# Merger update from "points guy" [Integrating SPG / Marriott Rewards]



## Negma (Sep 23, 2016)

1. Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest members will be able to link their accounts from both programs at members.marriott.com. Marriott has begun activating the site, and it should be live within a few hours.

2. Members will receive a status match from the other program — if you’re a Marriott Platinum elite, for example, you’ll now be an SPG Platinum as well. Matches will take “a few hours” to complete. For SPG Platinum members, this means you’ll now be eligible for United Silver elite status, giving you access to free upgrades, Economy Plus seating, bonus miles, Premier Access, free checked bags and more.

Here’s the full breakdown of how the match breaks down, alongside the number of nights and stays (Starwood only) that are normally required to earn that status:

Starwood Status	SPG Nights	SPG Stays	Marriott Status	MR Nights	MR Stays
Platinum	50	25	Platinum	75	N/A
Gold	25	10	Gold	50	N/A
Preferred Plus*	N/A	N/A	Silver	10	N/A
Preferred	0	0	Member	0	N/A
*Note: Preferred Plus status is granted to Amex co-branded cardholders, individuals with a linked auto club membership and AARP members.

See this post for a full breakdown of Starwood Preferred Guest elite benefits, and this post for a detailed list of Marriott Rewards benefits.

3. Members can transfer points between both programs at a 1:3 ratio — each Starpoint will be equivalent to three Marriott points. That’s about as good as we could have hoped for, given that TPG values Starpoints at 2.5 cents and Marriott points at 0.7 cents each. In theory, you may be gaining value by moving Marriott points to Starwood and losing value by moving them in the other direction, but that’ll ultimately depend on your redemptions. We’ll be digging into how and when you’ll benefit by converting points in the days to come. Transferred points should appear within a few hours, and you can move points back and forth as many times as you’d like.

Note that you can not transfer points earned through the Marriott Vacation Club timeshare program — it’s not yet clear whether Starpoints earned through the Vistana program are eligible for transfers.



Read more: http://thepointsguy.com/2016/09/spg-marriott-rewards-status-match-points-transfer/#ixzz4L3IBuGY7


----------



## Negma (Sep 23, 2016)

Follow up

I have linked my accounts and Marriot now shows platinum.  Pretty impressive that it was all immediate. I also registered for United Silver too. I hope this is a sign of things to come.


----------



## Ken555 (Sep 23, 2016)

Negma said:


> Follow up
> 
> 
> 
> I have linked my accounts and Marriot now shows platinum.  Pretty impressive that it was all immediate. I also registered for United Silver too. I hope this is a sign of things to come.





Offline now...trying to link my accounts, will try again tomorrow.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## vistana101 (Sep 23, 2016)

Wasn't able to link yet...but thoroughly impressed so far! Happy with the temporary conversion rate and status matching.


----------



## Henry M. (Sep 23, 2016)

I am staying at a Westin hotel this week. Today there was a letter that reads:



> Dear Valied Guest:
> 
> It gives me great pleasure to announce that today, the most iconic and visionary name in hospitality, Marriott International, expands to include the Starwood portfolio of hotels creating the world's most desirable and prestigious collection of hotel brands.
> 
> ...


The bottom of the letter includes the three rewards programs mentioned:
The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, Marriott Rewards and SPG - Starwood Preferred Guest.


----------



## Henry M. (Sep 23, 2016)

Tried to link my accounts at the link above,, but I just get a message that says:

COMING SOON
Get ready to link your accounts to enjoy the best of each program.
Instant status match. Transfer points. It’s all about you.
Check back soon.

I then went to spg.com on my iPhone and in the drop down menu, here was a button to Link to Marriott Rewards. That button worked right away. I dint see an equivalent link on the full site,  it I may just have missed it. I didn't look that closely.


----------



## okwiater (Sep 23, 2016)

Well, that was easy. You can link your accounts here:

https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/account/benefits/marriott/index.html

Plat status match was instant. Happy with the conversion rate. Considering you can earn 2x points at Starwood properties with the SPG AMEX, that's basically a 6 pts/$ earning ratio for Marriott Rewards points. Not terrible, and a good indicator that Marriott fully recognizes that SPG points are worth significantly more than MR points.

I still expect the value of Elite and points to go down on the SPG side in the medium term, but hey, you win some you lose some. Hopefully the increase in redemption locations will help to balance it out somewhat.


----------



## Helios (Sep 23, 2016)

Just upgraded my Ritz Gold to Plat and DW Marriott Silver to Gold.  The update was instantaneous.  It would have been nice if the ratio was more favorable, but like it was mentioned above, you win some you lose some.


----------



## cubigbird (Sep 23, 2016)

*SPG to Marriott Transfer now live!*

It looks like you can now link your SPG account to Marriott

http://thepointsguy.com/2016/09/linking-marriott-and-spg-accounts/

Looking like the transfer ratio is 1:3 SPG to MRP.  When I linked, my SPG Gold status did match over, so it appears for now there is no downgrade to Marriott silver (yet).


----------



## farsighted99 (Sep 23, 2016)

cubigbird said:


> It looks like you can now link your SPG account to Marriott
> 
> http://thepointsguy.com/2016/09/linking-marriott-and-spg-accounts/
> 
> Looking like the transfer ratio is 1:3 SPG to MRP.  When I linked, my SPG Gold status did match over, so it appears for now there is no downgrade to Marriott silver (yet).



Glad to learn that Starpoints are now worth 3 Marriott points.  Should have been 4, but I'm happy it wasn't 2...


----------



## kh3020 (Sep 23, 2016)

*New Starpoint to Marriott Rewards transfer*

So it looks like any Starpoints from explorer packages or interest conversions aren't eligible for the 1:3 Starpoint ->Marriott rewards transfer. Makes me wonder about the future of those Starpoint conversions and packages.



-------------
http://members.marriott.com/faq/?ES...gnature-experiences-or-marriott-vacation-club

Can I transfer points I earned through an interest in Vistana™ Signature Experiences or Marriott Vacation Club®?

Points earned through an interest in Vistana Signature Experiences or Marriott Vacation Club may not be transferred between SPG and Rewards.


----------



## jabberwocky (Sep 23, 2016)

Account linked - that was easy!  Transferred my orphan Marriott points to SPG so I'm happy now.


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Sep 23, 2016)

I have never had the Marriott card, and I have only paid cash for Marriott hotels.  The value for my Starpoints seemed pretty good, so I transferred most of my Starpoints over.  I now have 270K Marriott points.  

So if I check into a Marriott exchange and give my Starwood CC, will that be worth something more than just my usual 1X spend, or is that yet to be determined?


----------



## Ken555 (Sep 23, 2016)

rickandcindy23 said:


> I have never had the Marriott card, and I have only paid cash for Marriott hotels.  The value for my Starpoints seemed pretty good, so I transferred most of my Starpoints over.  I now have 270K Marriott points.
> 
> 
> 
> So if I check into a Marriott exchange and give my Starwood CC, will that be worth something more than just my usual 1X spend, or is that yet to be determined?





And where will you be using those Marriott points?

No idea about the credit card bonus, but good question. Similarly, I wonder if in the near future we will be credited with nights and stays on SPG similar to how Marriott does with their timeshares (I doubt it will happen until the conversion is complete in a year or two).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## SueDonJ (Sep 23, 2016)

kh3020 said:


> So it looks like any Starpoints from explorer packages or interest conversions aren't eligible for the 1:3 Starpoint ->Marriott rewards transfer. Makes me wonder about the future of those Starpoint conversions and packages.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hmmmm, good question.  Marriott Vacation Club is included as an "Upscale" property in the combined list - click Compare Brands at this link - but VSE isn't.  MVC has always (before and after MVC was spun off in 2011) been included under the Marriott umbrella.  I wonder if because VSE was spun off prior to this takeover, VSE and Marriott need to now develop a new agreement for VSE to be included under the umbrella?  I'm not the only one who's been hoping to be able to use MRP (Marriott Rewards Points) for Vistana timeshare stays, will have to test that out.


----------



## SueDonJ (Sep 23, 2016)

_Moderator Note:  FYI, because there's bound to be some cross-posting between this thread and the one in the Marriott forum:
Marriott announces rewards plans [Integrating MR / Starwood Preferred Guest]_


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Sep 23, 2016)

> And where will you be using those Marriott points?



Since we don't live on the coast, we like to stay in various coastal cities before flying to/ from Maui and Kauai.  

Starwood has had few hotel options with airport shuttle service  for us. When we go to Seattle, I have been booking us into the Radisson with Club Carlson points, but it's 38,000 points!  I like the location, though, and I get one free hotel night a year with the card.  I need more than one night for RT.

The best hotels near Seattle are the Marriott hotels.  I usually pay cash.  This give me an option of booking with points.  

I admit to not staying in many Starwood hotels with points.  I decided not to use the points for airfare.  I need to get more value for my points.


----------



## GrayFal (Sep 23, 2016)

I was able to get DH a SPG account today and link it with his Marriott account. He now shows as SPG Platinum. 

Now will change him to the Primary Owner of our Starwood/VSE timeshares so we earn SPGs under his account at the higher Platinum rate.  
All good.

Edit, and now I am Marriott Gold as well because of my SPG status.  This is turning out well for us!


----------



## The Haileys (Sep 23, 2016)

GrayFal said:


> I was able to get DH a SPG account today and link it with his Marriott account. He now shows as SPG Platinum.
> 
> Now will change him to the Primary Owner of our Starwood/VSE timeshares so we earn SPGs under his account at the higher Platinum rate.
> All good.



Not sure if this is the same situation, but I wanted to change around our names on our ownership, and add husband to one where he was not even listed, but I was told that it would require the titles to be completely reissued, along with whatever fees.


----------



## Ken555 (Sep 23, 2016)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Since we don't live on the coast, we like to stay in various coastal cities before flying to/ from Maui and Kauai.
> 
> Starwood has had few hotel options with airport shuttle service  for us. When we go to Seattle, I have been booking us into the Radisson with Club Carlson points, but it's 38,000 points!  I like the location, though, and I get one free hotel night a year with the card.  I need more than one night for RT.
> 
> ...





Not to get too off topic, but I consider Club Carlson points value as only 20% of SPG, so that 38,000 is about 7,600 SPG points which is just over a cat 3 hotel. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 23, 2016)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Since we don't live on the coast, we like to stay in various coastal cities before flying to/ from Maui and Kauai.
> 
> Starwood has had few hotel options with airport shuttle service  for us. When we go to Seattle, I have been booking us into the Radisson with Club Carlson points, but it's 38,000 points!  I like the location, though, and I get one free hotel night a year with the card.  I need more than one night for RT.
> 
> ...




FYI - For stays I usually get 1.5 to 1.7 cents value with each MR Point. Anything less than that I pay using my Marriott credit card. With Gold status I get 17 points per dollar spent.


----------



## myip (Sep 23, 2016)

*what benefits does marriott Platinum gives?*

I am going to Japan and Hong Kong.  When staying in starwood hotel, I get free breakfast when traveling international?  Is there any benefits with Marriott or Ritz Carlton?  I am thinking of moving some of my spg points and try out the Ritz Carlton or Marriott Hotel at Hong Kong or Tokyo.


----------



## Ken555 (Sep 23, 2016)

thinze3 said:


> FYI - For stays I usually get 1.5 to 1.7 cents value with each MR Point. Anything less than that I pay using my Marriott credit card. With Gold status I get 17 points per dollar spent.




Examples? That would be 4.5-5.1% per SPG point after conversion, which is typically higher than the average.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 23, 2016)

Ken555 said:


> Examples? That would be 4.5-5.1% per SPG point after conversion, which is typically higher than the average.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



This is a hotel that I have used points for on several occasions.  It is 2 cents per MR Point, so I always use points. The rates below are with MR Points and cash rates. The cash rates are before taxes of $18-$20.


Fairfield Inn & Suites Dallas Plano/The Colony

Marriott Rewards Redemption
You Selected: 
Guest room, 2 Queen
Rate details  Room details 
7,500 points/stay
Guest room, 1 King
Rate details  Room details 
7,500 points/stay


Guest room, 1 King
Rate details  Room details
139 USD/night 
Guest room, 2 Queen
Rate details  Room details
148 USD/night


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 23, 2016)

Also, for my DD's Family Weekend at college, the rates are ridiculous.

Right now I can use 50K MR Points or pay cash of $762.
"Total for stay in hotel's currency 761.64"

(Note: Several hotels are 40K points but are sold out.)

Courtyard College Station, TX


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 23, 2016)

The Haileys said:


> Not sure if this is the same situation, but I wanted to change around our names on our ownership, and add husband to one where he was not even listed, but I was told that it would require the titles to be completely reissued, along with whatever fees.



SPG - is the *hotel* program - now owned by Marriott.

Marriott does not own Vistana (the _timeshare_ management company) - so your deed is purely a Vistana issue.

To change the names on your deed(s) they have to be re-issued, and re-recorded with the County Registrar's Office, and Vistana.

This is who I use:

L.T. Transfers
Lisa Short and Mary Pless
http://www.lttransfers.com/
readylegal@gmail.com
706.219.2709


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 23, 2016)

*Does Starwood offer "Lounge" or "Club" access for elites?*

Are there any perks for having Gold status as for as food is concerned - breakfast, evening Hors d’oeuvres, etc..?


----------



## SandyPGravel (Sep 23, 2016)

thinze3 said:


> Are there any perks for having Gold status as for as food is concerned - breakfast, evening Hors d’oeuvres, etc..?



Gold status can sometimes get you upgraded to club floor, but don't count on it happening.  

IME : Nashville=no Sioux Falls, SD = yes


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 23, 2016)

Not much - there are a lot of gold members, so it's really diluted - you can get gold status by buying a timeshare or with the Starwood AMEX.

However, some people have reported nice upgrades with Gold status outside the US.


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 23, 2016)

We don't use our SPG points for hotel stays, because we very rarely stay in hotels.  So is there any downside to not integrating at this time?  

Of course, I assume that eventually everyone will be rolled over, even if they don't take any action on this.


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Sep 23, 2016)

I have a difficult time comparing hotel cards and points, deciphering which are really a great value and which are not.  

I keep our IHG card because we get a free night each year, and we get more value for that night than we pay for the annual fee.  

Same thing with the Carlson Club Visa.  It's been nice staying in a $200/ night hotel room for the annual fee, and the one in Seattle usually upgrades us to a nicer room and a hot breakfast buffet for one.  I have to pay for the other breakfast, which is somewhat annoying. 

The Hyatt card is an amazing deal for us.  There are great hotels in San Francisco and Santa Clara, some are very low points, 8,000 points for the nights we have stayed at the Hyatt House Santa Clara.  It's a great value because we can transfer our Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt.  With our manufactured spend, we pay about $6.00 per 1,000 UR points, so a room at the Hyatt for 8,000 points ($48) is a bargain (and we don't pay sales tax either). 

Marriott and Starwood, I have never had a Marriott card.  We have the Starwood Amex, but we are going to dump it in favor of the Chase Sapphire Reserve for 3X points, and we will transfer points to Hyatt more than the others.  

We also love Southwest, but we have more than enough points in our SW account for now.  

We have booked First Class to/from Hawaii through the UR portal.  We save about 1/2 using the portal for our airfare, counting our MS exclusively.  But we also get about 100K points annually with our timeshare MF's, eating out, car rentals, etc., so it's not even that much, counting in "free" UR points for our regular spending.


----------



## DavidnRobin (Sep 23, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> Not much - there are a lot of gold members, so it's really diluted - you can get gold status by buying a timeshare or with the Starwood AMEX.
> 
> However, some people have reported nice upgrades with Gold status outside the US.



This person has previously reported upgrades as a lowly SPG Gold at Westin and Sheraton hotels in the US...  (but not as common as ex-US hotels)

While we have just increased the number hotels that can be accessed (yeah! just went from 2 hotels to more than a dozen in the Napa/Sonoma/Marin area) - there is now a huge increase in Platinum level Marriott folk going to compete with SPG Platinums privileges at Westin/Sheraton hotels.


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 23, 2016)

Hi Dave - that is wonderful - which of these things did you get?



> Are there any perks for having Gold status as for as food is concerned - breakfast, evening Hors d’oeuvres, etc..?


----------



## DavidnRobin (Sep 23, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> Hi Dave - that is wonderful - which of these things did you get?


 
We have received some food/drink benefits as SPG Gold (but never used food ones) - depending on situation and hotel.  I was responding to SPG Gold benefits for US hotels for room upgrades, that are much more valuable than hotel food (at least for us).  We rarely eat at the hotel as it is - still avoiding unhealthy processed foods (and sugar) for the most part.

watch out for that fuzzy math


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 23, 2016)

DavidnRobin said:


> This person has previously reported upgrades as a lowly SPG Gold at Westin and Sheraton hotels in the US...  (but not as common as ex-US hotels)
> 
> While we have just increased the number hotels that can be accessed (yeah! just went from 2 hotels to more than a dozen in the Napa/Sonoma/Marin area) - there is now a huge increase in Platinum level Marriott folk going to compete with SPG Platinums privileges at Westin/Sheraton hotels.



With Marriott, they will give you card access to the lounge even if the Lounge Level is sold out.  

We just returned from the Napa Marriott and had that exact situation. Hot breakfast every morning, although not the best, and hors d'oeuvres each evening. BTW - this Marriott hotel was simply a well kept low rise hotel. It was nice, but not what I was hoping for.


----------



## Ken555 (Sep 23, 2016)

thinze3 said:


> but not what I was hoping for.




This describes most of my experiences over the years with Marriott. My expectations are fairly low for the chain hotels, and SPG was a nice change, in large part, since many of them (not all) are quite good. That said, I've only stayed at a Marriott overseas a few times and that's where SPG really shines, so might need to try other Marriotts abroad.

Ultimately, it's all about the numbers.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## nokaoi9 (Sep 23, 2016)

I am currently sitting on ~150K SPG points.  If I transfer to Marriott, it would be ~450K points.  Can I still convert to airline miles (Hawaiian)?  If so, this is a no brainer.


----------



## Helios (Sep 23, 2016)

thinze3 said:


> With Marriott, they will give you card access to the lounge even if the Lounge Level is sold out.



SPG Plat is the same (so is Hilton Diamond).


----------



## myip (Sep 23, 2016)

*Marriott Platinum/SPG platinum*

What is the benefits comparison with Marriott Platinum and SPG platinum.  Should I convert the staroptions to startpoints to Marriott points?


----------



## Negma (Sep 23, 2016)

In less than 24 hours I was given silver status on united as a new Marriot platinum! Nice Marriot perk.


----------



## myip (Sep 23, 2016)

Negma said:


> In less than 24 hours I was given silver status on united as a new Marriot platinum! Nice Marriot perk.



How did you get silver status on United?  I just linked up my SPG with Marriott.  I just got Marriott Platinum.


----------



## alohakevin (Sep 23, 2016)

myip said:


> What is the benefits comparison with Marriott Platinum and SPG platinum.  Should I convert the staroptions to startpoints to Marriott points?



From a points perspective the conversion is 1 starpoint to 3 rewards points and vise versa


----------



## duke (Sep 23, 2016)

myip said:


> How did you get silver status on United?  I just linked up my SPG with Marriott.  I just got Marriott Platinum.



Log in Marriott web site:  click on My Account at top of page in right hand corner, Click on Discover Benefits, Click on Whats New, Scroll down to middle of page and CLICK ON REWARDSPLUS - then Learn More.

Marriott Platinum get automatic UNITED AIRLINES SILVER STATUS through the RewardsPlus Marriott program.


----------



## dioxide45 (Sep 23, 2016)

myip said:


> What is the benefits comparison with Marriott Platinum and SPG platinum.  Should I convert the staroptions to startpoints to Marriott points?



I don't think this is possible. According to a post in the Starwood thread on the subject, points derived from timeshare ownership can't be transferred between the two programs. Though in the past Marriott Reward points earned from timeshare conversion were said to not be able to be used for reward redemption stays in to MVC properties, but we know that MR has no way to differentiate between the points derived from timeshare conversion or those earned through hotel or CC stays.

All that said, generally using your timeshare for reward points of any kind is usually a poor value. I don't see where this new change would make it any better.


----------



## Scott&Laura (Sep 23, 2016)

Thank you for bringing this to our attention


I am puzzled that Marriot is using ownership at 3 to 1 ratio   That implies Marriott is devaluing Starwood ownership by 19.05%      That seems rather brash 


Is the 3 to 1 a fact or rough estimate at this time as if accurate roughly 19% of the money Marriott is using is coming directly out of our pockets   That valuation seems strange coming from a company that said Starwood Loyalty was most important for its acquisition. 

Did I miss something?


Scott


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 23, 2016)

> I am puzzled that Marriot is using *ownership* at 3 to 1 ratio That implies Marriott is devaluing *Starwood ownership* by 19.05% That seems rather brash



These are hotel points - not timeshare ownership.

This is like saying that 1 US dollar is worth 3 Euros - each currency has a different underlying value.

Also - there is no Starwood ownership - Starwood is Vistana now.


----------



## Scott&Laura (Sep 23, 2016)

Thanks Denise

As I understand the major previous selling point of loyalty for Starwood as the ability to exchange and use Hotels. The percentage of Ownership usage versus exchanges will be the % of that 19.05 %   However at the end of the day


Marriott is funding their purchase price of Starwood by devaluing the obligation Starwood previously had to owners who exchanged into Hotel points. By reducing their commitments to honor obligations Starwood had Marriott has reduced their obligations and that becomes positive on the bottom line


That seems to be a really bizzare message Marriott is portending to send overtly and I wonder if a mistake was made----or was the Class Action suit fine print waiver in maintenance fees tied to that.

It makes no sense to me to buy a company for known for loyal customers merely to micturate on them.


Scott


----------



## dioxide45 (Sep 23, 2016)

Scott&Laura said:


> Thanks Denise
> 
> As I understand the major previous selling point of loyalty for Starwood as the ability to exchange and use Hotels. The percentage of Ownership usage versus exchanges will be the % of that 19.05 %   However at the end of the day
> 
> ...



No one is forcing you to convert points from SPG to MR. SPG members haven't lost anything, they can continue to use their points in SPG just as they did before.


----------



## blondietink (Sep 23, 2016)

Ok, so we are gold with Starwood. So, we should now sign up for the Marriott program and we will automatically be gold there also? Since Vistana timeshares are separate, I assume our 3star Elite will mean nothing in the Marriott program. Correct?


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 23, 2016)

blondietink said:


> Ok, so we are gold with Starwood. So, we should now sign up for the Marriott program and we will *automatically be gold *there also? Since Vistana timeshares are separate, I assume our *3 star Elite will mean nothing in the Marriott program.* Correct?



Yes, and Yes.


----------



## Helios (Sep 23, 2016)

Negma said:


> In less than 24 hours I was given silver status on united as a new Marriot platinum! Nice Marriot perk.



Not to disappoint you, but United Silver does not get much other than occasional Economy Plus and a couple more UA miles.  You have the potential for upgrades but good luck with that.

On the flip side, it's a free perk, so I guess it is a plus.


----------



## Helios (Sep 23, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> No one is forcing you to convert points from SPG to MR. SPG members haven't lost anything, they can continue to use their points in SPG just as they did before.



Nicely said...


----------



## Helios (Sep 23, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> These are hotel points - not timeshare ownership.
> 
> This is like saying that 1 US dollar is worth 3 Euros - each currency has a different underlying value.
> 
> Also - there is no Starwood ownership - Starwood is Vistana now.



Somebody should start counting how many times Denise clarifies the difference between TS and Hotels...

She should get some award after 100 times


----------



## dioxide45 (Sep 23, 2016)

Helios said:


> Not to disappoint you, but United Silver does not get much other than occasional Economy Plus and a couple more UA miles.  You have the potential for upgrades but good luck with that.
> 
> On the flip side, it's a free perk, so I guess it is a plus.



We did get a free upgrade ONCE because my wife was Premier Silver. Up to business class. Though that was on Copa Airlines between Aruba and Panama. Still nice for something that was a free perk.


----------



## Ken555 (Sep 24, 2016)

Helios said:


> Somebody should start counting how many times Denise clarifies the difference between TS and Hotels...
> 
> 
> 
> She should get some award after 100 times





She passed 100 months ago... 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Negma (Sep 24, 2016)

Helios said:


> Not to disappoint you, but United Silver does not get much other than occasional Economy Plus and a couple more UA miles.  You have the potential for upgrades but good luck with that.
> 
> On the flip side, it's a free perk, so I guess it is a plus.



It also lets you board group 2 as does United credit card and free checked bag. And it took all of two minutes.


----------



## Henry M. (Sep 24, 2016)

Here's the latest owner letter I just received (I added the bold emphasis)



> Dear Owner,
> 
> Earlier today, Marriott International® announced the completion of its planned merger and acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. We wanted to personally reach out to you as a valued Vistana™ Signature Experiences (Vistana) Owner and SPG® member to help clarify any questions you may have pertaining to your ownership.
> 
> ...



I wasn't aware Los Cabo's was going to be available in 2017. The Westin Resort and Spa in Cancun is NOT Westin Lagunamar, but the hotel property at the end of the hotel strip, closer to the airport.


----------



## Helios (Sep 24, 2016)

Negma said:


> It also lets you board group 2 as does United credit card and free checked bag. And it took all of two minutes.



There is no reason not to do it, as you said the cost is minimal effort.  But, the reward will also be minimal.


----------



## Helios (Sep 24, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> We did get a free upgrade ONCE because my wife was Premier Silver. Up to business class. Though that was on Copa Airlines between Aruba and Panama. Still nice for something that was a free perk.



Sure, upgrades are a perk.  If you fly routes that are not popular, if you fly on big planes that have more than a couple Business or First Class seats (777, 767, 757-200, and 747), or if you fly during not peak times you may get an occasional rare upgrade.

UA silver competes with 3 UA elite levels that clear upgrades before and with the people who buy upgrades during online check in.  So, usually, the chances are very small.  But, never say never I suppose.


----------



## Helios (Sep 24, 2016)

Helios said:


> Sure, upgrades are a perk.  If you fly routes that are not popular, if you fly on big planes that have more than a couple Business or First Class seats (777, 767, 757-200, and 747), or if you fly during not peak times you may get an occasional rare upgrade.
> 
> UA silver competes with 3 UA elite levels that clear upgrades before and with the people who buy upgrades during online check in.  So, usually, the chances are very small.  But, never say never I suppose.



Also, now there is more competition since all SPG Plats who comp status and apply for UA Silver will make things harder for the UA flyers...


----------



## Helios (Sep 24, 2016)

Ken555 said:


> She passed 100 months ago...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



I was talking about this thread, if you count all her postings about this across all forums, she may be approaching 1,000 or may have passed it...


----------



## Helios (Sep 24, 2016)

emuyshondt said:


> Here's the latest owner letter I just received (I added the bold emphasis)
> 
> 
> 
> I wasn't aware Los Cabo's was going to be available in 2017. The Westin Resort and Spa in Cancun is NOT Westin Lagunamar, but the hotel property at the end of the hotel strip, closer to the airport.



I didn't know either.  I thought they were going to be ready by 2018 or 2019.


----------



## GrayFal (Sep 24, 2016)

GrayFal said:


> I was able to get DH a SPG account today and link it with his Marriott account. He now shows as SPG Platinum.
> 
> Now will change him to the Primary Owner of our Starwood/VSE timeshares so we earn SPGs under his account at the higher Platinum rate.
> All good.





The Haileys said:


> Not sure if this is the same situation, but I wanted to change around our names on our ownership, and add husband to one where he was not even listed, but I was told that it would require the titles to be completely reissued, along with whatever fees.



You are able to designate anyone on the title as the Primary owner.  4 of our VOI are deeded Mr GrayFal and Grayfal, one is deeded GrayFal and Mr GrayFal. . 
All we had to do was fax a letter signed by both of us stating who would be the Primary to email for SVO title change that is in the stickies. 
If you want to add DH to the deed, then yes, you would have to get a new deed but LTT transfers will do it for under $150.


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 24, 2016)

Helios said:


> SPG Plat is the same (so is Hilton Diamond).



But they do not do this for Gold, which is what I am with Marriott (and now SPG)?


----------



## dioxide45 (Sep 24, 2016)

nokaoi9 said:


> I am currently sitting on ~150K SPG points.  If I transfer to Marriott, it would be ~450K points.  Can I still convert to airline miles (Hawaiian)?  If so, this is a no brainer.



You would be better to convert them to a travel package or two. Getting 120,000 airline miles and a week hotel certificate.


----------



## farsighted99 (Sep 24, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> You would be better to convert them to a travel package or two. Getting 120,000 airline miles and a week hotel certificate.



Interesting.  How do you do that?


----------



## dioxide45 (Sep 24, 2016)

farsighted99 said:


> Interesting.  How do you do that?



Read up on the travel package options on Marriott.com. There are different costs depending on the hotel category certificate that you want.

http://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/morepack.mi

Hawaiian is in Hotel + Air Package 1. The important thing is to always get the package that includes 120,000 air miles. The benefit in these is in the air miles. Effectively they convert at 1:1 after the hotel certificate is factored out. If you just convert MR points to air miles, the ration is 3 MR points to 1 mile. You are only about 100,000 MR points short of being able to convert to two category 5 packages which would net you 240,000 miles and two 7 night hotel certificates. If you were just to flat out convert the points to miles, you would only get 180,000 from the same number of points. You have to call Marriott Rewards to book these travel packages.


----------



## Helios (Sep 24, 2016)

thinze3 said:


> But they do not do this for Gold, which is what I am with Marriott (and now SPG)?



With SPG Gold you may get upgraded to a club floor but access to club floor would not be guaranteed.  In reality (for the most part), the club for is just a slightly nicer room and finger food, not a real breakfast.  However, I've been to some hotels that have had a very spread and some hotels that don't have a Club Floor Lounge and they give passes to their restaurants.  That's where I have found the best value.  Last one I remember was an aloft in GDL with excellent food and service.


----------



## m61376 (Sep 24, 2016)

I wonder if l MR hotel certificates will be usable at Starwood properties. MR has some nice airline point/hotel certificate packages, which have long been considered the best use of MR points. Does Starwood have anything similar, and/or are they going to categorize Starwood hotels so as to be able to use the MR certificates?


----------



## dioxide45 (Sep 24, 2016)

m61376 said:


> I wonder if l MR hotel certificates will be usable at Starwood properties. MR has some nice airline point/hotel certificate packages, which have long been considered the best use of MR points. Does Starwood have anything similar, and/or are they going to categorize Starwood hotels so as to be able to use the MR certificates?



I think all this has to wait until the programs are fully integrated. You won't be able to cross use certificates. Just transfer points for bookings. Once they integrate, all the properties will be under the same category system. They really need to be on the same reservation system to allow for certificate bookings between the brands.


----------



## Helios (Sep 24, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> I think all this has to wait until the programs are fully integrated. You won't be able to cross use certificates. Just transfer points for bookings. Once they integrate, all the properties will be under the same category system. They really need to be on the same reservation system to allow for certificate bookings between the brands.



I see the point about using cross certificates, you need to have a commonality of some sort.  But they don't have to assign SPG hotels to a Marriott category.  The Ritz program runs side by side under Tiers, not categories, and both programs use MR as the common currency.


----------



## dioxide45 (Sep 24, 2016)

Helios said:


> I see the point about using cross certificates, you need to have a commonality of some sort.  But they don't have to assign SPG hotels to a Marriott category.  The Ritz program runs side by side under Tiers, not categories, and both programs use MR as the common currency.



True, but it seems like a lot of work for just an interim period. In the end it will all work seamlessly together in a single program. Better to put the resources toward integrating the programs as one than trying to maps and price the points costs between two programs that will become one in the end anyway.


----------



## Helios (Sep 24, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> True, but it seems like a lot of work for just an interim period. In the end it will all work seamlessly together in a single program. Better to put the resources toward integrating the programs as one than trying to maps and price the points costs between two programs that will become one in the end anyway.



I see your point, and perhaps I am biased, but I hope they keep the programs separate just like they did with Ritz and simply use MR for redemption purposes.  I suppose if this happens they will end up at the same spot as they assign categories to SPG properties and convert all SPG points to MR points at the 3:1 rate.


----------



## myip (Sep 24, 2016)

*Marriott & united airline*

How do you link the Marriott account with United Airline to get Silver status with United?


----------



## Negma (Sep 24, 2016)

From duke post #43

duke
TUG Member

How did you get silver status on United? I just linked up my SPG with Marriott. I just got Marriott Platinum.

Log in Marriott web site: click on My Account at top of page in right hand corner, Click on Discover Benefits, Click on Whats New, Scroll down to middle of page and CLICK ON REWARDSPLUS - then Learn More.

Marriott Platinum get automatic UNITED AIRLINES SILVER STATUS through the RewardsPlus Marriott program.


----------



## myip (Sep 25, 2016)

Negma said:


> From duke post #43
> 
> duke
> TUG Member
> ...



Thanks for the info.


----------



## LisaRex (Sep 25, 2016)

I'm glad that they are giving a 1:3 ratio.  I assumed they'd match elite status but I didn't think they'd offer triple points.  So that's good. I'll definitely miss the sweet redemption rate for bigger cities, such as San Fran, NYC, Boston and DC.  

I noticed that there was no mention of the San Diego timeshare.  I guess it'll be a moot point for me in a few months. I'm in the middle of selling SVV, though, so assuming it goes through, I'll no longer be a SVN/ VSE owner as of 12/3.


----------



## OKPACIFIC (Sep 25, 2016)

Helios said:


> Not to disappoint you, but United Silver does not get much other than occasional Economy Plus and a couple more UA miles.  You have the potential for upgrades but good luck with that.
> 
> On the flip side, it's a free perk, so I guess it is a plus.



FWIW, around the second week of July we got a round trip upgrade to first class on an Oklahoma City to Punta Cana DR flight with just United silver status. It pleasantly surprised us to say the least, but it does happen once in a while.


----------



## The Haileys (Sep 25, 2016)

I'm trying to compare Starwood vs Marriott properties for our planned trip to Hawaii. I see that the Sheraton Kona and a Courtyard have the exact same redemption amount for our stay after the 1 to 3 point conversion, but Marriott has more options for upgrades. That's where it gets confusing. What are eCertificates and Upgrade Rewards that I see as options to get better views or bigger rooms? 



Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk


----------



## Helios (Sep 25, 2016)

OKPACIFIC said:


> FWIW, around the second week of July we got a round trip upgrade to first class on an Oklahoma City to Punta Cana DR flight with just United silver status. It pleasantly surprised us to say the least, but it does happen once in a while.



It does happen, but not often.


----------



## YYJMSP (Sep 25, 2016)

The Haileys said:


> I'm trying to compare Starwood vs Marriott properties for our planned trip to Hawaii. I see that the Sheraton Kona and a Courtyard have the exact same redemption amount for our stay after the 1 to 3 point conversion, but Marriott has more options for upgrades. That's where it gets confusing. What are eCertificates and Upgrade Rewards that I see as options to get better views or bigger rooms?



Trying to understand the Marriott lingo myself.

eCertificates look like they are the same as the SPG Awards, internal (electronic) paperwork that corresponds to your points booking.  Nothing you have to worry about, unless it says you have to supplement the eCertificate with money, in which case it's like the SPG Cash + Points booking.  One thing I might like about the Marriott way of doing things is that it appears you can make a points booking, even if you don't currently have the points, as long as you have them 2 weeks in advance of your arrival date.

Upgrade Rewards look like they are the same as SPG Specialty Select points bookings.  You have to call in to SPG to see if anything other than a standard room is available for booking with a higher level of points (i.e. upgraded views, Club rooms, junior or full suites, etc).  I really like the fact that Marriott appears to just show the options online, making it much quicker to compare what's available for "better" room bookings.


----------



## x3 skier (Sep 26, 2016)

Seems to be a bug in the system. I linked my MR and SPG accounts but it's fuzzy if they automatically linked my Ritz account as well. One way it says there're linked but another way it doesn't.

Cheers


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 26, 2016)

I just purchased 30K Starpoints and sure enough they are in my account with the option to transfer all 30K to Marriott (90K). Cost will be about $.0117/ea vs Marriott's cost of $.0125/ea


Also, I have about 100K Amex Rewards. 
Does anyone know what is the transfer rate to Starpoints?


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 26, 2016)

thinze3 said:


> I just purchased 30K Starpoints and sure enough they are in my account with the option to transfer all 30K to Marriott (90K). Cost will be about $.0117/ea vs Marriott's cost of $.0125/ea
> 
> 
> Also, I have about 100K Amex Rewards.
> Does anyone know what is the transfer rate to Starpoints?



If you have an AMEX SPG Card - it earns Starpoints 1:1.

If you have some other kind of AMEX card, I don't think it can be used for Starpoints.


----------



## The Haileys (Sep 26, 2016)

YYJMSP said:


> Trying to understand the Marriott lingo myself.
> 
> eCertificates look like they are the same as the SPG Awards, internal (electronic) paperwork that corresponds to your points booking.  Nothing you have to worry about, unless it says you have to supplement the eCertificate with money, in which case it's like the SPG Cash + Points booking.  One thing I might like about the Marriott way of doing things is that it appears you can make a points booking, even if you don't currently have the points, as long as you have them 2 weeks in advance of your arrival date.
> 
> Upgrade Rewards look like they are the same as SPG Specialty Select points bookings.  You have to call in to SPG to see if anything other than a standard room is available for booking with a higher level of points (i.e. upgraded views, Club rooms, junior or full suites, etc).  I really like the fact that Marriott appears to just show the options online, making it much quicker to compare what's available for "better" room bookings.



That makes sense. I'd call MR customer service, but I see on their Facebook page tons of complaints about hold time being hours. I won't add to the madness. I can wait, or try to figure it out. But their web site is a labyrinth maze that circles back on itself over and over. SPG is very simple in comparison. 

However, I do see that Marriott hotels on Oahu are far less point expensive than Starwood. I think we might change our plans from 10 nights on the Big Island to 5, and do 5 on Oahu - maybe at the new North Shore Courtyard. I am not a fan of the big city, but love me some PCC and Kualoa Ranch and Dole Plantation.


----------



## LobsterHunter (Sep 26, 2016)

I generally use AA instead of United since I have status w/AA, but linked my accounts & got free Silver on United.  Probably too much to wish for (since Silver was free) but if I had zero miles on United, does that mean I now only need to fly 25K miles on United to get Gold, or would I still have to fly 50K miles to get Gold status?


----------



## okwiater (Sep 26, 2016)

LobsterHunter said:


> I generally use AA instead of United since I have status w/AA, but linked my accounts & got free Silver on United.  Probably too much to wish for (since Silver was free) but if I had zero miles on United, does that mean I now only need to fly 25K miles on United to get Gold, or would I still have to fly 50K miles to get Gold status?



It's the latter. You're only credited with the Silver status, not EQMs.


----------



## m61376 (Sep 26, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> If you have an AMEX SPG Card - it earns Starpoints 1:1.
> 
> If you have some other kind of AMEX card, I don't think it can be used for Starpoints.



I was looking for that, and unless I misread it, it was likewise 3:1, same as the Marriott to Starwood. I was looking to see if there was an interesting get- around.


----------



## Helios (Sep 26, 2016)

okwiater said:


> It's the latter. You're only credited with the Silver status, not EQMs.



You also have minimum spending and segments requirements that need to be met.


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Sep 26, 2016)

Before this new merge of Marriott and Starwood, I had Starwood Preferred Status, and now I am Gold Preferred.  How did that happen?  3X for my MF's?


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 26, 2016)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Before this new merge of Marriott and Starwood, I had Starwood Preferred Status, and now I am Gold Preferred.  How did that happen?  3X for my MF's?



Cindy - As a Starwood timeshare owner, you should have always had Gold Status.  (I do, too.)

When you link your Acct. to Marriott - you have Gold Status there, too.


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Sep 26, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> Cindy - As a Starwood timeshare owner, you should have always had Gold Status.  (I do, too.)
> 
> When you link your Acct. to Marriott - you have Gold Status there, too.



I never bought developer, so I only had Starwood Preferred for 2X MF's.  I do have Gold Status in Marriott and transferred my points over there.  I have no idea what I will do with the points.


----------



## lily28 (Sep 26, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> Cindy - As a Starwood timeshare owner, you should have always had Gold Status.  (I do, too.)
> 
> When you link your Acct. to Marriott - you have Gold Status there, too.



If I have vistana via resale, do I get spg gold? On spg.com, it lists as spg preferred plus only.


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 26, 2016)

lily28 said:


> If I have vistana via resale, do I get spg gold? On spg.com, it lists as spg preferred plus only.



You have to buy from the developer.


----------



## Helios (Sep 26, 2016)

lily28 said:


> If I have vistana via resale, do I get spg gold? On spg.com, it lists as spg preferred plus only.



i was going to suggest getting the spg amex and meeting min spending to get gold, but it seems that benefit is gone:

Starwood Elite Status

As a Card Member, receive credit for 5 nights and 2 stays each year toward SPG® Elite status. That's just 20 nights away for SPG Gold status and 45 nights away for SPG Platinum status in a calendar year.‡


----------



## vistana101 (Sep 27, 2016)

lily28 said:


> If I have vistana via resale, do I get spg gold? On spg.com, it lists as spg preferred plus only.



Other option for SPG Gold (and now Marriott Gold) is to get the Amex Platinum card which includes SPG Gold as a perk (albeit with a high annual fee). You could also get the Ritz Carlton credit card to receive Marriott Gold (and thus SPG Gold) for a year, and then continually if you spend $10,000 per year on the card.


----------



## dioxide45 (Sep 27, 2016)

So is there a big discrepancy in the earning rate of points now between MR and SPG? Base level, MR gives you 10 points per dollar to only 2 points per dollar in SPG. If you convert those 2 points per dollar to MR, you are only getting 6 points per dollar on spend at SPG properties. If you convert back the 10 points per dollar in MR you are getting a little over 3. So it would seem wise to move stays to Marriott and have a higher earning rate? At the higher elite levels it seems the discrepancy is even worse.


----------



## blondietink (Sep 27, 2016)

Just booked our first Marriott stay for next month with our new Marriott Rewards number.  So many more hotels in cities we frequent, I think this will be good for us.  We can rarely find a SPG hotel in the smaller cities we go to and when doing road trips.


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 27, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> If you have an AMEX SPG Card - it earns Starpoints 1:1.
> 
> If you have some other kind of AMEX card, I don't think it can be used for Starpoints.



I have the Amex Premier Rewards Gold and was able to check into it. It converts 3 Amex Rewards Points to 1 Starpoint. Mileage is a better option.


----------



## thinze3 (Sep 27, 2016)

blondietink said:


> Just booked our first Marriott stay for next month with our new Marriott Rewards number.  So many more hotels in cities we frequent, I think this will be good for us.  We can rarely find a SPG hotel in the smaller cities we go to and when doing road trips.



In most small towns, you can find Cat 1 hotels (think Townplace or Fairfield) for 7500 MR Points or even a Cat 2  for 10,000 (think Courtyard). 

2500 Starpoints (converted to MR Points) for a free room? - Nice!
Cat 1 hotels are almost always a steal using points.


----------



## Helios (Sep 27, 2016)

vistana101 said:


> Other option for SPG Gold (and now Marriott Gold) is to get the Amex Platinum card which includes SPG Gold as a perk (albeit with a high annual fee). You could also get the Ritz Carlton credit card to receive Marriott Gold (and thus SPG Gold) for a year, and then continually if you spend $10,000 per year on the card.



Charge $75K to the Ritz CC and get Plat...


----------



## lily28 (Sep 28, 2016)

vistana101 said:


> Other option for SPG Gold (and now Marriott Gold) is to get the Amex Platinum card which includes SPG Gold as a perk (albeit with a high annual fee). You could also get the Ritz Carlton credit card to receive Marriott Gold (and thus SPG Gold) for a year, and then continually if you spend $10,000 per year on the card.



I am one night stay away from getting SPG gold thanks to multiple night stays at Italy using starpoint this past summer.  I think it will be easier to find a spg hotel to stay for 1 night to get gold spg status then get status match to Marriott


----------

