The Pros and Cons of Using Amex Offers to Prepay a Hotel Room Credit

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Last month I wrote about our fabulous stay in Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo In it I’ve mentioned that I liked the hotel so much, I’ve already booked another stay later this year, so we can take our kids with us.

This resort is part of Hilton Curio collection, and a few months ago I just happened to save an Amex offer that would allow me to get $50 credit on $250 or more spent on this particular brand. The offer was going to expire at the end of this month, so I had to decide on whether or not to take advantage of it.

In the end I’ve reached out to the hotel  to prepay $250 room credit and tie it to my reservation. Done! In fact, the resort rep emailed and asked me the ages of my kids, so she could arrange some gifts for them. That was unexpected and awesome. I’m not sure it will actually happen, but it was still a nice gesture.

Almost immediately, I got a notification that this charge has triggered my Amex offer, so all is well. Normally, I don’t mess with this stuff since there are too many unknowns. While getting a 20% discount seems nice in theory, a lot can happen to disrupt your plans, as last year has shown us.

However, in my case, taking advantage of the Amex offer for this particular  resort almost seemed like a no-brainer, and here is why. I’ve already done it once before, by prepaying $250 so I can use up the resort credit on my Amex Hilton Aspire, before canceling the card. I got a link where I was able to charge this amount and received a confirmation that it’s tied to my reservation.

Due to Covid-19 pandemic,  I had to reschedule our stay a few times. Each time I’ve simply sent out an email and the resort rep  moved the credit to our new reservation without an issue. When we checked out, the $250 credit was reflected in our bill. In other words, everything worked as it should, with minimal hassle on my part.

Amex periodically loads these types of offers, so it’s something you may want to pay attention to if you have a future hotel stay planed anyway.

Personally, we tend to buy a lot of food on-property, especially when staying at a resort. Let’s face it, it’s just easier that way when you travel with kids. So, sadly, it doesn’t take long for us to utilize a $250 credit.

Why you may want to skip these type of offers

Obviously, when you prepay advance room credit, you tie up your money in one specific property. If your plans change, it may be a nuisance to try to utilize it going forward. It may be possible to request a refund, but a property will be within their rights to refuse it.

Personally, I would only take advantage of this type of an offer if a hotel is located within driving distance of my house. In our case, Baker’s Cay resort is only 4 hours away, so I’m  reasonably sure that we can reschedule if necessary without creating extra difficulties. Plus, we  loved this place and really look forward to returning. It may not be this year, but we will be back.

If you do have to fly, but have family in that specific location, it’s probably OK to also take a chance. As long as you are reasonably sure that you will have to be there at some point in the future, you might as well lock in 20% discount in advance room credit. Otherwise, it’s probably best to stick to Hilton gift cards when they are on sale. As always, cash is king. However, saving 20% off on something you plan to spend anyway is nothing to sneeze at.

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