# old 5 night travel packages values



## tatmtr7 (Jul 8, 2018)

I have looked at the MVCI website and cannot find the values for the current travel packages.  I just upgraded one 5 night from a year ago but want to order another if only for the miles.
Thanks


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## NiteMaire (Jul 8, 2018)

tatmtr7 said:


> I have looked at the MVCI website and cannot find the values for the current travel packages.  I just upgraded one 5 night from a year ago but want to order another if only for the miles.
> Thanks


You have to call Marriott. It may be on the website, but I just call to get the 5 night package.  I just did it last week.  I believe it was 235K points for the Cat 1-5 and 120K miles with most airlines.  United gets you 10% more.


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## kds4 (Jul 8, 2018)

tatmtr7 said:


> I have looked at the MVCI website and cannot find the values for the current travel packages.  I just upgraded one 5 night from a year ago but want to order another if only for the miles.
> Thanks



*Try logging in with this link: https://owners.marriottvacationclub.com/timeshare/mvco/marriottRewardsOwnerSpecials
*


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## dioxide45 (Jul 8, 2018)

They are a pain in the butt to find in the new website, but the link by @kds4 works like a charm!


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## kds4 (Jul 8, 2018)

dioxide45 said:


> They are a pain in the butt to find in the new website, but the link by @kds4 works like a charm!



I agree with difficulty finding it online. The only reason I still have ready access to it is because I have it saved in my Favorites.


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## Sandy VDH (Jul 8, 2018)

that link does not work for me as I am not a MVC owner.  Going to have to dig it out from Marriott.com


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## dioxide45 (Jul 8, 2018)

Sandy VDH said:


> that link does not work for me as I am not a MVC owner.  Going to have to dig it out from Marriott.com


I don't know that the 5 night package chart was ever available on Marriott.com.


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## tatmtr7 (Jul 8, 2018)

Thanks!  Now I need to call and be prepared to wait.  I agree the 5 night chart has never been online as it is only available to Marriottvclub owners.


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## Steve Fatula (Jul 8, 2018)

Sandy VDH said:


> that link does not work for me as I am not a MVC owner.  Going to have to dig it out from Marriott.com



I thought the 5 night packages were only available to MVCI owners though.

If I were you tatmtr7, I'd call MVCI to get the 5 nighters, not MR. You'll find much faster access. I just did this a week ago, call was answered immediately, and, they knew everything needed to order them.


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## NiteMaire (Jul 8, 2018)

Steve Fatula said:


> I thought the 5 night packages were only available to MVCI owners though.
> 
> If I were you tatmtr7, I'd call MVCI to get the 5 nighters, not MR. You'll find much faster access.


They are supposed to be for owners. I've seen mixed reviews on multiple sites.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 8, 2018)

tatmtr7 said:


> Thanks!  Now I need to call and be prepared to wait.  I agree the 5 night chart has never been online as it is only available to Marriottvclub owners.


You should be able to call MVC Owner Services to convert to a five night certificate. Little wait that way vs MR customer service.


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## Sandy VDH (Jul 8, 2018)

Sandy VDH said:


> that link does not work for me as I am not a MVC owner.  Going to have to dig it out from Marriott.com



I was looking for the 7 night plus airline miles packages. 

These ones..... https://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/morepack.mi


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## Quimby4 (Jul 9, 2018)

The 5 night Category 9 package does not have the 5th night free when calculating the points.
I questioned a rep, of course they were clueless. I was thinking of upgrading to Cat 9 before Aug 1st but to lose the 5th night free is not good.


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## bazzap (Jul 9, 2018)

NiteMaire said:


> They are supposed to be for owners. I've seen mixed reviews on multiple sites.


Yes, the 5 Night Travel Package are only available to MVCI Owners.
The clues are that 
- they are only referenced on the owners.marriottvacationclub.com website
- they are found under the heading “Owner specials”
I have read that some non Owners have been able to book them by calling Marriott Rewards, but if true that is similar to others who use discount codes when they are not eligible, e.g. Senior 
Discount when you are not a Senior, higher Owner Benefit level discounts when you are not at that level...etc
It shouldn’t be possible and is not right.


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## DJensen (Jul 9, 2018)

Is my recollection is correct

Miles deposited to frequent flyer account and subject to the airline expiration dates. 

The 5 night stays can be used outside of using the "purchased" airline miles, but need to be used at same location for the full 5 days.
In other words, that do not need to be used for the same trip. I can fly to California with miles in June 2019 and then choose to use the hotel voucher in Chicago November 2018. Are the vouchers good for one year? I have seen mention that Marriott may allow another years extension?


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## kds4 (Jul 9, 2018)

DJensen said:


> Is my recollection is correct
> 
> Miles deposited to frequent flyer account and subject to the airline expiration dates.
> 
> ...



Yes. You can spread out a TP over 2 trips. Use the AC for one (subject to MR rules for expiration/extension) and FF miles for another (subject to the airline expiration rules).


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## Mr. Vker (Jul 9, 2018)

kds4 said:


> Yes. You can spread out a TP over 2 trips. Use the AC for one (subject to MR rules for expiration/extension) and FF miles for another (subject to the airline expiration rules).



You can use the FF miles however you like. They can be used for one, two or ten trips. The hotel cert has to be used all at once. The FF miles are simply added to your existing FF account total to be disposed of as you wish. They do not have to be used all at once.


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## kds4 (Jul 9, 2018)

Mr. Vker said:


> You can use the FF miles however you like. They can be used for one, two or ten trips. The hotel cert has to be used all at once. The FF miles are simply added to your existing FF account total to be disposed of as you wish. They do not have to be used all at once.



Yes. I did not intend to imply that you had to use all FF miles for a single trip. My apologies if that was unclear.


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## Old Hickory (Jul 9, 2018)

Mr. Vker said:


> You can use the FF miles however you like. They can be used for one, two or ten trips. The hotel cert has to be used all at once. The FF miles are simply added to your existing FF account total to be disposed of as you wish. They do not have to be used all at once.



So here is a question:  Can I request the same or similar 5-day travel package for the hotel cert only because I have enough miles?


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## VacationForever (Jul 9, 2018)

Old Hickory said:


> So here is a question:  Can I request the same or similar 5-day travel package for the hotel cert only because I have enough miles?


You can book 5-night hotel only, with 4 nights 5th night free.  It is a standing offer from as far back as I remember.  You can do it yourself online.


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## Wally3433 (Jul 10, 2018)

Are the 5 night TP's considered one of the best use of points?  Might make sense to just get one if you have the points in your account.  Owners Login is down right now so I can't look at the point cost.


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## VacationForever (Jul 11, 2018)

We decided to get a 2nd "floating" 5 night TP Cat 7 (future Cat 5) next week.  We will have 2 TP comes August where we have nothing planned for.  We just want to stock up on airline miles because we don't see ourselves doing future TP.


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## kds4 (Jul 11, 2018)

Wally3433 said:


> Are the 5 night TP's considered one of the best use of points?  Might make sense to just get one if you have the points in your account.  Owners Login is down right now so I can't look at the point cost.



I think they are. Even though you can create the 5 night AC by redeeming points for 4 nights and getting the 5th night free, I see the value in the airline mile conversion. For travel packages the airline mile conversion rates are close to 1:1. Doing strictly an airline mile conversion by itself (not in a TP), the conversion rate can be as bad as 3:1.


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## Mr. Vker (Jul 11, 2018)

I think we all know the regular MR line is a mess. There was a report on the FT thread where someone called to order a 7 night package the rep INSISTED they could get a 5 night even though they didn't own a MVCI. So much for rules and training. That really aggravated me.


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## Mr. Vker (Jul 11, 2018)

Old Hickory said:


> So here is a question:  Can I request the same or similar 5-day travel package for the hotel cert only because I have enough miles?



That's not a travel package-that's just an award stay. The 5th night is free.


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## kds4 (Jul 11, 2018)

kds4 said:


> I think they are. Even though you can create the 5 night AC by redeeming points for 4 nights and getting the 5th night free, I see the value in the airline mile conversion. For travel packages the airline mile conversion rates are close to 1:1. Doing strictly an airline mile conversion by itself (not in a TP), the conversion rate can be as bad as 3:1.



I need to amend this post. I just double-checked the rates for a pure points to airline miles conversion. The ratio is much worse than my original post of up to 3:1. The conversion can be as bad as 10:1 (10 MRP to get 1 FF mile). Here are a couple of examples:

Jet Blue - 10,000 MRPs to get 1,000 True Blue Miles (10:1)
Air France/KLM - 10,000 MRPs to get 1,500 FF miles (6:1)
Southwest - 10,000 MRPs to get 2,000 Rapid Rewards Points (5:1)

The rates get better by redeeming for a larger block of miles (but not that much better to make them preferable to a travel package - unless you have no use for an AC).

Jet Blue - 140k MRP for 25k True Blue Miles (5.6:1)
Air France/KLM - 140k MRP for 35k FF miles (4:1)
Southwest - 140k MRP for 50k Rapid Rewards Points (2.8:1)

Because of the 20% discount, MRP conversions for United Airlines miles have the 'best' conversion ratio, but it is still not as good as nearly 1:1 through getting a travel package.

United - 112k MRP for 50k Mileage Plus Miles (2.2:1)

Of course, all of these rates are subject to (and likely will) change after 8/1/18. However, I would expect any change to not be a better conversion ratio. In fact, I expect the opposite result given the overall devaluation of TPs.

Marriott - Please prove me wrong...


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## kds4 (Jul 11, 2018)

VacationForever said:


> We decided to get a 2nd "floating" 5 night TP Cat 7 (future Cat 5) next week.  We will have 2 TP comes August where we have nothing planned for.  We just want to stock up on airline miles because we don't see ourselves doing future TP.



Based on the favorable conversion ratio for airline miles, getting a TP for just the miles can make good sense. Depending on the MR policies after 8/1, you may be able to downgrade or even redeposit the certificates without losing the favorable conversion rates you got for the FF miles that were part of your TP.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 11, 2018)

kds4 said:


> Based on the favorable conversion ratio for airline miles, getting a TP for just the miles can make good sense. Depending on the MR policies after 8/1, you may be able to downgrade or even redeposit the certificates without losing the favorable conversion rates you got for the FF miles that were part of your TP.


Generally, if you cancel the hotel portion of the TP, they convert your transaction to a straight points for miles and you end up paying those real bad conversion rates. They do this so people don't work around the system by getting a TP and then just cancelling the hotel portion later.


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## TXTortoise (Jul 11, 2018)

I’m sitting on about 800k+ points with another 110k coming next Jan with a Vail week conversion. 

We primarily fly AA San Antonio to Hawaii, but United has better partners for booking foreign travel. 

With no firm plans that I can book before next Aug I’m tempted to go all in and purchase 5-night cat 7-8 TPs and spreading the miles over AA and United.  The upside is I guarantee the miles conversion value, but the future value of the hotel certificate remains somewhat unknown, for me. I would have to be sure and keep the airline points alive and recognize usage on both airlines is problematic for different reasons...and hope I can extend the certificates. 

Is there any reason to sit on my miles given my situation and the recent changes?


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## jeepie (Jul 11, 2018)

VacationForever said:


> We decided to get a 2nd "floating" 5 night TP Cat 7 (future Cat 5) next week.  We will have 2 TP comes August where we have nothing planned for.  We just want to stock up on airline miles because we don't see ourselves doing future TP.


Good plan. I am not sure, however, if the Cat 7 will map to the new Cat 5. Some are saying it is likely they will convert to the equivalent number of points, which will introduce some variability, especially when peak and non peak pricing appear in 2019. If you have reliable information to clarify, I for one would be grateful. TIA.


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## kds4 (Jul 11, 2018)

dioxide45 said:


> Generally, if you cancel the hotel portion of the TP, they convert your transaction to a straight points for miles and you end up paying those real bad conversion rates. They do this so people don't work around the system by getting a TP and then just cancelling the hotel portion later.



Agreed. It will really come down to what the policy/procedures turn out to be after 8/1/18 (if there is a change and if not whether a situation like this would get past the existing system).


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## kds4 (Jul 11, 2018)

TXTortoise said:


> I’m sitting on about 800k+ points with another 110k coming next Jan with a Vail week conversion.
> 
> We primarily fly AA San Antonio to Hawaii, but United has better partners for booking foreign travel.
> 
> ...



That's hard to say. As you point out for yourself (and many folks I would suspect), there are a lot of moving parts to making this all work out. There are things we know and things we don't. I would start any decision making around the things we know (upcoming property changes in category, new 7 night TP costs, new FF amount reductions in TPs, etc.). Then you can factor in past practices regarding extensions or even try to extrapolate what the new 5 night TPs will look like based on the percentile changes in 7 nights. 

For us, we expect to pull the trigger on 4 or 5 of the 5 night TPs based on what we know. We will be traveling through 2019. Our MRPs will not be worth more than they are now to get a travel package. We remain confident in our ability to extend an AC (which we will have to do to use 4 of 5 of them by 2020), if by no other means than upgrading or downgrading the category (although we lose any leverage we gained in making/booking the original stay with that AC prior to 8/1/18).


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## jeepie (Jul 11, 2018)

TXTortoise said:


> I’m sitting on about 800k+ points with another 110k coming next Jan with a Vail week conversion.
> 
> We primarily fly AA San Antonio to Hawaii, but United has better partners for booking foreign travel.
> 
> ...


That sounds wise to me. If I were in your position, I would certainly weigh the option of the Vail week conversion for 110k MR points vs. other uses of your week. Ymmv. Cheers.


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## VacationForever (Jul 11, 2018)

jeepie said:


> That sounds wise to me. If I were in your position, I would certainly weigh the option of the Vail week conversion for 110k MR points vs. other uses of your week. Ymmv. Cheers.


Agree.  We had originally planned to convert one 2019 DSV I week and 1 Vistana week to hotel points.  After seeing the TP conversion, we just deposited the Vistana week into II and elected DC points for that one DSV I week.


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## TXTortoise (Jul 11, 2018)

jeepie said:


> That sounds wise to me. If I were in your position, I would certainly weigh the option of the Vail week conversion for 110k MR points vs. other uses of your week. Ymmv. Cheers.


 
I struggled with that.  There's none to minimal rental value for Week 15, fixed.  We always used it to trade to Hawaii, but that got harder and I now have that covered.  Mostly was trying to simplify my life for one year and with a maintenance fee of around $700, it wasn't a bad EOY conversion value.

That said, it did pull Boston Custom's House for October this year, so had me re-thinking that a bit.  I've already requested the points conversion, but since they don't post until Oct-Jan, I may be able to revert. We'll see.


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## Wally3433 (Jul 11, 2018)

TX Tortoise...I am in a similar position - sitting on some points needlessly.  I think I am just going to do at least one 5 night conversion.

You mentioned AA and United, and those are my conversion locations of choice as well.  I took a look at some flight locations and miles costs and the clear winner for me is AA, even considering the bump you get on a United conversion.  I am looking to use a Cat5 conversion to help us get one Business class flight from ORD to Barcelona or Paris.  AA costs much less points wise vs United when looking at possible dates.

KDS put together a nice analysis too - thanks.

The hardest moving part is figuring out what you can get with those miles, not how many you can get.


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## Wally3433 (Jul 11, 2018)

Also, does this discussion lead me to believe that there will be alot of point spending on 7/31/18?


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## VacationForever (Jul 11, 2018)

Wally3433 said:


> Also, does this discussion lead me to believe that there will be alot of point spending on 7/31/18?


By 7/31/18 maybe?  I don't like to cut it too close.


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## Wally3433 (Jul 11, 2018)

Has Marriott stated how an existing hotel certificate will be converted?  If I choose a 5 night TP with a Cat 9 Hotel Certificate, will that mean I could potentially use that to stay at a current Ritz Tier 4?

As of right now, you cannot use a TP5 to stay at Ritz.


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## VacationForever (Jul 11, 2018)

Wally3433 said:


> Has Marriott stated how an existing hotel certificate will be converted?  If I choose a 5 night TP with a Cat 9 Hotel Certificate, will that mean I could potentially use that to stay at a current Ritz Tier 4?
> 
> As of right now, you cannot use a TP5 to stay at Ritz.


No.  Marriott has indicated that there will be cat and points adjustments to existing hotel certificates.  I am sure it will be fair both ways.  For instance a Cat 7 cert right now is a 35K per night cert.  After August, 35K per night will be a Cat 5.  I fully expect a pre-Aug Cat 7 certificate to be exchanged for a new Cat 5 certificate post-Aug.

Current Cat 9 is a 45K per night certificate, it will map to a new category post Aug and as necessary may be refunded points if there is no 45K per night category and to drop that to whatever the new level is.  I think the new Cat 6 is 50K. So likely the offer will be to pony up more points to go to Cat 6, or refund the points to drop to the new Cat 5.


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## TXTortoise (Jul 11, 2018)

Since my usually well functioning analytical brain is starting to go into analysis paralysis, is the sweet spot for certificates Cat 7, 8 or 9...assuming max FF miles?  Was leaning toward 7


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## Wally3433 (Jul 11, 2018)

Well.  Rats.  I guess that's why it took 2 years to come up with the new points program - to weed out snivelers like me.


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## Wally3433 (Jul 11, 2018)

TXTortoise said:


> Since my usually well functioning analytically brain is starting to go into analysis paralysis, is the sweet spot for certificates Cat 7, 8 or 9...assuming max FF miles?  Was leaning toward 7



I think the move would be to get a Cat 9, and hope it gets you a new Cat 7.  The new hotel categories are set, so if you have a hotel in mind, you can check to see what it will be post August.


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## VacationForever (Jul 11, 2018)

One of the sites said Cat 8.  For me, it is a matter of how much risk in that the certificates can be renewed or not, if you do not have travel plans in mind.  If not, then I should really go for Cat 1-5, with less to lose.


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## Mr. Vker (Jul 12, 2018)

Well....5 night TP's for all.....

https://insideflyer.co.uk/2018/07/c...ailable-fantastic-use-of-spg-marriott-points/


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## bazzap (Jul 12, 2018)

Mr. Vker said:


> Well....5 night TP's for all.....
> 
> https://insideflyer.co.uk/2018/07/c...ailable-fantastic-use-of-spg-marriott-points/


Hmm, I wonder if this is officially endorsed as available to all not just to MVC Owners or whether it is just a further example of agents not applying the requirement to be an Owner to qualify?


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## hangloose (Jul 12, 2018)

TXTortoise said:


> Since my usually well functioning analytical brain is starting to go into analysis paralysis, is the sweet spot for certificates Cat 7, 8 or 9...assuming max FF miles?  Was leaning toward 7



It is hard to say.   Would be nice to grab a certificate that maps to the future Category 7, since future Category 8 is technically not being introduced until 2019.  As such, you get 1 Category bump for free this year!  The future Cat8 hotels are at the top in quality, luxury, location, etc.   My guess would be that an current Cat 9 may map to future Cat7.  

I'm spending the rest of my MR Pts prior to Aug 1 to get two vacation packages....both with max airline miles and 5 nights.   I chose Cat8 since that is what I could afford on two packages.  I'm hoping Marriott will map current Cat8 on the high end to future Cat6 (vs Cat5).  I plan to try to make reservations prior to Aug 1...just in case.

Analysis paralysis for me also.  Tried to walk my wife through this yesterday, and she couldn't follow.


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## kds4 (Jul 12, 2018)

bazzap said:


> Hmm, I wonder if this is officially endorsed as available to all not just to MVC Owners or whether it is just a further example of agents not applying the requirement to be an Owner to qualify?



Considering that the 5 night packages do not appear anywhere on the Marriott Hotels website (where Non-Owner MR members can see the 7 night packages) but appear only on the MVCI website at the address shown in Post #3 that is accessible only to owners (because you have to be logged into your account to get there), I have to think they are not applying the guidelines.

Or once again, this just shows that we are not as special as MVCI owners as the salespeople would lead us to believe ... sigh.


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## kds4 (Jul 12, 2018)

bazzap said:


> Hmm, I wonder if this is officially endorsed as available to all not just to MVC Owners or whether it is just a further example of agents not applying the requirement to be an Owner to qualify?



The more I thought about this article the more it bugs me ... along with the other pressing global issues of the day (famine, war, etc.). There seem to be fewer and fewer 'exclusive benefits' to being an MVCI owner. From the comments I see at the bottom of the article, the author all but admits that he got the package by 'scamming the system' and calling repeatedly until he found a CSR that would give him what he wanted (because he knew he wasn't entitled to it as a non-owner). 

I left some nicely worded comments to the article pointing out that if he got the 5 night travel package, the fault lies with Marriott for not enforcing their own rules about who should be able to redeem them. I feel somewhat better and will now take my soapbox to do some laundry ....


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## SueDonJ (Jul 12, 2018)

It has always driven me bonkers that Marriott - the timeshare company and the hotel company - aren't careful enough about ensuring that the 5-Night Packages are redeemed only for the timeshare owners, and I don't have any love for the people like The Points Guy and others who publicize how and where to apply the most pressure to scam Marriott out of one. But when you think about it, the timeshare owners helped to bring this on themselves because some have always insisted on forcing the MI reps to process them despite all the info stating that MVCI should have been contacted. So for a number of years and for a number of reasons it hasn't effectively been an "exclusive" perk of MVW ownership anyway.

Learning now that SPG had standard 5-Night packages, I think that with the final steps of the merger taking place MI should just offer both 5- and 7-night packages to all of the Marriott Rewards members. If an exclusive MR perk is a driving force for MVW sales, let them negotiate something new and exciting with MI and then take responsibility for ensuring that it's offered to only those who are eligible.


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## klpca (Jul 12, 2018)

bazzap said:


> Hmm, I wonder if this is officially endorsed as available to all not just to MVC Owners or whether it is just a further example of agents not applying the requirement to be an Owner to qualify?


Well I was scolded by a MR rep in January for having the 5 night package in my account because our TS was somehow linked to my husband's account (even though our DSVII unit was technically owned by our living trust). She couldn't do anything about it at the time so gave up, but there's no way she would have let a non-owner get the 5 night package, imo. I don't think that this is Marriott policy, just poor training and enforcement on their part.


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## Wally3433 (Jul 12, 2018)

hangloose said:


> Tried to walk my wife through this yesterday, and she couldn't follow.



I got about two sentences in and my wife said she was going to take a sleeping pill and go to bed!


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## 1Kflyerguy (Jul 12, 2018)

I have never used a travel package before.  I am planning some hotel trips but probably not until Oct or Nov of 2019.

If i get a Cat 9 Certificate now, and the hotel i want to book for Fall 2019 requires 50K points per night by then, will Marriott allow me to use the cert and make up the difference with additional points at the time i reserve?  Or at least historically have they allowed you use additional points for the booking?

We are thinking Hong Kong, but have a few backup locations if that doesn't work out.  Unfortunately the locations most appealing to us seem to be 50 plus per night on the new charts.


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## kds4 (Jul 12, 2018)

1Kflyerguy said:


> I have never used a travel package before.  I am planning some hotel trips but probably not until Oct or Nov of 2019.
> 
> If i get a Cat 9 Certificate now, and the hotel i want to book for Fall 2019 requires 50K points per night by then, will Marriott allow me to use the cert and make up the difference with additional points at the time i reserve?  Or at least historically have they allowed you use additional points for the booking?
> 
> We are thinking Hong Kong, but have a few backup locations if that doesn't work out.  Unfortunately the locations most appealing to us seem to be 50 plus per night on the new charts.



I believe that will be the case due to the number of properties that will be going up in the number of points required per night (higher category). There will be many people holding travel packages or just plain accommodation certificates (not from a travel package) that will be needing to come up with more points to complete their stays.


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## Steve A (Jul 15, 2018)

In the past, certificates ordered prior to a point rise were honored. Additional points were not needed.


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## Mr. Vker (Jul 16, 2018)

1Kflyerguy said:


> I have never used a travel package before.  I am planning some hotel trips but probably not until Oct or Nov of 2019.
> 
> If i get a Cat 9 Certificate now, and the hotel i want to book for Fall 2019 requires 50K points per night by then, will Marriott allow me to use the cert and make up the difference with additional points at the time i reserve?  Or at least historically have they allowed you use additional points for the booking?
> 
> We are thinking Hong Kong, but have a few backup locations if that doesn't work out.  Unfortunately the locations most appealing to us seem to be 50 plus per night on the new charts.



There is no answer to this question at this time. No one knows what will happen to existing TP certs unattached to reservations. They could be: Converted to points that would be equivalent to today's categories. Converted to a certificate that would map form old categories to newer-so it would go down a bit. Or refunded at a lower rate as if we just did airline miles. (Last being worst option and frankly causing Marriott some trouble IMHO)

If you were getting a TP to sit on the certificate, I don't think that's a good idea-because it could lose value. Most people are getting them for the miles now.


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## 1Kflyerguy (Jul 16, 2018)

Mr. Vker said:


> There is no answer to this question at this time. No one knows what will happen to existing TP certs unattached to reservations. They could be: Converted to points that would be equivalent to today's categories. Converted to a certificate that would map form old categories to newer-so it would go down a bit. Or refunded at a lower rate as if we just did airline miles. (Last being worst option and frankly causing Marriott some trouble IMHO)
> 
> If you were getting a TP to sit on the certificate, I don't think that's a good idea-because it could lose value. Most people are getting them for the miles now.



I would definitely have the miles sent to United right away.  I live near a United hub, and am a million miler with UA, so the airline choice is pretty easy for me.  I would book the hotel as well, but we already have some timeshare travel for the first half of the year, and my wife can't take more time off until later in the year.


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## billymach4 (Jul 16, 2018)

I went to the Marriott site and I could not find the redemption chart. I know I found last week. Thanks to KDS for the link. Also Dioxide gave me some good advice as well!


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## WorldTraveler1972 (Jul 17, 2018)

Make sure you order the travel packages by the end of the month.  After that Marriott is charging a lot more for travel packages and giving less miles.  Im cashing in all of my marriott reward points for travel packages before the current travel packages are going to cost a lot more Marriott points.


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## jpa2825 (Jul 17, 2018)

WorldTraveler1972 said:


> Make sure you order the travel packages by the end of the month.  After that Marriott is charging a lot more for travel packages and giving less miles.  Im cashing in all of my marriott reward points for travel packages before the current travel packages are going to cost a lot more Marriott points.



I've seen numerous people planning to do this and wonder if I am missing something. I RARELY travel anywhere that I am staying 5 days in a row in the same hotel. When I do those kinds of trips, I think of MVC locations first. If that's the case, is the conversion value of the airline miles in the TP so good that it makes it worthwhile to grab a couple for that and then figure out how to use the certs? I know the YMMV stuff AND I know the TPs post-AUG 1 are not going to be attractive at all, so I just want to make sure I'm not missing something.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 17, 2018)

jpa2825 said:


> I've seen numerous people planning to do this and wonder if I am missing something. I RARELY travel anywhere that I am staying 5 days in a row in the same hotel. When I do those kinds of trips, I think of MVC locations first. If that's the case, *is the conversion value of the airline miles in the TP so good that it makes it worthwhile to grab a couple for that and then figure out how to use the certs?* I know the YMMV stuff AND I know the TPs post-AUG 1 are not going to be attractive at all, so I just want to make sure I'm not missing something.



It depends on how you plan to use the miles. For international business or first class the miles can be worth more than the value of the mrps for the entire package. This makes the travel package worth it for just the miles alone. The nights would be a freebie.


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## TXTortoise (Jul 17, 2018)

I guess that approach would suggest maximizing cat 5s, even if knowing most of my (wife’s) target resorts are 7+


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 17, 2018)

TXTortoise said:


> I guess that approach would suggest maximizing cat 5s, even if knowing most of my (wife’s) target resorts are 7+



I would at least think about it. How high are you valuing the miles? You are likely looking at 10,000 MRP's per night to upgrade the Cat 5 (new Cat 4) to a Cat 7 (new Cat 5). The redemption different between Cat 5 and 7 is 35,000 mrps. I hear that you have to upgrade all 5 nights rather than 4 and get the 5th free.


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## TXTortoise (Jul 18, 2018)

Ok, getting down to the wire and when my latest SPG purchase posts I'll have 1M reward points to work with.  I'm splitting them between AA(3 @ 120K) and United(1 @132K getting me to 200K).

While I my primary goal is to maximize FF miles, I was thinking about a comment above concerning the possibility of Cat 6 and 7 being combined into a single cat in the new plan, and am leaning toward the Cat 6s....though still tempted by the Cat 7s.

I don't have any firm travel plans that allow the use of the TPs within the one-year window, so will have to see how things shape out after 1 August and hope for an extension into 2020.
My guess is I'll be having to come up with more points to upgrade the TPs, but nature of the beast at this point.


Based on spreadsheet magic I can 'afford':

1) Four Cat 1-5 @ 940K Points and 492K FF miles (leaving me with 60K points for 'as needed')
*2) Four Cat 6 @ 1M Points and 492K FF miles*

I could do three Cat 7s, but that only gets me 372K FF miles and leaves 190K in the bank.

Thoughts?


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## BocaBoy (Jul 19, 2018)

Steve A said:


> In the past, certificates ordered prior to a point rise were honored. Additional points were not needed.


True, but the new changes are an entirely new chart, so a new Cat 5 is not just an adjustment of the old Cat 5 points.


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## Wally3433 (Jul 19, 2018)

TXTortoise....are you going to be able to use all those certs?  That would be my only concern.  I suppose if you cannot use them, you could "sell" them to a close friend or family member to recoup some cash.  This whole situation has me vexed as well, and the wife is dragging her feet on where to go, which is not making it easier.  Knowing that the real value here is those miles, I would lean towards #1


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## Steve A (Jul 19, 2018)

I’m pretty sure that having reserved a 7 night cat 9 for next May in London with a TP, I’ll not have any problem using it without extra points. However, I’m planning to order a 5 night TP for use next April in Chicago. I’ll not make a hotel reservation now since the hotel is currently a category 8, which will drop to a 5 in August. I don’t have enough miles for an 8 so I’m ordering a 7. Hopefully that will work. If not, there will be a large number of acceptable 4s available.


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## TXTortoise (Jul 19, 2018)

As noted above, while I my primary goal is to maximize FF miles, I know our travel is to higher category resorts/locations.

I don't have any firm travel plans that allow the use of the TPs within the one-year window, so will have to see how things shape out after 1 August and hope for an extension into 2020.
My guess is I'll be having to come up with more points to upgrade the TPs, but nature of the beast at this point.

I know most folks are looking at the max FF column, but the following worked best for me with 1M MRPs to works with. 

I'm basically giving up 40K FF miles from my original model to get a Cat 7 and a Cat 8.

2 - Cat 1-5 @ 215K; Total  430K MRPs     AA @ 200K (2 @ 100K)
1 - Cat 7 @ 270K MRPs                           AA @ 120K
1 - Cat 8 @ 300K MRPs                           UA @ 132K
==========================================
                                                     1M MRPs & 452K FF miles

vs my original model..

1) Four Cat 1-5 @ 940K Points and 492K FF miles (leaving me with 60K points for 'as needed')
*2) Four Cat 6 @ 1M Points and 492K FF miles*

Still open to other thoughts before I pull the trigger... as the four Cat 6s still have some appeal.  Future mapping is of course the issue.

Thoughts?


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## VacationForever (Jul 19, 2018)

Since we have no plan to use additional accommodation over the next 12 months and even 24 months we went with two Cat 1-5 5-night travel packages.  Done!  We are now hoping they will refund some sort of reduced points to us when we have to cancel in 12 months' or 24 months time, unless they can extend beyond the 2nd 12 months.


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## kds4 (Jul 19, 2018)

TXTortoise said:


> As noted above, while I my primary goal is to maximize FF miles, I know our travel is to higher category resorts/locations.
> 
> I don't have any firm travel plans that allow the use of the TPs within the one-year window, so will have to see how things shape out after 1 August and hope for an extension into 2020.
> My guess is I'll be having to come up with more points to upgrade the TPs, but nature of the beast at this point.
> ...



We are doing the same math at approx. 1.5M in my account and leaving DW's account balance alone for future single night stays and TP upgrades. FF is a prime concern with actual destinations yet TBD. Looking at 5 or 6 packages total.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 20, 2018)

How do you book using a 5 or 7 night certificate? Do you have to call? I just tried and it does not auto attach or give the option like the single night awards.


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## jtp1947 (Jul 21, 2018)

Make the reservation and choose points as the payment and then call Marriott reservations and ask them to attach the appropriate certificate.


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## ljmiii (Jul 21, 2018)

jtp1947 said:


> Make the reservation and choose points as the payment and then call Marriott reservations and ask them to attach the appropriate certificate.


I just had a bad experience trying just that...though it may speak more to the current state of Marriott customer service than actual policy.

Using points on the website I reserved what turned out to be the last room in Aruba available to be booked with points on those dates. 3 hours later with multiple escalations and time spent on hold they (and I) finally admitted defeat and I accepted a reservation a week later. My points reservation had blocked out their ability to use my 5 night certificate.


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## jeff76543 (Jul 21, 2018)

Although at that point, when they cancelled your original reservation, one would have thought that they would have been able to move your reward certificate to the earlier date.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 21, 2018)

ljmiii said:


> I just had a bad experience trying just that...though it may speak more to the current state of Marriott customer service than actual policy.
> 
> Using points on the website I reserved what turned out to be the last room in Aruba available to be booked with points on those dates. 3 hours later with multiple escalations and time spent on hold they (and I) finally admitted defeat and I accepted a reservation a week later. My points reservation had blocked out their ability to use my 5 night certificate.


I think the problem was to be able to attach the cert, you may have needed to call MR customer service. They are closed on the weekends.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 21, 2018)

dioxide45 said:


> I think the problem was to be able to attach the cert, you may have needed to call MR customer service. They are closed on the weekends.



Can someone in reservations just book using the certificate or does it always have to be customer service? What is the preferred method?


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## jeepie (Jul 21, 2018)

My experience today...
Called Marriott Reservations number on the back of my card
After reserving, the rep said she had to call MR to attach the certificate (yes, they were open, at least for this).
After probably 45 minutes between the Marriott and Marriott Rewards reps, they first took points out of my account, instead of attaching the cert. I finally have a confirmation and show the correct number of MR points, but the cert still shows in my acct.
They are really swamped and it sounds like new systems and cross training are to blame.
I will follow this reservation until I’m sure all is ok. Cheers.


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## ljmiii (Jul 21, 2018)

dioxide45 said:


> I think the problem was to be able to attach the cert, you may have needed to call MR customer service. They are closed on the weekends.


Knowing I would need clueful customer support I called MR at 9:00:0XAM on Monday morning.  I think my failure was in trusting the first line of rep to not mess everything up before escalating higher into customer service.  And someone else may have grabbed my room while the first rep was trying to figure out how 5 night certificates worked.


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## billymach4 (Aug 5, 2018)

Silly question here. It's August 5th. Have the vacation packages lost any value since the new program has rolled out.


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## VacationForever (Aug 5, 2018)

August 18 is the date.


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## billymach4 (Aug 6, 2018)

Thanks for the education.


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