Status: Checked against official sources on 18 October 2026
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is an off-peak award?
An off-peak award is an award redemption priced in the lowest band of a programme's date-based award pricing — the number of points or miles a programme charges for the same award on the dates it classes as off-peak, rather than on the dates it classes as standard or peak. The band changes what an award costs, not what the award is: the same programme rules, availability limits and taxes apply.
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- An off-peak award is a price, not a different award: it is the lowest band where a programme charges a different number of points or miles for the same award by date.
- Programmes set award prices themselves and keep the right to change them: Marriott Bonvoy may change redemption levels and award availability with or without notice, even where that affects the value of points [2], and Hilton Honors may change its rules, including redemption rules and the continued availability of rewards [1].
- Award prices are quoted per night: Wyndham Rewards states requirements per bedroom per night, varying by property and reaching as high as 30,000 points per bedroom [3], and Hilton Honors charges the applicable full Standard Room Reward price for every night outside its fifth-night-free benefit [1].
- A low price is not availability: Wyndham Rewards applies point redemptions subject to availability, blackout dates and rates, and other restrictions [3].
How does an off-peak award differ from peak and standard awards?
Where a programme prices awards by date, it works with bands. Standard is the baseline price for an award, off-peak sits below that baseline and peak sits above it. The band changes the number of points or miles required; it does not change the kind of award being booked, and the programme's other rules still apply to the booking.
Wyndham Rewards sets requirements per bedroom per night, varying by property [3]. Marriott Bonvoy may change redemption levels and availability with or without notice [2].
Off-peak, peak and standard are therefore relative words: they describe a programme's own tiers on its own pricing calendar. Where a programme does not publish date-based tiers, the words have nothing to attach to, and a low price at one property says nothing about prices at another. [3]
Why do dates and programme calendars matter?
Award pricing is quoted night by night or unit by unit rather than as one price for an entire programme. Wyndham Rewards sets point redemption requirements per bedroom per night, requires the member to hold enough points for every bedroom in the chosen accommodation, and states that requirements vary by property and can be as high as 30,000 points per bedroom. [3]
Hilton Honors prices award nights individually as well. It lists a fifth-night-free benefit on all-points Standard Room Reward Stays of five or more nights: every fifth night is free, no more than four free nights are awarded per stay, the benefit applies to five consecutive nights within the same stay at the same property up to twenty nights when confirmed at booking, and every other night is charged at the applicable full Standard Room Reward price, subject to availability at participating hotels. [1] A multi-night trip can therefore mix free nights with nights charged in full, which is why the length and pattern of a stay matter as much as the property.
Award prices are not permanent either. Marriott Bonvoy's programme rules allow Marriott to change redemption levels and award availability with or without notice, even where a change affects the value of points or the ability to obtain an award. [2] Hilton Honors reserves the right to add, modify, delete or otherwise change any of its rules, procedures, conditions, benefits or rewards, including the rules for redeeming points and the continued availability of rewards. [1] A price seen today is the current published position, not a standing guarantee.
What do hotel programme terms say about award pricing?
The three programmes below each set award prices in their own way, and each statement applies only to the programme named. Hilton Honors states an effective date of 15 July 2026 for its programme terms [1], and the Marriott Bonvoy programme rules used here are dated October 2026. [2]
| Programme | What its published terms state |
|---|---|
| Hilton Honors | Standard Room Reward Stays using all points and Points & Money Rewards Stays, which include a money portion, are treated as separate cases; on an all-points Standard Room Reward Stay of five or more nights every fifth night is free, and all other nights are charged at the applicable full Standard Room Reward price. [1] |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Marriott may change redemption levels and award availability with or without notice, even if that affects the value of points or the ability to obtain certain awards. [2] |
| Wyndham Rewards | Redemption requirements are per bedroom per night, the member must hold points for every bedroom booked, requirements vary by property and can reach 30,000 points per bedroom, and the cash part of a discounted night varies by property and date. [3] |
Wyndham Rewards sets redemption requirements per bedroom per night, with requirements varying by property and the cash part of a discounted night varying by property and date. [3] Marriott Bonvoy may change redemption levels and award availability with or without notice, even if that affects the value of points or the ability to obtain certain awards. [2] Hilton Honors may add, modify, delete or otherwise change its rules, procedures, conditions, benefits or rewards, including redemption rules and the continued availability of rewards. [1]
What limits an off-peak award?
- Taxes and fees. A points price does not settle the extras at Wyndham Rewards, where taxes and resort fees may apply even on free nights and points cannot be used to pay them. [3]
- Availability. Wyndham Rewards applies point redemptions subject to availability, blackout dates and rates, and other restrictions, so a cheaper date is not a guaranteed room. [3]
- Award type. Hilton Honors' fifth-night benefit applies only to all-points Standard Room Reward Stays, not to paid stays or Points & Money Rewards, is capped at four free nights per stay, and is forfeited if the free night is declined, the reservation is cancelled, or check-out happens before the fifth night. [1]
- Programme discretion. Marriott Bonvoy may change redemption levels and award availability with or without notice, and Hilton Honors may change its rules, reward types and reward availability. [2] [1]
Frequently asked questions
Does a cheaper award price guarantee award space?
No. Wyndham Rewards states that point redemptions are subject to availability, blackout dates and rates, and other restrictions, so a lower price does not create inventory. [3]
Do points cover taxes and resort fees on an award night?
At Wyndham Rewards they may not: taxes and resort fees can apply even on free nights, and points cannot be used to pay them. [3]
Can a programme change its award prices or which dates are cheapest?
Yes. Marriott Bonvoy's rules allow Marriott to change redemption levels and award availability with or without notice, even where the value of points is affected [2], and Hilton Honors reserves the right to change its rules, including redemption rules and the continued availability of rewards. [1]
Are points-and-cash awards priced like all-points awards?
They are described separately. Wyndham Rewards offers discounted nights that combine points with a cash amount, and that cash portion varies by property and date [3]; at Hilton Honors, Points & Money Rewards Stays are treated separately from all-points Standard Room Reward Stays, and the fifth-night benefit applies only to the all-points version. [1]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and Wyndham Rewards are covered here; other hotel programmes and airline frequent flyer programmes are not.
- Hilton Honors terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Wyndham Rewards programme page and redemption conditions, checked 18 October 2026