# 5 Night packages are [NOT!] for everyone now



## GreenTea (Feb 4, 2016)

http://thepointsguy.com/2016/02/mar...ail&utm_term=0_2b0b8ee2b7-4c6f9e6437-44218973


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## SueDonJ (Feb 4, 2016)

I'm not surprised to see the 5-Night Packages being talked about but this isn't Marriott or MVW saying that the rules have been changed.  The Points Guy is an entity known for finding loopholes and other ways to exploit loyalty systems - what's surprising is that it's taken this long for TPG to learn about and publish 5-Night Packages info.


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## GreenTea (Feb 4, 2016)

Ah, I thought one was only for MVC owners and one was for general MR members.  My mistake.  I thought it was a change in policy.

But I don't think of TPG as exploiting loopholes.  I know he has pointed me to some bonus earning opportunities I would have missed otherwise; including some Marriott ones.  I think some other sites promote mistake fares and loopholes, but never much thought TPG fell into that category.


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## SueDonJ (Feb 4, 2016)

GreenTea said:


> Ah, I thought one was only for MVC owners and one was for general MR members.  My mistake.  I thought it was a change in policy.
> 
> But I don't think of TPG as exploiting loopholes.  I know he has pointed me to some bonus earning opportunities I would have missed otherwise; including some Marriott ones.  I think some other sites promote mistake fares and loopholes, but never much thought TPG fell into that category.



But that's what he's doing here, isn't he?  He knows that as published it's supposedly a benefit of being an MVW timeshare owner but he still called around to see if he could find Marriott reps who would book one of these for him.  I'd call that a loophole.  

It used to be that the only way to book these was through the ownership telephone line but very infrequently you'd hear of a Marriott rep booking one (usually at the urging of a timeshare owner who wasn't aware s/he should have called Owner Services.)  During the last 2 years or so you'd hear of it happening much more often.  MVW could close this loophole by reminding Marriott to not allow their reps to book them.


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## hhoope01 (Feb 4, 2016)

I saw this article as well and got my hopes up (as as a LT Plat member, but not an owner).  So I called Marriott to verify and unfortunately, as far as anyone in Guest Services knows 5 night awards are for MVCI owners only and they know of no plans to change that.


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## SueDonJ (Feb 8, 2016)

I sent an email to MVW Exec asking them to look into this and today, got a call back.  Nothing in the rules has changed as far as these 5-Night Travel Packages being available to ONLY the timeshare owners.  They'll follow up as needed, and I've edited this thread title.

Thanks for the notice, GreenTea and hhoope01!


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## JudyS (Feb 9, 2016)

Does one need to buy from the developer to get the 5-night packages, or are they also available to Marriott owners who bought resale?


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## l0410z (Feb 9, 2016)

JudyS said:


> Does one need to buy from the developer to get the 5-night packages, or are they also available to Marriott owners who bought resale?



It is available to every Marriott timeshare owner no matter how you acquired your week.


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## bogey21 (Feb 9, 2016)

I like the idea of 5 night stays.  Back in my early retirement years when I was taking a trip every month (traveling single) many times I would only stay 5 nights.  My recollection is the main reason was that it enabled me to get the cheapest air fares.

George


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## Tank (Feb 9, 2016)

bogey21 said:


> I like the idea of 5 night stays.  Back in my early retirement years when I was taking a trip every month (traveling single) many times I would only stay 5 nights.  My recollection is the main reason was that it enabled me to get the cheapest air fares.
> 
> George



What 5 nights gave you the best opportunity for best air fare ? 

We get the best deal to reserve a stay Sunday thru Thursday 5 nights.

A Friday / Saturday,  2 night stay takes the same points as the other 5 nights.


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## dioxide45 (Feb 9, 2016)

Just like any policy, there are reps that either don't know it or don't follow it. Unless there is a system limitation these things can and will likely continue to happen.

I really have no issue if non owners are offered the ability to book five night travel packages. No skin off my back. Having them available to me gives me no real sense of exclusivity.


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## JudyS (Feb 10, 2016)

l0410z said:


> It is available to every Marriott timeshare owner no matter how you acquired your week.


Thanks!

Is the 5-night package a much better deal than the 7-night package? Also, can the 7-night package be used towards a Southwest Companion Pass?


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## bogey21 (Feb 10, 2016)

Tank said:


> What 5 nights gave you the best opportunity for best air fare ?



It was a long time ago but my recollection is that it was Sunday-Thursday.

George


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## hhoope01 (Feb 10, 2016)

JudyS said:


> Also, can the 7-night package be used towards a Southwest Companion Pass?


Yes it can.


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## Safti (Feb 10, 2016)

I have purchased a 5 night TP which I would like to give to one of my grown kids. Am I able to transfer the package?


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## rthib (Feb 10, 2016)

Safti said:


> I have purchased a 5 night TP which I would like to give to one of my grown kids. Am I able to transfer the package?



Transfer, no, but you can book the room in their name.
Just book the room like normal and then call up Marriott and tell them your kids are going to be staying.

I did this for my daughters honeymoon.


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## dioxide45 (Feb 10, 2016)

JudyS said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Is the 5-night package a much better deal than the 7-night package? Also, can the 7-night package be used towards a Southwest Companion Pass?



Actually, the 5 night package is a worse deal, because you don't really get the 5th night free like you do with the 7 night packages. So the per night cost is a little higher with the 5 night packages when compared to the per nights points cost for 7 nights.


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## Quilter (Feb 11, 2016)

Tank said:


> What 5 nights gave you the best opportunity for best air fare ?
> 
> We get the best deal to reserve a stay Sunday thru Thursday 5 nights.
> 
> A Friday / Saturday,  2 night stay takes the same points as the other 5 nights.



Seems like a bit of confusion going on here.

The 5 nights that are being talked about are through Marriott Rewards.   They can be used for any night during the week as long as it is available, regardless the $ amount the hotel is charging.

Your post sounds like you were confusing it with a 5 night reservation using Destination Points.


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## JudyS (Feb 11, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> Actually, the 5 night package is a worse deal, because you don't really get the 5th night free like you do with the 7 night packages. So the per night cost is a little higher with the 5 night packages when compared to the per nights points cost for 7 nights.


Thanks for the info!

I'm not that familiar with Marriott Rewards points. (I have technically been a member for ages, but have never racked up many points.) Anyone know if the 5 (and maybe the 7) night package is the only way to use Marriott Rewards towards a Southwest Companion Pass? Or, can one just transfer Marriott Rewards to Southwest miles (without also getting a hotel stay in the same transaction) and have the miles count towards a Southwest Companion Pass?


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## dioxide45 (Feb 11, 2016)

JudyS said:


> Thanks for the info!
> 
> I'm not that familiar with Marriott Rewards points. (I have technically been a member for ages, but have never racked up many points.) Anyone know if the 5 (and maybe the 7) night package is the only way to use Marriott Rewards towards a Southwest Companion Pass? Or, can one just transfer Marriott Rewards to Southwest miles (without also getting a hotel stay in the same transaction) and have the miles count towards a Southwest Companion Pass?



According to post #14, the points transferred to Southwest from the travel packages count toward the Companion Pass. I have seen this mentioned in other threads as well.


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## VacationForever (Jul 7, 2016)

Probably a stupid question, some 20 years ago, I was able to book a 7-night package for only 100K MRP and used 4 nights in Kauai and 3 nights in Maui.  Does Marriott still allow a 7-night package to be broken down into 4 and 3 nights sand use at 2 separate locations?


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## mjm1 (Jul 7, 2016)

sptung said:


> Probably a stupid question, some 20 years ago, I was able to book a 7-night package for only 100K MRP and used 4 nights in Kauai and 3 nights in Maui.  Does Marriott still allow a 7-night package to be broken down into 4 and 3 nights sand use at 2 separate locations?



My understanding is that you must use all nights during one stay. I know that is true for the 5 night package as we have used that. No experience with the 7 night package.

Mike


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## bazzap (Jul 7, 2016)

I can't readily find the Ts & Cs to confirm it, but I have always understood that the accommodation with Travel Packages cannot be split into 2 shorter stays.
I have only just ordered my latest 5 night Travel Package, as BA were offering a 35% bonus on Avios so I received 160k rather than the usual 120k.
There was no specific reference to usage of the 5 nights though.


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## hhoope01 (Jul 7, 2016)

sptung said:


> Does Marriott still allow a 7-night package to be broken down into 4 and 3 nights sand use at 2 separate locations?


The special Hawaii Sampler award you are referring to is no longer offered.  There were a couple of those "Sampler" awards around back in the day, but those were stopped around the same time Marriott changed their program to the current 5 night award structure (i.e. 5 award nights for the price of 4.)

This means the hotel cert from a TP award (be it a 5 or 7 night award) must be used at a single hotel for a single stay.  Any unused portion will be lost.


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## bogey21 (Jul 7, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> Actually, the 5 night package is a worse deal.......the per night cost is a little higher with the 5 night packages when compared to the per nights points cost for 7 nights.



I believed this was more than offset by lower airfares and sometimes lower car rental rates.

George


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## rthib (Jul 7, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> According to post #14, the points transferred to Southwest from the travel packages count toward the Companion Pass. I have seen this mentioned in other threads as well.



I can confirm. I do the 5-day package with transfer to WN.
I do it early January every other year.
Companion pass is good for the year you earn and the following year.


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## Mr. Vker (Jul 7, 2016)

rthib said:


> I can confirm. I do the 5-day package with transfer to WN.
> I do it early January every other year.
> Companion pass is good for the year you earn and the following year.



In essence you get 24 months?


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## rthib (Jul 7, 2016)

Mr. Vker said:


> In essence you get 24 months?



Yes, it is a great deal.
I did my last one Jan 2015 and companion pass is good through end of this year.
Will do another package Jan 2017.


And Companion pass is good on any ticket, including reward. So you only end up paying for one ticket in $ or points.

Be patient if you do early in Jan, as it takes until late in the month for the computer system to switch over and update everything.


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## Mr. Vker (Jul 7, 2016)

rthib said:


> Yes, it is a great deal.
> I did my last one Jan 2015 and companion pass is good through end of this year.
> Will do another package Jan 2017.
> 
> ...



We have always opted for the AA miles. As we live in Baltimore, I think we will do SW in January! One more question. Does the companion pass count for International travel as well?


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## rthib (Jul 7, 2016)

Mr. Vker said:


> We have always opted for the AA miles. As we live in Baltimore, I think we will do SW in January! One more question. Does the companion pass count for International travel as well?



Yes.  We are planning to go back to Costa Rica next year using it.

Only cost is taxes ($5ish each way US, not sure international).

The points only count for companion (and to use for flights).
They do not count for A-List status.

And you only get one companion (you can change twice, I believe each year). So you can no take just anyone, it is a designated person.

Other note about SWA. If the price lowers after you book (points or $$), you can "change" your flight and get a refund.
No change fees is awesome.


To give you some idea of the savings - Daughter is in Disney College Program so family all want to go to Orlando sometime this year.

Trip to Orlando is cost $300 (if we picked different days could have been $180) round trip.  Or $150 round trip per person.
Add in a $357 2 Bedroom getaway and you have a deal.

Pretty much anytime I fly on business, I ask my wife if she wants to tag along, since company doesn't care and it only cost $5.


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## Mr. Vker (Jul 7, 2016)

rthib said:


> Yes.  We are planning to go back to Costa Rica next year using it.
> 
> Only cost is taxes ($5ish each way US, not sure international).
> 
> ...



I think we have a winner. We have used SWA for: Aruba, Cabo X 2, Costa Rica plus some domestic travel this year.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 7, 2016)

sptung said:


> Probably a stupid question, some 20 years ago, I was able to book a 7-night package for only 100K MRP and used 4 nights in Kauai and 3 nights in Maui.  Does Marriott still allow a 7-night package to be broken down into 4 and 3 nights sand use at 2 separate locations?



Marriott used to have a package where you could split the nights between two properties in Hawaii. They used to have something similar for Europe. Though this is no more. All seven or five nights must be used at the same property.


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## VacationForever (Jul 7, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> Marriott used to have a package where you could split the nights between two properties in Hawaii. They used to have something similar for Europe. Though this is no more. All seven or five nights must be used at the same property.



Thanks. Oh welll.


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## Mamianka (Jul 8, 2016)

JudyS said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Is the 5-night package a much better deal than the 7-night package? Also, can the 7-night package be used towards a Southwest Companion Pass?



I made a little chart for myself, comparing 5 and 7 night deals.  The 5 nighter- only becomes comparable in points when you stay at a Cat 5 or higher ( I made the chart a while ago - you might want to check the New Math, if any).  The 7-nighter is comparable all the way down the line, to using just MRPs for that stay.  One thing that I have not seen mentioned in this thread is that the MRPs transfer one-to-one to your airline ONLY if you are doing this package thing - even though you can use the STAY at one time and place, and the miles for another different plight.  If you wish to ONLY transfer MRPs to an airline (not part of these packages) then the transfer rate is not nearly as favorable.  Again - we lost interest in planning once of these, so I stopped updating my info - but folks considering this might want to take a second look.


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## bazzap (Jul 8, 2016)

Mamianka said:


> I made a little chart for myself, comparing 5 and 7 night deals.  The 5 nighter- only becomes comparable in points when you stay at a Cat 5 or higher ( I made the chart a while ago - you might want to check the New Math, if any).  The 7-nighter is comparable all the way down the line, to using just MRPs for that stay.  One thing that I have not seen mentioned in this thread is that the MRPs transfer one-to-one to your airline ONLY if you are doing this package thing - even though you can use the STAY at one time and place, and the miles for another different plight.  If you wish to ONLY transfer MRPs to an airline (not part of these packages) then the transfer rate is not nearly as favorable.  Again - we lost interest in planning once of these, so I stopped updating my info - but folks considering this might want to take a second look.


I have only ever taken the 5 night packages, although I have often read here that the 7 night packages are a better deal.
I know that both are better than just using MR points for FF miles.
We always use the Travel Packages for city breaks and 5 nights tends to be ample for these.
I have also finally just about exhausted my 3+ million MR points, so to maximise my FF miles that was all I could get anyway this time around.
I agree though that Category 5 or higher is the way to go and with the category changes each year you can't get very much for less, so this time I have gone with Category 7.


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## dioxide45 (Oct 27, 2016)

I had an interesting conversation today with Marriott Rewards regarding this very thing. I called Marriott Rewards because I wanted to transfer some points from my account to my wife's account in order to redeem a 5 night travel package against her rewards account. This is to take advantage of the current united promotion.

Talking with the Marriott Reward agent, I provided him with my MR number as well as my wife's. After he looked at it, he said that he wouldn't be able to redeem the 5 night travel package against her account because hers was not indicating as a MVC owner. However, mine was. I do suspect this is because when I log in to my wife's and my MarriottVacationClub.com web portals, both show my MR number when I go to the profile page. The rep said the system wouldn't even let him convert a 5 night package against her account. Not sure if that is true or just the line they say to block 5 night packages for non owners.

I then tried calling Marriott Vacation Club Owner Services. I talked with a rep that was very helpful but very new. She wasn't familiar with how to transfer points. She looked through procedures and put me on hold a couple times. She was able to get my wife's MR number updated to show her number. Now when I log in and look at each of our profiles, I see each of our MR numbers respectively.

The rep was going to transfer me over to Marriott Rewards customer service to complete out the transfer, but she came back after talking with them and told me that since their system still didn't show my wife as an owner, they wouldn't be able to do it. She said it may take 24 to 48 hours for her MR account to show as an owner. So I will try and call again on Monday. Marriott Rewards customer service is not open on weekends and I believe closes at 5:00pm each day. I will report back how it goes.


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