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Too good to be true. Partner hotels

Manley13
Explorer C

I decided to book a hotel through the SW partner program through Booking.com, and while searching for hotels, I saw that some hotels were offering 20,000+ SW RR bonus points. This offer sounded too good to be true, as my hotel stay was around $800. I called SW to verify, and they referred me to booking.com (BC they didn't know) to verify the point bonus. After several attempts to contact someone at booking.com, I just gave up as it was impossible to get a human being on the line. My question is...Is there a catch to the bonus points when booking a hotel through the partner program? It seems to me that 20,000 RR points is a lot to give out for an $8000 hotel stay. Does 20,000 RR points from a partner program REALLY mean 20,000 RR points in my SW account? Thank in advance. 

12 REPLIES 12

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

bec102896
Aviator A

How long a go was the stay sometimes it can take 4-8 weeks to get your points.

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

jksobonya
Aviator A

There is no catch! Why would you think there would be a catch? If they are offering that many points, as long as you book the hotel with that offer you will get the points after you complete your stay. It can take up to 8 weeks to post. The most I have ever gotten was 8,000 points once. Generally, the longer and/or more expensive your room, the more points you can get. 

 

--Jessica

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

I received 10,000 points for a $250 hotel stay earlier this year.  When you made the reservation you should have received emails confirming the hotel that also confirm the points you will be earning.  There is also a phone number and email address on the confirmation emails for assistance.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

 

 

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

Manley13
Explorer C

Thanks for the reply. I thought that may be a catch because it is unusual to recieve 25X RR points. 

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@Manley13 wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I thought that may be a catch because it is unusual to recieve 25X RR points. 


The "catch" is that you are usually paying more for the hotel than you would if you booked the hotel directly from the hotel company.  In my case I needed the extra 10,000 points to put me over the threshold for earning companion pass so spending the $250 let me get $300 worth of free travel two weeks later, that's why I paid the extra for the hotel when I could have obtained the stay for much cheaper if I didn't care about the points.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

parpitt1
Frequent Flyer A

As others have noted it may take awhile for the points to be deposited, 20000 points is nothing to sneeze at. Just make sure you've read all the small print since Booking.com is the source not SWA.

That being said for me personally I book my hotels direct with the chain I focus on. I have tried 3rd party sites a few times but typically I can get a cheaper rate direct. Since most of my travel that is "paid for", is business related, I feel it's my fiduciary responsibility to get the cheapest fare/rate/rental I can within reason.

Direct booking allows me to cancel or make a change without penalty in almost every case because I've built status with the either the hotel or the rental car company. I've overheard many folks holding their paperwork from Booking.com, Expedia.com, and other sites at rental car counters and hotel front desks pleading, demanding, and ultimately taking whatever they can get because they thought they were getting a "deal." Not me, no thank you.

Best of luck and safe travels 

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@parpitt1 wrote:

As others have noted it may take awhile for the points to be deposited, 20000 points is nothing to sneeze at. Just make sure you've read all the small print since Booking.com is the source not SWA.

That being said for me personally I book my hotels direct with the chain I focus on. I have tried 3rd party sites a few times but typically I can get a cheaper rate direct. Since most of my travel that is "paid for", is business related, I feel it's my fiduciary responsibility to get the cheapest fare/rate/rental I can within reason.

Direct booking allows me to cancel or make a change without penalty in almost every case because I've built status with the either the hotel or the rental car company. I've overheard many folks holding their paperwork from Booking.com, Expedia.com, and other sites at rental car counters and hotel front desks pleading, demanding, and ultimately taking whatever they can get because they thought they were getting a "deal." Not me, no thank you.

Best of luck and safe travels 


Fiduciary sounds a little strong, there are other factors besides the cost alone or else you'd be staying at Motel 6 or Microtel or America's Best Value all of the time. 

 

But right on that normally I'm booking direct in order to get the changeability and cancelation policy in my favor. And there's nothing wrong with hotel chain points other than they aren't Southwest Rapid Rewards points. Try to specialize in one or two if you can to concentrate the benefits.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

gsking
Aviator C

You're probably seeing Get More,Pay More.  Certain hotels offer the option to literally buy points on top of the points you receive for the hotel booking.   The cost is close to the 1.6 cents per point.... so it's almost a net wash in terms of value. 

But yes, it's useful for achieving CP.  I've done it twice this year in Reno and Albuquerque.   Vegas is the easiest place to find these offers. 

Re: Too good to be true. Partner hotels

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@gsking wrote:

You're probably seeing Get More,Pay More.  Certain hotels offer the option to literally buy points on top of the points you receive for the hotel booking.   The cost is close to the 1.6 cents per point.... so it's almost a net wash in terms of value. 

But yes, it's useful for achieving CP.  I've done it twice this year in Reno and Albuquerque.   Vegas is the easiest place to find these offers. 


I don't think they phrase it that way, but yes you can basically get the value of 20,000 x $0.016 = $320 sounds pretty good on $800. 

If you want to cross-check, try Rocketmiles for the same thing and see what the extra cost looks like. 

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.