In the recent post “Marriott SPG transition: More answers & more questions,” I presented answers from Marriott about a few key questions, and I listed many more questions that I had submitted to them. Some of the answers are presented below. If you have other questions about the Marriott / SPG / Ritz merger, please see our guide: Marriott SPG Ritz Transition Guide. If the answer isn’t there, please ask your question in the comments of that post. Thanks!
And now for the new answers…
I understand that elite nights granted by holding a credit card will add together in 2018 but not in 2019. Does that hold true after August? e.g. if someone gets 5 nights from their SPG card, and then in October is awarded 15 nights from their Marriott card, will they then have 20 nights this year?
Correct. You will have a total of 20 nights credited for this year if you combine your accounts.
The Marriott Rewards Premier Business card application no longer mentions giving 15 elite nights credit, but it does say that it offers Silver status. Can you confirm that the card still offers 15 elite night credits each year?
The card still offers 15 Elite Night Credits.
Ritz-Carlton card: What happens if someone completes $75K spend in July for Rewards Platinum status, but it takes up to 8 weeks to get that status, so it’s not actually conveyed until sometime in August or September. Will they have Platinum or Platinum Premier status?
If you meet the spend requirements of the card program in advance of the change in August, your new status will be Platinum Premier Elite
I understand that the SPG cards earn base 1X Starpoints / 3X points until August. Then they will earn 2X points. A number of readers have asked what happens if their statement end date is mid-August? What happens with their spend that is dated July 31? What happens with their spend that is dated August 1? My assumption is that their statement date doesn’t matter, but I’d like confirmation.
All eligible transactions made through July 31 will earn points on the SPG Amex Card’s current earn structure (2X on Marriott/Starwood, 1X on all other eligible purchases). Eligible transactions made on or after August 1 will earn points on the SPG Amex Card’s updated earn structure (6X on Marriott/Starwood, 2X on all other eligible purchases). Additionally, on August 1, all previously earned points in a Card Members’ SPG account will be multiplied by three in line with the broader updates to the Marriott International loyalty program changes.
Are choice benefits awarded once per year based on your status level, or awarded at the time you reach 50 or 75 nights? This question is particularly important to lifetime Platinum elites: will they get Choice Benefits each year even if they don’t earn 50 nights?
Choice Benefits are awarded annually once a member stays 50 nights and again at 75 nights, and this includes Lifetime members.
I found the last answer a bit vague, so I asked for confirmation of my understanding:
- When a member completes 50 nights during a calendar year, they will be awarded a choice benefit at that time. (CORRECT)
- When a member completes 75 nights during a calendar year, they will be awarded a second choice benefit at that time. (CORRECT)
- Lifetime Platinum and Platinum Premier members won’t automatically get choice benefits at all. They must complete 50 / 75 nights to get them. (CORRECT)
And I asked this follow-up question:
What happens to SPG elites who earn choice benefits this year? In other words, could someone get to 50 SPG nights before August to get 10 SNAs, then in August they’ll get 5 more under the combined program, then 5 more again at 75 nights?
If an SPG member has 50 nights before July 27, 2018 and chooses Suite Night Awards as one of their Choice benefits, they will receive 10 Suite Night Awards. The member will have the option to choose an additional choice benefit when they achieve 75 nights, and at that time, if they choose Suite Night Awards – they will receive an additional 5 Suite Night Awards.
Questions Not Yet Answered
I’ve submitted quite a few questions to Marriott reps. Here are the questions that I’ve asked, but that haven’t yet been answered. Note that in some cases we think we know the answer, but we don’t yet have official confirmation…
- Marriott Vacation Club questions:
- Marriott Vacation Club owners currently get elite status based (I think) on how many club points they have. What will be the mapping of vacation club destination points to elite status in the new program?
- Will 5 night travel packages still be available to vacation club owners?
- Points to miles:
- I see that the minimum transfer amount will be 3,000 rewards points to 1,000 airline miles. SPG Platinum elites have been able to transfer as few as 1 point to 1 airline mile. Will there be anything similar in the new program?
- RewardsPlus:
- How will United Premier status levels map to Marriott status in the new program?
- How will new program Marriott status map to United Premier status in the new program? [Note: We know that Platinum Premier members will get United Silver, but what about Premier 100 elites? Will they get United Gold?]
- Credit card spend cut-off dates
- Ritz-Carlton card: What happens if someone begins their $75K spend before August, but completes it after August 1? Will they get Platinum or Platinum Premier status?
Readers have posted a number of additional questions which I plan to pass along to Marriott, but I haven’t yet had a chance to compile them.
More Questions?
If you have other questions about the Marriott / SPG / Ritz merger, please see our guide: Marriott SPG Ritz Transition Guide. If the answer isn’t there, please ask your question in the comments of that post. Thanks!
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Was in the middle of making plans for bora bora and the SPG website no longer allows you to select reward option for points or points and cash at this hotel. They do not show any awards on any future date!
Are you looking at the St. Regis? There are a bunch of “off the charts” properties where you have to call to use points to book. They should be cheaper to book in August.
Any updates on: How will United Premier status levels map to Marriott status in the new program?
I’m till waiting. I sent them a reminder this morning about this and a few other questions.
And the answer came a few minutes later. United Premier Gold and higher will get Gold status. If you join RewardsPlus before August then that Gold status will become Platinum status through Jan 2019 (I think they meant Feb, but they wrote Jan). Those who join RewardsPlus in/after August will get Gold 🙁
NEW DEVELOPMENT REGARDING THE EXISTING 7 NIGHTS CERT FROM THE TRAVEL PACKAGE
Greg, you may want to get some clarification via your contact, as Starwood Lurker William has updated this in the Wiki of the Sticky thread, and it is BAD news.
10. Question on the “floater certificates” being canceled and points redeposited into the account on Aug 1st. Does this include outstanding Marriott Travel packages here: Flight and Hotel Packages Marriott Hotel Packages
Floater certificates, including outstanding Marriott Travel Packages, will be cancelled and converted to equivalent points, credited to the member’s account for future redemption.
Currently you only get back 45K pts on a canceled Cat 1 to 5 cert when you cancel. It is not even good for 2 nights Cat 5 under the current chart. Your Cat 8 cert would only get back 45K + 30K + 30K + 30K, = 135K, just over 3 nights worth of a Cat 8 stay.
Now Marriott will cancel all floater certs and refund the points – how the refund is calculated is NOT clear.
We need this cleared up with a definitive answer asap.
Maybe this answer was moot since the new marriott card only gives 15 nights starting in 2019?
> I understand that elite nights granted by holding a credit card will add together in 2018 but not in 2019. Does that hold true after August? e.g. if someone gets 5 nights from their SPG card, and then in October is awarded 15 nights from their Marriott card, will they then have 20 nights this year?
Not moot since you can get 40 elite nights this year with credit cards: Old Marriott personal (if you already have it), Marriott Biz, SPG personal, SPG biz
Fair I totally forgot about that.
[…] The final word on the Marriott/SPG Lifetime status rules. Can we all move on now? Oh wait, here are more answers for the Marriott SPG transition. […]
If I have spent more than 10k on the ritz card this year, under the old system, I should have Marriott gold through early 2020, right? So does that mean after August, I will be converted to Platinum through early 2020? or just early 2019
post your question again in the other thread.
Yes, through Feb 2020 is my understanding
Great updates. Thanks!
What is going on with SPG Gold? I earned SPG Gold in 2017, so for 2018 I have both SPG and Marriott Gold. What happens in August — do I become new Marriott Gold or Platinum? Different readings from different blogs. If I only become Gold, I lose breakfast.
post your question again in the other thread.
Gold.
I hope I understand it correctly on the SPG pts status
1) existing SPG pts in the account up to July 31st will be 3x automatically. There is no need to transfer to Marriott account to avoid the devaluation to 2x.
2) the devaluation comes in the earning structure in a round-about way – as of now $1 spend outside hotel stay on SPG earns 1x, which converts to 3x in Marriott program. Effective Aug 1, the conversion is ELIMINATED, and the $1 spend outside hotel stay on SPG would earn 2x – hence the devaluation.
What about booking award stays after August 1, is that ALL properties under ALL brands are bookable from either Marriott or SPG accounts based on the new charts?
If so, there is another reason no need to transfer SPG pts to Marriott pts prior to August 1.
Do I understand the above correctly?
post your question again in the other thread.
what is considered “off peak” vs “peak” coming next year?
post your question again in the other thread.
1) Correct
2) Correct
3) Yes, all.
Yes
***ATTN EVERYONE WHO CANT READ (ITS CLEARLY BOLDED AT THE BOTTOM)***
“More Questions?
If you have other questions about the Marriott / SPG / Ritz merger, please see our guide: Marriott SPG Ritz Transition Guide. If the answer isn’t there, please ask your question in the comments of that post. Thanks!”
***THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO BE ASKING QUESTIONS***
I don’t think they will be able to read what you wrote… given your assertion that they can’t read. I just wanted to point this out. Thanks.
maybe people will read the comment section more carefully. thanks.
I got a question: who made NINJADUH the comment section police, and how much will this post annoy him?!?
sorry that was 2 questions, hopefully his head will explode.
Havent been following the Marriott cards closely since I’m mostly from SPG. Do you get 15 night credit from the business card on the first year? So if I apply now, will I get 15 night credits applied toward 2018?
post your question again in the other thread.
Yes and yes
If I spend $10k on Ritz card by July 2018 will I be Platinum 2019?
You will be platinum for the rest of the year. Then Gold next year
So post Feb 2019 back to gold. How did you find this out, thanks?
My understanding is that you will be Platinum for the rest of this year and all of next year
Greg can you please add to your list of questions to the Marriott folks: benefits of lifetime plat premier vs lifetime plat.
As followup from my question on prior post, getting this answered would help me decide whether or not to mattress run for 150 nights. Thanks.
post your question again in the other thread.
I don’t know what I’d ask them. They list the benefits of each tier here: https://members.marriott.com/benefits/
Missing from the list is the fact that Plat Premier also gets matched to United Silver
What happens to the 2 elite night credits Ritz members get for each night stayed at a Ritz property? Is that benefit getting cut, being grandfathered over for legacy Ritz members only, or being extended to legacy Marriott Rewards and SPG members?
post your question again in the other thread.
Packages?? They can’t tell me a definitive or any answer about what will happen to certificates after August
Yup, this is an important question. I’m considering redeeming for a travel package soon, but no idea if it makes sense to do so before or after, and if I do it before what happens with the certificate after August 1?
this has been clearly answered by greg. if not clear enough then post again in the other thread.
No, this hasn’t been clearly answered. Greg gave his best guess, he did not get a definitive answer from a qualified source. .
Marriott hasn’t answered exactly what will happen with packages yet, but they’ve given me some info. Info and guesses here: https://frequentmiler.com/2018/04/27/marriott-travel-package-arbitrage/