Always make sure to set a few reminders to double check your hotel bookings to see if any specials have become available since you’ve booked.

On our recent trip to Europe, I made a booking using Starpoints a few months in advance for a stay at The Westin Europa & Regina in Venice, Italy. I determined the Starpoints Cash and Points redemption to be a great value:

I booked a “Deluxe Room” for 8,000 points + $150 USD instead of paying 451 euros (appx $631 USD) for the same room. This yielded a return of:

An amazing return of 6.01 cents/point!

Not satisfied with the hotel though, I kept checking SPG.com for an opening at either the Gritti Palace or the Hotel Danieli (both Category 7).

And I was very committed to my persistence:  I set a timer to check every day. My persistence paid off, though, when I found that the Westin Europa & Regina was having a “Beat the Timer,” fire sale on rooms. They had my date for 186 euros (appx $241 USD)!

When I rerun that math, I find that:

1.1 cents/point, a terrible return

Naturally, I cancelled the Cash & Points booking and rebooked at the cheap, all cash rate.

The result? By paying an extra $91, I essentially bought 8,723 Starpoints (8,000 pts that I saved + 723 points that I will now earn since it’s a cash rate). I would take that deal all. day. long.

BOTTOM LINE: Double checking your hotel bookings a few times could save you big– it saved me thousands of Starpoints.