I made it up.
Platinum —> $550 plastic —> metal
Gold —> $250 plastic —> metal
SPG Lux —> $450 plastic —> metal
Hilton $450 came to AMEX just within the last two years. Plastic —> Metal?
Delta Reserve $450 recently re-upped the AMEX -Delta contract. Plastic —> Metal?
Platinum —> $550 plastic —> metal
Gold —> $250 plastic —> metal
SPG Lux —> $450 plastic —> metal
Hilton $450 came to AMEX just within the last two years. Plastic —> Metal?
Delta Reserve $450 recently re-upped the AMEX -Delta contract. Plastic —> Metal?
@Shadowfactor wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
“Devaluation “ is a harsh term. It’s a $250 annual credit. The difference between advance purchase and member rates is how much? The inflexibility of rebooking an advance payment may be a factor to consider.
In order to use the resort credit, one has to journey to one of the select resorts on the list, including at least miles redemption if not airfare purchase, ground transportation, restaurants or perhaps groceries ( if there is a kitchenette which most of these resorts don’t offer ) so one has likely invested a significant sum to be positioned to redeem the $250 credit that did not change.
I plan on simply enjoying the resort credit as a Nice To Have.
The Hilton cards don’t have Ascend or Aspire printed on them, and going to names that are easier to remember as different ( if both start with “As” and look similar, who’s on first? ) makes marketing sense. I doubt they make any change to the Surpass design, even when they move the Aspire to metal.The difference between Advance Purchase and Members Rate is usually around $50-$70 bucks per night at mid to high end properties. Of course for that higher rate you do get a flexible booking but I see it as a devaluation.
Most of the resort properties that the credit is good at, fall in that mid- high end range so it can be a considerable price difference just to use the credit.
Now to use the credit, I may have to pay at least $100 more a stay. So that credit just devalued itself by at least $50 in my book if not more.
Is it enough to make me cancel the card ? Probably not at this point but I will have to see how much difference there is between the two rates going forward.
I hardly ever book refundable hotels. Don’t really see the point as my travel plans don’t change and I have an employer reimbursed extensive travel insurance policy should an emergency happen.
I agree with you. Only a travel blogger trying to get people to use their links to app would try to suggest it isn't a devaluation. Its a death by a thousan cuts with the aspire card. First the changes made it so you cant get AA giftcards with the airline credit, the changes to Amex PP lounge program, and now they remove the advance rate option, which can be a significant devaluation if you have firm travel plans. The resort credit also only works at specific properties. Out of the 7 countries I am visiting this year I only found three hiltons where I could even use this credit in places I was visiting and out of those 3 only one was of a quality I thought was worthwhile. Its best to carefully consider how you will use these credits in advance before getting or keeping the card, because you can easily end up taking a loss. This was a card that I was going to keep year after year but given the changes I am highly likely to cancel. Amex is just getting too greedy.
;I will add that in terms of refundable rates on a recent trip I was using them. I never used to, because even though I like flexibility when I travel I find that I pack soo much into my trips that I don't really have spare time to change up my plans while I am moving. Usually I am on a tight schedule taking planes between destinations, so I know where I need to be and when and my plans are pretty firm, so I do not have much concern about not being able to use the reservation.
The reason I started using refundable rates was because I noticed certain hotels would have prices somewhat high far in advance and then dropped them down as the date approached based on their occupency rate. Once you book the advanced rate you are locked in, so if the price ever dips below that rate you can't get it if you booked advanced. Or if there is a room sale, or a third party discounter like ebates giving 10-12% back you can't take advantage, where if you have a refundable rate you can just rebook and cancel your refundable rate. So now I only book an advanced rate if after researching it I know based on room history the rate won't dip below the advanced rate.
@red259 wrote:
@Shadowfactor wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
“Devaluation “ is a harsh term. It’s a $250 annual credit. The difference between advance purchase and member rates is how much? The inflexibility of rebooking an advance payment may be a factor to consider.
In order to use the resort credit, one has to journey to one of the select resorts on the list, including at least miles redemption if not airfare purchase, ground transportation, restaurants or perhaps groceries ( if there is a kitchenette which most of these resorts don’t offer ) so one has likely invested a significant sum to be positioned to redeem the $250 credit that did not change.
I plan on simply enjoying the resort credit as a Nice To Have.
The Hilton cards don’t have Ascend or Aspire printed on them, and going to names that are easier to remember as different ( if both start with “As” and look similar, who’s on first? ) makes marketing sense. I doubt they make any change to the Surpass design, even when they move the Aspire to metal.The difference between Advance Purchase and Members Rate is usually around $50-$70 bucks per night at mid to high end properties. Of course for that higher rate you do get a flexible booking but I see it as a devaluation.
Most of the resort properties that the credit is good at, fall in that mid- high end range so it can be a considerable price difference just to use the credit.
Now to use the credit, I may have to pay at least $100 more a stay. So that credit just devalued itself by at least $50 in my book if not more.
Is it enough to make me cancel the card ? Probably not at this point but I will have to see how much difference there is between the two rates going forward.
I hardly ever book refundable hotels. Don’t really see the point as my travel plans don’t change and I have an employer reimbursed extensive travel insurance policy should an emergency happen.
I agree with you. Only a travel blogger trying to get people to use their links to app would try to suggest it isn't a devaluation. Its a death by a thousan cuts with the aspire card. First the changes made it so you cant get AA giftcards with the airline credit, the changes to Amex PP lounge program, and now they remove the advance rate option, which can be a significant devaluation if you have firm travel plans. The resort credit also only works at specific properties. Out of the 7 countries I am visiting this year I only found three hiltons where I could even use this credit in places I was visiting and out of those 3 only one was of a quality I thought was worthwhile. Its best to carefully consider how you will use these credits in advance before getting or keeping the card, because you can easily end up taking a loss. This was a card that I was going to keep year after year but given the changes I am highly likely to cancel. Amex is just getting too greedy.
To be clear on this issue, when you book with the advance rate, that only removes the hotel room charge from the list of items the resort fee credit can cover. So meals, incidentals at the property would still qualify.
And because the resort credit is only $250, it should only impact one, at most two stays throughout the year. So on any booking after the credit has been used, it does not matter anyhow, whether Advance Purchase or another rate.
The advance purchase rate only affected US properties when using the credit.
Hopefully because of this, advance purchase rates will only be excluded in the US.
The food at Hilton’s is always crap. Never would I use the credit for food.
My plan to combat this is now:
If the property is over $225 a night. Book one night using standard room rate to use the credit.
Rest of the stay separate reservation with advance purchase rate.
@NRB525 wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@Shadowfactor wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
“Devaluation “ is a harsh term. It’s a $250 annual credit. The difference between advance purchase and member rates is how much? The inflexibility of rebooking an advance payment may be a factor to consider.
In order to use the resort credit, one has to journey to one of the select resorts on the list, including at least miles redemption if not airfare purchase, ground transportation, restaurants or perhaps groceries ( if there is a kitchenette which most of these resorts don’t offer ) so one has likely invested a significant sum to be positioned to redeem the $250 credit that did not change.
I plan on simply enjoying the resort credit as a Nice To Have.
The Hilton cards don’t have Ascend or Aspire printed on them, and going to names that are easier to remember as different ( if both start with “As” and look similar, who’s on first? ) makes marketing sense. I doubt they make any change to the Surpass design, even when they move the Aspire to metal.The difference between Advance Purchase and Members Rate is usually around $50-$70 bucks per night at mid to high end properties. Of course for that higher rate you do get a flexible booking but I see it as a devaluation.
Most of the resort properties that the credit is good at, fall in that mid- high end range so it can be a considerable price difference just to use the credit.
Now to use the credit, I may have to pay at least $100 more a stay. So that credit just devalued itself by at least $50 in my book if not more.
Is it enough to make me cancel the card ? Probably not at this point but I will have to see how much difference there is between the two rates going forward.
I hardly ever book refundable hotels. Don’t really see the point as my travel plans don’t change and I have an employer reimbursed extensive travel insurance policy should an emergency happen.
I agree with you. Only a travel blogger trying to get people to use their links to app would try to suggest it isn't a devaluation. Its a death by a thousan cuts with the aspire card. First the changes made it so you cant get AA giftcards with the airline credit, the changes to Amex PP lounge program, and now they remove the advance rate option, which can be a significant devaluation if you have firm travel plans. The resort credit also only works at specific properties. Out of the 7 countries I am visiting this year I only found three hiltons where I could even use this credit in places I was visiting and out of those 3 only one was of a quality I thought was worthwhile. Its best to carefully consider how you will use these credits in advance before getting or keeping the card, because you can easily end up taking a loss. This was a card that I was going to keep year after year but given the changes I am highly likely to cancel. Amex is just getting too greedy.
To be clear on this issue, when you book with the advance rate, that only removes the hotel room charge from the list of items the resort fee credit can cover. So meals, incidentals at the property would still qualify.
And because the resort credit is only $250, it should only impact one, at most two stays throughout the year. So on any booking after the credit has been used, it does not matter anyhow, whether Advance Purchase or another rate.
The aspire gives you diamond access and lounge access, so if I need drinks or snacks or breakfast I will get those there. I almost never have incidental expenses when staying at hotels where I have lounge access. In addition. I find most hilton hotel restarants to be excessively expensive and most of the time they are subpar in comparison to local restaurants.
We had a stay at a property in the Hilton Grand Vacations portfolio in May. Most of the cost was prepaid with the promotion rate, to Hilton Grand Vacations as part of their promo to get you to go visit, hear the pitch.
During the stay we were poolside and had some drinks and nachos, billed to the room. $13.93. The room was set up with my Hilton Aspire card to cover any incidentals. Those were the only charges to the room, we went off-site for other activities and dining.
A few days later my AMEX card credited back the $13.93 for the recent charges.
I just checked, and the property we stayed is not listed as a "resort" participating in this credit, from the links provided on Million Mile Secrets, which lead to a Hilton page for searches. So your experience of where the Hilton Aspire Resort Credit is applied may be a few more properties than strictly listed when you look for "resorts". There was also no Diamond lounge on this property.
My Hilton Year just renewed recently. (the resort credit was used up from the prior year on a stay in Hawaii, at a property listed on the Hilton Resorts list, and there was no Diamond lounge there either)