In a clumsy attempt to hide the stick behind the carrot, they promised «improved low award availability» (whatever that means) and five
new redemption tiers instead of existing three.
The most significant change was that they did away with
standard redemption tiers / categories that most other hotel programs use (category 3, 4, 5, etc.) and they put in a new redemption scheme where all properties (even all - inclusive properties) can be redeemed for 15,000 points per night.
Since the
highest redemption tier costs 30,000 points, this can be the equivalent of a 60,000 point signup bonus — as long as you plan on redeeming the nights at those tier 7 properties.
However, Spirit's terms and conditions don't stipulate when the most
expensive redemption tier will apply or when the lowest tier is available.
We're getting 5
redemption tiers for bookings made January 1, 2015 onward, but Delta hasn't shared details on what those will look like — and won't until the fourth quarter.
The most significant change was that they did away with
standard redemption tiers / categories that most other hotel programs use (category 3, 4, 5, etc.) and they put in a new redemption scheme where properties can be redeemed for 15,000 points per night (that means you can get 3 free nights with this card).
Redemptions from the central U.S. and the West Coast will push you up
a redemption tier, which will mean you'll need more miles.
At
each redemption tier, Hyatt guests have to spend somewhat more in order to earn free nights.
We don't know what the final composition of the changes will look like, since we don't have details on partner airline earning or on the five
redemption tiers.
And, if you really want to go the extra mile (or, thousands of extra miles, to be exact), then you should consider transferring your points to one of American Express's travel partners, where you can get values of 2 cents per point or more by finding sweet spots in
their redemption tiers.
Of course, to receive 4 % back in value you'd need to hit the absolute top of
a redemption tier with each and every redemption.