Summer travel by itself is costly. Hence when a valid opportunity arises to reclaim a portion of your hotel expenses, automatically, with no coupon code required or reimbursement complexities, it is worth listening. Currently, there is an offer of up to 100 statement credits to the select American Express cardholders spending the night at two of the most refined Choice Hotels brands: Cambria Hotels and Ascend Hotel Collection. This is the whole breakdown and what precisely you will need in order to ensure that the credit finally appears on your account.

The Highlights of the Offer

These are deals included within Amex Offers, a rewards program that quietly resides in your American Express account and regularly delivers targeted discounts on travel, restaurants, shopping and more. The two ongoing hotel activities are promotions which operate as follows:

• Cambria Hotels: Get a $100 statement credit when you spend at least 300 at Cambria. There are no geographic limits - both domestic and international stays are counted.
• Ascend Hotel Collection: Receive a statement credit of $50 when you spend at least 200 at any Ascend property. It can only be applied to the United States and Canada.

Both deals are applicable until September 1, 2026, and this is an aspect that makes them particularly accommodating: you do not need to reach the spending threshold in a single swab. Several visits or bills can be accumulated between visits until you pass the gate a feature that is effective to an individual with several regional trips already in the calendar.

Introducing These Two Brands

Not all Choice Hotels are eligible in this, and therefore it is useful to know what Cambria and Ascend are prior to starting your search to stay.

Cambria Hotels is Choice's high end, lifestyle-oriented brand the type of hotel that would be located in the heart of a reshaped downtown or be found a short walk away to the finest restaurants in a city. Rooms are well-designed, social and energetic common spaces are the norm, and other amenities such as craft cocktail bars and menus inspired by the local area are relatively universal to the portfolio. Cambria passes that test with a regularity that only an appreciation of hotels that seem not to have been imposed on the neighborhood, but rather to be a part and parcel of it, will accomplish.

A clarification point: such credits can be used only with Cambria and Ascend bookings. Staying at Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Sleep Inn or any other brand under the Choice Hotels label will not activate the statement credit, although they are under the same corporate umbrella.

Pre-Booking: Do it before You Book

This is what most individuals fail to do and this is why most of them fail to receive credits that are supposed to be acquired. Amex Offers are not automatic. Each offer has to be added to your card manually and then you can make a purchase. The way to do it is as follows:

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Open your American Express account online (either on the webpage or via the Amex app) and locate the Amex Offers. Find the Cambria or Ascend promotion, and, by clicking on the Add to Card, add it. That is it. But do not skip it. The purchases that are made prior to the addition of the offer, even though the purchase falls within the appropriate range of valid date, will be ineligible to be reimbursed.

The offer must be active on your card as well, and you have to reserve through a certified medium. Booking methods eligible include:

• The Choice Hotels web site at choicehotels.com.
• The Choice Hotels application.
• Directly calling Choice Hotels at 877-424-6423.

Third-party websites such as Expedia, Booking.com, or any online travel agent are out of the question. The booking made through any other channel other than these three will not be counted, even though the property and the dates are fine in all other aspects.

A brief Observation of Radisson Properties

When you have recently visited Choice Hotels and noticed that the results of your search included some Radisson-branded properties, that is not a bug. In 2023, Choice Hotels purchased Radisson Hotels Americas, added those locations to the Choice Privileges loyalty program. The properties of Radisson Americas have become visible in search results along with the Cambria and Ascend brands, as well as the other brands of Choice.

However, the Radisson stays are not regarded as a part of this Amex Offer. Only Ascend and Cambria bookings are covered. And to be clear, Radisson properties not in the Americas, namely in Europe, Asia, Africa and Middle East, were not involved in the acquisition and are completely independent of Choice Hotels.

Here is why Amex Offers Should Get Your More Attention

Unless you are already accustomed to regularly reviewing your Amex Offers dashboard, at least once a month, this hotel offer is a good place to start. The program periodically digs up savings that majority of the cardholders will just pass by without even turning them on.

Unless you have a habit of visiting your Amex Offers dashboard at least once a month, this hotel deal can serve as a good reminder to begin. The program frequently exposes savings that majority of cardholders pass by merely because they never turned them on.

Some pieces of advice to remember when using the program in the future: Amex Offers are personalized, so you might not see the same deals as your friend or family member with the same card would see-and the other way around. Assuming you have more than one American Express card, the offers are given at the card level, not account level and so the two minutes are well worth it to check each card separately. And although you can not combine offers with one another, they are combined on top of what a card provides you with in terms of rewards, and thus every dollar you spend at Cambria or Ascend will still earn you regular Membership Rewards points or cash back in addition to the statement credit.

Worth a Trip Round?

Well, yes, actually, particularly when you already have a city escape or a boutique escape on your summer list. When a $100 credit on a $300 Cambria stay makes your effective rate significantly lower and many city Cambria hotels can reach that mark in just two nights. The Ascend package is cheaper to unlock and is good with a single-night or a spontaneous anniversary visit to an old-fashioned inn.

Final Thoughts:

New Amex Offers can be used by travelers planning an upscale hotel stay with a statement credit of a $50 or a $100 at any of the Ascend and Cambria properties. Please make sure that you meet the necessary level of spending prior to September 1 in order to qualify. In case the offer suits your plans, remember to add it to your card to make any bookings or purchases.