Ultimate Guide To The New Marriott & SPG Program

SPG Choice benefits 50 for 10 suite nights is no longer an option.

"Coming soon
MEMBERS WITH AT LEAST 50 ELIGIBLE NIGHTS CAN CHOOSE THEIR BENEFIT.

We'll unveil our Annual Choice Benefits and invite eligible members to select the new benefit that suits them best.

We'll send eligible members all the details as soon as the new options are available. In the meantime, keep booking and staying."

Any idea why they stopped the offer of suite nights prior to July 31?

J

Does this mean platinum elite members can access ritz carlton lounge under the new program? I know this is not possible with the previous program.

Wow. Nice. job. Lot. of thoroughness here.

Already linked my Marriott and SPG accounts. Was Platinum Elite last year so it carried over to SPG after linking the accounts. Do I need to do that linking of accounts again and move points (eg all of SPG points to Marriott) so Marriott can figure out on August 18 which of the 2 accounts I wan to retain?

Great job lucky this is what makes OMAAT so special. This took an immense amount of work and is incredibly detailed. Keep up the good work this is what keeps readers coming back and makes you the best travel blogger there is.

I linked accounts last year and am Marriott Gold due to being SPG Gold. I earned SPG Platinum in 2018 by completing 18 nights through a promo. Will I be a Marriott Patinum once the conversion is done?

I have the Marriott Chase card, got it in May. So does this mean that if I apply for the SPG BEFORE Aug 26, I can get the bonus?

Thanks!
"Using points for better rooms" section is missing it seems.

Totally agree you almost need a math degree to decipher the breakfast amenity issue. If you don't know this program inside out, you'll get caught out! And finding the link on the Marriott site to the chart linked here is not easy, do definitely recommend bookmarking this page!

Two Qs:
- Given the significant amount of new points earned per $, and much in excess of what used to be the case, my concern is that redemption rates will start to increase in fairly short order (otherwise going to have hundreds of millions more unredeemed points in circulation) and I need to adopt a more aggressive earn and burn approach. What are your thoughts on this?
- What happens if I cross the SPG 75 nights threshold between now and Aug 18th? I assume I get the SPG 75 night benefits which would apply thru 2019... but do I also get the additional 5 SNA's come the end of the year?

Should we book a refundable rate for a room at one of the SPG Cat 7+ properties and switch to points after the dust settles?

Man, I know this took a lot of time to put together! Wow. Thanks!

Thanks for this guide!

Your Rewarding Events summary is off. You get 10 EQNs for the first meeting, but 0 for future meetings. The 20 EQNs you're referring to are for booking a group room block - you earn 1 EQN for every 20 room nights consumed as part of a room block, up to a total of 20 EQNs per year.

Extremely comprehensive, with no fluff or BS. This is why OMAAT remains my favorite travel blog. Thanks, Lucky and team!

I'm a Marriott (RC) Gold by virtue of Spend on my RC Visa, but I have also linked accounts (SPG Gold via Amex Platinum)

Because I am a Marriott Gold based on spend, not matching, will I be Marriott Platinum on transition?

I don;t think this is correct:

The combined Marriott Rewards program will have five elite tiers, with credits being awarded based on stays, not nights.

It should be the other way around, shouldn't it be?

Lucky,

As best I can tell, transferring points to United got much better under the Marriott program.

Previous, 20,000 SPG Points (now equal to 60,000 Marriott Points) at the 2:1 ratio would transfer into 15,000 United Miles (20,000/2 = 10,000 plus 5,000 bonus)

It appears that the 60,000 Marriott Points will transfer at a 3:1 ration with a 5,000 bonus, thus equaling 25,000 United Miles. You are basically getting 66% more miles than before, yet you implied that the transfer ration was worse? Am I missing something?

Love your blog.

This is a fantastic resource - thanks to the team for the investment of time.

That said, I'm unlikely to refer to it very often as I was getting my Marriott Gold membership via United RewardsPlus. Now that it's falling back to a status that isn't even as good as my SPG Gold status, I'm back to being a complete free agent for my 40 or so hotel nights a year. Marriott will probably lose the 10-15 nights I was giving them.

@ Vasya -- Yes, fixed, thank you!!

Great piece! Just curious about the Make A Green Choice program after the merger.

@khatl - there are no more SPG75 benefits...Your24 for current SPG Plat75s ends 8/18

Great summary. One error: you reversed the credit card benefits for SPG and SPG Business. Biz card gets the higher bonus and 4x category.

Isn't United silver offered to Marriott Platinum members? Now it requires Platinum Premier?

Is there any insight into whether the 3x per year Club Floor Upgrade certificates (good for up to 7 days) will continued to be offered. I have used these in the past and found them one of the best benefits of the ritz card.

There has been no mention of this from anything I received from Chase or have read online.

thanks!

This is extremely helpful!

Do you know when the new Hertz status match will take place? I asked Hertz and was told I needed to be invited by Marriott for the President's Circle match.

For Ambassador status, does anyone know if there will be a simple way for members to track their spend progress towards the required $20,000?

I will likely reach 100+ nights between SPG and Marriott this year but I have no idea if I will hit the $20,000 requirement.

@Jules - Yes, there will be a tracker on the combined status page once you hit Platinum I believe.

Wow, this is awesome and much easier than reading anything from Marriott's website.
SPG and Marriott nights will be combined together, correct? i have 16 with SPG, and 36 with marriott so needing to get to Platinum.

I’m about 510 nights and 1,520,000. If I reach the 1.6 Marriott lifetime miles by Dec 31 2018, I will be Lifetime Platinum in the new program correct? Wish it was delayed another year

All in all program will be solid but. Feel they should have a total revenue number to distinguish suite upgrades and the like. So many platinum

Great write up OMAT Keep up the great work

A very nice and thorough job, except for the now tired attempt to perpetuate the debunked and unsubstantiated claim that SPG upgrade policy was a 'differentiating' feature of the program.

"- At Starwood Preferred Guest, Platinum members are **entitled** to be upgraded to the best available room, including standard suites

- At Marriott Rewards, Platinum members are **entitled** to be upgraded, and that upgrade may include standard suites
....
While the terms & conditions haven’t yet been published, the head of Marriott Rewards, David Flueck, told me that the new policy is intended to mirror Starwood’s policy rather than Marriott’s policy. That was in response to me asking whether suite upgrades were at the hotel’s **discretion** (like Marriott), or whether they were **guaranteed** subject to availability (like Starwood). That’s good news." [** indicated emphasis]

That bogus claim about how SPG upgrade policy stands apart from those of the other programs, which I thoroughly debunked, simply needs to stop. The bogus notion that SPG upgrades were not at each hotel's discretion was hatched by simply cherry-picking what was desired out the full SPG policy.

Here's what the bogus claim about the SPG policy is based on:

"Platinum members receive upgrades to the best available rooms, including Standard Suites, subject to availability for the entire length of stay at time of check-in..."

Here's what is usually left out:

“…subject to availability at check-in for the length of the stay, provided the room was not booked through a pre-paid third-party channel. Specialty Suites such as, but not limited to, premium view, Presidential, Honeymoon, and multiple bedroom suites are excluded. This benefit does not apply to all-suite hotels. BEST ROOMS ARE IDENTIFIED BY EACH PROPERTY and may not include upgraded Towers level accommodations unless Towers level accommodations are booked originally. The upgrade benefit is available for one room for the personal use of the Member only, regardless of the number of additional rooms purchased by the Member. This benefit is not offered at Aloft and Element properties.”

See it right there? BEST ROOMS ARE IDENTIFIED BY EACH PROPERTY. In very simple English, that means "at the discretion of each property."

The result of making up a bogus upgrade policy for SPG was not been pretty, as self-entitled top SPG elites, many of them self-anointed ‘travel gurus’, took to the airwaves to denounce SPG’s duplicity…for correctly interpreting their own policy!

Here are some of my very favorite examples of a policy misinterpretation gone awry, likely because the program wanted to have their cake and eat it too, and did not bother setting the record straight:

2012 — I am Sick of Arguing for Starwood Upgrades.

2013 — Platinum SPG, best room upgrade: please change the language.

2014 — Starwood Platinum Suite Upgrades: Why Does It Have To Be A Fight?

2015 — Destroying Loyalty: Starwood’s Lies & Expectation Management.

Soon, SPG will be replaced with Marriott in similar complaints about the merged programs, when the expectation that MR Plats will be "entitled to" or be "guaranteed" upgrades (especially to suites) is not met...as it won't be because a hotel loyalty program perk that is (a) contingent on AVAILABILITY and (b) at the DISCRETION of each hotel cannot possibly be "guaranteed" or or claimed to be an "entitlement." A "guarantee" that depends on or subject to a contingency is an oxymoron!

You heard it here first. Just you wait...

G'day.

Great job!! Thank you! I do have one question and one comment.

-I didnt see any mention of the lifetime status that were for this year only. My understanding was lifetime nights for both SPG and marriott were being combined and you had to the end of the year to qualify at the original levels (ie SPG 500 nights).

-I have SPG bookings for after 18 Aug under my SPG number. Will they automatically be converted to my Marriott number or will I have to do something?

Thanks!!

Thx for the overview.

I am missing the details about the extension of the Marriott perk to the spg brands of giving out status benefits (of course except stays/night credits and points) on 3rd party and group bookings.

Will AmEx platinum still give me Marriott Gold status? It used to through SPG Gold.

Thank you Lucky and team for such a comprehensive guide.

Does anyone know if AmEx platinum will continue to give me Marriott Gold status? It used to do so through SPG Gold.

Lucky, this is a great write-up. Thank you!

So I went to link my accounts, and the Marriott site says they’re already linked. How do I figure how which is the program being status-matches? I hav SPG gold, but also have a higher Marriott gold elite (platinum in August). I really want the Marriott status to survive.

This is great, thank you for all the detail. One more question: Do we know how Marriott will handle redeeming points for non-standard or base rooms? For example a suite or club floor room? Historically SPG just required additional points, but to my knowledge Marriott only offered this for Points + Cash, if at all.

Nice job by DCS again bringing his Fake News to a good & rational discussion...as usual, because no one is talking about endlessly mediocre Hilton, he goes on another falsified anti-SPG rant.

@Drake
Thanks for the reply. Has Marriott released any additional information about the Ambassador $20k spend requirement and the tracker function itself (e.g. website link, announcement)?
I'm curious to know if the $20k spend is restricted to the room rate only before taxes and if incidental spend such as room service and restaurant meals charged to a room will count.

@UA-NYC -- It is stupid to accuse anyone of going on a "falsified anti-SPG rant", when the program is dead and, as of this week, buried. You seem to have a thing for necrophilia. I don't.

G'day.

Great job for writing this up Lucky. The only benefit I care about is breakfast benefit and this new breakfast benefit is way too complicate. I am sticking to my Hilton Aspire card with instant Diamond status, and have breakfast at restaurant as well as at the lounge too if I want to.

Do we know what the points transfer policy between two household accounts will be once the new program kicks in?

Will reaching 25 stays on SPG properties this year give me Platinum level for 2019?

Random tangentially related idea. Amex Canada has a Cobalt Card which gives 5x points for food and drink. Canadian Amex points transfer 1000:1200 to the new Marriott points (for a brief period of time it was 1000:1500 with transfer to SPG and conversion to Marriott points). End result, get 7.5 Marriott points for every USD spent on food and drinks (minus the foreign transaction charge).

Seems that the ability to convert points directly to airline miles has devalued use of the Starwood Amex cards for regular spend.

Under the old system, I earned 1 Starwood point per dollar spent (regular spend). So I spend $20,000, get 20,000 Starwood points, and convert that into 25,000 miles (so 1.25 miles per dollar spent).

But under the new system, I earn 2 Marriott points per dollar spent (regular spend). I now need 60,000 Marriott points to convert into 25,000 miles. So I now need to spend $30,000, get 60,000 Marriott points, and convert that into 25,000 miles (so 0.83 miles per dollar spent).

I think I got the math right, or is there something I'm missing?

Everyone please ignore DCS. Great job Lucky, everyone should give credit where credit is due.

Wow! That was crazy! Great job!

Also want to know about the ritz club level certs.

And what will happen to my current ritz tier 1-4 certs mapping to what pointage?

And re the point mapping...these 35k credit card certs....after 2019, they will only be good for the hotels category 1-4? Because you cant use them for the 40k peak time of the category 5.

Thanks

You have the "Transfer Directly to Airlines" section posted twice, one right after the other.

Some notes:

Not all Residence Inn provided breakfast (Anaheim)
Not all Elements provided breakfast (KL)

The fact that breakfast is a brand standard and that they din't even think it necessary to list it in the exceptions needs to be noted. They advertise it as a brand standard so that a guest may book these brands with the guarantee of breakfast without the hassle of reviewing/researching. So this is just scammy,

Not providing a brand standard benefit isn't the function of an errant property (unlike upgrades, they can't claim there was no food....on any day).

Also whilst the full T&C may not have been released, they've released plenty of details comprehensively (breakfast, points redemptions etc etc) and amongst those, the full legalese sounding verbiage of the upgrade benefit in the FAQ section. This makes it VERY clear the new policy is same as old MARRIOTT policy and NOT new Marriott policy. It is in writing vs a vague verbal comment by the head of the program, I cannot fathom why we are following the spoken word.

Lounge access isn't being devalued as a function of T&C but in reality there will be significant changes. Thus far only Westin, Sheraton and Le Meridiens were required to offer lounge access, however these represented high 90 percentage of SPG system lounges, as a consequence there was incredible pressure on the remaining lounges to offer access (Luxury Collection mainly, but also the odd W, St Regis or Four Points lounge). However when this peer pressure no longer exists since the bulk of the system no longer conforms so monolithically, I wonder how long the LC/W/StR/4P lounges will be available. This isn't a written devaluation, but it will be in effect just the same.

To summarise, relative to SPG:

Upgrades are now weaker.
Breakfast isn't what they advertised it to be and you are no longer assured breakfast as a top tier benefit at all hotels.
Lounge access will be undergoing a devaluation in effect.

Ugh! Can they make this merger, program integration, and new program more complicated? Of course they can, and they will. With so many exceptions among the brands and categories, what's the point? Who wants or has time to consult a spread sheet or look up the Ts & Cs for every stay to see what benefits you are entitled to.

Great job of trying to clarify the zillions of issues and questions, but perhaps the most important statement was that terms and conditions have not been published. That means anything could be changed. Of course even after Ts & Cs are published that is always the case with loyalty programs. Even if this is in fact the program that rolls out, I have issues.

First, the program should have an upgrade policy that is published and followed. Platinum Premiers should have priority on upgrades. Marriott has established Platinum Premier (75 and 100) as the highest member category. It deserves the highest upgrade priority. People would raise hell if airlines upgraded silvers over golds or golds over top tier. Having no priority for upgrades invites all kinds of shenanigans band mistrust. There is already a lack of trust in the front desk clerks. This makes it worse and opens the door to discrimination for any reason or no reason at all. Status is supposed to mean something. For upgrades, status means nothing. The upgrade depends on the whim of the clerk.

Second, lifetime status is not equivalent to the benefits of entry level annual status. As a Lifetime Platinum Premier (LPP) I must still stay 75 nights to get the same benefits any other member gets with annual Platinum Premier status. But if I stay 75 nights, there is no point in having lifetime status. And actually the LPP benefits are less than annual Platinum status. Starwood had four levels of Platinum. Lifetime platinums got all of the benefits of annual entry level platinum. LPP has two levels, but LPPs do not get the benefits of entry level Platinum Premier. Some accept this "decoupling" but that's just a huge devaluation of status. LPP is a status that is lower than annual Platinum except for a few more points and 48-hour guarantee.

As a general matter I've valued the Your24 greatly. More than an ambassador. Suite night awards are not much of a benefit. Platinums are already entitled to suite upgrades. Letting us know three days in advance is not much help because the availability of a suite cannot be guaranteed when booking. If a SNA moved one higher on the upgrade list, then the SNA would have great value. Of course there is no upgrade list with definite rules of priority. Also the 20,000 dollars in spend seems high compared to airline spend requirements and the fact that so-called resort fees, which are really room rates, are excluded.

I believe a Hyatt - Starwood merger would have been less complicated and better for members. This merger is a mess.

Well done Lucky!!

Pretty encyclopedic but.....

If I acquire the SPG Luxury Card, will the automatic Gold Status extend to Platinum through 2019?

After that, it’s necessary to spend $75K per credit card account year rather than every Marriott membership year?

@ Explore -- Nope, it will get you Gold from the beginning and it will stay that way, so you won't get SPG Platinum out of it unless you put the spend on the card.

BTW on the Marriott site it updated today that UA Gold & up flyers will only get Gold starting next year (so no more lounge access & 4pm check-out)

Excellent write-up.....better than what I git e-mailed to me from SPG!

Curious about the "Green Choice 500 star points/night" option....
Any info on this ?

Had to say thank you !

@Justin sez: "Seems that the ability to convert points directly to airline miles has devalued use of the Starwood Amex cards for regular spend. [...] I think I got the math right, or is there something I’m missing?"

In commented on this yesterday and you got it about right.

Marriott did not want to have anything to do with SPG's feature that incentivized members to transfer most of their starpoints to airline miles instead of keeping the revenue in-house by redeeming the points for award stays. However, aware that points transfers to airlines were very popular with SPG loyalists, Marriott approached it cleverly: They left the structure of the transfer of points to airlines essentially unchanged, but disincentivize the practice – effectively crippling it – by limiting the number of points that can be EARNED THROUGH UN-BONUSED spend on their new co-branded CCs to the equivalent of earning 2/3 or 0.67x starpoints (from 1x.) That effectively changed the transfer of points to miles from 1:1 to 1 point for 0.67 mile.

The end result is akin to transferring 10,000 (star)points to get only 6,700 miles. One can make up for it somewhat by transferring a large number of points, because the 5K bonus points for transferring points in multiples of 20K is still there. So, if you transfer the equivalent of 100,000K starpoints, you’d get back:

100,000 * 0.67 + (100,000/20,000) * 5,000 = 92,000

compared to

100,000 + (100,000/20,000) * 5,000 = 125,000

that one got with a 1:1 transfer of starpoints to miles + the 5K bonus for transferring starpoints in multiples of 20K

The effective devaluation is: (125,000 - 92,000)/100,000 = 0.33

i.e., a 33% devaluation.

You can arrive at gthe 33% with simple subtraction. The SPG AMEX used to earn 1x on un-bonused spend. Under MR, one will be earning 2x in MR points, which is like earning 2/3 or 0.67x in starpoints:

1x - 0.67x = 0.33x or a 33% devaluation.

G'day.

Lucky:

You mention in the Earning Points for Multiple Rooms section that with SPG you got points for up to three rooms, but that Marriott is only for one room. I have always gotten points for up to three rooms under my name (that I pay for), but only Elite Nights for the room I was actually in.

So, Marriott isn’t matching SPG, but also isn’t keeping their existing earning benefit?

Lucky:

I have always gotten points for up to three rooms that I have booked and paid for with Marriott. So, they aren’t matching SPGs program, and they are actually reducing their program?? Only ever got one Elite Night Credit, but always got points for up to three rooms.

BTW, @Justin, you did get the math right. 😉

When on takes into account the 5K bonus points earned for transfers in multiples of 20K points, one earns a factor of 1.25 more, so that rather than earning just 0.67x (2/3), one would earn 0.67x * 1.25 = 0.8375x, which is in line with you conclusion that...

..."So I now need to spend $30,000, get 60,000 Marriott points, and convert that into 25,000 miles (so 0.83 miles per dollar spent). "

The size of the devaluation for spending $x and earning 0.8375x miles in the MR program remains the same relative to the more favorable scheme of spending $x and earning 1.25x under SPG:

(1.25-0.8375)/1.25 = 0.33

G'day,

Brilliantly put together. I have a question as a Gold I booked to Marriott properties back in Feb in Dubai and Oman which would have given me apart from Upgrade, access to the Lounge......will I lose that now if so they'll lose me and any future custom?!!! Many thanks.

Hi Ben,

Same question as a few other readers here. You have mentioned that going forward members will earn points and elite night credits for only 1 room per night. Where do you have this information from ? Previously Marriott awarded elite night credits only for 1 room but points for upto 3 rooms and I do not see a change to that anywhere. Could you kindly let us know if there's any published update to this policy ?

Thanks 🙂

BTW for any newbies to the blog, there is zero factual basis to DCS' claim that "Marriott did not want to have anything to do with SPG’s feature that incentivized members to transfer most of their starpoints to airline miles instead of keeping the revenue in-house by redeeming the points for award stays".

It has not been released publicly ever (proprietary info unnecessary to share), but it is the height of conspiracy (and stupidity) to think anything other than the vast majority of SPG points were earned for, yep, Starwood hotel stays. Most Starwood folks probably weren't even aware you could do it, and not everyone who did know even took advantage of it.

@UA-NYC warns "newbies", who may already be aware of his fact-free claims: "...[t]here is zero factual basis to DCS’ claim that “Marriott did not want to have anything to do with SPG’s feature that incentivized members to transfer most of their starpoints to airline miles instead of keeping the revenue in-house by redeeming the points for award stays”

The only problem? The reality: Marriott has, in fact, severely crippled the points transfer feature in the merged program, **just as I'd boldly predicted over and over for more than a year they would.**

So, dear "newbies", what do you believe? The reality that Marriott has done exactly as I'd repeatedly predicted they you would for more than a year, or a fact-free claim to the contrary that collides against that reality? The rationale for why Marriott would have nothing to do with SPG's points transfer model was straightforward and could be arrived at through simple common sense: it was boneheaded business-wise, and I'd explained why long before Marriott's bid to acquire Starwood. It was so logical that Marriott would not continue the practice that it was a certainty...

G'day.

@Lucky - This is awesome! Possibly your best, most thorough post to date. 🙂

Lifetime status question - Is the years requirement for PLT status going to be without exception?
I'll have 700 nights between the two programs by EOY (6 yrs SPG + if Marriott counts SPG status match years). Currently SPG LT Gold.

Apologies if you've covered this, and I've missed it, but any idea how Ritz Carlton tiers are going to be effected (if at all)? By that I mean the redemption rates for tiers 1-5.

-I didnt see any mention of the lifetime status that were for this year only. My understanding was lifetime nights for both SPG and marriott were being combined and you had to the end of the year to qualify at the original levels (ie SPG 500 nights).

-I have SPG bookings for after 18 Aug under my SPG number. Will they automatically be converted to my Marriott number or will I have to do something?

Lucky, another question I haven‘t found an answer for, yet:

Considering lifetime status, members will still be able to complete lifetime status according to the old program rules if sticking to hotels of one of the legacy programs until Dec.31st 2018 . E.g. 250 nights and 5 years of elite in SPG for lifetime gold (which will be 400 nights from next year on). YET: does that mean I can still accumulate nights for up to 3 rooms between Aug. 18 and Dec. 31 to qualify for spg lifetime gold or will it nights for 1 rooms only from Aug. 18th forward?

Dear Point Gurus -
I have 82000 SPG Points on my account that I was thinking of transferring to ANA for a discount on round trip flights to Japan (~about $1.5K a pop in economy, depending on season). I've seen conflicting anecdotes ( I think) on the merits of transferring before or after the merger? Are there better values to be had if I just bank the 3x multiplier and hold>

Thank you

Hey, where did you get the info for breakfast platinum gift of $10 f&b + 1 guest, daily for ac hotels in the U.S.? I’m platinum at an AC hotel in the US right now and she gave me 2 $10F&b vouchers for the whole 7 day stay and when I asked if we get these daily she said no 1per stay but I gave you a 2nd to apologize for the room taking so long to be ready.

Very comprehensive - thanks!

Minor editing note: it looks like the "Transfer directly to airlines" section is duplicated (appears twice).

I don't think I saw anything in the write-up but what is happening with the Executive Club level for having the SPG Business card? Is it going away? I'm heading to Australia at the end of the month and want to book my hotel and this may determine which brand I use.

@ Gadobot3000 -- For a few programs the ratios are slightly different now and after the 18th, but the ratio is the same for ANA. Look at this section for more: https://onemileatatime.com/ultimate-guide-spg-marriott/#airline-transfers

@ Rob -- From Marriott, but I don't believe the option to choose breakfast as a Platinum welcome amenity has kicked in yet for AC Hotels?

@ Marcia -- That is no longer a benefit, unfortunately. A bit more on that in this section: https://onemileatatime.com/ultimate-guide-spg-marriott/#SPG-business

@Marcia

"It’s worth noting that one of the unique features of the SPG Business Amex is that it has previously offered Sheraton lounge access in conjunction with a stay. That was a really lucrative benefit, though it’s been discontinued as of August 1, 2018."

Lucky,

Was hoping you could clarify something for me. Another blogger posted "We’ve received confirmation from Marriott that your activity for the rest of the year at both Marriott and SPG hotels will count toward both of the legacy programs’ qualification criteria."
( https://thepointsguy.com/guide/lifetime-status-new-marriott-program/ )

You don't mention this, so is Marriott really going to take the nights from both SPG ad Marriott, combine them, and let them qualify for the legacy SPG lifetime status?

Does anybody know if on August 19, you can book award stays at SPG hotel even before you have enough points? Like how Marriott does it now with their hotels?

I have a question I wonder if anyone can help with. I am staying at a Springhill Suites (which is part of the Marriott chain) this weekend, August 9-12. I am trying to figure out which card to pay for it with - the Starwood Business Amex , Marriott Business Chase Visa Signature, or Chase Ritz Carlton Rewards Visa Infinite. It looks like the Starwood (it earns 2x at Marriott hotels & will be converted x3 when the programs merge later in August, so a total of 6x) whereas the other two cards only earn 5x. But with all the recent changes I am not sure if this is true anymore. Can anyone help?

Take your pick Laura, as of 8/1, they all earn the same. But are you going for status on any particular card? And Amex is most likely to waive the annual fee if you have enough spending on the card.

@Lucky @Tiffany

Has anyone figured out the answer to Yvonne's question above about whether the Amex Platinum card benefit of SPG Gold Status will transfer to Marriott?

Thank you!

@Lucky
- Any idea how they will treat the point reservations on SPG side that is later canceled - saying I`ve booked one for 700 Starpoints and after the merger it is 25000 marriott point property. so in case I need to align my dates Will I receive back 21000 points and then will need to book for 25k.
- And also do you have any idea of how 1 night Cat 1-5 certs will be treated. as SPG category 5 can cost from 36-48k Marriott points when Marriot Cat 5 costs only 25k which can be almost 2x less. if they don`t transfer it to same Cat5 cert in new program it makes sense to redeem it before 18th. ( this of course brings up the question what happens with Cert if I cancel a reservation after 18th. )

Is it possible that the 15 nights from the old Marriott personal card will stack on top of other card nights? In the upgrade offer I received from Chase, there was an asterisk indicating the existence of the stacking restriction for the old card, but not the new one. I'm considering NOT upgrading because of the 1 credit per $3,000, but this would seal the deal. I am wondering if there is some reason that Chase couldn't easily pull this benefit from existing cardholders.

Thanks for the awesome summary. This must have been a lot of work.

I am interested in the new Amex Luxury SPG card, but I was sent an offer for the new Marriott card which I refused since the 10,000 point bonus didn't seem worth the hassle of adding a new credit card. I am a long term owners of a Marriott Premier Card, but now I discover that since I was sent an unsolicited offer from Chase for the new Marriot Premier Plus card that Amex will deny me any bonus for signing up for their Luxury card.

Does Marriott/SPG appreciate how mean spirited this is? I didn't ask for Chase to send me an invitation, but now that they have, Amex won't give me a bonus! Glad to see Marriott is on my side - NOT! These rules couldn't have been written by Amex since they are in the customer acquisition business, they must be coming from Marriott (or from Chase through Marriott). We should at least have the option of cancelling our Chase cards in return for the Amex bonus, so unfair.

I just feel like Marriott is telling me to go pound sand!

I'm at the Westin LAX, which I've beens staying at for years. I've had two front desk staff tell me that not only will I not earn points, but I'm not eligible for any of the platinum perks since I booked through a "3rd party". This particular booking was paid for by a client via Hotels.com. I do understand the reason for not awarding points if the rate was offered @ a discount, but I don't get the idea of eliminating the perks (free wifi, entrance to lounge, etc). The most alarming note is that they repeatedly said no 3rd party bookings eligible. I even called SPG 800 # and they confirmed. This means any booking outside of hotel website or calling disqualifies you. I asked if booking through a travel agent (think of your corp travel agent) disqualifies and they said yes. This is a bad policy, as a large percentage of bookings are made through travel agents for corporate travel.

how long does it take for Marriott transfer to airlines

I took the plat challenge and was granted Platinum status on 7/16/18 under the old program. My understanding is that I would be Platinum premier under the new program. As of now, my account is only showing Platinum not Platinum premier 🙁 I've called Marriott reward several times and not getting any right answers except to wait. Anyone else in the same situation or can share data point of getting platinum premier?

I was SPG Platinum 75 going into the August 18th integration (based on 2017 activity of 80+ nights) and I had Platinum Premier for just 3 days before being bumped down. Based on the conversion chart they showed I should be Plat Premier, not regular Platinum so clearly they have a lot of issues here.

Really unimpressed by how this is being handled a MONTH after they started.

Thanks for allowing travel advisors to post here! My name is Rich, I am a travel advisor and a member of the SPG Luxury Privileges program. I am also a member of Virtuoso and many other luxury brand incentive programs. I have worked with many One Mile at a Time referrals and happy to help plan your next trip! contact me at [email protected] Follow us on IG and FB as well!

*Important to note* SPG Luxury Privileges benefits are STILL available, even after the Marriott/SPG merger back in August! Many hotels still offer free night benefits through November, so if you're planning a trip this fall, now is the perfect time to book.

Spoke with Marriott agent today. Points transfer time to airlines is no longer a few days. SHOCKED to hear Marriott has changed it to 2.5 MONTHS!!!!! (10-15 weeks). Doesn't this deserve riotous response from the avgeek community? Did I miss something?

Can you update the list to reflect Titanium & Ambassador benefits specifically for Breakfast benefit ?

Bonvoy-age SPG...

The great merger

@Debit
Where’s Credit?

Is this better Hilton?

For their points transfer