topic Re: A Galveston Strategy for Houstonians in Credit Cards

A Galveston Strategy for Houstonians

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 17:50:36 GMT

For $450, Hilton Aspire offers $250 resort credit, one weekend night free per year (with a certificate sent within 8-14 weeks of signing up) and $250 in airline incidentals.

Hilton has a resort in Galveston. From mid-May to mid-August, cheapest Honors weekend rates are $300 to $340. Falls to $270 in April and September. Did not check the other months. Those rooms cost 60,000 points.

So using the annual certificate and resort credit for a weekend stay in the summer yields $550 to $590 in value before the airline incidentals. More like $520 if booked in April or September, which is still more than the $450 annual fee. If all of the airline incidentals can be used, then it's $770 to $840 in value.

Diamond Status adds late checkout, two bottles of water, complimentary breakfast and lounge access to the Galveston annual weekend value.

The initial bonus of 150,000 is worth 2.5 free nights at the Galveston resort or $675 to $850 depending on when you stay. This is a yield of 16.9% to 21.2% back on the $4000 required SUB spend assuming you reach 180,000 and thus can use the "half."

With Hilton points valued at 0.45 to 0.57 at the Galveston resort depending on when you stay on points:

14X at Hilton properties = 6.3% to 8% back.

7X on air fare/restaurants/rental cars = 3.15% to 4% back

3X on everything else = 1.45% to 1.7%

Add roughly 0.5% to this if you spend $60K on the card in a year, as it results in a second free weekend certificate valued at approximately $300 on average.

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For $75, Barclays offers a Wyndham card. The current SUB is 30,000 points on $1K spend, worth two nights at any Wyndham. In the past, the offer has reached 45,000 points or three nights on $2K spend.

Wyndham has two excellent properties in Galveston: The Tremont House and Hotel Galvez, where rooms run approximately $250 on summer weekends.

So the SUB yields approximately 38-50%.

Holding the card at a $75 annual fee generates 9K in points per year, or 3 free nights every 5 years.

Cost: 5*$75 = $375

Benefit: 3*$250 = $750

Re: A Galveston Strategy for Houstonians

wasCB14 — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 18:09:12 GMT

On April 3, Wyndham will go from 15k flat to 7.5k/15k/30k.

Re: A Galveston Strategy for Houstonians

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 20:53:52 GMT

Thanks. I guess we'll find out April 3. I suspect both Wyndham Galveston properties will climb to 30K per night.

Re: A Galveston Strategy for Houstonians

wasCB14 — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 21:49:18 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Thanks. I guess we'll find out April 3. I suspect both Wyndham Galveston properties will climb to 30K per night.

Supposedly, only ~200 of ~9200 poperties will go to 30k. I'm not sure if a peak-$250 hotel would be affected.

Of course, that 200 may quickly expand.

~3000 properties will go to 7.5k, but those are likely to be rooms under $75. A less awful redemption option, but not a good one.

The company thinks too many people are redeeming awards at their few $150+ properties, so don't make a five-year projection assuming a bargain will remain available.

I bought some points at 1 cpp during a promo and redeemed them for a bit over 2 cpp. I have enough other hotel options that I'm just going to let my ~6k organic point balance expire.

Re: A Galveston Strategy for Houstonians

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 16:14:28 GMT

And the Tremont and Galvez have gone to 30K points.

In New Oleans, so have the Harrah's and Wyndham French Quarter.

So the Barclay's annual fee Wyndham card is no longer a keeper. They'll need to add an annual free night or something close to it in point value per year of membership. Right now, you get 9,000 points a year as Platinum for the $75 fee.

So 10 years of membership gets you 90,000 points which is worth 3 free nights. 10 years of membership cost $750. The rooms cost $200-250. Breakeven at best.

Let's see if Barclays juices the Wyndham card now.

Re: A Galveston Strategy for Houstonians

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 17:12:20 GMT

Revising my thinking here.

While:

1. the "best use" for the Hilton points is highest cent per point, and

2. the "best use" for the Aspire annual free weekend night is the most expensive room,

3. the "best use" for the Aspire $250 resort travel credit, however, is the cheapest room.

Might be able to stretch that $250 into two nights at a nice resort.