I just had a two-night weekend getaway that cost over 100,000 points less than it used to cost.
It also came with, essentially, a complimentary dinner thanks to a $100 credit we used for food, along with some pretty indulgent daily breakfasts for two at no additional cost.
Oh, and the best part? I still earned some Marriott Bonvoy points and elite status credits for the stay, too. And because of my Marriott Platinum Elite status, we even got access to the on-site club lounge.
If you’re waiting for the catch, I totally get it. You probably should be with the way things go these days.
But there’s no catch — there’s just the reality that the relatively new Chase Points Boost feature, which has been added to cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) this year and can make your points worth up to a fixed 2 cents in value each, really shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated, especially when paired with Chase’s The Edit hotel collection and benefits at eligible hotels such as the JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort.
That’s especially true since Chase’s The Edit hotels are pretty reliably a part of the Points Boost list of booking options that stretch your points and offer elitelike perks.
Over 100,000 points saved
My recent two-night stay at the JW Marriott in Anaheim, California, would have cost 166,000 Marriott Bonvoy points if I had booked with points already in my Marriott account or transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.
However, since the hotel was a part of the Points Boost offerings, each Chase Ultimate Rewards point used was worth 2 cents toward the stay, dropping the points rate for the two-night stay to around 59,000 points.
Because the hotel was a Points Boost booking option with Chase, as indicated below, it also meant spending 20,000 fewer Chase points than it otherwise would have cost me using points from my Sapphire Reserve. (While we are on the topic, the Sapphire Reserve arguably has a best-ever offer available right now.)
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Related: Why I’m obsessed with the new Points Boost option
Over $200 in benefits enjoyed
This being a new great way to book trips for fewer points would have been enough for me to be thrilled, but since the hotel is part of Chase’s The Edit, it came with valuable perks, too.
In this case, we both got a complimentary full daily breakfast, which consisted of either the full buffet or an entree, a side and a beverage at the hotel’s restaurant.
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SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY
Special shoutout to both the breakfast burrito and the chilaquiles. On paper, the cost for each of these two breakfasts for the two of us was around $100 per day, though odds are we would have found somewhere to eat for less if it wasn’t going to be covered by this perk, so I’ll value each of those breakfasts for two at $50 here.
Booking via Chase’s The Edit also got us a $100 property credit that we used for a mix of drinks and dinner one night at the bar. I’m not one to turn down a complimentary meal — in this case, a poke bowl and a fried chicken sandwich — so this was a pretty darn excellent perk just for booking via Chase.
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SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY
We also received a “welcome amenity” in our room thanks to booking through The Edit. It was small but appreciated: a note, sparkling water and a few macarons.
All told, for our two-night stay, we enjoyed over $200 in on-site additional benefits just by booking via Chase’s The Edit program.
Over 3,000 Marriott points and elite night credits earned
Usually, when you book a hotel stay via a third-party site, you aren’t eligible to earn points or even sometimes use your elite status perks.
But when booking via Chase’s The Edit, things can work differently. You will see if the stay is eligible within that hotel loyalty program at booking, as indicated in this case by the “Marriott Bonvoy Eligible” designation below.
I was able to add my Marriott Platinum number at check-in — the hotel even proactively asked for it.
You can also potentially add your number via Chase’s website. This integration resulted in over 3,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and two elite night credits earned on the stay.
Transparently, I’m not 100% sure how the system landed at that number, though I’m assuming it’s some of the incidental and on-property charges that qualified rather than the full base rate, whether by my intent or accident. But it was still nice to earn something.
It’s also worth mentioning here that our lounge access benefit, thanks to my Marriott Platinum status, was also honored. This enabled us to grab some sodas, waters, snacks and desserts, and honestly spend very little out-of-pocket cash on food and drinks the entire weekend.
Bottom line
Chase’s Points Boost has changed how I approach using (and earning) points for some trips.
This is especially true for trips when the hotel we want is in a hotel loyalty program that doesn’t have a fixed award chart, like Marriott Bonvoy, and falls pretty high on the points price spectrum using the program’s own points. However, when the cash price for a property falls in a $400 to $600 per night range, which is common for somewhat upscale properties within the Westin or J.W. Marriott brands, at 2 cents per point via PointsBoost, it means it will cost just 20,000-30,000 Chase points per night.
Once you add the $100 property credit and complimentary breakfast, you could be looking at a pretty darn great deal that is better than most other options and is worth checking before booking your next trip.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 125,000 bonus points after $6,000 in spending in the first three months. You can use those points for up to $2,500 in travel via Points Boost.
