Reader mistake story: I missed out on a $250 hotel credit by forgetting to do this 1 thing
We've brought back our popular reader success and mistake stories here at TPG to both celebrate your wins and learn from your errors.
This week's mistake story is from reader Heather H., who tried to take advantage of a valuable hotel-booking perk offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), but a simple error cost her dearly.
"Like most people, I'm trying to get use out of my Sapphire Reserve card benefits," she said. "I recently booked a hotel through The Edit to get a $250 credit. I just found out that since I didn't prepay on the website, I don't get the credit. And the worst part is, I could've booked directly with the hotel for a little cheaper, but I wanted to use the credit."
As Heather noted, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders have access to The Edit by Chase Travel℠, a program that offers various benefits similar to those that come with having elite status at 1,000 properties worldwide. Those with the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees) and the J.P. Morgan Reserve® cards also have access to The Edit.
The information for the J.P. Morgan Reserve has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
What Heather attempted to use was the credit of up to $250 per prepaid The Edit booking (of two nights or more), up to $500 annually, which both Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business cardholders receive.
The critical word in the $250 credit benefit is that it applies only to "prepaid" bookings, and this is where Heather came unstuck: The credit would not apply if she did not prepay.
She will need to find another booking to use the $250 credit and ensure it is prepaid at the time of booking. Fortunately, she can still enjoy the following benefits that come with every The Edit booking, regardless of whether she prepaid or not:
- Daily breakfast for two
- A special benefit worth up to $100 (unique to each property but often includes a lunch or dinner for two, a spa treatment, golf green fee waivers, a welcome gift or airport transfers)
- Complimentary Wi-Fi at properties that offer Wi-Fi
- A room upgrade at select properties (when available)
- Early check-in and late checkout at select properties (when available)
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve jumps to 150,000 points — is this the best-ever offer?
Bottom line
If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can book premium hotel stays with a host of perks through The Edit by Chase Travel. Just make sure you prepay in full if you want to use the credit of up to $250 per The Edit booking (of two nights or more), up to $500 annually.
We'd like to thank Heather for sharing her story in the hope that her experience can help other readers avoid making the same mistake.
We'd love to hear more of your stories! You can submit your own reader mistake story with the details of what went wrong and what you'd do next time to avoid it. (If you have an ongoing issue with a travel company that you feel owed compensation for circumstances beyond your control, you can reach TPG's ombudsman, Michelle Couch-Friedman, at ombudsman@thepointsguy.com.)
Have a win or amazing redemption you'd like to share? We're also accepting reader success stories, too.
Due to the volume of submissions, we can't respond to each story individually, but we'll be in touch if yours is selected. We look forward to hearing from you!
Related reading:
- The Edit by Chase Travel: How you can get elitelike perks without status
- What's the difference between Chase's The Edit properties and Points Boost?
- Stretch your points: 8 of the most valuable Chase Points Boost bookings
- The full list of Chase's The Edit properties is now available for Sapphire Reserve cardholders
- Chase Sapphire Reserve statement credits: What they are and how to use them