Rapid Travel Chai

Le Club Accorhotels is emailing members of 2017 earning and elite status changes. Their video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXQx9q3srXo

In the full explanation of the changes there is a lot to wade through. Unless you are deeply involved in the program, here is the quick take:

• Introduction of Status Points to be used for elite qualification and that can only be earned through Accor stays and meetings
• Status points earn at fixed rates regardless of elite status
• Rewards points are bonused for elite members
• Elite status points requirements lowered
• Elite status to be based on calendar rear rather than rolling 12-month period, so status earned in one year is good end of following calendar year (as in most hotel elite programs)

2 Things us Infrequent Accor Customers Care About are Not Mentioned:

• No announced changes to redemptions
• No announcement regarding Fairmont

What Most of us Sould Do with Accor Stays:

Accor’s award options are mostly uninspiring such as hotel cash vouchers. The award with upside is transfer to to partner airlines:

• On-demand transfers require minimum blocks of several thousand
• Automatic transfers start with your first earn and really are automatic

Automatic transfers work beautifully. You select your airline choice in your profile and are good to go. Most airline automatic transfers start when you have earned a minimum of 2 points to activate (a few are 1 or 5, who knows?). The terms list certain exceptions, the only noteworthy ones are:

• Lufthansa requires 1,000 points earned to activate, and then has a 500-minimum mile earn for 1-night Sofitel/Pullman/MGallery or 2-night Novotel/Suite Novotel/Mercure/Adagio or 4-night ibis/ibis styles/all seasons stays
• Minimum thresholds apply for AeroMexico (4,000 transfers to 2,000), Korean Air (4,000 transfers to 2,000) and Virgin Australia (4,000 transfers to 4,000)

My account is set to Iberia Avios, which transfer 1-to-1 with no minimum. I can use avios.com to move these to British Airways Avios if I want. I do not directly send to British Airways because that rate is a 2-to-1.

On my occasional Accor stays I get a nice Iberia Avios boost and don’t have another loyalty program to worry about. Recently I had a few nice stays in Central and West Africa where accommodation alternatives were limited.

The other airline partners are worth a glance if there is something special that you value. For most of us Iberia is the best combination of transfer rate, flexibility, and program. If you have lots of short stays at Sofitel/Pullman/MGallery then Lufthansa may be the program for you.

Readers, what is your Accor strategy?