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I have had my medicals done for Australia Visa. Also, verified the medicals have been submitted to the department. Can someone please advise how much time will it take to finalise the visa after medicals submission?
It will be really helpful if someone can share their experiences?
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Additional Posts in All things points
Uber credit card vs CSR?
Best SPG/ Marriott in LA?
Luggage issue at DU. How many points?
Can someone link the discount code spreadsheet?
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unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Bonvoy pesos
Go high category. With upgrades, I’ve been getting 1c / point easy in my last 3 vacations.
Rising Star
Sigh, I miss Starwood
OW speaks truth
Pro
Weekday vs weekend? Location? Category?
Al Maha in the UAE, almost 2c / point. In line with posts above, very high end gives the best value per point.
But honestly, for me it’s more about experiences I would not enjoy if paying it myself, rather than looking for the value per point (Al Maha, however, served both goals)
Westin Snowmass was 35k a night. Stayed 5 nights for one free night for this room. That comes to around 6.2 cents per point - was pretty happy with that one.
Comes to 2.1 cents per point, which is still a good redemption but I’d never have kept the redemption without the upgrade.
Yesterday I checked Punta Cana in the DR and the Westin was 180k points or $1820. It’s rare but 1 cent/point redemption still exists. That said, for the same price you can get a 5 star all inclusive resort there so the Westin was totally overpriced.
Weekend... anywhere. Have searched many different locations and usually find 0.2 cents per point. Have 220k points and can only get 3 nights max.
Pro
Best redemptions are for 2 types of properties, high-end aspirational properties in ultra expensive cities (NY, HK, Tokyo) and resorts (Maldives) or properties in hard to find places where there are no other places
Last weekend in Dallas, I got 2 nights in a suite at the Autograph for 60k, dollar price was $670.
Per night or total?
Look into luxury hotels like St Regis and Ritz. They’re usually worth more than 80 cents per point.
Sheraton Kauai is usually a solid return. 35k per night for a $400-500/night resort. So 140k points for about $2,000 for 5 nights.
Not the fanciest resort but worth it for location alone.
Stayed in aruba for a week with points, the rooms were going for $1k+ per night.
Look for special events. I’ve gotten point values for higher than that at the W Times Square and Westin Sydney on NYE, in Rio during Carnival, W French Quarter during Mardi Gras, Four Points Munich during Oktoberfest, etc. During low season, I pay cash. With the recent point increases, cat 8s like Al Maha, the Maldives properties (except Sheraton), Gritti Place, Bora Bora, etc., are increasingly valuable in relative terms (and cost far less than under SPG).