Ascott offering up to 100% bonus on ASR points purchases

Ascott Star Rewards is the loyalty program of The Ascott Limited, which brands include Ascott The Residence, Somerset, Quest and Citadines. 

From now till 31 August 2020, Ascott is selling Ascott Star Rewards (ASR) points with up to a 100% bonus. ASR points can be redeemed for a fixed value against hotel bills, so this is effectively a 50% discount on future stays.

Buy Ascott Star Rewards points with up to a 100% bonus

ASR members can now purchase points with up to a 100% bonus, until 31 August 2020. Here’s how the bonus tiers:

• Buy 30,000 points or less: No bonus
• Buy 40,000-70,000 points: 25% bonus
• Buy 80,000- 150,000 points: 40% bonus
• Buy 160,000-190,000 points: 50% bonus
• Buy 200,000+ points: 100% bonus

A maximum of 400,000 points (pre-bonus) can be purchased per calendar year. 

1 ASR point normally costs (and can be redeemed for) 0.25 Singapore cents, so you’re basically locking in a discount on future stays:

• Buy 30,000 points or less: No discount
• Buy 40,000-70,000 points: 20% discount
• Buy 80,000- 150,000 points: 29% discount
• Buy 160,000-190,000 points: 33% discount
• Buy 200,000+ points: 50% discount

Points are valid for 24 months after purchase, and can be redeemed against the bill at participating properties worldwide.

What is Ascott Star Rewards?

Here’s a primer for those of you unfamiliar with ASR. 

ASR launched in April 2019, and is a revenue-based program with four different tiers:

Members earn elite status based on the cumulative amount spent in a 12 month period at participating properties. Unfortunately, qualifying spending only includes room rates and does not include F&B, laundry, airport transfers or any other charges incurred.

ASR points are valid for 24 calendar months from date of crediting, and can be redeemed to offset the cost of rooms at the rate of 1 point= 0.25 Singapore cents. 

A 0.25 cent per point value means your effective rebate is

• Classic: 2.5%
• Silver: 3%
• Gold: 3.5%
• Platinum:4%

Aside from earning more points, ASR Platinum members enjoy additional benefits like early check-in and late check-out, welcome gifts, complimentary airport transfer, breakfast, and room upgrades. It’s important to note that some of these benefits are geography restricted- airport transfer is only available in the Middle East, and breakfast is only available in Europe.

As a reminder, AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders can enjoy ASR Platinum status for two years when they register here by 31 December 2020. 

The full T&C of ASR can be found here. 

Conclusion

It’s generally more risky to buy points than gift vouchers, even if the points supposedly have a fixed value. After all, ASR points are worth 0.25 Singapore cents today, but who’s to say they’ll keep that value? On the other hand, a S$100 voucher is worth S$100, end of story- and I’d tend to trust the central bank more than any loyalty program.

If you stay a lot in Ascott properties however, this deal may be worth looking at.