Before choosing a hotel to earn Accor points, decide which outcome you want: a discount on a future stay, progress toward membership status, or simply the best hotel for this trip. They are related decisions, but they are not interchangeable.
In Redgie's earning and redemption video, he works through the earning calculator and a booking example. This written companion keeps the practical method while checking the rules separately. The video was published in January 2025, so its screen layouts, currency conversions and individual booking examples are historical.
Read the two balances separately
Reward points are the balance you can redeem; Status points help determine membership level. The official earning calculator also separates the two and shows different earning rates by brand and status. Accor earning guide and calculator
That is the first useful habit from the video: do not look at one number and assume it answers every loyalty question. A trip that earns more Reward points is not automatically the best route to your status target. Equally, a hotel can still be the right choice because it suits your family, location or budget, even if another brand earns points faster.
At 03:50, Redgie starts comparing the earning tables. At 06:00, he turns specifically to Status points. Watch those sections together before trying the calculator yourself.
Compare like with like in the calculator
Use the correct brand, your membership level and eligible expenditure excluding tax. Accor labels the calculator's result as an estimate; the credited result appears in your points history. Its published table lists, for example, 25 Reward points per €10 for a Classic member in the standard participating-brand column, versus 12.5 at ibis, ibis Styles and Mama Shelter. Accor calculator
Redgie's worked comparison begins around 09:25. Rather than copying its old Australian-dollar conversion, enter the details of your own proposed stay. Keep a note of the room cost and the assumptions so you can compare alternatives consistently.
A useful planning question is: would you still choose the more expensive hotel without the points? If the answer is no, compare the extra cash with the rewards and experiences you will actually use. More points do not automatically mean a cheaper trip.
Room charges: record eligible spending, then check the bill
At 02:30, Redgie recommends discussing room charging at check-in. The useful practical step is to ask how eligible purchases should be recorded, then retain the final invoice.
Current rules add important limits: not every charge earns points; taxes and certain other expenses are excluded, and some facilities have property-specific eligibility. Accommodation points can cover at most two rooms under the stated conditions, while Status Nights apply to the member's own room. Consolidating more rooms onto one bill does not establish extra entitlement. Accor terms, sections 7.2.1–7.2.2
That distinction corrects the broad impression a viewer could take from the older discussion of moving friends' room charges onto one bill. Ask about your actual booking rather than assuming the hotel's billing arrangement determines the loyalty result.
Use the redemption screen for the stay you are booking
The video moves to a redemption demonstration around 14:08, with the points-and-cash example visible in the discussion around 18:15. Its useful lesson is to inspect the amount removed and the balance still payable before confirming.
Accor's current terms describe a 1,000-point/€20 starting option online, with additional rules and local exceptions. Eligibility depends on the booking and rate. Check the offered amount and terms rather than treating “2,000 points = €40” as a universal minimum. Accor redemption terms, section 10
Redgie's preference for using points at lower-earning brands is a planning idea, not a requirement. Compare the actual stay: a redemption should serve your travel plans. Do not book an inconvenient hotel simply to follow a points rule of thumb, and do not assume a hotel will override restrictions on a particular rate.
Keep the account healthy without confusing the balances
Status points are valid until 31 December of the year in which they were earned. Reward-point validity follows separate activity rules; check the expiry displayed in your account and the current terms. Accor terms, sections 7.1 and 7.2.4
For your next stay, keep the process simple: choose a suitable hotel, check eligibility, estimate the earning, inspect any redemption option and retain the invoice. You can return to the relevant video sections when you want the longer walkthrough. RateDrop is a separate service for eligible flexible Accor bookings. BeBaffled Travel and RateDrop are both run by Cameron ‘Redgie’ Redgwell. Read its current service terms before adding a stay; savings are not guaranteed.