points.

It so happens that the hotel I am thinking of for this weekend also has another promotion of 2000 points for a two night stay.

I guess the question is, do I get a total of 7500 bonus points ontop of my normal base points earned or will it be limited to one bonus per stay ? It would be great on a 2 night stay and I collect 7500 points + base points....

Any thoughts ?

Thanks
Mox

 

[oz_mark]

Just another question re-earnings. I have joined PC today and they sent a welcoming email along with the fact that as a new member, I get a bonus 1500 points if I stay within 90 at any of the hotels.

Also, they mentioned that before Apr 30, any 2nd qualifying stay, I would also get 4000 points.

It so happens that the hotel I am thinking of for this weekend also has another promotion of 2000 points for a two night stay.

I guess the question is, do I get a total of 7500 bonus points ontop of my normal base points earned or will it be limited to one bonus per stay ? It would be great on a 2 night stay and I collect 7500 points + base points....

Any thoughts ?

Thanks
Mox

My guess is that you would get all the bonuses.

 

[Mal]

It so happens that the hotel I am thinking of for this weekend also has another promotion of 2000 points for a two night stay.

Something to watch with PC is that they often have bonus points offers at certain hotels, although the rate/package required to get those bonus points often costs quite a bit more per night than the cheapest flexible rate.

Be careful if you book "Entertainment Card" rate as a lot of the rates are not eligible for stay credit/points (particularly overseas, but also in Australia you'll have to battle to try and get the points with no guarantee of success). I'd avoid them if you can.

Stays at Intercontinental Hotels also have a fixed earning rate, so they aren't great to stay at for points earning in PC (although their program Ambassador/Royal Ambassador is pretty good if you do stay at those hotels).

Also, watch out how flexible your flexible rates are during the confirmation screens. Some hotels have weird (72+ hours) cancellation policies.

Lastly, I think the PC program is great and it is my main hotel scheme at the moment. Most of the good points I see in the program have already been mentioned.

 

[Mox_Fulder]

Thanks for the update, Mal. Learning new things everyday about point accruals...Its great. Given I am also QFF member, would I also qualify for the 3 points per $1 spent if I quote PC my QFF number at check in ?

I think this is called double dipping ? I am not sure but I think I have become addicted to all this point collection madness....

 

[Mal]

Given I am also QFF member, would I also qualify for the 3 points per $1 spent if I quote PC my QFF number at check in ?

No double dipping with PC - you either collect points or miles with your PC card and can change your earning preference at any time. See Priority Club Rewards Hotel Reservations | Airline Partners for a bit more info.

 

[JohnK]

I think this is called double dipping ? I am not sure but I think I have become addicted to all this point collection madness....

And that is where you lose touch with reality and your sanity. Forget about collecting points in membership reward accounts, frequent flyer programs or even hotel loyalty programs.

You will be purchasing $10,000 worth of Wish cards at once, enough to cover most families shopping for 12 months, as you will get 100,000 bonus points from Amex.

You will be sitting in an aircraft for an 8 hour flight LHR-MCT only to turn around again after a 2 hour transit wondering how you ever got into this mess.

You will be staying in the SYD Airport Holiday Inn spending $300/night because this stay will get you 14,524 PC points. It does not matter that you only live 15 minutes away.

You will spend $45 each way on a SYD-CBR airfare but do not factor into the calculation that the taxi fare to/from the airport will cost $30-$35 each way.

But you will keep finding some excuse to justify the addiction....

 

[oz_mark]

And that is where you lose touch with reality and your sanity. Forget about collecting points in membership reward accounts, frequent flyer programs or even hotel loyalty programs.

You will be purchasing $10,000 worth of Wish cards at once, enough to cover most families shopping for 12 months, as you will get 100,000 bonus points from Amex.

You will be sitting in an aircraft for an 8 hour flight LHR-MCT only to turn around again after a 2 hour transit wondering how you ever got into this mess.

You will be staying in the SYD Airport Holiday Inn spending $300/night because this stay will get you 14,524 PC points. It does not matter that you only live 15 minutes away.

You will spend $45 each way on a SYD-CBR airfare but do not factor into the calculation that the taxi fare to/from the airport will cost $30-$35 each way.

But you will keep finding some excuse to justify the addiction....

Can't believe anyone would do any of these things!

 

[Mox_Fulder]

Maybe I am new but I hope this craze will die off soon !

Here is one promo I found on this website for PC that I have a question..

Valid to: 30 June 2008

Q2, 2008 - 10K Stay x Nights Bonus added 7 March
Terms: Pre-registration required. Pretty obvious number of nights from 1 April to 30 June 2008. Plus, for those with US-registered addresses, an online booking bonus of between 5K and 25K

Promo Code: 4 nights - 8160

Can anybody confirm that the 4 nights promo is four nights stayed at any PC hotel over any period of time between Apr 1 till 30th June ? Or does it mean you have to stay 4 nights in a row to qualify for the 10K promo ?

And does it have to be at the same hotel or can it be made up of HI and CP etc for the 4 nights ? I was thinking of doing two nights at CP and two nights at HI.....

Has anybody successfully obtained the 10K promo ?

Thanks again all....

Cheers
Mox

 

[NM]

Just need 4 nights at qualifying rates at any combination of PC hotels within the validity window.

 

[JohnK]

Has anybody successfully obtained the 10K promo ?

I have successfully obtained the 10,000 PC bonus points on a number of occassions. Just stay 4 nights at any ICH hotel during the promotion period.