[Updated 2020.8] The trial and challenge periods have now each been extended by 90 days, for a total of 210 days. In particular, for Fliggy F3, you become a Platinum member after registering for the promotion. This is especially suitable for readers who are currently in China.
This article has two parts: the first part introduces the Fliggy membership program and various hotel elite status challenge offers; the second part covers the annual lowest-price Singles’ Day promotions from several major hotel chains (including Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt, and Wyndham).
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Part 1
A brief introduction to Fliggy
Fliggy is a comprehensive online travel booking platform for Taobao members, offering flights, hotels, tour packages, and other travel products through both its website and app. It was formerly known as Alitrip and was later renamed “Fliggy Travel.” Because it partners with many hotel chains and airlines, Fliggy is not a traditional OTA. In some cases, bookings made through Fliggy can earn (Stay, Night, Points, i.e. SNP). Marriott is the most typical example: Fliggy elite members or paid members may be able to match to or challenge for Marriott Platinum, such as through the “88 Member Platinum Challenge” and the “F3 Platinum Challenge.” However, the biggest annual Singles’ Day discounts generally do not earn SNP.
Fliggy membership program
Based on cumulative spending, members are divided into F1, F2, and F3. On Fliggy, you can earn Fliggy points, which can later be redeemed for airline miles, hotel points, and more (there are not many redemption options at the moment, but this should expand over time). Among them, Fliggy F3 comes with substantial benefits, and thanks to Alibaba’s strong ecosystem influence, more and more partners have joined in. As a result, F3 has become increasingly useful (which also likely means it will eventually be devalued more and more).
F3 is Fliggy’s top-tier status. It requires 20000 experience points, and you must also receive an invitation from Fliggy to become F3. Under normal circumstances, spending 2 RMB in the Fliggy app earns 1 experience point. To accumulate 20000 experience points, you would need to spend more than 40,000 RMB, which is not easy, at least for me. When the membership program was first launched, there were many quick ways to level up, but those avenues were basically killed off by domestic deal hunters. Fortunately, Alibaba officially launches fast-track upgrade promotions every year, and this one takes place during Singles’ Day.
Super F2/F3 membership challenge
Promotion details and timing
Registration path: Fliggy APP — My Account — Member Benefits Center (scroll down) — Promotion Benefits — Super F2F3 Membership Challenge Plan.
The promotion is divided into three stages: registration, challenge, and travel/reward fulfillment.
- Registration period: 2019/10/11–2019/11/10
- Challenge period: 2019/10/21–2019/11/13
- Travel and reward fulfillment period: 2019/10/21 0:00–2020/9/30 23:59:59
- During the promotion, if you register during the registration period, make cumulative Fliggy bookings of ≥1888 RMB during the challenge period, and complete the travel during the travel period, the challenge is considered successful. Successful challengers can receive rewards.
How it is calculated
Eligible spending includes flights, train tickets, bus tickets, hotel bookings, attraction tickets, tour packages, visa services, and more purchased in the Fliggy APP, but the product must include a Fliggy mileage explanation. For many people, 1888 RMB is still quite manageable.
Challenge rewards
If you complete the challenge successfully:
- Fliggy F1 members (base-level members) can upgrade to F2 status (F2 normally requires 12,000 RMB in spending and 6000 experience points, but this challenge only requires 1888 RMB), and also receive one chance to draw for F3 status (exact odds unknown), YMMV.
- If you are already an F2 member, your F2 status will be extended for one year, and you will likewise receive one chance to draw for F3 status, YMMV.
- Rumor has it that there will be one million F2/F3 spots available, but the exact probability for F3 is truly unknown.
Stackable promotion
If you think Fliggy is pretty good and want to use it long term, you may also want to stack the following promotion:
- Path: Fliggy APP — Fliggy Member Center — Upgrade Guide
- Complete 3 tasks to quickly receive 4500 experience points
Fliggy member match or challenge offers (hotels)
On Fliggy, you can register for hotel and airline loyalty programs, and sometimes there are status match or challenge offers. At present, most of these are for airline and hotel loyalty accounts registered through Fliggy, so in most cases they are not very useful for us. If you want to register for a hotel membership through Fliggy, I personally do not think it is especially necessary. But if you can match into a worthwhile elite status or challenge for top-tier status, it may be worth trying for readers who lack elite status.
One important note: registering through Fliggy creates a new account, which is different from your existing account. Making changes later can be somewhat troublesome (you can contact U.S. customer service to merge accounts).
Below, we will introduce several hotel programs frequently used by U.S. readers, as well as Shangri-La, which is popular with many readers in China.
Hilton
Currently, limited-quantity offers are available for Fliggy F2/F3 members to get (or challenge for) Hilton Silver or Gold status (not really necessary for those of us who already have AMEX Aspire Diamond status). If you truly need it, go to the Fliggy app and enter the Hilton page to register.
Marriott
Compare this with Marriott’s official “Platinum Challenge,” and you will see how convenient the Alibaba-side promotions are.
Marriott official challenge [16 nights in 90 days]
The Marriott Platinum challenge has long been a shortcut for quickly getting Platinum status. After the merger with SPG, it is still called the “Platinum Challenge,” but the status level is effectively the old “Gold,” and the difficulty has increased significantly.
- Challenge requirement: complete 16 paid nights within 90 days (previously it was 9 stays) to upgrade to entry-level Platinum status.
- How to apply: call Marriott customer service or email Marriott to request the Platinum Status Challenge
- Note: unlike IHG and Hilton, during Marriott’s challenge period, you will not receive Platinum benefits
Taobao 88 VIP and Fliggy F3 “Platinum Challenge” [8 nights in 120 days]
Promotion name: “Preferred Frequent Guest Program Benefits”
Here we will only briefly introduce the Alibaba-side Marriott Platinum challenge. For U.S. readers, Marriott Gold can be obtained through the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and various AMEX Platinum cards.
1. Promotion period
Register for the challenge by 2019/11/30 23:59:59!
2. Eligibility
Eligibility for the “Platinum Challenge”:
1. Users must be Fliggy F3 or 88VIP members (including Tmall members and Taobao members). 88VIP membership can be purchased through official channels in the Taobao App. Alibaba officially refers to this “Platinum Challenge” as the Platinum trial benefit.
How to enroll in 88 VIP:
- Path: Taobao app — My Taobao — Member Center — scroll down to view benefits
- Regular 88 members (淘气值<1000) need to pay 888 RMB to purchase “88 VIP membership.” After enrolling, when registering for Marriott membership for the first time, you will be matched to Gold status and also receive eligibility to challenge for Platinum;
- 88 Super Members (Taoqi value ≥1000) need to pay 88 RMB to purchase an “88VIP membership.” After enrollment, if you register for Marriott membership for the first time, your status will be matched to Gold, and you will also receive eligibility for the Platinum challenge;
- Note: for 88 VIP, during the “Platinum challenge” period you are only Gold; you can only be upgraded to Platinum after completing the challenge. (Thanks to reader tjfhx for the clarification)
How to get Fliggy F3 membership:
- Either earn it through regular spending, or via the F2/F3 challenge mentioned above; F3 requires selection;
- If an F3 member registers for Marriott membership for the first time, the account will be matched to Gold, and will also receive **Platinum trial benefits;
- F3 members can enjoy Platinum benefits from the start of the challenge (thanks to reader tjfhx for the clarification)
**Platinum trial benefits: Marriott Bonvoy members who register for this promotion can immediately receive a 120-day Platinum Elite trial after registration, and during that period will enjoy the same benefits as Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members. If a member completes 8 qualifying nights within 120 days of joining, they can keep Platinum Elite status through the end of the membership year; otherwise, their status will be adjusted to Gold Elite through the end of the membership year.
3. Stay requirements
- It must be a Cash stay, completed within 120 days. You can combine this with Marriott’s quarterly or targeted promotions, see here;
- Only paid standard-rate bookings made through the Fliggy Marriott International flagship store (outside promotional offers, with SNP) or Marriott official channels are eligible.
2. Important notes
- Official terms: this offer is only available to Fliggy F3 members or Taobao 88 VIP members who join Marriott Bonvoy for the first time (as long as the system recognizes you as a new user, you’re OK).
In theory, if your billing address, email, and phone number are all different, that makes you a new member. Of course, after successfully completing the Platinum challenge, you could merge Marriott accounts to effectively upgrade an old account to Platinum. If you prefer Fliggy, you can keep the Fliggy membership number; linked accounts with AMEX and Chase can also be updated through the bank, as long as the name matches.
Shangri-La Hotels
Shangri-La has strong coverage in mainland China; in the U.S., well, not so much. Fliggy F2 members can upgrade to Shangri-La Golden Circle Jade by staying 5 nights, or F3 members by staying 1 night. After an F3 member gets Jade, they will receive a Diamond challenge invitation, and can retain it by completing 10 nights within three months. Jade already includes breakfast for two, and Diamond is Shangri-La’s top-tier elite status, with all the expected benefits. If you are F2 or can challenge your way to F2, it’s also worth signing up for Shangri-La.
Other benefits
Fliggy elite members have many other benefits as well. If you’re interested, you can explore further, including status matches and challenges with several Chinese and international airlines, as well as status matches and challenges with local hotel programs in China. Hopefully Alibaba will keep the perks going and bring us more surprises in the future.
Part 2
This year’s “Double 11” hotel promotions
For the promotional overview, see: Fliggy official WeChat summary
How U.S. readers can book
These promotions are genuinely pretty strong. While many do not come with elite benefits, lots of the offers include breakfast, can be split up for separate use, and have a long validity window, so they can be worth buying if you have a real need. U.S. readers can definitely book them, but should prepare the following:
- You need a Taobao account or an Alipay account. If you don’t have one, you can register for Taobao and Alipay with a U.S. phone number.
- You can link a mainland China credit card, debit card, or a U.S. VISA/Master credit card (U.S. cards incur a 3% Taobao processing fee, plus any foreign transaction fee your card issuer may charge, so a no FTF credit card is preferable).
- You can also ask relatives or friends in China to help book for you, or use their accounts to claim coupons and make reservations.
- If you have Huabei, using Huabei to claim the coupon and then make the purchase is the best option.
- You do not need to provide your hotel loyalty program number at booking; you only need to give it at check-in. For example, this IHG promotion can earn points.
- Again, unless truly necessary, I do not recommend registering as a new loyalty-program member through Fliggy, to avoid unnecessary trouble from managing multiple accounts.
- See below for other precautions.
Promotion rules and details
- You need to claim a coupon on Fliggy first (ranging from ¥50-99, which can later be applied toward the room rate). These coupons have a long validity period (noted below), and can be refunded at any time. Even after expiration, they can still be refunded (please read the specific refund rules carefully).
- You can book hotels for stays six months to a year out, so the use cases are fairly broad.
- Most hotels do not provide SNP, including Marriott.
- Breakfast, late checkout,
- IHG hotels allow points earning, but not stay/night credit.
- There are also many other “coupons” on the booking page and within Fliggy itself, so remember to claim them too—you might end up using one.
Note: In Asia-Pacific, Marriott may provide Platinum-and-above members some elite benefits other than SNP, see this article (YMMV).
I’ll briefly highlight a few chain-wide vouchers from hotel groups commonly used by U.S. readers. These hotel group promotions are only for China, though some regions may also have their own smaller standalone promotions. At the moment there are no overseas hotel promotions. For other hotels or travel packages that may include overseas hotels, you can explore through the links above.
IHG promotions
Valid: 2019-11-13 to 2020-04-30; eligible stay period: 2019-11-13 to 2020-04-30
- 2 nights can be split up; as low as 249.5 RMB per night
- Covers 324 hotels in 108 cities nationwide, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Hangzhou, and more
- Very long validity period, making it easy to buy now and use later
- Spending is eligible to earn IHG Rewards Club points
This promotion is certainly good, but don’t forget that IHG Greater China also has an official 20%-30% off weekend promotion with SNP and triple breakfast, called “Extraordinary Offer”.
Marriott promotions
In Asia-Pacific, Marriott may provide Platinum-and-above members some elite benefits other than SNP, so remember to ask before check-in. See this article (YMMV). A few good offers are below:
Valid from 2019-11-13 to 2020-03-28; eligible stay period 2019-11-16 to 2020-03-31
- 2-night stays at 198 hotels across multiple destinations nationwide, with no weekend surcharge
- Choose from popular getaway destinations including Beijing, Shanghai, and Sanya
- Stock up with Huabei; full refund available if not reserved
- 1 night with buffet breakfast included; children stay free
- Valid on weekends with no surcharge
- Stock up with Huabei; full refund if not reserved
Valid from 2019-11-12 to 2020-11-30; eligible stay period 2019-11-15 to 2020-12-30
- 11 nights across 44 hotels including EDITION and W, splittable over 1 year
- Daily buffet breakfast for 2 included
- Valid through December 2020, with no weekend surcharge
- Stock up with Huabei; full refund available if not reserved
Personally, I like this ¥88 buffet breakfast/lunch/dinner deal (shipping area only: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai). If you buy it, I’d suggest using it for dinner:
Hilton deals
Valid from 2019-11-12 to 2020-04-27; eligible stay period 2019-11-15 to 2020-04-30
- [6 brands] Covers 6 Hilton brands, as low as 638 after coupon
- [Worry-free purchase] Splittable, refundable if not booked, good for stocking up, multiple tiers available
- [Coupon discount] Follow the store to get an instant ¥50 coupon discount; limited quantity, first come first served
- [Multiple locations] Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Sanya, and other top-tier and rising first-tier city clusters
Valid from 2019-11-12 to 2020-04-28; eligible stay period 2019-11-14 to 2020-04-30
- [Great locations] Prime business districts in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen; good for business trips and family travel
- [Leisure travel] Covers tourist areas with convenient transportation and locations in many cities
- [Worry-free stocking up] Refundable if not booked; splittable
Hilton Garden Inn multi-property 3-night flexible package, splittable, from as low as 333RMB/nightValid from 2019-11-12 to 2020-04-27
Eligible stay period 2019-11-12 to 2020-04-30
- [Why it’s worth a look] Extra ¥50 off with coupon, no holiday surcharge at popular destinations, plus a long validity period
- [Flexible usage] Stay 3 consecutive nights at one hotel, stay 3 separate 1-night stays at the same hotel, or use the 3 nights at 3 different hotels
- [Refundable if not booked] Refundable if not reserved; eligible for Fliggy platform red envelopes; suitable for business travel
- [Long validity] Can be booked through the end of April, giving you more options and making it good for stocking up
Hyatt deals
Valid from 2019-11-12 to 2020-04-30; eligible stay period 2019-11-12 to 2020-04-30
- Includes brands such as Alila, Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, and Hyatt, with a great-value 2-night package that can be split
- Usable both on weekdays and weekends
- Covers popular cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Sanya
- Get 50% off breakfast when dining at the hotel
Wyndham deals
Wyndham Group: 70+ upscale hotels, 2-night splittable package (2 nights from ¥666)
Valid from 2019-11-11 to 2020-06-30; eligible stay period 2019-11-13 to 2020-06-30
- 1. Limited-time offer of 200 breakfast deals for ¥1; after they’re gone, follow the store and enter a drawing for breakfast vouchers, 2 winners per day
- 2. Follow the store to get a no-threshold ¥20 coupon; join the store drawing for a chance to win coupons worth up to ¥100
- 3. Draw prizes may include free-night vouchers, room-upgrade vouchers, afternoon tea, 20% off dining vouchers, lunch/dinner vouchers, and other stay perks
- 4. Stay at upscale hotels nationwide with broad coverage, refundable if not booked, late checkout, and a long validity period.
Other promo links are below: