Marriott Rewards and SPG Program Changes Announced 4/16/18 [Threads merged.]

[kds4]

As the new lifetime requirement no longer includes points, but rather includes # years of achieving a designated status level, Is there any way to see online how many years we have achieved at particular elite status?

Also do you have to be at level to be grandfathered in by August or by 12/31/18? This will make a difference for some people. Previous Articles said lifetime status designation would not occur until 2019, so i thought we had till 12/31/18 to qualify for a lifetime status. Is that correct?

I believe the announcement said members of all 3 programs had until 12/31/18 to accumulate stays in all 3 programs toward a lifetime status to be awarded in 2019.

 

[Superchief]

I just found this on MInsiders and it confirms that fifth night free benefit stays, so I stand corrected. I'll hold additional judgment until new point charts are provided for each property.
https://members.marriott.com/redeem/

 

[kds4]

You just broke my heart.

If they do in fact upgrade Platinum to Platinum Premier, my DW will be thrilled (which means my life will be happier as well ... )

Fingers crossed.

 

[kds4]

I just found this on MInsiders and it confirms that fifth night free benefit stays, so I stand corrected. I'll hold additional judgment until new point charts are provided for each property.
https://members.marriott.com/redeem/

If so, this may be the best news I have gotten today ...

 

[AlmostRetired]

60 minutes later I gave up. My question to the rewards desk.... I have a 5 night Cat 5 certificate from a travel package. August 1st, when the reward points for a Cat 5 increases to 35K from 25K what impact will that have on my certificate? On hold... she was unaware of any point increase so she came back and validated what i told her. I asked my question again....hold again ... answer back was it is still good for a cat 5 room after August 1 with no additional points. So may follow up question was if i upgrade to a cat 8 which will cost me 45K now, are you saying i can use it for a Cat 8 after August 1 with no added points? hold again... no i was incorrect sorry, you would have to add points for both Cat 5 and Cat 8 after August 1. Okay.. how many points...answer let me calculate it.....hold again. Answer we do not know. Next question ..... How do you suggest i plan my vacation? I did get from it that if I make the reservation now (before Aug 1) and the hotel point total changes I might not have to add more points. Might not....let me get my supervisor please .. hold again. Back on... waiting for a supervisor... I gave my number for a supervisor to call back. Slow work day for me.

 

[VacationForever]

60 minutes later I gave up. My question to the rewards desk.... I have a 5 night Cat 5 certificate from a travel package. August 1st, when the reward points for a Cat 5 increases to 35K from 25K what impact will that have on my certificate? On hold... she was unaware of any point increase so she came back and validated what i told her. I asked my question again....hold again ... answer back was it is still good for a cat 5 room after August 1 with no additional points. So may follow up question was if i upgrade to a cat 8 which will cost me 45K now, are you saying i can use it for a Cat 8 after August 1 with no added points? hold again... no i was incorrect sorry, you would have to add points for both Cat 5 and Cat 8 after August 1. Okay.. how many points...answer let me calculate it.....hold again. Answer we do not know. Next question ..... How do you suggest i plan my vacation? I did get from it that if I make the reservation now (before Aug 1) and the hotel point total changes I might not have to add more points. Might not....let me get my supervisor please .. hold again. Back on... waiting for a supervisor... I gave my number for a supervisor to call back. Slow work day for me.

The way it is explained that whatever existing category certificate that you have bought/going to buy before Aug 1st, has to be applied to a stay for next year until July, since reservations open up for the next 11 months only. I bought a 5-night cat 8 package in April with the intention to use it for a May stay. I did that prior to the Mon announcement so that I get the miles solidified.

If you want to book after Aug 1st, then the new table applies. This new hotel points category table won't be available until Aug 1st. No matter how many customer services folks you speak with, you won't get an answer because they don't know what they don't know.

 

[WalnutBaron]

I qualified for Lifetime Platinum status a few years ago, so was particularly interested in this article regarding the effects of the changes on those with lifetime status. All in all, it sounds pretty positive. One interesting take the author has: if you're Lifetime Platinum before the change becomes effective, you've achieved a status that cannot be achieved under the new program.

Here's his exact quote: "If you’re Marriott Lifetime Platinum today, you get Lifetime Platinum Premier. What makes that so cool? It’s unachievable. Outside of those being grandfathered in, one cannot earn that status ever again. The new highest lifetime status is Platinum Elite status, achieved via 600 lifetime nights plus 10 years of Platinum Elite status. When I earned Lifetime Platinum a couple years ago, the qualification threshold was 750 nights and 2,000,000 lifetime points earned. This is awesome. I have Marriott’s highest tier, minus the Ambassador, for doing nothing."

Indeed, pretty cool.

 

[NiteMaire]

I qualified for Lifetime Platinum status a few years ago, so was particularly interested in this article regarding the effects of the changes on those with lifetime status. All in all, it sounds pretty positive. One interesting take the author has: if you're Lifetime Platinum before the change becomes effective, you've achieved a status that cannot be achieved under the new program.

Here's his exact quote: "If you’re Marriott Lifetime Platinum today, you get Lifetime Platinum Premier. What makes that so cool? It’s unachievable. Outside of those being grandfathered in, one cannot earn that status ever again. The new highest lifetime status is Platinum Elite status, achieved via 600 lifetime nights plus 10 years of Platinum Elite status. When I earned Lifetime Platinum a couple years ago, the qualification threshold was 750 nights and 2,000,000 lifetime points earned. This is awesome. I have Marriott’s highest tier, minus the Ambassador, for doing nothing."

Indeed, pretty cool.

I'll achieve LP (and therefore LPP) in the next few months. Have the nights, need about 30K points. Will buy whatever I'm short in June. I read lifetime status is based on where you are at the end of the year, but I'm just making sure I'm there before the merge...just because.

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[Carlsbadguy]

I am wondering if the "stay" 50 nights for the suite upgrades means actually staying and paying for a room night or will timeshare stays, credit card nights., award nights etc count towards this total. I usually have around 65-70 nights a year but probably only "pay" for 10-15 of those nights.

 

[BocaBoy]

This is what I read
Marriott Rewards
Lifetime Platinum Elite Grandfathered into Lifetime Platinum Premier Elite
but
SPG
Lifetime Platinum Elite stay as Lifetime Platinum Elite
So great for us who have the Marriott Rewards status, very disappointing I suspect for those who have the SPG status - I wonder why?

Because the current requirements for achieving SPG Platinum are similar to the current requirements for achieving Marriott's Gold level.

 

[lifeasus]

It is not lifetime status for having dc points and enrolled weeks. It is annual and you will get the status as long as you have enough weeks and dc points to stay in the chairmans, presidential, etc status. If you no longer own the weeks or points that give you the chairmans status in dc pointa program, you will drop status in marriott reward point program.

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The contract refers it to Lifetime Gold Elite Status.


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[del2327]

I'll achieve LP (and therefore LPP) in the next few months. Have the nights, need about 30K points. Will buy whatever I'm short in June. I read lifetime status is based on where you are at the end of the year, but I'm just making sure I'm there before the merge...just because.

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Will purchased points be added to lifetime totals?

 

[NiteMaire]

Will purchased points be added to lifetime totals?

Yes. I did it last year. You can purchase 50K per year. You can also transfer 50K miles or have your spouse (or other relative?) transfer 50K points per year. It all counts toward lifetime. I've done all 3.

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[frank808]

The contract refers it to Lifetime Gold Elite Status.


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You will get gold as long as you own enough points for the executive level. You will automatically requalify each year. If you were to go below the threshold, you will lose the mrp status.

What is to stop someone from buying points for presidential status which qualifies for plat mrp status and then sell the points? Does the contract state verbatim that you will get lifetime gold status?

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[AlmostRetired]

I am at 609 with 2.5M points. I have 5 weeks already planned out through year end. I have work trips of 10 days. My son will be spending 5 month in SF starting next week flying home every few weeks. He has offered to use my rewards number since he has benefited from my status. I am 100% confident it would work. This would easily put me at 750. I refused the offer. Two reasons... one it will ultimately delay him reaching a status on his own. The other is as a lifetime gold I would be moving to a lifetime platinum and that is good enough for me. Room upgrades are nice and I will take them when I can get them but access to the lounge and breakfast on weekends is the benefit I enjoy the most. It translates to real savings. I did not see a way to get lifetime platinum premier status but if i can't get there moving forward every timeshare stay we do, I will change to me my sons MR number at check in.

I am most disappointed by the continued devaluation of the MR program. A 40% increase from 25K to 35 K for a cat 5. I am going to Savannah this summer after Hilton Head. I am staying in the Historic area at a Cat 7 hotel costing 119 dollars with my work discount... even AAA has a rate of 212. This is about .006 cents per point at the AAA rate. imagine come August 1st.

 

[VacationForever]

I am at 609 with 2.5M points. I have 5 weeks already planned out through year end. I have work trips of 10 days. My son will be spending 5 month in SF starting next week flying home every few weeks. He has offered to use my rewards number since he has benefited from my status. I am 100% confident it would work. This would easily put me at 750. I refused the offer. Two reasons... one it will ultimately delay him reaching a status on his own. The other is as a lifetime gold I would be moving to a lifetime platinum and that is good enough for me. Room upgrades are nice and I will take them when I can get them but access to the lounge and breakfast on weekends is the benefit I enjoy the most. It translates to real savings. I did not see a way to get lifetime platinum premier status but if i can't get there moving forward every timeshare stay we do, I will change to me my sons MR number at check in.

I am most disappointed by the continued devaluation of the MR program. A 40% increase from 25K to 35 K for a cat 5. I am going to Savannah this summer after Hilton Head. I am staying in the Historic area at a Cat 7 hotel costing 119 dollars with my work discount... even AAA has a rate of 212. This is about .006 cents per point at the AAA rate. imagine come August 1st.

We do not know what the new categories mapping to all resorts would be. Cat 7 in Aug should not be the same Cat 7 as now.

 

[rsackett]

I guess I will get lifetime Gold. I currently do not have any Lifetime status. I have 702 nights, but only 996,909 points. The only think I do not know is how many years I have been Gold, I think it must have been at least 7. Wish there was a way to get 600,000 + points before the end of the year, but that is not happening.

Ray

 

[mav]

I think I read somewhere that on the new program there is no points requirement, so if that is the case you will get lifetime if you meet the years requirement. Maybe if you call the rewards dept. and ask how many years you have been gold they can let you know instead of wondering until August 1st.

 

[VacationForever]

I think I read somewhere that on the new program there is no points requirement, so if that is the case you will get lifetime if you meet the years requirement. Maybe if you call the rewards dept. and ask how many years you have been gold they can let you know instead of wondering until August 1st.

While new program has no points requirement, if you want to use current / old status to qualify for grandfathering, you have to use the current status thresholds to qualify.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Article: Marriott and SPG Announce Details of Their Unified Loyalty Program

https://thepointsguy.com/news/details-unified-marriott-spg-loyalty-program/


Richard

 

[gaspasser]

I understand the logic, but I'm not prepared to make that assumption. The MR status level gifted to MVCI owners was negotiated between Marriott Hotels and Marriott Vacation Club. This was a separate agreement between the 2 parties that could also be re-negotiated in light of the overall hotel loyalty program changes/integration. The decision to award MVCI owners any level of MR status has nothing to do with the amount of nights they actually stayed in Marriott properties (unlike the hotel loyalty program levels which are based on just that).

I think it is possible that if you are MR Platinum because of owning MVCI, you may remain at the same Platinum level and not be upgraded to the new Platinum Premier Elite. Sort of a 'Platinum is still Platinum' approach. If that were to happen, some might call this a devaluation of their ownership because of the difference in the benefits for Platinum versus Platinum Premier but I would disagree. Receiving MR status is a 'perk' (however nice) of being an MVCI owner and has no real relationship to your actual weeks and/or points. It is an 'affinity' benefit that can be modified or terminated (based on the language of the agreement between Marriott Hotels and MVCI). Absent specific language in the agreement, I would say Marriott Hotels is under no obligation to 'upgrade' any MVCI owners above the current negotiated status levels of Gold and Base Platinum.

If they do, that will be nice though.

It IS a devaluation of your ownership if MVC doesn’t keep you at an equivalent level. Present MR Gold through MVC will really get shafted, while present MR Platinum through MVC will lose the additional 5 night suite upgrades awarded to Platinum Preffered in the new program.

 

[dioxide45]

It IS a devaluation of your ownership if MVC doesn’t keep you at an equivalent level. Present MR Gold through MVC will really get shafted, while present MR Platinum through MVC will lose the additional 5 night suite upgrades awarded to Platinum Preffered in the new program.

Do we even know if the status from MVC ownership gets the Suite Night Awards? Based on the verbiage, they appear to actually require 50/75 nights a year. You may not get that if all you have is MVC stays.

 

[kds4]

It IS a devaluation of your ownership if MVC doesn’t keep you at an equivalent level. Present MR Gold through MVC will really get shafted, while present MR Platinum through MVC will lose the additional 5 night suite upgrades awarded to Platinum Preffered in the new program.

My MVCI timeshare ownership has nothing to do with whether or not I have any hotel rewards status with Marriott. When we became Marriott timeshare owners there was no affinity arrangement that gifted us any status level with Marriott Hotels. When the agreement between MVCI and Marriott Hotels to gift MR status to certain owners came about years later I agree it was a nice enhancement (aka perk). If someone bought into MVCI and made that decision (at least in part) on what hotel status level they were getting with Marriott, I guess I can see them feeling devalued (if this was part of the basis for their ownership decision).

For us, it wasn't. Hotel recognition is nice, but with or without it we've gotten everything out of our timeshare ownership that we bought and paid for. YMMV

 

[rthib]

Anyone seen anything on travel package? I saw notice on miles but nothing on travel package. Worried that it may disappear.

 

[NiteMaire]

Anyone seen anything on travel package? I saw notice on miles but nothing on travel package. Worried that it may disappear.

They are continuing. Point values may increase. A marriott rep was interviewed by TPG. 25-min video. Rep stated they would continue, but didn't answer question on points remaining the same.

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