The Extra Mile

To Earn Points for Hotel Stays, Read the Fine Print

Q&A: Can miles be used for one-way award travel?

June 28, 2004 - Most hotels--and virtually all mid- and large-size chains--operate frequent-stay programs, rewarding guests with hotel points or airline miles, and sometimes both.

So to earn frequent-stay awards, it used to be as straightforward as staying at a hotel within the program's network and paying an eligible rate.

But there's a new hoop that travelers must jump through when using the Internet to make their travel arrangements: to earn miles at an ever-growing number of hotels, consumers are required to book their stays on the hotels' own websites, or on the websites of a very few designated partner companies.

In other words, when it comes to earning hotel points, the definition of "eligible stay" has changed.

In the terms and conditions of Hilton's HHonors program, for example, the caveat takes the following form: "Stays that are booked via third party websites other than the websites of Hilton HHonors airline partners are not Eligible Stays irrespective of rate paid, for the purpose of earning points, miles or stay credit toward VIP tier status."

That means that stays booked at any of the 2100 hotels in the Hilton family of brands (Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites) on such industry giants as Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz do not earn HHonors points.

Similarly, members of the Starwood Preferred Guest program may only earn Starpoints for online bookings made at the websites of Starwood-group hotels (Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels).

Anticipating objections from consumers who price-shop a variety of websites to find the best deal, most hotels which have adopted the booking restriction have coupled it with a best-price guarantee, in effect promising that room rates shown on their own websites can't be beat.

In some cases, the new policy is prominently mentioned. But in other cases, it's buried in the fine print or illogically located. On the Starwood website, the restriction--"Our sites are the only place you can earn Starpoints"--appears in a list of benefits on their "best rate" guarantee page, but not in the terms and conditions or frequently asked questions sections.

While some major chains have imposed comparable restrictions, others are resisting the change.

Until there's a uniform industry standard, questions regarding a stay's eligibility for points are best resolved by calling the hotel's customer service number and asking.

Readers: miles on their minds

Question - I am moving back to Hawaii this August and am looking for a one way ticket back from Osaka, Japan. Summer is the most expensive time for travel between Hawaii and Japan, and the cheapest fare being offered by my local discount travel agency is approximately $1200. I have about 100,000 United miles and it takes 80,000 miles for a roundtrip award flight between Hawaii and Japan. Is it possible to use my miles for a one way ticket, and how many miles would it take? - Kathy T.

Answer - All major airline programs, including United's Mileage Plus, offer only roundtrip awards. So whether you fly one or both legs of the award-ticket itinerary, you will be charged the same number of miles.

Which brings you face to face with the classic "buy or use miles" dilemma: for the same trip, is it more cost-effective to pay $1200 for a revenue ticket, or part with 80,000 miles for a frequent flyer award?

In this scenario, using miles yields a per-mile value of 1.5 cents ($1200/80,000). That's reasonable value for your miles, but not exceptional, so you should factor future travel plans into your calculation as well.

Do you foresee an opportunity to get a better value for your miles in the near future? If so, you may be better served by purchasing this ticket and saving the miles for future use. Otherwise, use them for the return trip to Hawaii. You earned 'em!