Originally Posted by
christianj
As a longtime SPG fan, I sadly see it the same way! I need this year to finish qualifying for LTP and then I will likely upgrade my Ascend to an Aspire and start staying at more Hilton properties.
I think Marriott did an OK job with the merging of the two programs so as not to upset too many people....even though the final award chart can still change my view on that! I do think they are completely shooting themselves in the foot with the changes to the credit card earnings and most Starwood loyalists are not happy about that. In the end it will remain to be seen how people react to the changes overall.
It's interesting: I expect Amex will see an uptick in total accounts but a decrease in volume per card. And an increase in accounts who don't actually use their cards at all.
Which begs the question: do CC companies make more on annual fees or on transaction fees when people use their cards extensively? The evolution of the SPG Amexes means I will use mine a lot less - basically, when I'm at Marriotts. No longer my automatic go-to everyday spending card.