Best Western Rewards is the loyalty program of worldwide hotel group Best Western Hotels and Resorts. With 4,300 hotels, members can enjoy free nights in more than 100 countries. Free nights begin at just 5,000 Best Western Rewards points per night and go up from there, topping out at 70,010 Best Western points a night.
Best Western’s loyalty program isn’t for everyone, but for those who like to travel off the beaten path, this option could be for you.
History
Best Western started in the mid-1940s but not how most businesses get going. The chain began when a man named M.K. Guertin set up a referral system between independent properties in the western U.S. These individual properties directed customers to hotels within their referral network.
The network continued to grow and eventually incorporated Best Eastern, the properties located in the eastern portion of the U.S. In 1966, the brands were merged under one name—Best Western.
In 1975, Best Western became a global enterprise, first expanding into New Zealand and Australia and onward from there. Today, Best Western operates 4,300 properties throughout over 100 countries.
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Best Western Hotel Brands
Best Western includes three collections divided into several hotel brands.
World Hotels Collections is Best Western’s luxury line. It includes the following brands:
- WorldHotels Luxury
- WorldHotels Elite
- WorldHotels Distinctive
- WorldHotels Crafted
Best Western Hotels and Resorts is Best Western’s Upscale collection and includes the following brands:
- BW Signature Collection
- BW Premier Collection
- Best Western Premier
- Best Western Plus
- Best Western
- Glo
- Vib
- Sadie by Best Western
- Aiden by Best Western
- Executive Residency by Best Western
SureStay Hotel Group is the economy collection of Best Western hotels. The following properties are included in its lineup:
- SureStay Signature Collection
- SureStay Plus
- SureStay Studio
- SureStay
How To Earn Points With Best Western Rewards
All members who enroll in Best Western’s loyalty program, Best Western Rewards, can earn Best Western Rewards points. Best Western allows members to earn points in several ways, including hotel stays, co-branded credit cards, shopping and more.
Through Hotel Stays
Staying at a Best Western property is the most obvious way to earn Best Western Rewards points. The earning structure is simple—all Best Western Rewards members earn a base rate of 10 points per dollar spent.
Earning Elite Status
Best Western Rewards members can unlock elite status and supercharge their Best Western Rewards points earnings. The more you stay with Best Western, the more you build loyalty and unlock those elevated earning rates.
As an elite status member, you will earn even more points. Your rate will depend on your status level. Status can be earned through nights, stays or base points.
Members who qualified for elite status in 2023 will keep their status through March 2025. Once a member achieves elite status in 2024, they will keep that status through March 2026.
Blue
Requirements to earn: No nights or stays required.
Blue is Best Western’s base level and is automatically assigned to all new members. The following perks come with Blue:
- Earn 10 Best Western Rewards points per dollar spent
- Exclusive member rates
- Access to an exclusive reservation line
To put this into perspective, a Blue member paying $100 for a hotel room at a Best Western property would earn 1,000 Best Western Rewards points.
Gold
Requirements to earn: Five nights; complimentary for Best Western Rewards Mastercard cardholders
Gold gives you all the benefits of Blue in addition to the following perks:
- 10% bonus Best Western Rewards points on eligible stays
- Complimentary bottle of water
If a Gold elite status member paid $100 for a hotel room at a Best Western property, they would earn 1,100 Best Western Rewards points.
Platinum
Requirements to earn: Seven nights; complimentary for Best Western Rewards Premium Mastercard cardholders
Platinum status includes all the benefits above in addition to the following:
- 15% bonus Best Western Rewards points on eligible stays
Platinum members would earn 1,150 Best Western Rewards points for a $100 stay.
Diamond
Requirements to earn: 15 nights
Diamond members get all the previously listed perks, in addition to the following:
- 30% bonus Best Western Rewards on eligible stays
If a Diamond elite paid $100 for a night, they would earn 1,300 Best Western Rewards points.
Diamond Select
Requirements to earn: 25 nights
Diamond Select is Best Western’s top elite status. It includes all of the mentioned benefits plus:
- 50% bonus Best Western Rewards on eligible stays
For a room rate of $100, a Diamond Select elite status holder would earn 1,500 Best Western Rewards.
Status Match… No Catch
Members of other loyalty programs are eligible to match their elite status to Best Western Rewards. To submit a request for an elite status match, either complete the online form or
send an email to StatusMatch@bestwestern.com.
Make sure to include all of the following information:
- Full name
- Full address
- Email address
- Phone number
- Best Western Rewards membership number
- Proof of elite status in another hotel program. You can include a screenshot, a copy of your other program’s loyalty card or an account statement.
Best Western Credit Cards
To earn Best Western Rewards points quickly, getting one of its two co-branded credit cards is a simple way. Both cards are issued by First National Bank of Omaha and include one basic version and one premium option.
- Best Western Rewards® Mastercard®*: Earn 40,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 billing cycles after the account is opened. Get an additional 20,000 points when you spend $5,000 every 12 billing cycles. $0 annual fee.
- Best Western Rewards® Premium Mastercard*: Earn 80,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 billing cycles after account opening. Earn an additional 40,000 Best Western Rewards points when you spend $5,000 every 12 billing cycles. $89 annual fee.
Read more. My Next Hotel Card Is A Best Western Card. Yes, Best Western.
Shopping Portals
Best Western does not offer a shopping portal like other loyalty programs such as Hilton or American Airlines. However, a handful of partners allow you to earn Best Western Rewards each time you shop. Here are a few examples of what these companies may offer:
- Teleflora. Earn 1,250 Best Western Rewards points on every order.
- Vinesse. Earn up to 12,500 points and receive six wines for $41.94 with American Cellars Wine Club.
- Car rental partners. Best Western Rewards members can earn points when renting a car from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National and Sixt.
Buying Best Western Rewards
To purchase Best Western Rewards points, you’ll have to call customer service. You can reach them at 800-894-4365. Points cost $10 per 1,000 points, and you can buy up to 20,000 points per day.
Redeeming Best Western Rewards
Best Western Rewards gives you a lot of ways to use your points. Not only can you book free nights, but you can also transfer your points to airlines, redeem for gift cards and even share your points with members of your household.
Award Nights
Award pricing with Best Western is not based on a fixed award chart. There are no hotel categories like other programs. Instead, point costs will vary by hotel and demand.
To book an award night, you’ll first need to set up a free Best Western Rewards account. Once you’re enrolled, or if you already have an existing account, log in and head over to the Best Western Rewards tab at the top of the page.
Next, enter your desired destination and dates into the open fields. Then select the Find My Hotel option.
You’ll be taken to a new page which will list your options and the number of points a night will cost. To see the cash rate, select the Change Search option in the top left corner and deselect Use Rewards Points.
After deciding on the property and choosing a room, you can continue with the booking process and make a reservation.
Pay With Points
Pay with Points is Best Western’s alternate option for booking a room when you are low on rewards points. This allows you to partially pay for your first night using points, which start at 5,000 Best Western Rewards points. You can then add more points in 1,000-point increments.
For every 1,000 Best Western Rewards points you redeem when using Pay with Points, you’ll get $5 off the rate of your room. You can use up to an additional 20,000 Best Western Rewards points per day via this route.
Additionally, when you Pay with Points, your stay will be treated as a cash stay, and you will earn 10 Best Western Rewards points per dollar on your stay. You can earn even more if you pay with a Best Western co-branded credit card. Finally, Pay with Points transactions are eligible for seasonal Best Western promotions.
Sometimes, using Pay with Points may be a better option than paying with cash. Be sure to check the nightly rate and do the math first.
Redemption Mall
Best Western’s Redemption Mall is where you can redeem your Best Western Rewards points for things beyond free nights. You can use the redemption mall to transfer your points to airlines, redeem them for gift cards and even donate to various charities.
Airline Miles
Transferring your Best Western Rewards points to various airlines is another way to redeem your points. While you’ll almost definitely get better value out of your points when redeeming for a free night, having the ability to transfer your points to airlines can be a useful backup option.
- AeroMexico Club Premier. 5,000 Best Western Rewards to 1,600 Club Premier Kilometers
- Air Canada Aeroplan. 5,000 Best Western Rewards to 1,000 Aeroplan miles
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue. 6,000 Best Western Rewards to 1,000 Flying Blue miles
- Alaska Mileage Plan. 5,000 Best Western Rewards to 1,000 Mileage Plan miles
- Asiana Club. 5,000 Best Western Rewards to 1,000 Asiana miles
- Avianca LifeMiles. 5,000 Best Western Rewards to 1,000 LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. 5,000 Best Western Rewards to 1,000
- Southwest Rapid Rewards. 5,000 Best Western Rewards to 1,200 Rapid Rewards points
Gift Cards
Members can also redeem their Best Western Rewards points for select gift cards. The rate will vary from one option to the next.
- Best Western virtual travel card. $10, $25, $50, $100 and $250 options available.
- Best Western e-voucher. $50, $100 and $200 options available.
- Amazon e-voucher. $50, $100 and $200 options available.
Fees
With Best Western, you will not pay any fees for standard hotel nights. Additionally, reward bookings at resorts do not incur resort fees.
Expiration
Best Western Rewards never expire. As long as you keep your account open, your awards will remain intact.
Family Pooling
Best Western does not offer family pooling, per se, but it does allow members living at the same address to transfer points to each other. To initiate a transfer, you’ll need to contact Best Western customer service.
Sweet Spots
Something to note about Best Western is its large footprint in popular destinations that are underserved in the hospitality sector. National parks in the U.S., for example, are notoriously scarce in the free award night department. Fortunately, Best Western has many options in these highly sought-after places.
Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is a great example of this. There are a handful of properties throughout the popular park, but almost none are chain hotels. Best Western, however, happens to have two hotels right outside the park.
A night at the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn in Bryce Canyon City runs about $200 per night during peak tourist season. Or you could redeem 32,000 Best Western Rewards points for the stay.
While the value for your points in this case isn’t the most spectacular, it’s still nice to have the option. This is especially useful if you’re a budget traveler looking to save as much cash as possible and have earned points for this specific purpose.
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Bottom Line
If you enjoy visiting national parks, exploring European cities, or finding smaller, off-the-beaten-path destinations, Best Western is worth looking into. While you may not experience the glitz and glam of properties run by brands like Hilton or Hyatt, Best Western makes up for it in variety. And while Best Western’s properties may not be the most luxurious on the market, that doesn’t mean they don’t offer higher-end accommodations. Best Western has some downright amazing properties, especially when you venture outside of the U.S.
