Hi All,
So here is my situation:
Current status Accor Silver which will change to gold soon (read below)
Accor All Explorer expiring on 30th Nov and I have renewed it for 13K and hence will receive 20 Nights and adding current 11 nights, will be gold.
I am aware that this 31 nights will reset. I normal spend 1-2 lakhs on accor every year and hence planning to take Signature.
Questions:
1. Should I take Signature this year or wait till Jan? Waiting till jan will lead to missing out on Black Friday offer
2. Till when is black friday offer available? If I need to take this year then can I wait till Dec 2nd or offer will expire?
Unrelated to above - I have Accor Traveler available from Amex. Should I use it for my wife's account or wait till next Nov to renew?
I have spent an hour today for calculating the pro/cons of taking Accor Signature Absolute membership. I am Gold + Accorplus Member. So, similar situation here, Lets breakdown this to earning (ROI) on this investment.
First decide what type of hotels you live in, if its IBIS category then Platinum doesnt makes any major difference over Gold exept Complimentary Breakfast (Gold you can easily achieve with Accor Plus + 10 Stay Nights)
Factors Affecting Accor Signature Decision
1. You have full amount in cash with you OR Converting to EMI.
2. You will be travelling, staying in premium Accor hotels to reap benefits of Platinum. (Lounges, Room Upgrade, Early/Late Stay)
3. Additional perks you can use: Points transfer to Family.
4. Currency Rate to purchase: BRLINR
5. Currency Rate for redemption : EURINR
6. Possibility of Earning 2000 Status Points.
Payment:
If you dont have full cash with you, taking monthly Absolute membership makes sense (Assuming you have 0% forex card / Axis Atlas) with you.
75000 Points is lowest value 67,500Rs (even if you sell at 90 Paisa per point) Higher value if you use for yourself.
Maket Value:
So, total difference is for 6720BRL X 15.52INR = 97500Rs - 67,500 = -
30,000 Rs
If you use points for own spends then 75000 X 1.76 INR =
1,32,000 Rs.
but here you have to consider that you wont be getting discounts like Red Hot Room deals. e.g. Last month Goa Ibis Styles was at 4500Rs in points booking & 3000Rs at Red Hot Rooms.
Currency:
BRL/INR is fluctuating between 13 Rs to 17 Rs. today its at 14.5 Rs. Considering this is lower side, it makes sense to make payment for full year at present rate & convert to EMI from bank if required. If it falls to 13 Rs then you will be loosing almost 10k Rs in this deal.
EUR/INR is at 88.63 Rs on higher side, so if it falls to 84 then your points value will go down by almost 7500 Rs.
2000 Status Points:
This equals spending 1,44,000 on IBIS OR 72,000 on other Accor hotels.
Now, considering all factors & assuming that you will be reaping full benefits from Platinum like lounge access, suite upgrade, complimentary breakfast.
My Advice:
>It is advisable to buy this membership on 1st of December. If you can earn required 2000+1000 status points next year, by spending cash on Accor. You will losee 8.33% points but get 15% discount.
>It is advisable to buy this membership on 1st January. If you cant earn 3000 but only 2000 status points next year by spending cash on Accor, you will be using more points to travel.
You will loose only 15% discount and save 8.33% points = -6.67% loss. But there is possible devaluation of BRL that can make this price difference very small.
As
@shashankrt pointed, you can buy 1 month membership to get 1000 status points next year as well if you dont earn that by December.
Alternative;
Buy Accor Plus (20 Stay Nights) + Travel in IBIS hotels 40 Nights = Platinum
IBIS hotels cost average 3000Rs per night in cash (considering deals & red hot rooms). So, you will be Platinum by spending 1,20,000 Rs.
You are not missing anything significant if you don't take this membership or don't get Platinum.
My Plan:
I am planing to buy Signature Absolute membership on 1st Jan. Irrespective of discount. But i may buy monthly plan instead of yearly.
Visiting Brazil?
If you are visiting Brazil by any chance then you will get free Signature Experience booking (worth 20k approx) for Stay at Hotel or other experiences (
check on this link). This is once in a 4 month benefit.
I will update this comment if required.
