Are Today’s Daily Getaways Best Western Points a Good Deal?
American Express in conjunction with the US Travel Association has been offering Daily Getaways this summer. Here’s my original post on this year’s Daily Getaways.
Today’s package is for Best Western Rewards points, which go on sale at 1pm EST.
Tuesday, June 10:
10,000 Best Western Rewards points for $65. There are 835 packages available with a max of 5 purchased.
An added bonus is that using any American Express card to purchase will net you 10% off any of the packages.
If you were to purchase the maximum of 5 packages it would cost you $325 ($292.50 with Amex) for 50,000 Best Western Rewards points.
Redemption levels are as follows:
Level 1 – 8,000
Level 2 – 12,000
Level 3 – 16,000
Level 4 – 20,000
Level 5 – 24,000
Level 6 – 28,000
Level 7 – 32,000
Level 8 – 36,000
Unfortunately the website does not offer a list of properties by redemption level. It only allows you to search for redemptions by individual city.
Doing a query, I found a Level 8 property – Best Western Plus in San Francisco that showed a rate of $379 a night for a Friday night in August. For 36,000 points, the Daily Getaways cost would be $260 ($234 with Amex) so assuming you don’t have a AAA rate or any other promotions this nets a savings of $145 which is really good.
To purchase Best Western Rewards points directly from their website at a rate of 1,000 points for $10, with a maximum of 20,000 points. So is this Daily Getaways points purchase a good deal? I needed to look at more locations.
For another sample property, I tried the Hacienda Hotel in Old Town San Diego which is a Level 5 property. The price of $299 per night vs. $175.50 via Daily Getaways is still a savings of $124.
These properties were the exception though, rather than the rule. Most other cities I checked only had properties in lower categories and prices under the $145 range per night so the savings were minimal at best when redeeming points.
In conclusion, it looks like a good opportunity only if you know what city you want to stay in and have confirmed that the cost for the Daily Getaways Best Western Rewards points is less than the rate you’d pay when simply booking the hotel online for cash.
If you’re interested in purchasing a points package, follow this link just before 1pm EST. Make sure to have your AMEX card available for the purchase.
