Alternative rewards for a Best Western stay?

Anonymous · ‎04-10-2016

I'll be booking multiple rooms for multiple nights at a Best Western. My total spend might be $1500.

I don't often stay at BW (as in several years between stays), and I'm not really looking for another major award travel currency.

I haven't found any good alternatives, though. It looks like BW will let me pick AAdvantage miles as my earning preference, but only a flat 250 miles per stay. 250 miles on $1500 of spend would be a joke.

I guess I could join Orbitz rewards and book through there or something to have more flexible points. It's not eligible for the Discover/Hotels.com 5% off promo. I could also earn BW points and then convert them to airline miles. If the opportunity cost isn't too high, I would like to use my Amex Platinum to work on minimum spend.

Ideas as to how I could earn more useful/flexible rewards? Potential promos to consider?

* I booked directly with BW since I could get a AAA rate. I opted to earn BW points, and I have the option to convert the 15k BW points to 3k AA miles (which certainly beats 250). Since my CC won't be charged until I check in, and my minimum spend window will be over by then, I put it on CSP instead of Amex Platinum.

Anonymous · ‎04-10-2016

Do you have to book the stays at a Best Western? No other alternatives?

Anonymous · ‎04-10-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
Do you have to book the stays at a Best Western? No other alternatives?

No alternatives. It's very rural.

Anonymous · ‎04-11-2016

Cash back on the transaction sounds as if it is your only reasonable option. I don't think that motels have too many great earning options for points.

Anonymous · ‎04-11-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
Cash back on the transaction sounds as if it is your only reasonable option. I don't think that motels have too many great earning options for points.

I updated the original post yesterday. I'm getting a AAA discounted rate with BW, earning 15k BW points, transferring them to AA 5:1, and paying with CSP for 2 URs/$.

Anonymous · ‎04-11-2016

How much does doing it that way net you in actuality? Never stayed at a Best Western, just not my thing.

Anonymous · ‎04-11-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
How much does doing it that way net you in actuality? Never stayed at a Best Western, just not my thing.

The award prices fluctuate for the same property with supply and demand. If I used the points from the booking and bought another $10 of points, I'd have enough points for two nights at a basic property at a time of low demand (kind of like the equivalent of a category 1) or one night at a "category" 2 or 3 (out of 8 "categories"). Where I'll be staying seems to fluctuate between a 5 and 7.

Since BW points don't expire, keeping the points and then buying some more to top me off for a decent award redemption (like 5) might also be worth considering. With no expiration, I can always decide to transfer them to AA later.

I also get 3k URs in actual CC rewards on CSP...I'll take those instead of cash back!

Anonymous · ‎04-11-2016

Definitely do whatever works for you. I wouldn't have any use for free nights at a Best Western, but ias long as it's something that works for you, that's great!