Accor has quite a few paid membership programs, all of which attract plenty of discussion. Among them, the Accor Plus (A+) card is perhaps the oldest, and one we’ve covered many times before. Recently, the program has undergone a major overhaul — here’s a detailed breakdown.
From October 1: All tiers become “Explorer”
Currently, A+ has several membership levels, but starting October 1, all of them will automatically convert to a new unified tier called Explorer. The benefits for both existing and new members will follow the chart below:
Note that all the Accor Plus benefits apply in China except for the free night certificate, although they no longer sell the membership directly in the country.
Free Nights
The one free night has been replaced with two “Stay 2, Pay 1” BOGO certificates — similar to the InterContinental Ambassador weekend voucher. This is mostly a devaluation, as the greatest value of a free night is precisely that it’s free; with BOGO, one might still find the paid night too expensive.
BOGO isn’t quite a new feature to Accor Plus, since the free night availability could vary significantly depending on the number of nights you stay already. The new and popular Fairmont Tokyo for example, only shows availability when you search two nights or more:
(Apologies for the Chinese text, as it’s provided by one of our readers.)
Dining Discount
Currently solo diner gets 25% off whereas one person eats free otherwise, making it the best deal for a couple to take 50% off their dining bill. Under the new rules, the two-person scenario suffers the biggest loss, but other situations are either unchanged or slightly better.
Room Rate Discount
Previously, A+ members got extra perks during APAC sales — for example, public sales at 40% off might have an A+ exclusive 50% off with early access. Now, this becomes a flat 15% off Best Flexible Rates worldwide, with no stacking allowed.
In practice, this makes it far less useful than before. In fact, this is probably an even bigger downgrade than the dining change. The good news: the “Red Hot Rooms” 50% flash sales should still remain.
Status Nights
This is the (only) one clear improvement: bonus status nights increase from 20 to 30 per year.
Pricing Changes
Currently, pricing varies widely by country (e.g., much cheaper in the Philippines). Under the new scheme, prices will be largely standardised:
- Australia: AUD 349.00 → USD 237.84
- Hong Kong: HKD 1,788.00 → USD 242.31
- Indonesia: IDR 3,599,000.00 → USD 220.86
- India: INR 19,499.00 → USD 222.62
- Malaysia: MYR 949.00 → USD 243.11
- New Zealand: NZD 379.00 → USD 235.66
- Philippines: PHP 12,499.00 → USD 245.26
- Singapore: SGD 299.00 → USD 246.96
- Thailand: THB 7,299.00 → USD 239.99
- Vietnam: VND 5,899,000.00 → USD 224.95
- Rest of World: USD 229.00
At today’s rates, Indonesia comes out cheapest – but the savings are marginal.
Last Words
Overall, the changes lean towards devaluation. Whether it’s still worth joining or renewing is up to you. In theory, Platinum status becomes easier: Accor Plus’s 30 nights + 30 nights from the All Plus China Suprem = Platinum instantly. But with the implicit price hike, it’s not that straightforward.
Two special rules apply during the transition period (August and September):
- New members get two extra months, for a total of 14 months of membership.
- Existing members may cancel for a refund, depending on benefit usage, with bonus status nights deducted.
On October 1, any unused free night vouchers in your account will automatically convert to two BOGO certificates – so make sure to redeem them beforehand.
One final note: Accor Plus currently has a hidden perk where new sign-ups receive one-year extension of their Platinum status, if applicable. Whether this remains in future is anyone’s guess.
Accor plus has updated the terms to align status update on year end Instead of the accor plus expiry. No longer multi year status extension.
I’m aware but this is Accor and I hardly trust anything from their terms until it’s tested :p