GHA recently revamped its DISCOVERY loyalty programme by adding new tiers, reducing elite qualification requirements, and replacing stay-one-earn-one Local Experiences with cashback-style Discovery$ (D$).
The new programme has generated mixed feelings (and for some insights as to why certain decisions were made, do check out my interview with GHA’s CEO), but for better or worse, that bell’s not going to be unrung.
If you’ve decided to stay the course with DISCOVERY, you might be interested to know there’s a limited-time opportunity to earn double D$ on all your upcoming bookings.
DISCOVERY double D$ promotion
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| GHA Double D$ Promo |
GHA DISCOVERY members can now register to earn 2x D$ for all stays booked from 15 April to 31 May 2022, and stayed by 30 June 2022 (ongoing stays that end after 30 June 2022 will not be eligible).
Here’s how many D$ you’ll earn under this promotion, depending on your DISCOVERY tier.
| D$ Earn Rate | D$ Validity (Base) | D$ Validity (Bonus) | |
| Silver | 8% | 6 mo. | 6 mo. |
| Gold | 10% | 18 mo. | 6 mo. |
| Platinum | 12% | 24 mo. | 6 mo. |
| Titanium | 14% | 24 mo. | 6 mo. |
Members will earn anywhere from 8-14% in D$ rebates (D$1 can be redeemed for US$1 with a minimum of D$10).
Do note that the bonus D$ earned are subject to a 6-month expiry from the date of issuance, regardless of tier. For example, a Titanium member who spends US$100 would earn D$14, of which D$7 follows the regular 24-month expiry, and D$7 follows an accelerated 6-month expiry.
If you have already booked an upcoming stay prior to registration (and from 15 April onwards), there is no need to cancel and rebook the stay. However, any stays completed prior to registration will not receive double D$.
What expenses are eligible to earn D$?
As a reminder, the following expenses are eligible to earn D$.
| Eligible Spend to Earn/Redeem D$ | |
Room and add-ons:
| Food and Beverage at eligible outlets:
Other non-room spend at eligible outlets:
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Only stays booked through the GHA website or official hotel websites/channels will be eligible to earn D$.
It is currently only possible to redeem D$ in conjunction with a stay. In other words, you can’t visit a hotel restaurant or spa as an outside guest and redeem D$. GHA is working to add this functionality sometime in 2022.
What’s the DISCOVERY stay experience like now?
In March this year, I stayed at the Sindhorn Kempinski– my first-ever GHA stay since DISCOVERY’s revamp. I did receive Titanium benefits such as late check-out and a double room upgrade, and was able to redeem my D$ at the front desk even though I was supposedly on a prepaid and non-refundable rate (YMMV- check with the hotel beforehand if you plan to do this).
One of the fears with the revamp was that we’d have a Titanium apocalypse, since the threshold for top-tier qualification was cut so drastically. That may still come to pass, but based on this stay I felt the treatment was in line with previous GHA experiences.
That’s just one data point, of course, so I’d be eager to hear from other Platinum and Titanium members who have done recent stays elsewhere.
Conclusion
GHA Discovery members can now register to enjoy double D$ on all bookings made by 31 May 2022 and stayed by 30 June 2022. This awards up to a 14% rebate in the form of D$, which could be fairly attractive at the top end.
Registration only takes a minute, so it doesn’t hurt to do it now even if you don’t have any stays planned yet.
