Tuesday, 23 May 2017

Update on Loyalty Programs

In 2016, I managed to .. invest a lot of money into my loyalty programs;

  • Achieved Air Canada Elite 50k
  • Achieved Hilton Honors Diamond level
  • Achieved Accor Hotels Silver level
    • https://secure.accorhotels.com/gb/leclub/program/cards-status-benefits.shtml 
Air Canada kinda crapified part of my interest in their Elite program, by making 1st Class eUpgrades nearly useless; used to cost about 8 eUpgrade points to upgrade flights from Europe, but now it is 21!  With E50k, you can get up to 40 points, but you consume over half of them with a single flight!

They're useful to a point for North American flights (10 points for Toronto to SFO, for instance), but still.  :(  Never the less, I think I'll be confirmed for E50k again for 2018.

HHonors Diamond level is nice, but it isn't critical.  I can sometimes get reserved Diamond member parking by the main doors at Hampton Inns, sometimes get room upgrades (though a lot of hotels tell me they don't have any, or mumble something about already being in a "premium room"), free "premium Internet", and you get more check-in perks like water AND sweets, etc.  

Turns out, I can get HHonors Gold automatically due to my job, but I expect Diamond would still be a big mountain to climb.  I doubt I'll bother with getting Diamond for next year.

Accor Silver was unexpectedly nice; late checkout on request and complementary booze at check-in.  I look at Gold and while I'm sure it is nice, I'm pretty happy with Silver's rewards!

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