Combined Marriott and SPG program

[mokuni]

So you're showing as Platinum Elite on both Starwood and Marriott?

Yes correct. Platinum Elite on both SPG and Marriott.

 

[bernardblack]

Is there a better direction in which to do the consolidation? Open old Starwood account and merge in the Marriott one, or vice versa?

Status is identical (I didn't recall having status with either, but maybe the handful Marriott nights and two nights in a Westin last year together made the cut). I have more points in Marriott, but neither tally is especially high given the new Marriott-par value.

 

[bernardblack]

I forgot to include above: Presumably the new combined account gets the later points expiry date? Or does the consolidation even count as activity to extend further?

 

[moa999]

Anny points transferred across have a .date and a credit.. So I suspect it's an extension

 

[get me outta here]

I intend to book a HKG Marriott SkyCity reward stay. Does it make a difference to the points reqmt if I wait to book for May or not now? Thanks

 

[rock86]

I intend to book a HKG Marriott SkyCity reward stay. Does it make a difference to the points reqmt if I wait to book for May or not now? Thanks

If the hotel is not to be allocated to the new category 8 come early 2019, then it will make no difference.

 

[get me outta here]

Thanks, now to see if Marriott defines peak and off peak. It's a diff of 10K points as the hotel is only cat 4.

If the hotel is not to be allocated to the new category 8 come early 2019, then it will make no difference.

 

[rock86]

Thanks, now to see if Marriott defines peak and off peak. It's a diff of 10K points as the hotel is only cat 4.

Would the peak/off-peak rates be up to each hotel to set?

 

[get me outta here]

Here's a useful table. But, it seems incomplete:

2018 Marriott Rewards | Changes to Categories & Tiers

2018 Marriott Rewards category changes.
Check out what hotels are changing—and maximize your points.
On March 6, 2018, the Marriott Rewards® annual category changes will take effect. This year, 74% will stay the same, 21% will move up and 5% will move down.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Not being a SPG or Marriott regular stayer, I haven't been following this merger at all. All I have currently is about 9k SPG points (which I have no idea what that is worth). We have a Marriott stay coming up shortly and it just dawned on me that this merger has occurred so I'm now wondering about merging accounts. I have a Marriott account, but it hasn't been used in probably 5 years and I have no idea what the number is, so do I need to merge anything, or can I just use my SPG account for the Marriott stay?

I've also noticed in this thread, mention of AMEX platinum giving status (SPG?) which I never realised , so do I just submit details to get that status??

Also, with this merger, it may now be easier for me to gain and hold status, so are these programs still viewed as being better than the only other alternative, being Hilton?

 

[Bell21]

I'd probably try to find your old Marriott account number, and merge the 2 accounts, and then you'll probably get a new marriott account number - your SPG points should automatically convert to 3:1 (ie, 27,000 Marriott points) and then you'd book your stay with these converted points, although that's just 'semantics' in terms of value (if complex, just call Marriott to sort)

Re Platinum - what you do is login to your AMEX plat online account, find the Card Benefits section, and then there's an area where you can sign-up / link the platinum to gain status in hotels (and hire cars) - you can do this for Marriott (Gold Elite), Hilton (Gold), Radisson, Shangri-La etc, and in case you're not aware, don't forget to sign-up for Accor Plus which gives you a complimentary night's stay every year, as well as Priority Pass lounge access for you and 1 supp card holder - you can also do the same for online Fin Review subscription (if you look for the relevant threads, there's good info on this card's benefits)

I'll leave it to others to add commentary on Marriott vs Hilton - I don't see a lot of value in either program anymore from a 'points value' perspective - AMEX has slashed the value of points transfer to Marriott, whereas it used to be good value, and I'm just not that familiar with Hilton rewards, other than any time I've looked at 'points value' for staying at a Hilton, it appears quite poor.