With the current MegaBonus winding down, I wondered what Insiders currently think about category 1-4 certificates. Numerous posts have highlighted the challenges of using these certificates. Some of us were given the offer to earn up to 2 category 1-4 certificates, while others got essentially the same offer with category 1-5 certificates instead. (Even after several calls to MR, I still was only able to get the category 1-4 certificates offer, which I managed to max out by the end of March).
I personally love the promo certificates (though I would prefer cat. 1-5) since I rarely stay enough nights (usually at least 15 required) during the promo period to earn the bonus points, but I have no trouble completing the 4 stays requirement to earn the 2 promo certificates. For reference, during the current promotion, I will have 8 paid nights/stays (all my stays were/will be 1 night), plus 2 free nights using promo certs from last spring's MegaBonus.
If category 1-4 certificates were eliminated, what would you like to see?
I imagine answers might vary based on Insiders elite status and current travel patterns. At least two things come to my mind.
1. Keep the same promotions, but offer category 1-5 certificates (with the changes in categories, some comments have suggested that even category 1-5 certificates are becoming hard to use).
2. Offer bonus points at a lower threshold, perhaps as few as 7 to 10 nights. For road warriors, staying 25 to 30 nights to earn the largest bonuses might be easy, but those of us who travel less frequently (or only for leisure) might find reaching 10 nights over a 3 month period to be a stretch.
What are your thoughts?