American Express offering hotel staycation rebates, deals and upsized points redemptions

American Express has launched a new campaign for local staycations called “Open for Travel”. Cardholders will  enjoy hotel statement credits, discounted staycation rates, and enhanced value when redeeming Membership Rewards points for charges at selected hotels. 

This campaign runs from 25 August to 8 November 2020, and applies to all Singapore-issued American Express cards (excluding those from Citibank, DBS and UOB). 

Statement Credits for Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Millennium Hotels

American Express cardholders can now register for the following AMEX Offers via the AMEX app or online banking portal. Some of these may be targeted, so if you don’t see them, that may be why. 

These offers are valid till 8 November 2020, and can be used for dining, spa treatment or stays at participating hotels. All payments must be made via the hotel’s official website, or in-person at the hotel/restaurant/spa. Rates booked through OTAs will not qualify for any rebate. 

In terms of effective rebate, Hilton leads the way (30%), followed by Hyatt & Marriott (25%), then Millennium Hotels & Resorts (20%). 

Registration is on a per card basis, so if you have two different AMEX cards, you can register both and enjoy the Hyatt offer twice (or the Hilton offer six times). Supplementary cardholders can also register, but out of consideration to others, please don’t spam registrations. 

Spending can be spread out across multiple transactions; there’s no need to spend the entire amount at one go (I’ve confirmed this with AMEX). For example, the Hyatt offer requires S$300 in cumulative spending to trigger a S$75 statement credit; you could achieve this with three separate transactions of S$80, S$200, and S$120. 

The following hotels, dining outlets and spas are participating (hotels that have been approved for staycation guests are in green):

Chain	Hotels	Dining Outlets
Hilton (Full details)	Conrad Centennial	Golden Peony Lobby Lounge Oscar’s The Terrace
	Hilton Singapore	D9 Cakery Iggy’s Opus Bar & Grill Sky Bar Verde Kitchen Il Cielo
	Hilton Garden Inn Serangoon	The Garden Grille
Hyatt (Full details)	Andaz Singapore	665°F Alley on 25 Auntie’s Wok and Steam Bar Square Mr Stork Teppan Chef’s Table
	Grand Hyatt Singapore	mezza9 StraitsKitchen 10 SCOTTS Oasis Restaurant Pete’s Place Martini bar at mezza9 BRIX Party room at mezza9 Damai Spa
Marriott (Full details)	Ritz-Carlton Millennia	Colony Summer Pavilion Chihuly Lounge Colony Bakery Pool Bar and Cabanas
	St Regis Singapore	LaBrezza Yan Ting Brasserie Les Saveurs Astor Bar The Drawing Room Remede Spa
	W Singapore	SKIRT The Kitchen Table WOOBAR WET Bar Away Spa
	Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel	Crossroads Marriott Cafe Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant Lobby Lounge Java+
Millennium Hotels & Resorts (Full details)	Orchard Hotel Singapore	Bar Intermezzo Hua Ting Restaurant The Orchard Cafe
	M Social Singapore	Beast & Butterflies

T&Cs for each of these offers can be found here:

• Hilton
• Hyatt
• Marriott
• Millennium Hotels & Resorts

What about Love Dining?

The sharp-eyed amongst you may have noticed that some of these restaurants participate in the Love Dining program. The Love Dining and AMEX Offers will stack, and it all boils down to the nett amount charged to your card. 

For example, if I spent S$800 at LaBrezza with a 50% Love Dining discount, then S$400 is charged to my card- sufficient to trigger the S$100 statement credit. You probably won’t spend S$800 at one go, but remember: it need not be in a single transaction. 

Special American Express Staycation Rates

American Express members can book special staycation rates at the following chains or through the following OTAs. All stays must be booked by 8 November 2020, and stay dates vary as shown below:

No registration is required, but all payments must be made with an eligible American Express card. Where Accor and Far East Hospitality are concerned, the following properties are participating in this promotion:

Chain	Participating Properties
Accor	Fairmont Singapore Sofitel Singapore City Centre
Far East Hospitality	Amoy Hotel Oasia Hotel Downtown Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore The Barracks Hotel Sentosa Village Hotel Bugis

The full T&Cs can be found here. 

Redeem Membership Rewards points for hotel statement credit

From 25 August- 8 November 2020, AMEX cardholders can redeem Membership Rewards points at an enhanced rate of 1,000 points= S$6.50 (usual: S$4.80) for charges at the following hotel partners:

1. AMOY Hotel
2. Andaz Singapore
3. Conrad Centennial Singapore
4. Expedia (www.expedia.com.sg/amex)
5. Fairmont Singapore
6. Grand Hyatt Singapore
7. Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon
8. Hilton Singapore
9. Hotels.com (www.hotels.com/amex-sg)
10. M Social Singapore
11. Oasia Hotel Downtown
12. Orchard Hotel Singapore 
13. Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore
14. Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
15. Sofitel Singapore City Centre
16. The Barracks Hotel Sentosa
17. The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
18. The St Regis Singapore
19. Village Hotel Bugis
20. W Singapore – Sentosa Cove

While that’s a 35% boost compared to normal, it can’t beat the 1,000 points= S$9.60 rate that AMEX offered up till 20 July 2020. I actually converted about S$2,000 worth of statement credit during that last promotion, which I’m now using to fund my staycation reviews. 

So should you take advantage of it? Well, if you’re an AMEX Platinum Charge or Centurion member, that’s the equivalent of accepting 1.04 cents per mile (1.17 for all other AMEX cards, thanks to the different conversion rates). It’s not fantastic, and unless you’re really flush with points, it’s better to sit this one out. 

The T&C of this offer can be found here. 

Conclusion

Of the three promotions AMEX is running, I’d say the AMEX Offers are the most “worth it”. That’s because you can stack them with the hotel’s existing staycation rates, doubling down on your savings. 

The discounted staycation rates with Accor/Far East/Four Seasons could also be useful, but you’ll need to see how the hotel’s best available rate prices for the dates you’re looking at. 

I wouldn’t advise people to use their Membership Rewards points to offset staycation expenses, unless they’ve got a genuine abundance on hand (and if so, you’re better off using them to offset your annual fee).