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I Prefer new website launch and 2,500 points promotion
I Prefer, the loyalty program of Preferred Hotels, has launched a new website and app. To give them some credit, the website is a great leap forward compared against the old one.
You can view your account activity, as well as book reward nights on the portal.
However, not all Preferred Hotels are bookable with points. In fact many are still missing, and it seems that I Prefer hasn’t made much progress in the last couple of years.
The celebrate the new website and app, I Prefer has also started a new promotion. All stays booked by April 30 and completed in 2023 will earn 2,500 bonus points.
I Prefer Gift Card 20% bonus sale
Like SLH or LHW, Preferred Hotels & Resorts is a soft alliance of independent hotels, but somehow of a much lower profile. You probably have heard of at least some of their hotels in the London portfolio though:
- Royal Lancaster London
- L’Oscar
- The Stafford
And there is currently a sale on their digital gift card should you be interested in staying with their properties.
- Runs until June 30
- Get 20% bonus on all I Prefer gift cards purchased
- The original gift card doesn’t expire, but the 20% bonus expires after 6 months
- Gift cards can be used at participating hotels except in China, Japan, India, the Middle East and Africa
Note that USD is the only supported currency, so exchange rate fluctuation and currency conversion are potential risks.
Read the FAQs carefully, but here’s my take:
- In principle you must be a staying guest, although you may use it to pay off incidentals too
- You don’t have to book the stay via I Prefer
- They are not valid for pre-pay
Match to Preferred Hotels Authority for free upgrade, breakfast and lounge access with Mastercard World Elite
We wrote about Preferred Hotels’ program update last year, as well as the status match opportunity to Elite with Mastercard at that time. The promotion has got even better now.
You could check out the offer on Mastercard’s site here. Until January 2023, select Mastercards issued in Asia Pacific qualify for special Preferred Hotels benefits:
- World Elite – match to I Prefer Authority
- Elite – match to I Prefer Elite
- Platinum & Titanium – match to I Prefer Explorer
- Others – 2,500 bonus points upon enrolment
Even if you are familiar with I Prefer, you may have never heard of Authority – it’s a new top-tier status introduced last July, and by invitation only.
Authority privileges include welcome gift, room upgrade, free breakfast and lounge access. It’s more or less on the same level with Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum and Hyatt Globalist, which is pretty valuable.
In order to apply for the match, all you need is the BIN (first 6 digits) of a qualifying Mastercard. However, after submitting my application, I received a reply asking me for a photo of my credit card, including the key information.
9Once that’s sorted, you’ll want to create an I Prefer account first. You may use my referral link which will give you a 1,000-point sign-up bonus. My quota is already filled so won’t earn anything myself, but the referred should be fine, and feel free to post your referral link in the comments.
Then you need to send an email to [email protected] with the title Mastercard Offer – Authority Tier, content following the template provided on Mastercard’s offer page. You should receive a reply within seven business days, and if approved the status is valid for a year.
Here are some Preferred Hotels in the UK:
- Royal Lancaster, London
- The Bentley, London
- The Beaumont, London
- The Stafford, London
- L’oscar, London
- Sea Containers, London
- The Lowry, Manchester
- The Grand, York
- The Fitzwilliam Hotel, Belfast
And there are plenty more in Europe and all over the world. The match is very easy and benefits are substantial, so it’s worth a few minutes of yours to submit an application. Remember that the status is only valid for one year, so you may want to apply nearer the deadline if you have no immediate travel plans.
Preferred Hotels program revamp, and potential status match opportunity
Similar to LHW, SLH and Mr & Mrs Smiths, Preferred Hotels is also a hotel alliance for independent boutique hotels. They have been in the process of revamping their loyalty program in case you are interested.
[I Prefer Program]
There are currently two tiers in the I Prefer program: you sign up as an Insider and immediately enjoy room upgrade, early check-in and late check-out. After earning 50,000 points (=$5000 spend) you are elevated to Elite, with enhanced point earning rate and welcome amenity.
Two new tiers will be added on August 1st: Explorer requires half of the status points of Elite, but with more or less the same benefits; and new benefits such as food and beverage credit will be added to the Elite status. Authority, which is the invitation-only top tier, will enjoy free breakfast and executive lounge access where applicable.
Unfortunately the benefits still look quite weak. As a comparison, LHW offers all members free breakfast, and for SLH there are ways to immediately qualify for Indulged / Inspired that offers the same benefits too. Why Preferred Hotels thinks breakfast is such an exclusive privilege that can only be awarded to their top VIP guests is beyond me.
[Redeeming Points]
The way I Prefer points work now is similar to Accor – 12,500 points are converted to a $25 gift certificate which can be redeemed when booking any hotels on their website. Considering you earn 10 points per dollar spent, that’s equivalent to a 2% return which is incredibly poor.
They probably have realised it too, and are now moving to a redemption system that are more similar to mainstream programs such as Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton. Having launched in North America, hotels now cost a fixed price of between 15,000 points and 150,000 points a night:
This definitely looks much more interesting.
[Status Match]
I Prefer runs frequent fast track promotions that provide easy access to their Elite tier. At the moment there is one for Mastercard World / World Elite / Black card holders, where you get the status after only one eligible stay at participating hotels.
According to their FAQ page:
I currently have elite status with another hotel rewards program. Does the I Prefer Program offer status matches?
Yes, you may contact [email protected] and provide proof of your status at another hotel rewards program.
You can also request a direct status match by sending them an email.
[Refer a Friend]
If you are interested in joining I Prefer, they have started a refer-a-friend program as well. Sign up using my referral link and both of us will get 1,000 points as a bonus.
Preferred Hotels offer: Elite status after one stay
Preferred Hotels is a soft hotel alliance, similar to Leading Hotels of the World and Small Luxury Hotels. Some very well-known hotels in London are part of this group, for example Royal Lancaster London and the Beaumont Hotel.