Greatest Western Rewards: Easy methods to earn and redeem factors, elite standing and extra

Greatest Western Rewards stays comparatively unknown on the planet of factors and miles. This system would not have any main bank card switch companions, 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 precious for those who journey to Europe, Asia and particular components of the U.S. and Canada. Whereas Greatest Western is not recognized for luxurious accommodations, it does have a collection of higher-end, boutique-focused manufacturers just like the BW Signature Assortment, the BW Premier Assortment and the millennial-focused Vib.

You may 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 part else you have to know in regards to the Greatest Western Rewards loyalty program.

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Greatest Western Rewards resort manufacturers

Greatest Western Rewards at present covers 19 resort manufacturers, starting from the budget-friendly SureStay to the boutique WorldHotels assortment:

• @Dwelling by Greatest Western
• Aiden by Greatest Western
• Greatest Western
• Greatest Western Plus
• Greatest Western Premier
• BW Premier Assortment
• BW Signature Assortment
• Government Residency by Greatest Western
• Glo
• Sadie Greatest Western
• SureStay
• SureStay Plus
• SureStay Assortment
• SureStay Studio
• WorldHotels Crafted
• WorldHotels Distinctive
• WorldHotels Elite
• WorldHotels Luxurious
• Vib

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Easy methods to earn Greatest Western Rewards factors

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. Nonetheless, you possibly can nonetheless earn factors by staying at Greatest Western accommodations and utilizing cobranded bank cards, in addition to by choose retail companions.

Here is a take a look at the entire methods you possibly can earn Greatest Western Rewards factors.

Keep at Greatest Western properties

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

So, for those who keep at a Greatest Western property for 3 nights with a pretax nightly charge of $100, you will earn 3,000 factors in your keep for those who’re a Blue member.

You probably have Greatest Western Rewards elite standing, you will earn a proportion bonus on paid Greatest Western stays. The upper your standing, the extra factors you will 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 may solely earn Greatest Western Rewards factors and use your elite advantages on Greatest Western stays you e-book instantly with Greatest Western; stays booked by Expedia, Orbitz, Chase Journey℠ and different on-line journey companies usually are not eligible. So, just be sure you e-book all of your Greatest Western stays instantly if you wish to earn factors and elite standing. Oftentimes, you will get the identical charge (or higher) as for those who booked by 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 embody 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 price): Welcome provide of as much as 40,000 bonus factors with qualifying spending; plus, you will obtain a further 10,000 bonus factors every anniversary after spending $5,000 every cardmember yr. You may get automated Gold standing and earn a further 4 factors per greenback spent on Greatest Western purchases together with your card, netting you a complete of as much as 15 factors per greenback spent on Greatest Western stays while you pay together with your card.
• Greatest Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card ($89 annual price): Welcome provide of as much as 80,000 bonus factors with qualifying spending. You may additionally obtain one free evening award every account anniversary and a further free evening award while you spend $10,000 that cardmember yr. Along with these bonus factors and free evening awards, you will get pleasure from automated Platinum standing and earn an additional 10 factors per greenback spent on Greatest Western purchases, so you will successfully earn as much as 23 factors per greenback spent for stays you pay for with the cardboard.

The knowledge 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 instantaneous standing perks and elevated earnings on Greatest Western purchases. Nonetheless, vacationers who change resort chains ceaselessly might have higher luck with a card that earns transferable factors, just like the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Whereas they do not include elite standing, these playing cards earn bonus factors on all resort manufacturers and different journey, and you’ll switch your factors to numerous resort and airline companions for distinctive 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 purchasing portal or a eating program, it companions with Teleflora to award factors while you order flowers on-line. You may earn 1,250 Greatest Western Rewards factors on every Teleflora flower supply order (see Greatest Western’s web site for particulars). You should definitely do your analysis and decide if that is definitely worth the cash. Likewise, examine earnings with different resort and airline loyalty packages to see for those who can earn extra factors elsewhere.

Lease vehicles by Greatest Western

Greatest Western has partnerships with a number of main rental automotive firms like Finances and Nationwide to offer members reductions on automotive leases. These partnerships additionally help you earn Greatest Western Rewards factors on automotive leases; some earn on a per-dollar foundation, whereas others award a flat variety of factors per rental. You may view all of Greatest Western’s partnerships on its web site and see if renting a automotive by Greatest Western is smart in your journey plans.

Simply notice that you may’t use company codes and, in lots of instances, you will not earn rental automotive rewards while you e-book by Greatest Western. Earlier than you e-book, be sure that the Greatest Western Rewards factors you’d earn offset another factors or reductions you are eligible for.

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Easy methods to redeem Greatest Western Rewards factors

Probably the most precious approach to redeem your factors is by reserving free nights at Greatest Western properties worldwide. There are different redemption choices accessible, like reward playing cards and merchandise, however you will typically get a a lot decrease worth in your factors while you redeem for these.

For instance, a $10 Greatest Western reward 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 suggest 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 resort and while you e-book. In response to Greatest Western, free nights vary from 5,000 to 70,000 factors per evening, and we have discovered that accommodations with increased money charges typically value extra factors.

Viewing award-night pricing is straightforward. 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. If you discover a resort you want, click on the yellow “View Rooms” button to see all accessible rooms and charges.

You should utilize Greatest Western Rewards factors to e-book commonplace and premium rooms. Premium rooms will typically value extra factors, however typically they’re solely a little bit dearer than commonplace rooms — and even the identical worth.

As an example, on the Greatest Western Firestone Inn & Suites, you possibly can e-book a typical room for twenty-four,000 factors per evening or a mountain-view suite for 28,000 factors. On the Greatest Western Plus Boulder Louisville, a collection prices 40,000 factors per evening, the identical quantity you’d pay for the standard room. In these instances, you might be able to get extra worth out of your factors by reserving upgraded rooms for a similar or barely increased costs.

One phrase of warning, although: All the time test the money charge earlier than you e-book an award evening. Lots of Greatest Western’s accommodations are supposed to be budget-friendly and have low money charges. As an alternative of utilizing your Greatest Western Rewards factors to e-book 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 bear in mind to not hoard your factors too lengthy, as they’ll lose worth over time.

The very best accommodations to e-book with Greatest Western Rewards factors

Greatest Western has 1000’s of properties worldwide, however a few of them provide higher worth for factors redemptions than others. As a basic rule of thumb, you will often get the most effective 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 easy methods to use your factors, look no additional. Listed here are a few of our favourite Greatest Western Rewards redemptions:

The Cartwright Lodge — Union Sq. in San Francisco

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

The Grant Park Lodge offers you entry to every part 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 purchasing district. Due to this central location, the Grant Park Lodge is a superb alternative for Windy Metropolis first-timers.

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

Greatest Western Plus Lodge Sydney Opera in Paris

The Metropolis of Mild is dwelling to many Greatest Western properties, together with the conveniently positioned Greatest Western Plus Sydney Opera. This resort 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 evening over Valentine’s Day weekend — or you need to 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 can too switch your Greatest Western Rewards factors to 9 airline packages, together with packages with hard-to-earn miles like Alaska Airways Mileage Plan and Asiana Membership. This would possibly not provide you with as a lot worth as reserving award nights, however it may be a great way to prime up your airline account steadiness for those who’re going for a selected award ticket.

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

Once more, these transfers usually are not the most effective use of Greatest Western Rewards factors, however they could be useful if you end up a number of miles in need of a selected award ticket. To transform your factors into miles, head to Greatest Western’s Redemption Mall.

It is also price noting that you may select to earn airline miles as a substitute of Greatest Western Rewards factors on Greatest Western stays. Greatest Western supplies extra choices for incomes miles than transferring them; you possibly can earn miles on the above airways and a number of other others, together with United Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Turkish Airways. See Greatest Western’s journey accomplice web page for the variety of miles you possibly can earn with every airline. To earn miles this manner, go to the “Profile & Preferences” part of your account, scroll all the way down to “Incomes Choice,” select your most popular airline accomplice 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 may redeem factors on Greatest Western stays with no blackout dates.

You may 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 evening redemptions depend towards elite standing, so for those who use your factors for a free keep, these nights will make it easier to work towards the following 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%

In addition to incomes factors quicker, there are some perks to Greatest Western elite standing. Members with Gold or increased standing obtain a complimentary bottle of water and 500 bonus factors (the place accessible) upon arrival for every keep. These with Platinum standing or above can get pleasure from early check-in and late checkout upon request.

Standing match from one other resort program

Have standing with one other resort chain? You may benefit from Greatest Western’s Standing Match…No Catch program to match your present resort standing to Greatest Western at no cost. We suggest profiting from 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 kind on the Greatest Western web site. Members who attain a brand new tier by standing matching in 2024 will preserve that tier by March 31, 2026.

Associated: Present resort elite standing match and problem presents

Backside line

Whereas Greatest Western’s properties will not make for essentially the most aspirational award bookings, your Greatest Western Rewards factors can come in useful on street journeys, for stays in small cities and different instances while you want a spot to sleep for the evening. And since Greatest Western Rewards factors by no means expire, you possibly can accrue them with out worrying about incomes extra factors or redeeming them at a selected time. We extremely suggest enrolling in this system even for those who don’t remain at Greatest Western properties typically.