Tag Archives: Choice Hotels

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What Should I do with 85K Expiring Citi ThankYou Points? [TYP Transfers Completed 8/15]

Updated 8/15/24 at 2pm PT: With 2 Citi ThankYou Points (TYPs) transfer bonuses set to expire in 2 days on August 17, I decided to take advantage of them before the deadline.  As a reminder, here are the transfer bonuses:

    • 25% transfer bonus to Air France / KLM Flying Blue (expires August 17, 2024)
    • 20% transfer bonus to Wyndham Rewards (expires August 17, 2024)

I was lucky enough to snag one of the Super 8 promo packages (15,000 Wyndham Rewards Points for $8.88), so I currently had 45,000 Wyndham Rewards Points.  I wanted 90,000 points for 6 nights at the 15,000 point pricing or 3 nights at the 30,000 point pricing (which I will probably use to book a 3 night Vacasa vacation rental up to $500 / night).  Since I also have a Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Credit Card, I get a 10% discount on award bookings, so instead of 90,000 points, I only need 81,000 points.  Here is the math: 81,000 points – 45,000 points = 36,000 points / 1.2 (for the 20% transfer bonus) = 30,000 points.  I transferred 30,000 TYPs into 36,000 Wyndham Rewards Points and combined with my existing 45,000 points, so my new balance is 81,000 points.

I needed to book a hotel for 1 night and found a Radisson hotel for 25,000 Choice Hotels Points.  I currently had 1,000 points, so I transferred 12,000 TYPs into 24,000 Choice Hotels Points (thanks to the 1,000 : 2,000 transfer ratio).  24,000 points + 1,000 points = 25,000 points.

Lastly, I wanted to use up the remaining expiring TYPs for a transfer to Air France / KLM to take advantage of the 25% transfer bonus.  I had 43,370 expiring TYPs, so I transferred 44,000 TYPs into 55,000 Air France / KLM Flying Blue Miles which I hope to use for a business class award to / from Europe next Summer.

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Good afternoon everyone.  A few weeks ago, Laura transferred all 85K Citi ThankYou Points (TYPs) to my account in preparation of converting her Citi Strata Premier Credit Card into a no annual fee Citi credit card.  Now I have 85K TYPs that I need to use / redeem within 90 days before they expire.  In this post, I will walk you through the transfer process, show you how to find your points expiration date, and share my thoughts on how I plan to use the TYPs before they expire.

To get started, here is how you transfer your TYPs to another user.  Sign into your TYP account, click on More Ways to Redeem, and click on Points Sharing.  As mentioned above, once you transfer the TYPs, the recipient has 90 days to use the points before they expire.  Each calendar year, you can transfer out up to 100K TYPs and you can receive up to 100K TYPs.  You can transfer any amount of points from 1 point up to your entire balance.  Lastly, you will not earn a 10% rebate by transferring points to another user if you have the Citi Rewards+ Credit Card.

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My 2 Ascend Hotel Collection Stays in Helsinki and Stockholm using Choice Points

Good evening everyone.  In late June / early July, Laura and I spent 2 days in Helsinki, Finland, and 3 days in Stockholm, Sweden.  We stayed at 2 Ascend Hotel Collection properties that were bookable with Choice Hotels Points and I wanted to highlight these 2 hotels if you are looking for places to stay in either city.

Up first, we stayed 2 nights at the Hotel F6, Ascend Hotel Collection in Helsinki, Finland.  The hotel is named after the hotel’s address (Fabianinkatu 6).  Unfortunately, the reviews for Ascend Hotel Collection properties on Choice are pretty sparse, but don’t let that scare you.

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Midyear Review: My 2024 Airline, Hotel & Credit Card Predictions

Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I recently watched a Frequent Miler On The Air Podcast episode on YouTube where Greg and Nick reviewed their 2024 predictions, so I figured it would be fun to review My Overly Ambitious 2024 Airline, Hotel & Credit Card Predictions.  The original predictions are in black, correct predictions are in green, and incorrect predictions are in red.  Without further ado, here are my predictions for 2024:

My 2024 Airline Predictions

  • Alaska Airlines or Southwest Airlines will introduce a “family pooling” benefit for miles or travel credit. – Nope, but Southwest Airlines Wanna Get Away Plus fares do offer Transferable Flight Credit that can be used for other Rapid Rewards members.
  • American Airlines will allow Web Special awards to be changed online (currently, they can only be cancelled). – Nope, not yet, but I haven’t booked any AA Web Special awards recently.
  • British Airways will add another airline (besides Finnair) to the Avios family. – Nope, not yet, Qatar and Finnair were the most recent additions.
  • Delta will change their 15% SkyMiles discount for Delta credit cards holders. – Nope, not yet, I haven’t booked many Delta awards this year.
  • United will allow you to combine multiple travel bank funds and future flight credits for the same reservation. – Nope, not yet, I confirmed this a few days ago when I purchased a United Airlines flight.

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4 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Air France / KLM (70%), United (50%), Air Canada (75%) & Choice Hotels (30%)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 4 offers that end this week.  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, here are the 4 offers that end soon.

Up first, Air France / KLM is offering up to a 70% bonus, depending on the number of Air France / KLM Flying Blue Miles you purchase. This offer expires on June 16.

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Preferred Hotels & Resorts Devaluation: Top Rate Hits 87K Choice Hotels Points / Night (Previously 55K)

Good afternoon everyone, I have some bad news if you are / were a fan of Preferred Hotels & Resorts properties.  It appears that the top rate has increased from 55K Choice Hotels Points / night up to 87K (a 58% increase).  My friend alerted me to this devaluation and I was able to verify it by going to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts search page (after signing into my Choice Hotels account), and then sorting prices from high to low.  As you can see, the new top rate is now 87K points / night.

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