Double-dipping hotel rewards with Rove Miles: I test-drove the new platform's 'Loyalty Eligible' option
The Rove Miles platform allows members to double-dip at "Loyalty Eligible" properties, where you can earn hotel points and elite status benefits on top of Rove miles. You can even earn bonus miles by paying with a cobranded hotel credit card ... at least, in theory.
I was excited at the prospect of stacking rewards but also skeptical that it would be as easy as Rove Miles made it sound. So, I booked a cheap two-night stay at a property near my home to see how well Rove's Loyalty Eligible bookings really worked.
Here's how my experience went.
Related: What is Rove Miles? Everything you need to know about this new loyalty program
Booking process
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to double-dip hotel rewards with Rove Miles. In fact, the hardest part was the booking process.
Rove's website can be slow, finicky and hard on the eyes. The "around your area" search location tool doesn't work very well (it put me over 25 miles south of my location), and some hotels didn't appear in my search results because Rove's map has very narrow city limits. But once I expanded the map view, I found the hotel I wanted.
Additionally, applicable properties don't always show up when you filter for "Loyalty Eligible." I had to remove the filter and click into my desired hotel to see both standard and Loyalty Eligible rates.
While the cost per night looked slightly different depending on whether I earned World of Hyatt points, the total for my two-night stay was the same.
Another odd quirk: Supposedly, the Loyalty Eligible rate only covers the room, with no complimentary breakfast amenity, but this hotel provides a free buffet breakfast for all guests.
I checked Hyatt's website to see how Rove's rates compared. The cash price on Rove Miles was about $23 cheaper in total than on Hyatt, but this may be because Rove's booking was nonrefundable while Hyatt had a flexible cancellation policy. (Rove Miles only offered nonrefundable rates for my stay, likely because I booked it a day before checking in. When I looked at rates for the same property further out, I saw both nonrefundable and flexible rates.)
With the Loyalty Eligible option, I could earn 5 Rove miles per dollar spent on the stay, plus World of Hyatt points and elite night credits. However, I could have earned 13 Rove miles per dollar spent if I had opted to book Rove's rate and forgo my Hyatt earnings.
On the booking page, I entered my World of Hyatt membership number under "Guest Details" and paid with my World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees). The blue font confirmed that I would earn both Rove miles and Hyatt points.
Within an hour, the reservation appeared in both my Rove and Hyatt accounts.
Check-in experience
The day after making my booking, my 1,266 Rove miles showed as pending in my Rove account. But what about my World of Hyatt rewards and perks?
When I checked in and showed my ID, the Hyatt front desk found my reservation easily. No need for me to present a confirmation number or email, which has sometimes happened when I've booked stays through portals like Capital One Travel and Chase Travel℠.
The staffer didn't mention my Discoverist elite status (which I get for free as a World of Hyatt cardholder), but when I asked, they saw my status on my account and offered me my Discoverist benefits like free bottled water and 2 p.m. late checkout.
Furthermore, the staffer confirmed that I could, indeed, partake in the free daily buffet breakfast.
The staffer asked for a credit card to cover incidentals during my stay. I realized I had forgotten my World of Hyatt card, so I asked if there was one already associated with the reservation, and she was able to pull it up.
I had booked an accessible room because that was what Rove Miles had available. The staffer asked if I needed this type of room, and when I said no, she switched me to a regular room. My room was ready to go when I headed upstairs with my keycard around 3:15 p.m.
Later, I ordered churros ($5) from the hotel restaurant and charged them to my room — for testing purposes, of course.
Double-dipping rewards
Now, let's get to the fun part: maximizing my rewards.
After checking out, I waited for my Hyatt points and elite night credits to hit my account. They arrived a few days later.
Then, I checked my credit card statement. As promised, the purchase (including my churros) coded as "Hyatt Place," and I had earned bonus points accordingly.
In total, here's what I earned for my two-night stay:
- 1,266 Rove miles (5 miles per dollar spent for my $254 stay)
- 2,290 Hyatt points: 1,141 base points (5 points per dollar spent for my $228 in qualifying spending), plus 114 points for my 10% elite bonus and 1,035 points for using my Hyatt credit card (4 points per dollar spent on $259 of eligible charges made with my card)
- 2 Hyatt elite night credits
If I had booked directly through Hyatt, I would have earned all the above minus the Rove miles.
On the other hand, I could have booked the same stay through Rove Miles without the Loyalty Eligible option to earn 13 Rove miles per dollar spent (for a total of 3,266 miles).
It's nice to have options, but I'd rather double-dip since I often redeem points for free World of Hyatt stays, and Hyatt isn't one of Rove's transfer partners. Plus, if I had registered for a Hyatt promotion to earn bonus points, I could, in theory, have earned even more on my stay.
Related: Earn bonus points by registering for hotel promotions
Is it worth it?
Based on my experience, the answer is a resounding yes. However, there are some things to consider before you double-dip with Rove Miles:
- If your hotel costs about the same on Rove as on the hotel's site, then booking through Rove is a no-brainer. You'll earn transferable Rove miles in addition to everything you would normally earn through the hotel's rewards program, without much additional effort.
- Most Loyalty Eligible properties earn 5 Rove miles per dollar spent, although you can snag a higher rate of 7 miles per dollar through Feb. 11 with Rove's latest promotion.
- Do your due diligence and compare rates, cancellation policies and other fine print on Rove Miles with those available when booking directly through the hotel before deciding which way to go. And remember, some points hotels aren't available on Rove, so you may have more options if you book directly.
Related: What you need to know about direct versus third-party travel bookings
Bottom line
Although there are a limited number of Loyalty Eligible properties on Rove, the ability to earn transferable Rove miles on top of hotel points while climbing the elite status ladder could be a game changer.
Rove Miles isn't the only platform that offers double-dipping. The Edit by Chase Travel now lets premium cardholders earn hotel points and elite nights at select properties. With Rove, however, you can access this feature without paying the annual fee on a premium credit card.
Be sure to check out Rove Miles' booking platform the next time you plan a paid stay at a points hotel. Through Feb. 11, you can earn 40% more Rove miles on Loyalty Eligible hotels.
And if you're new to Rove Miles, you can join through TPG's link to earn 1,500 bonus miles through Feb. 11.