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Last Chance For A Second Set Of Fairmont Certificates For Elite Members
Just a quick reminder, Fairmont elite members (Platinum and Premier) have until July 1, 2018 to get two qualifying stays to be eligible for a second set of Fairmont certificates, which will be issued on July 2, when Le Club AccorHotels replaces the Fairmont President’s Club.
For me, certificates were one of the main benefits that made the President’s Club unique. Being able to confirm suite upgrades at the time of booking or using free-night stays for some truly aspirational (and unaffordable) hotels had me coming back for more, year after year. With the new program, rewards will be earned based on how much you spend at the hotel, which can be redeemed towards free-nights (revenue based essentially).
As a bit of a parting gift, Fairmont announced earlier this year they would be offering a second set of Fairmont certificates to all elite members who have just two qualifying stays prior to July 1, 2018. These certificates will remain valid until February 28, 2019. A little bit of fine print on what constitutes a qualifying stay:
To receive a bonus set of e-certificates, two stays must be actualized between January 1 and July 1, 2018 on qualifying rates with Fairmont, Raffles, and/or Swissotel. Qualifying rates are determined by Fairmont in its sole discretion and can be deemed non-qualifying at any given time without prior notice. Travel-industry rates (including, but not limited to airline crew rates, travel agent rates and tour group escort rates) or other deeply discounted rates will not be considered qualifying rates toward member status. Complimentary or barter room stays or any stays booked through any third party online travel channel website (including, but not limited to: HotelTonight.com, Booking.com, Rocketmiles.com, Priceline.com, Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Lastminute.com, Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com, Travelweb.com) are considered as not qualifying and will not be eligible for credit.
How To Save Money On Qualifying Stays For A Second Set Of Fairmont Certificates
I wouldn’t necessarily encourage anyone to spend $1,000 on two stays at random Fairmont properties (a term called mattress running) just to get a second set of certificates, but for anyone with immediate travel plans, this seems like a good reason to choose Fairmont over the competition. Also, there are some great ways to save money, or add value (particularly in Canada), if you do find yourself short but really want to pick up the second set of Fairmont certificates.
Life Experiences
Most have probably heard of this trick before, but for those who haven’t, I wrote a detailed post on how to purchase these certificates online, which essentially nets 25% off any stay at Fairmont properties in Canada. Best of all, these certificates can be used towards non-refundable or promotional rates booked directly through the hotel. If your credit card is charged at the time of booking for a prepaid stay, the hotel will simply refund the difference and apply the certificates.
Keep in mind that (most) third party bookings are not eligible for certificate use, since the payment is usually collected by the online travel agency, and not the hotel (though I would avoid booking a discounted third-party rate as it likely will not qualify as a stay for the second set of Fairmont certificates).
American Express Fine Hotels And Resorts
While you generally won’t save money by booking through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts (their rates are usually the same as the flexible rate offered through the hotel), you will certainly get some added value. Not all Fairmont properties are included, but the ones that are will offer:
- Daily breakfast for two people
- Complimentary WiFi
- Early check-in and a room upgrade, subject to availability
- Guaranteed late checkout
- Unique property amenity (usually $100USD property credit)
American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts is only available for Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cardmembers, but if you don’t have one, consider applying today to take advantage of the huge sign-up bonuses currently being offered.
New Platinum® Cardmembers, earn Welcome Bonus points . Plus you’ll get a $200 travel credit upon activation, which can be used towards your Fairmont stay!
Apply for The American Express Business Platinum Card and earn Membership Reward points after spending in the first three months.
Virtuoso
This is a program I hadn’t used until recently but operates much like American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts. Essentially, the price will be the same as the flexible rate offered through the hotel, but will include a bunch of extras similar to the FHR package (property specific).
The only catch is you need to know a Virtuoso travel agent to book one of these rates, and many aren’t interested in travel hackers looking to get the cheapest one-night stay possible (they like to book long, expensive trips for more commission). Great news though, there’s now an online travel agency affiliated with Virtuoso, allowing for easy reservations without talking to a travel agent.
The website is Classictravel.com, and although it seems a bit out of the ’90s, I assure you it works. We recently used it for our stay at the Pacific Rim in Vancouver and received almost $300 in food/beverage credits (breakfast and property credit), which really helped with the overall cost for our weekend away!
The BEST part about booking a Virtuoso rate is you can use Life Experiences gift certificates to pay for the stay, unlike American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts where you need to settle the entire bill with an Amex card. This presents an opportunity to get all of the added benefits AND save 25% off your entire stay!
Bottom Line
You can bet that everyone at PointsWise took Fairmont up on this offer. It was relatively easy for Brad and I, as we just spent a couple of weekends in Vancouver during the off-season when rates were low, and took advantage of either saving money through Life Experiences or adding value through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts.
While it probably cost us close to $800 out of pocket for four nights (not taking into account added benefits through our status or by booking through FHR), we are going to get much more returned when we redeem the certificates, plus we got a few great staycations!
Currently, we plan to use both free night certificates (in addition to one we have leftover from the last batch) at The Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego. This is widely considered one of the finest resort hotels in North America, and paid rates are not cheap. We will also use our suite-upgrade certificate to confirm a Prado suite in advance, which comes in at a cool $1349USD/night.
The value of the two free nights combined with a suite-upgrade earned through the second set of Fairmont certificates is valued at just over $3900 in this scenario, which seems like a great return on our ‘investment’ by having two more qualifying stays each. Best of all though, our certificates will provide an experience we couldn’t otherwise afford, which really is the essence of travel hacking.
RIP Fairmont President’s Club. You will be missed.
Do you plan to get two qualifying stays before July 1, 2018 for the second set of Fairmont certificates?
You’ll love the Grand Del Mar – the pictures do not do the place justice.
I qualified for the second set in July. Still unsure where I’ll use my free night cert though. Toss up between Pacific Rim in Vancouver and The Savoy in London, though that could be tough to snag.
Hey Richard,
Two great choices! The Savoy will indeed be tough, because it’s capacity controlled (similar to The Plaza), and I imagine a lot of people are looking to redeem there.
Pacific Rim is another great option though, particularly in the summer months when rates are at their highest.
-Tyler
Hi Tyler, as FPC Plat, do you know if the new certificates post after July or do they post as soon as the eligible stays are completed? Reason I ask is that I appear to have had some certificates post last week that I wasn’t expecting?
Hey Tom,
My understanding is the second set of certificates will post on July 2 if the member has two qualifying stays. I met this requirement back in February, as have many people I know, and haven’t heard any data points around certificates posting early. Is it a full set of Plat certificates? If so, that’s great! Very interested to know if you get a second (or third I guess) set in July!
-Tyler
Yep full set, I assumed it was a mistake so used them last week at the waterfront! Fingers crossed for July then!
Wow that’s incredible! Hope you had a nice time at The Waterfront – I actually really like that hotel. Please let me know in July if you receive a second set!
-Tyler
I didn’t get a full set but back in April I noticed an additional free-night certificate. I had completed the two qualifying nights by that point. Any chance it’s related?
Hey Martin,
Wow – that’s great! Doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with the second set of certificates, and more likely an IT glitch, which Fairmont is almost famous for.
I’d be curious to hear if anyone else has received stray certificates or full sets!
-Tyler
I never recieved my second set of certificates even though I qualified with two stays. Also my remaining unused Fairmont certificates are no where to be found on the ‘new Accor website”. As well, even though promised to maintain current status till Feb 28.2019 I’ve dropped to Gold from Platinum. Tried emailing as of yet no reply. Unable to get through on the phone line. Anyone else have this situation???
Hi Kathy,
I’ve heard of a few accounts of certificates not posting properly, and currently I’m unable to access my own account with the email I had on file, with the account recovery page prompting me to call customer service (though my partner’s certificates posted without issue).
I expect there are a few technical glitches, but have been advised by my contact at Fairmont to just wait a few days while things settle down – anyone with two qualifying stays will get a second set of certificates, and status match issues should be resolved soon!
-Tyler
Are our two additional Fairmont Platinum “passion” choices included in the second set of certificates?
Unfortunately not!
Hey Tyler, planning to use both my Suite Upgrade + 3rd Night Free certs. In this case, do I have to call in to book or can I book online first then call? I’ve used upgrade certs before with online booking then calling, but never tried the combination. (And, thank-you, we are going to Maui!!)
Hey Robert,
You should have no issue booking online first and then calling to apply the certificates. Few things to consider though:
Make sure you’re booking the base room so your 3rd night free certificate can be used. At the Maui property this is a Fairmont Suite (all suite property).
Double check blackout dates before booking, and don’t wait too long to apply the certificates – I’ve actually been burned once by blackout dates that changed after I booked but before I applied certificates.
Consider saving your Suite Upgrade certificate for another property. At Maui, you only get upgraded to a slightly better view, since all rooms are suites, and I’ve yet to hear one account where the guest was happy with the results. Use a room upgrade certificate or two instead, or email the property directly to see if they can confirm you into what you want using a combination of certificates. If you want a good reccomendation for suite upgrades, consider Mayakoba – I just stayed there and was upgraded from a Fairmont room to a Beachfront Casita Suite with private plunge pool – it was incredible
Hope this info helps! Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can help with the trip planning. Enjoy Maui!
-Tyler