Nov 12, 2013, 11:05 am
Last edit by: Oxon Flyer
UPDATE AS OF 28 NOVEMBER 2017 :
For our members with SPG Lifetime™ status: We’ll always recognize your lifetime achievement. And starting now, your Starpoints will never expire.
When do my SPG points expire?
Per the SPG T&C,
What activity counts towards keeping an account active to prevent points from expiring?
"Any account activity resets the clock. Earning, burning, transferring, buying...anything that creates activity." (from Starwood Lurker, post #78)
This means your options for resetting the clock are
What happens if I am a SPG Lifetime Platinum or Lifetime Gold?
According to the T&C, your lifetime status will be lost and your points forfeited after the period of inactivity.
Starpoints never expire for Lifetime Platinum members.
For our members with SPG Lifetime™ status: We’ll always recognize your lifetime achievement. And starting now, your Starpoints will never expire.
When do my SPG points expire?
Per the SPG T&C,
Forfeiting Starpoints. Except for SVO Owners to whom the obligations in Section 9 apply, Starpoints earned or otherwise obtained by an SPG Member will forfeit without notice if the SPG Member becomes Inactive, even if the SPG Member has achieved SPG Lifetime Gold or SPG Lifetime Platinum status. An SPG Member is considered "Inactive" if during a 12 month period: (a) the SPG Member has not had an Eligible Stay at an SPG Participating Hotel; (b) the SPG Member has not earned or redeemed any Starpoints, or (c) the SPG Member's account has been cancelled.
"Any account activity resets the clock. Earning, burning, transferring, buying...anything that creates activity." (from Starwood Lurker, post #78)
This means your options for resetting the clock are
- Earning points via a paid (cash) hotel stay
- Earning points via an SPG Amex card
- Earning points from food/beverages >$10 purchased at a Starwood property
- Make sure that server understands that SPG # must be added to system
- This option does not apply to alcohol purchases in CA, OR, HI, or MA
- Earning points in any other legal manner.
- Redeeming points for an award (such as a hotel stay, SPG Moments, etc.)
- This includes booking and then canceling an award; see post #155
- Purchasing SPG points (you can purchase 500 points for $17.50; takes 24-hours to hit your account) https://storefront.points.com/spg/en-US/buy
- Transfering SPG points to/from the SPG account of another member of your household (note: now requires transfers in 1,000-point increments)
- Transfering SPG points to or from your linked Marriott Rewards account (FYI, the reverse does not count as qualifying activity for your Marriott Rewards account)
- Transfering SPG points to an airline or other travel partner
- Transfering Amex Membership Rewards Points into your SPG account
Starpoints never expire for Lifetime Platinum members.
How to keep SPG points from expiring after 12 months of account inactivity
Mar 3, 2012, 10:38 am
#31
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: mountains of western NC
Programs: Life, Love and Laughter
Posts: 8,537
This, of course, happened before this new policy was announced, and I certainly did not make the award reservation and cancellation thinking that it would extend my expiration, but that is exactly what occurred.
Mar 3, 2012, 2:09 pm
#32
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 2,505
OK. William - I think the burning specific question that many of us have is "Do the Audience Rewards points posted for answering its trivia questions count towards preventing our accounts to expire?"
Also, have you suggested to management that they change "or" to "and"? As a former high school math teacher, I can assure you that confusion of the logical use of "and" vs. "or" is quite common. I am fairly certain that what is intended by the new T&C is not what it actually says. Feel free to ask management to contact me if they need an explanation of this. I got pretty good at it over the years.
Also, have you suggested to management that they change "or" to "and"? As a former high school math teacher, I can assure you that confusion of the logical use of "and" vs. "or" is quite common. I am fairly certain that what is intended by the new T&C is not what it actually says. Feel free to ask management to contact me if they need an explanation of this. I got pretty good at it over the years.
Mar 3, 2012, 3:34 pm
#33
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Premier Silver, AA, DL, IHG Diamond Amb, Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver, National
Posts: 1,530
Gary, with all due respect, didn't William essentially answer this in his Post #4 when he said (emphasis mine): "Any Starpoints activity resulting from earning or redeeming will now count towards keeping an account active." That's about as straightforward and all-encompassing a statement as he could possibly make.
Mar 3, 2012, 3:49 pm
#34
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 2,505
Gary, with all due respect, didn't William essentially answer this in his Post #4 when he said (emphasis mine): "Any Starpoints activity resulting from earning or redeeming will now count towards keeping an account active." That's about as straightforward and all-encompassing a statement as he could possibly make.
Mar 5, 2012, 8:13 am
#35
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: HHonors Gold, National Exec, Marriott Silver
Posts: 267
Is this change retroactive or will it only apply to points earned after March 1?
Mar 5, 2012, 10:47 am
#36
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Also, have you suggested to management that they change "or" to "and"? As a former high school math teacher, I can assure you that confusion of the logical use of "and" vs. "or" is quite common. I am fairly certain that what is intended by the new T&C is not what it actually says. Feel free to ask management to contact me if they need an explanation of this. I got pretty good at it over the years.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Mar 5, 2012, 3:24 pm
#37
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: ATL
Programs: Delta-DM, SPG-Plat100, Marriott-Plat
Posts: 71
For the benefit of all FTers, can OP or Moderators compile all the data points/responses from Lurkers in the 1st post, regd the new expiration policy.
Mar 5, 2012, 6:01 pm
#38
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Mar 5, 2012, 7:06 pm
#39
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 2,741
I'm confused -
I've been under the impression, for years now, that you can keep your account active with ANY Starpoint activity - but this thread seems to imply that this is a new development. (But I haven't read the whole thread so feel free to cut me a new one if this has already been adressed
).
I've had hardly any SPG stays for a very long time, but use the SPG AMEX religiously. And all this while I have felt confident that my account and point balance would remain safe and intact as long as the pts from the SPG AMEX kept getting deposited. Was I mistaken? What am I missing here?
I've been under the impression, for years now, that you can keep your account active with ANY Starpoint activity - but this thread seems to imply that this is a new development. (But I haven't read the whole thread so feel free to cut me a new one if this has already been adressed
).I've had hardly any SPG stays for a very long time, but use the SPG AMEX religiously. And all this while I have felt confident that my account and point balance would remain safe and intact as long as the pts from the SPG AMEX kept getting deposited. Was I mistaken? What am I missing here?
Mar 5, 2012, 7:11 pm
#40
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
I've been under the impression, for years now, that you can keep your account active with ANY Starpoint activity - but this thread seems to imply that this is a new development.
[...]
I've had hardly any SPG stays for a very long time, but use the SPG AMEX religiously. And all this while I have felt confident that my account and point balance would remain safe and intact as long as the pts from the SPG AMEX kept getting deposited. Was I mistaken? What am I missing here?
[...]
I've had hardly any SPG stays for a very long time, but use the SPG AMEX religiously. And all this while I have felt confident that my account and point balance would remain safe and intact as long as the pts from the SPG AMEX kept getting deposited. Was I mistaken? What am I missing here?
- paid stay earning points
- credited food purchase > $10
- Amex point earning
So you were both wrong ("ANY Starpoint activity") and right (Amex earning preventing expiration) at the same time.
Mar 6, 2012, 2:20 pm
#43
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
So, my best advice is to not be a minimalist. Go by what we know is in the Terms and Conditions of membership and what I have been able to clarify to date or take your chances with the possible outcome.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Mar 6, 2012, 3:27 pm
#44
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 324
I am so happy to hear this. I have a few thousand points that would expire in May and I probably will not be traveling to an SPG hotel until next year. I hope they continue this. Most other programs allow point activity to keep them active or have no expiration dates.
Mar 11, 2012, 9:01 am
#45
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 730
maintaining activity
If i go to an element property and spend at their convenience store (they have no resturant) will it count? Is there a minimum spend?