We all try to find the best deals when booking hotels and we all have a system to adhere to but which system works the best? Here we are comparing between booking with American Express Travel and the actual hotel.
Perks for booking with Amex
1. 5X Membership rewards points
2. $200 Hotel credit per year
3. $100 statement credit per stay
Cons of booking with Amex
1. 1X for hotel stays that are not prepaid
2. You get no hotel points on the prepaid stay but on all other purchases
3. Some hotels don’t allow you to earn points on these stays
Perks of booking with the Hotel
1. When booked directly, problems are easily resolved as there is no party involved
2. You get points credited to your stay based on your loyalty to the hotel
3. You earn multiple points depending on the item or activity
Cons of booking with the hotel
1. No credits
So why would I choose Amex even though am not able to earn points on stays? Conversions
Most hotel points transfer to airlines at a rate of 3:1.So it means when staying at the Marriott for example, you would have to earn 15 points per dollar to equal the same value you would get by purchasing prepaid with American Express and without the statement credit.
Whatever the reason or the type of trip, I mostly stay in hotels and I use I then use the membership points to redeem for flights for future trips. How do you pay for travel?
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any parties mentioned. None of the entities mentioned has reviewed, approved, or endorsed the content listed in this post.
