Best Western Rewards: How to earn and redeem points, elite status and more

Greatest Western Rewards stays comparatively unknown on the planet of factors and miles. This system would not have any main credit card transfer partners, and its cobranded bank cards aren’t on most vacationers‘ radar. But when you end up staying at Greatest Western properties ceaselessly for work or pleasure, there’s loads of worth available in this system.

Greatest Western Rewards factors are surprisingly invaluable in the event you travel to Europe, Asia and particular elements of the U.S. and Canada. Whereas Greatest Western is not recognized for luxurious accommodations, it does have a set of higher-end, boutique-focused manufacturers just like the BW Signature Assortment, the BW Premier Assortment and the millennial-focused Vib.

You possibly can earn and redeem Greatest Western Rewards factors at these and different manufacturers in Greatest Western’s broad portfolio. Right here, we’ll cowl incomes and redeeming factors, journey companions, elite standing and every little thing else it’s essential know concerning the Greatest Western Rewards loyalty program.

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There aren’t as some ways to earn Greatest Western Rewards factors as there are to earn World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors factors. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to nonetheless earn factors by staying at Greatest Western accommodations and utilizing cobranded credit cards, in addition to by means of choose retail companions.

Here is a take a look at all the methods you’ll be able to earn Greatest Western Rewards factors.

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Keep at Greatest Western properties

As with most lodge loyalty packages, you may earn Greatest Western Rewards factors primarily based in your elite standing and the way a lot you spend on a lodge room. Most Greatest Western accommodations award 10 factors per greenback spent (earlier than taxes and charges) to primary Blue members; at an Govt Residency, SureStay Studio or @House by Greatest Western property, you’ll earn 5 factors per greenback spent.

So, in the event you keep at a Greatest Western property for 3 nights with a pretax nightly price of $100, you may earn 3,000 factors in your keep in the event you’re a Blue member.

When you have Greatest Western Rewards elite standing, you may earn a proportion bonus on paid Greatest Western stays. The upper your standing, the extra factors you may earn. Here is what number of bonus factors every standing tier earns:

• Gold: 10%
• Platinum: 15%
• Diamond: 30%
• Diamond Choose: 50%

For a similar three-night keep talked about above, a top-tier Diamond Choose member would earn a complete of 4,500 Greatest Western Rewards factors.

One factor to notice: You possibly can solely earn Greatest Western Rewards factors and use your elite advantages on Greatest Western stays you ebook straight with Greatest Western; stays booked by means of Expedia, Orbitz, Chase Travel℠ and different on-line journey companies will not be eligible. So, just be sure you ebook all of your Greatest Western stays straight if you wish to earn factors and elite standing. Oftentimes, you may get the identical price (or higher) as in the event you booked by means of an OTA.

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Spend on Greatest Western cobranded bank cards

Greatest Western has two U.S. cobranded bank cards issued by First Financial institution & Belief and managed by Mercury Monetary. Each of those playing cards have a welcome bonus, earn bonus factors on Greatest Western purchases and embrace free Greatest Western standing. Here is a take a look at each playing cards and what they provide:

• Greatest Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card (no annual charge): Welcome supply of as much as 40,000 bonus factors with qualifying spending; plus, you may obtain an extra 10,000 bonus factors every anniversary after spending $5,000 every cardmember yr. You will get computerized Gold standing and earn an extra 4 factors per greenback spent on Greatest Western purchases along with your card, netting you a complete of as much as 15 factors per greenback spent on Greatest Western stays while you pay along with your card.
• Greatest Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card ($89 annual charge): Welcome supply of as much as 80,000 bonus factors with qualifying spending. You will additionally obtain one free night time award every account anniversary and an extra free night time award while you spend $10,000 that cardmember yr. Along with these bonus factors and free night time awards, you may take pleasure in computerized Platinum standing and earn an additional 10 factors per greenback spent on Greatest Western purchases, so you may successfully earn as much as 23 factors per greenback spent for stays you pay for with the cardboard.

The data for the Greatest Western Rewards Visa Signature and Greatest Western Rewards Premium Visa Signature playing cards has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.

These playing cards may very well be good choices for somebody who ceaselessly stays at Greatest Western accommodations and actually values having prompt standing perks and elevated earnings on Greatest Western purchases. Nevertheless, vacationers who swap lodge chains ceaselessly might have higher luck with a card that earns transferable factors, just like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Whereas they do not include elite standing, these playing cards earn bonus factors on all lodge manufacturers and different journey, and you’ll switch your factors to numerous lodge and airline companions for exceptional redemptions. That is why TPG values Chase Final Rewards factors at 2.05 cents every as of December 2024, in comparison with 0.6 cents every for Greatest Western Rewards factors.

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Order flowers for extra bonus factors

Whereas Greatest Western would not have a procuring portal or a eating program, it companions with Teleflora to award factors while you order flowers on-line. You possibly can earn 1,250 Greatest Western Rewards factors on every Teleflora flower supply order (see Best Western’s website for particulars). You should definitely do your analysis and decide if that is definitely worth the cash. Likewise, examine earnings with different lodge and airline loyalty packages to see in the event you can earn extra factors elsewhere.

Lease automobiles by means of Greatest Western

Greatest Western has partnerships with a number of main rental automobile corporations like Price range and Nationwide to present members reductions on automobile leases. These partnerships additionally help you earn Greatest Western Rewards factors on automobile leases; some earn on a per-dollar foundation, whereas others award a flat variety of factors per rental. You possibly can view all of Greatest Western’s partnerships on its website and see if renting a automobile by means of Greatest Western is smart in your journey plans.

Simply word that you could’t use company codes and, in lots of circumstances, you will not earn rental car rewards while you ebook by means of Greatest Western. Earlier than you ebook, guarantee that the Greatest Western Rewards factors you’d earn offset some other factors or reductions you are eligible for.

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Essentially the most invaluable technique to redeem your factors is by reserving free nights at Greatest Western properties worldwide. There are different redemption choices obtainable, like gift cards and merchandise, however you may typically get a a lot decrease worth in your factors while you redeem for these.

For instance, a $10 Greatest Western present card will set you again 2,000 Greatest Western Rewards factors, supplying you with a worth of 0.5 cents per level — decrease than TPG’s December 2024 valuation of 0.6 cents per level. We advocate avoiding these redemptions and utilizing your factors for Greatest Western award stays as a substitute.

E-book award stays with Greatest Western Rewards factors

Greatest Western would not publish an award chart; award pricing varies by lodge and while you ebook. In accordance with Greatest Western, free nights vary from 5,000 to 70,000 factors per night time, and we have discovered that accommodations with larger money charges typically value extra factors.

Viewing award-night pricing is easy. Simply head to the Greatest Western web site, enter your search standards and test the „Use Rewards Factors“ field.

When your search outcomes load, you will note all Greatest Western accommodations close to your vacation spot together with their factors value. Once you discover a lodge you want, click on the yellow „View Rooms“ button to see all obtainable rooms and charges.

You need to use Greatest Western Rewards factors to ebook customary and premium rooms. Premium rooms will typically value extra factors, however generally they’re solely just a little dearer than customary rooms — and even the identical value.

As an illustration, on the Greatest Western Firestone Inn & Suites, you’ll be able to ebook a regular room for twenty-four,000 factors per night time or a mountain-view suite for 28,000 factors. On the Greatest Western Plus Boulder Louisville, a set prices 40,000 factors per night time, the identical quantity you’d pay for the standard room. In these circumstances, you could possibly get extra worth out of your factors by reserving upgraded rooms for a similar or barely larger costs.

One phrase of warning, although: All the time test the money price earlier than you ebook an award night time. A lot of Greatest Western’s accommodations are supposed to be budget-friendly and have low money charges. As a substitute of utilizing your Greatest Western Rewards factors to ebook low-cost nights, you could be higher off paying money and saving your factors to cowl a dearer keep sooner or later. Greatest Western factors by no means expire, so it can save you your factors for a time once they’ll provide the most worth. Simply keep in mind to not hoard your factors too lengthy, as they’ll lose value over time.

The perfect accommodations to ebook with Greatest Western Rewards factors

Greatest Western has 1000’s of properties worldwide, however a few of them supply higher worth for factors redemptions than others. As a normal rule of thumb, you may normally get the perfect worth in your factors while you redeem them at high-end properties throughout peak seasons, particular occasions or holidays.

If you happen to want a little bit of inspiration on use your factors, look no additional. Listed here are a few of our favourite Greatest Western Rewards redemptions:

The Cartwright Resort — Union Sq. in San Francisco

Planning a visit to San Francisco and wish to keep within the coronary heart of the motion? The Cartwright Resort is a BW Premier Assortment property in Union Sq., placing you inside strolling distance of all of San Francisco’s essential sights. And because you’re near the Powell Avenue BART cease, the remainder of the Bay Space — together with the airports — is definitely accessible.

Weekend nights hover round $170 or 28,000 Greatest Western Rewards factors, for a worth of 0.6 cents per level, proper on par with TPG’s December 2024 valuations.

Greatest Western Grant Park Resort in Chicago

The Grant Park Resort provides you entry to every little thing Chicago has to supply. It is simply steps away from Grant Park and the Artwork Institute of Chicago and a fast L journey from the Magnificent Mile procuring district. Due to this central location, the Grant Park Resort is an excellent alternative for Windy Metropolis first-timers.

Weekend nights in the summertime begin at $200 or 36,000 factors, offering a strong worth of 0.56 cents per level.

Greatest Western Plus Resort Sydney Opera in Paris

The Metropolis of Gentle is house to many Greatest Western properties, together with the conveniently positioned Greatest Western Plus Sydney Opera. This lodge is inside strolling distance of the Place de la Concorde and Opera Garnier, and the Louvre and different main Parisian sights are only a fast metro or taxi journey away.

Primary rooms begin round $237 per night time over Valentine’s Day weekend — or you should use 40,000 Greatest Western Rewards factors for a worth of about 0.59 cents per level.

Switch Greatest Western Rewards factors to airways

You may as well switch your Greatest Western Rewards factors to 9 airline packages, together with packages with hard-to-earn miles like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Asiana Membership. This would possibly not offer you as a lot worth as reserving award nights, however it may be a great way to high up your airline account steadiness in the event you’re going for a particular award ticket.

Listed here are Greatest Western’s switch ratios for every airline companion:

Once more, these transfers will not be the perfect use of Greatest Western Rewards factors, however they could be useful if you end up just a few miles wanting a particular award ticket. To transform your factors into miles, head to Greatest Western’s Redemption Mall.

It is also price noting that you could select to earn airline miles as a substitute of Greatest Western Rewards factors on Greatest Western stays. Greatest Western offers extra choices for incomes miles than transferring them; you’ll be able to earn miles on the above airways and several other others, together with United Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Turkish Airways. See Greatest Western’s travel partner page for the variety of miles you’ll be able to earn with every airline. To earn miles this fashion, go to the „Profile & Preferences“ part of your account, scroll right down to „Incomes Choice,“ select your most well-liked airline companion and enter your frequent flyer quantity.

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Greatest Western Rewards elite standing

The Greatest Western Rewards program has 5 membership ranges: Blue, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Diamond Choose. Factors by no means expire, and all members have entry to a devoted reservations line and might redeem factors on Greatest Western stays with no blackout dates.

You will earn elite standing primarily based on the variety of qualifying nights you keep in a calendar yr. These are the qualification necessities for every standing tier:

• Blue: Entry stage
• Gold: 5 nights
• Platinum: Seven nights
• Diamond: 15 nights
• Diamond Choose: 25 nights

Award night time redemptions rely towards elite standing, so in the event you use your factors for a free keep, these nights will enable you to work towards the subsequent membership tier.

Elite members additionally earn bonus factors on all Greatest Western stays, calculated as a proportion of the factors you’d usually earn as a Blue member:

• Gold: 10%
• Platinum: 15%
• Diamond: 30%
• Diamond Choose: 50%

Moreover incomes factors sooner, there are some perks to Greatest Western elite standing. Members with Gold or larger standing obtain a complimentary bottle of water and 500 bonus factors (the place obtainable) upon arrival for every keep. These with Platinum standing or above can take pleasure in early check-in and late checkout upon request.

Standing match from one other lodge program

Have standing with one other lodge chain? You possibly can benefit from Greatest Western’s Standing Match…No Catch program to match your current lodge standing to Greatest Western without spending a dime. We advocate making the most of this match simply in case you find yourself staying at a Greatest Western property throughout your travels.

To request a standing match, fill out this form on the Best Western website. Members who attain a brand new tier by means of standing matching in 2024 will keep that tier by means of March 31, 2026.

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Whereas Greatest Western’s properties will not make for essentially the most aspirational award bookings, your Greatest Western Rewards factors can turn out to be useful on highway journeys, for stays in small cities and different instances while you want a spot to sleep for the night time. And since Greatest Western Rewards points never expire, you’ll be able to accrue them with out worrying about incomes extra factors or redeeming them at a particular time. We extremely advocate enrolling in this system even in the event you do not stay at Greatest Western properties typically.