Marriott Lifetime Platinum! finally!

[NiteMaire]

I would never convert Mileage Plus miles to Marriott Reward Points. You lose too much in value that way. According to the ThePointsGuy.com its not a great idea as you can see from this excerpted paragraph.
All United elite members (including Premier Silver flyers) can convert up to 50,000 MileagePlus miles each calendar year to Marriott Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio. Unfortunately, this isn’t a spectacular value proposition. TPG pegs United miles at 1.5 cents apiece in his most recent valuations, while Marriott Rewards points come in at just 0.7 cents apiece. You’re thus giving up more than half of the value of your miles if you go this route.

It depends. I hear and mostly accept the valuation argument. However, it depends on what you value. I value reaching lifetime platinum this year (prior to the merge) more than having the 50K miles. I will not make it without transferring miles so those miles are more valuable when converted to points. It's still iffy after the 50K transfer, but at least I have a shot at achieving it this year. Besides, some of these will end up right back as miles when I get my next travel package.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

[Former Cruiser]

Husband hit Platinum this year. Had a LOT of traveling until retirement in 6/16. We still have over 1,000,000 points. Trying to decide where in the world to go.

 

[catharsis]

If there is such a discrepancy, I will book Cat 1-5 travel package first before upgrading to Cat 9 in the future. In the past I just booked a straight Cat 9 travel package.

Known issue/trick for some time - I think only related to 5 night packages though so discussion on FT about it has been limited.

 

[VacationForever]

Known issue/trick for some time - I think only related to 5 night packages though so discussion on FT about it has been limited.

Is it only for cat 9? Cat 8 seems normal.

 

[AlmostRetired]

First congratulations....I seem to have the opposite challenge than many. I have 2.4M points and only 583 nights credit. I traded my Monarch for points (130k) 4 times when they had a 480k travel package for 4 round trip tickets anywhere but not sure how I got to the 2.4 number. It will take me 4 or 5 years to get to 750. They keep gifting me platinum since 2013 after achieving it in 2012. I got to 53 nights in 2017. I was once gifted platimnum with only 50 nights but my gut tells me with the purchase of Starwood, my gifting streak has ended.

I just got a snail mail that told me that "even though you stayed fewer nights than required, we are pleased to renew your platinum elite status for 2018 as a thank you for your incredible locality." 6th year in a row I have been gifted. Only 167 more nights for lifetime platinum status.

 

[GaryDouglas]

We just got the same notification in the mail today. Since we are already Platinum by being Presidential level, it appears their computer systems haven't been programed to recognize that we're already there. We won't be lifetime platinum for another 2-3 years. As far as I can tell, the only thing that lifetime buys us is the ability to have my wife get the platinum from presidential and I eventually have the lifetime platinum. Since we appear to be permanently attached, I haven't seen the advantage.

 

[BoaterMike]

I have the nights, but not the points. Those night values 20-30 years ago just don't help as much as the value of stays today. Recently retired, I won't be able to keep the points accumulating like the past.

 

[TXTortoise]

Sidebar...but about Marriott Level benefits. I'm a lowly Gold member and my wife is silver. She has convention travel this year that is hosted at a Marriott hotel. Can I book the room in her name with my Marriott number on the record, giving her the minor Gold benefits?

As the rooms are at a discounted convention vs rack rate I'm not even sure she or I would get points credit, but might get the status benefits, but thought I'd check here for guidance.

 

[BocaBoy]

WOW! How did you amass so many lifetime points?? That is amazing! That's great your wife is now working towards lifetime, since it doesn't transfer.

I have been accumulating Marriott Rewards points since about 1985 (called Honored Guest Awards back then), so I have had 32 years in the program to accumulate points. We also owned 2 Sabal Palms weeks for over 20 years starting in 1987, and all but twice we exchanged them for MR points (220,000 points a year adds up fast). We sold Sabal Palms (a great resort by the way) when the MR exchange option became unattractive due to maintenance fee increases and MR program devaluation.

 

[dneveu]

Sidebar...but about Marriott Level benefits. I'm a lowly Gold member and my wife is silver. She has convention travel this year that is hosted at a Marriott hotel. Can I book the room in her name with my Marriott number on the record, giving her the minor Gold benefits?

As the rooms are at a discounted convention vs rack rate I'm not even sure she or I would get points credit, but might get the status benefits, but thought I'd check here for guidance.

I am a platinum and my husband is silver. In the past I have booked rooms online under my number as related to an occasional trip for him. Then I’d call the platinum line and ask to have his name also put on the reservation. He never had a problem checking in and generally was granted my benefits

 

[mav]

I have been accumulating Marriott Rewards points since about 1985 (called Honored Guest Awards back then), so I have had 32 years in the program to accumulate points. We also owned 2 Sabal Palms weeks for over 20 years starting in 1987, and all but twice we exchanged them for MR points (220,000 points a year adds up fast). We sold Sabal Palms (a great resort by the way) when the MR exchange option became unattractive due to maintenance fee increases and MR program devaluation.

VERY nice!!!! Congrats , they were a very smart buy!

 

[catharsis]

woohoo - lifetime plat just appeared in my online view today when the 2017 rollover nights pushed me over the edge.

Obviously I knew it was coming but it's a nice feeling to have nevertheless.

 

[bazzap]

Yes me too, I have just received an email this morning
EMBRACE A LIFETIME OF MOMENTS.
You did it, Barry – Platinum Elite Status is yours for life. Here's to a lifetime of adventures together!
(mind you, when I sign in to my account it still says “Renew your Platinum Elite at 75 nights!”)

 

[AlmostRetired]

I have been accumulating Marriott Rewards points since about 1985 (called Honored Guest Awards back then), so I have had 32 years in the program to accumulate points. We also owned 2 Sabal Palms weeks for over 20 years starting in 1987, and all but twice we exchanged them for MR points (220,000 points a year adds up fast). We sold Sabal Palms (a great resort by the way) when the MR exchange option became unattractive due to maintenance fee increases and MR program devaluation.

Just to give a quantitative perspective of what you saying....I purchased at the Monarch Marriott resale in 1995. My MF was $420 and I could get 130,000 MR every year. Very few hotels were above a cat 5 and I think cat 6 was the highest it went. For about 440,000 points, you could get a travel package of 4 round trip tickets to anywhere AA or an AA partner flew in the world. You got two weeks in any Cat 5 hotel and a Hertz discount that at the time was better than my IBM corperate discount. In 2001, my family did a 3 week London, Paris, Madrid and Malaga trip. I drove round trip to Malaga from Madrid. The flights were on BA NY to London and Back from Madrid. All were non stop. The trip was mostly funded by Reward points.

I haven't exchanged for points since 2001. I do not remember the year Marriott started crediting timeshare stays but I have 2.4 lifetime points and only 583 lifetime stays. As posted earlier, I was platinum in 2011 and have been gifted it since 2012 always having staying between 50 and 65 nights.

 

[BocaBoy]

Just to give a quantitative perspective of what you saying....I purchased at the Monarch Marriott resale in 1995. My MF was $420 and I could get 130,000 MR every year. Very few hotels were above a cat 5 and I think cat 6 was the highest it went. For about 440,000 points, you could get a travel package of 4 round trip tickets to anywhere AA or AA partner flew in the world. You got two weeks in any Cat 5 hotel and a Hertz discount that at the time was better than my IBM corperate discount. In 2001, my family did a 3 week London, Paris, Madrid and Malaga trip. I drove round trip to Malaga from Madrid. The flights were on BA NY to London and Back from Madrid. All were non stop. The trip was mostly funded by Reward points.

Yes, back in the day even buying from the developer was a good INVESTMENT. You got full value for a week's ownership by trading for MR points, a much better vale in many cases than actually staying at the timeshare resort. In the 5-10 years before you purchased, the value of the MR packages was even a bit greater. As recently as 10 years ago a Sabal Palms red week was selling for something like $23,000 through Marriott Resales, with good demand and almost no waiting list (cost me $13,700 to buy in 1987 from the developer). But all that changed about 10-12 years ago. We sold back to Marriott about 8-9 years ago for something like $11,000 net (I would have to look up the exact price). Today these units are selling for only $2,000 or a bit more.

 

[MOXJO7282]

Yes, back in the day even buying from the developer was a good INVESTMENT. You got full value for a week's ownership by trading for MR points, a much better vale in many cases than actually staying at the timeshare resort. In the 5-10 years before you purchased, the value of the MR packages was even a bit greater. As recently as 10 years ago a Sabal Palms red week was selling for something like $23,000 through Marriott Resales, with good demand and almost no waiting list (cost me $13,700 to buy in 1987 from the developer). But all that changed about 10-12 years ago. We sold back to Marriott about 8-9 years ago for something like $11,000 net (I would have to look up the exact price). Today these units are selling for only $2,000 or a bit more.

I'd say 12 years is about right when things changed because 2005 was the last direct unit I bought, a MOW plat+ OS week for $32k and i recall getting about 440k points. That would translate into multiple travel packages and a 1st class trip to Maui. Next time I went to consider a direct deal, within 12 months, I think a GO plat the points offers were 50% of what they were and i knew then I'd never make another direct purchase again and haven't.

 

[curbysplace]

Tomorrow when I pay my 2018 maintenance fees on my Marriott Chase card I will achieve lifetime gold. I am Executive status with legacy DC points so have platinum anyway. I’ve been fortunate to meet the 75 night threshold these past six or seven years for platinum status with nights and ended up with Platinum Premier last year. My question is besides a little gift (a nice iPhone lightning charge cord set) for plat premier and the extra bonus points when spending at a Marriott facility are their any other major differences between gold & platinum status?

 

[Ann in CA]

Congratulations! How would I transfer United Points to Marriott? We have funneled points to my husband’s account and he should already be Lifetime. However, they told me that points transferred from my account to his would not count toward Lifetime, and when we put my number as primary owner on MVC account last year, all MVC points have gone to me so he did not finish up the points requirement last year. We have several options for transferring airline points but didn’t realize we could do that. Do have United in his name. Also, thought I would get the SPG card for him, so good to know those can’t be transferred. Thanks for all the great info!

Thanks again. Transferred the 50,000 United points to my husband's account online relatively easily once I switched from iPhone to computer. They have not shown up yet but it said they'd take 7-12 (?) days, so am sure they'll show up soon.

 

[dioxide45]

Tomorrow when I pay my 2018 maintenance fees on my Marriott Chase card I will achieve lifetime gold. I am Executive status with legacy DC points so have platinum anyway. I’ve been fortunate to meet the 75 night threshold these past six or seven years for platinum status with nights and ended up with Platinum Premier last year. My question is besides a little gift (a nice iPhone lightning charge cord set) for plat premier and the extra bonus points when spending at a Marriott facility are their any other major differences between gold & platinum status?

How will paying your MFs on the card help you achieve lifetime status tomorrow (Friday)? If it will get you over the required points threshold, it will take a statement run of the card before the points post. So it may take a while before the status is actually recognized.

 

[VacationForever]

I am Executive status with legacy DC points so have platinum anyway.

Executive status is only Gold. Need Presidential status to get Platinum.

 

[RoverJohn]

I just came into Marriott Rewards Platinum from my SPG Platinum level membership and linking the rewards accounts. What is the difference between being at a Platinum Level in Marriott and being a Lifetime Platinum in Marriott? And I don't remember a "Lifetime" distinction in SPG. But I am sure I will enjoy the benefits in both systems.

I also read something about becoming a Silver Level in United when you are a Platinum Member in Marriott? Is there any truth to this or was it something that was in place a few years ago and is not shuttered.
John

 

[VacationForever]

I just came into Marriott Rewards Platinum from my SPG Platinum level membership and linking the rewards accounts. What is the difference between being at a Platinum Level in Marriott and being a Lifetime Platinum in Marriott? And I don't remember a "Lifetime" distinction in SPG. But I am sure I will enjoy the benefits in both systems.

I also read something about becoming a Silver Level in United when you are a Platinum Member in Marriott? Is there any truth to this or was it something that was in place a few years ago and is not shuttered.
John

Platinum/Gold/Silver Lifetime designations are given to those who achieved it through stays (nights) and points (earned), that status never goes away. Platinum without the Lifetime desingation can go away. Say you stay at Marriott hotels/resorts for 75 nights one year, the following year if you stayed fewer nights, your status may be dropped. Same thing with those who obtained Platinum status through purchase of timeshare to get them to that level. If the owner decides to get rid of the timeshare, that Platinum status will be dropped.

Platinum member in Marriott does get you Silver status in United, but you need to activate it. You do that through Marriott.com/reward site. If you cannot find the page, try searching for it.

 

[MALC9990]

Thank you! I called a regular number a couple of days to make a reservation for Singapore Marriott and it was not a pleasant experience. I will try this next week as I have another reservation to make for Hong Kong and when the reservation window opens up.

Why not just book online and save yourself this hassle with the agents.

 

[VacationForever]

Why not just book online and save yourself this hassle with the agents.

That question was asked already above your post. The issue is that you cannot attach a travel package certificate online. It will pull another block of points if you do so online.

 

[sfwilshire]

I also read something about becoming a Silver Level in United when you are a Platinum Member in Marriott? Is there any truth to this or was it something that was in place a few years ago and is not shuttered.
John

It's true. They seem to switch me from Gold to Silver and back, so I'm not sure of the exact rules, but I just checked today because I booked a rare United flight and I'm listed as Gold. I think I flew them once last year.

Also, now that Sheraton is joining the Marriott family, you also get some benefits with Delta. I don't fly them often either, but I found the link on the Sheraton website last year and signed up after Sheraton matched my Marriott status.

Sheila