Redeemed free nights will continue to count as nights toward Elite achievement. <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr18>
A2. Will night credit still be earned for booking up to 3 rooms?Members will earn points for up to 3 rooms and will earn Elite Night credit for their personal room. <added by Starwood Lurker 23Apr18>
A3. What status will those who got Marriott Gold or Platinum via a match (linked account) from SPG Gold or Platinum have on August 1?Status will be mapped based on earned nights and not linked status. <added by Starwood Lurker 09May18>
A4. What are the details of the breakfast benefit? Is it continental or full breakfast (as a minimum)? Will Marriott properties which have a lounge that closes on the weekend still be allowed to offer no alternative breakfast benefit?Hotels and brands that offer a breakfast benefit today will continue to do so in the future. We will expand to four additional brands, including Courtyard, Moxy, Protea, and AC Hotels. For properties that offer breakfast in their restaurants, the minimum standard is continental breakfast. Properties that offer a Food & Beverage credit will offer credits in the amount of $10 USD. Concierge lounge offerings will continue to be based on what the property offers today. We do have brand exemptions at some of our properties. There will continue to be a limited number of hotels that will provide alternate benefits if they are unable to meet the requirements (e.g. no lounge, lounge closed on weekends, etc.). Additional details will be included in the new program Terms & Conditions. <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr19>
A5. Will Suite Nights continue to clear 5 days out or will they be confirmed at the time of booking?

• 5 days out -- confirmed at https://members.marriott.com/faq/
  • Adding the actual verbatim there:
    Quote:
    Suite Night Awards will be available for Platinum Elite Members who stay 50 nights and Platinum Premier Elite Members who stay 75 nights as an option within their Annual Choice Benefit. A Suite Night Award is a one-night confirmable upgrade to a standard suite or select premium room, depending on the hotel’s availability of those rooms. The number of Suite Night Awards used must match the entire length of stay; it cannot be used for part of a stay (e.g., the first two nights of a five-night stay). Once you request to use your Suite Night Awards for a stay, we’ll check the upgrade availability starting five days prior to arrival and keep checking every day until 2 p.m., hotel local time, on the day before your arrival. We’ll let you know either way if we’re able to confirm the upgrade or not. If it is not available, we’ll return the Suite Night Awards to your account.
    <added by Starwood Lurker 26Apr18>

A6. Can SNAs be used at all brands -- in particular, can they be used at Ritz-Carltons? If so, and if an SNA is used at a Ritz-Carlton to upgrade to a room category that includes club access or breakfast, will those features be honored despite those not being elite benefits at Ritz-Carltons?No - not all hotels will participate. A list of non-participating brands and resorts will be available via the SNA terms and conditions in early August. Brands that will not participate at launch are: The Ritz-Carlton, Protea Hotels, Aloft, Element, Design Hotels, All-Suite Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club and participating Vistana properties. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>
A7. Will members be able to get more than 1 SPG or Marriott card & get more than 15 nights towards elite qualifying credit in the new program? (In the past SPG members had the option to get the Personal & Business Amex & get a maximum total of 10 nights elite credit towards the qualifying year.)No. There is a limit of one 15 Elite Night Credit per Marriott Loyalty Program member. The benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr18>
A8. If one upgrades this year to the new Amex Premium Card will all of 2018 spend count for Platinum status?Yes, all eligible 2018 spend will count towards Platinum Elite status. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr18>
A9. Will those who meet either the 75 or 100 night criteria in 2018 still be eligible for the Your24 & Ambassador benefit, respectively, for the remainder of 2018 and for the 2019 year even if they don't achieve the new $20K spend requirement? If so, what is the deadline for meeting these criteria - August 1 or December 31?Any members that stay 100 nights at legacy SPG brands or 100 nights plus have $20,000 USD in eligible spend, across all 29 brands by year-end 2018, will retain their Ambassador for all of 2019. Your24 will remain a benefit of SPG Platinum 75-night members through July, after which the Your24 benefit will only be available to Platinum Premier with Ambassador members. We will continue to honor the existing SPG stay-based thresholds for all levels through year-end 2018 for stays made at legacy-SPG brands/hotels. <added by Starwood Lurker 26Apr18>
A10. Will those who got Marriott Platinum via a status challenge this year (supposedly valid till Feb 2020) be switched to Platinum Elite or Platinum Premier Elite on August 1?Platinum Premier Elite, if the member met the Platinum Elite challenge. <added by Starwood Lurker30Apr18>
A11. Does Platinum status via a successful status challenge in 2018, which is supposedly valid till Feb 2020 (see A10), remain in force throughout 2019, or will 2019 status now depend solely on actual nights stayed in 2018?Yes, if the member met the Platinum challenge. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr18>
A12. Will SPG Platinum members still have lounge access at Sheraton/Le Meridien/Westin Resorts properties that have a lounge?Members will continue to enjoy lounge access as they do today at Westin, Sheraton, and Le Meridien resorts. <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr18>
A13. If I had 69 SPG nights last year and 10 Marriott nights, on August 1, will my status be Platinum Elite Premier recognizing my total stays?Platinum Preferred members with 75 nights receive Platinum Premier Elite status. Members who combine Rewards and SPG accounts could also receive a higher Elite tier, as mapping will be based on combined activity starting from January 1, 2018 across Rewards and SPG. <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr18>
A14. Can unused SPG SNA's be used after August and can they be used on Marriott brands?We will continue to honor existing Suite Night Awards until expiration dates and they can be used at participating Marriott Rewards and SPG brands and properties. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>
A15. Will members receive new Suite Night Awards in August when the programs are combined?No, we will continue to honor existing Suite Night Awards until expiration dates and they can be used at participating Marriott Rewards and SPG brands and properties. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>
A16. Will members receive new SNA's when they qualify for 2019?Suite Night Awards will be available for Platinum Elite Members who stay 50 nights (5) and Platinum Premier Elite Members who stay 75 nights (5) as an option within their Annual Choice Benefit. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>
B. Lifetime elite status (how to earn, benefits, etc.) starting in August 2018

B1. Will members be able to earn LT status under the criteria of the previous SPG and Marriott programs until 31-Dec-2018?Members will have until year-end 2018 to achieve Lifetime status under the current, separate policies. Beginning August 2018, members can also achieve based on their combined nights and tenure the new Lifetime criteria threshold beginning August 2018. <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr18>
B2. Will a member who has been SPG Gold/Platinum for 7 years and has more than 250 combined nights between SPG and MR be LT Silver in the new program?Stay tuned!
B3. Will a member who has been SPG Gold/Platinum for 7 years and has 200 combined nights between SPG and MR be LT Gold if s/he reaches 400 nights after 2018?If you have not achieved the requirements (for any Lifetime levels) in 2018, your status in the new program will not be Lifetime status. Your Lifetime nights and Lifetime Elite status is "lifetime" and does not reset with the new program. Lifetime Gold in the new program is 400 nights and 7 years. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>
B4. What types of years of status count toward the lifetime levels in the new program? (Does old Marriott/Ritz Gold earned through a Marriott credit card or Ritz-Carlton credit card count? If not, does old Marriott/Ritz Platinum earned through spending $75K on the Ritz-Carlton credit card count? Going forward will spending $75K in a year on the new Amex Premium card count as a year of earned Platinum status for the lifetime status requirement?)[INDENT]

• The Marriott FAQ offers this explanation for how past elite years will count toward the new lifetime levels:
  Quote:
  We are keeping members “whole” in the applicable night tier in which they earned their Elite status.
  
  Example: If a member has 4 years of Elite status at the 50 night level (Gold Elite status) they will be counted in August and beyond as 4 years at the new 50 night level (Platinum Elite status). Only the names of the levels are changing. How we account for tenure is not changing.

Past years at applicable Marriott Rewards and Ritz-Carlton Rewards Elite Night levels will be counted in the following way:

Previous Member Level New Member Tenure Level
Years at Silver Elite (10 nights) Years count as Silver Elite
Years at Gold Elite (50 nights) Years count as Platinum Elite
Years at Platinum Elite (75 nights) Years count as Platinum Elite
Years at Platinum Premier Elite (unpublished) Years count as Platinum Elite

Past years in SPG Elite levels will be counted in the following way:
Previous Member Level New Member Tenure Level
Years at Gold Preferred (25 nights) Years count as Gold Elite
Years at Platinum Preferred (50/75/100 nights) Years count as Platinum Elite"

The years that members achieved Elite status due to credit cards will count towards Lifetime status. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>

B5. Do we have until December 31, 2018, or only August 1 to qualify as lifetime platinum in the current Marriott Rewards program to be grandfathered into Lifetime Platinum Premier?In August, when members combine Rewards and SPG accounts, their lifetime nights across both programs count toward Lifetime Elite status in the new combined program. To be included in at previous thresholds for Rewards or SPG, members will have until December 31, 2018, to complete stays in order to achieve the Lifetime Elite status. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>
B6. Will Marriott be expanding their policy for awarding Lifetime Platinum Premier (LTPP) status to cover additional scenarios?
FTers have asked that coverage be extended as follows:

1. SPG LTP with the Marriott equivalent of 750 SPG nights + and 2M after conversion pointsNo. Please note that SPG does not count lifetime points. They have history on Lifetime nights and years at Elite status. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>
2. SPG members with a combined 750 SPG nights + 2M after conversion, but not yet LTP (e.g. 10 Platinum years)No. Please note that SPG does not count lifetime points. They have history on Lifetime nights and years at Elite status. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>
3. Case (a) or (b) but using both combined SPG + Marriott nights and points to determine the 750 night / 2M points thresholdStay tuned.
4. Members with 750 combined nights and 10 years PLT across both programs.Legacy SPG members OR Legacy MR/RCR members who have 750 nights and 10 years of Platinum Status prior to 12/31/18 will be grandfathered into the new Lifetime Platinum Premier Elite Status. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>
5. If any of the above apply do members need to have Marriott accounts and have them linked prior to August 1st?Stay tuned.
6. On August 1 when nights from SPG ie 700 are combined with nights from Marriott ie 300 will the total combined nights 1,000 make that member LTPP or does the member have to have 750 nights separately in one or the other program on August 1st? Can a member still achieves LTPP by Dec 31 by the same procedure either combining nights between SPG and Marriott to reach 750 nights or can they only earn by 750 nights separately in either Program?When a member merges their accounts in August, a current SPG Lifetime Platinum Preferred member would already have at least 10 years at Platinum Preferred status, thus they would only need to have at least 750 combined Lifetime nights to receive Lifetime Platinum Premier Elite Status, for which the combination of accounts adding up to 1,000 nights would qualify.
7. SPG members fulfilling the equivalent Marriott LTPP criteria of 750 SPG nights and 2M after conversion of SPG points to MR points (i.e 666 667 SPG points) but without enough years to qualify based on years.No. Please note that SPG does not count lifetime points. They have history on Lifetime nights and years at Elite status only, so lifetime points in SPG is not a factor. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>

B7. How does a member determine their total number of elite years?In August, members will be able to view their number of Elite level years to help track their eligibility towards Lifetime Statuses by visiting their My Account page on SPG.com, MarriottRewards.com or TheRitzCarltonRewards.com. <added by Starwood Lurker 25Apr18>

B8. Do Marriott members with 2MM uncombined lifetime MR points and with 750 combined lifetime MR nights and lifetime SPG nights qualify for LTPP?


C. Redeeming points/legacy certs for award stays

C1. When will properties be mapped to the new award categories?We have plans to announce new hotel category placements for all of our 6,500 hotels in June 2018. We will share sample markets in late April. Stay tuned for more information! <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr18>
C2. Will awards for rooms booked with points be capacity-controlled? Currently SPG members can book any available standard room with points if the hotel is not sold out. Marriott is highly capacity controlled.No, the program will continue to adhere to a no blackout dates policy. <added by Starwood Lurker 07May18>
C3. Will the 5th night be free when redeeming points at any category now?Members will still receive a complimentary night when they redeem for five. And, this benefit will be offered across all 8 Categories. <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr18>
C4. Will C&P still be available? If so, when can we expect to see the new chart?Cash & Points will continue. More information will be released in the next few weeks. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>
C5. How will existing Chase category-5 certificates be handled after the realignment of categories?

• "Starting in August, any outstanding Certificates will be updated from Category-based to points-based values in the new combined redemption chart and may be used for stays at Rewards or SPG hotels up to the points value displayed on your updated Certificate." (Source: https://members.marriott.com/faq/#i-...a-after-august)
• Existing awards can be attached to any reservation made through July 2018 and are valid for 50 weeks. Any outstanding awards for certificates with a pre-defined category (like Chase or MegaBonus promotional certificates) will be converted to a commensurate value with the new award schedule. Floater certificates will be cancelled and converted to equivalent points, credited to the member’s account for future redemption. <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr18>

C6. Will existing SPG award reservations be honored at the same rate after August 1?Stays booked now will be honored at current booking rates even if the stays occur after the new redemption rates take effect. There’s no need to take any action. Note that for stays booked with points, if you modify your stay dates after August, you will be subject to the new Free Night Award Chart point values. Extending your stay or shifting your stay dates will result in a recalculation of points required for your reservation. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr18

C7. If a member cancels an SPG award reservation after August 1, how many points will be refunded?Refunds will be returned at the converted value. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>

D. Miscellaneous program questions

D1. Will SPG or Marriott best rate guarantee terms be used in the combined program, particularly with respect to rate type?Stay tuned!
D2. Will transfers from Amex MR maintain their existing 2:1 (future 2:3) for UK members, and 3:1 (future 1:1) for US members?More information about the benefits of our partnership with American Express Membership Rewards will be shared in the coming months. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>
D3. Will members be able to transfer points to other members? If so, under what circumstances?Points transfer will continue to exist as it does today. Members can share points with any Rewards member they choose. Members can transfer 1,000-50,000 points per year. <added by Starwood Lurker 19Apr18>
D4. Will we be able to keep our SPG acct number? Or will we be forced to use our Marriott Rewards number after Aug 1st? Or... will we be issued an entirely new account number?Some member numbers will need to be changed. More information will be communicated in the future for any impacted members. Until then, any existing Member numbers should be used on all reservations. <added by Starwood Lurker 25Apr18>
D5. What will be the points expiration policy in the new combined loyalty program? Will point purchases or other point transfer transactions count toward account activity if no account activity triggers points expiration?In August, the current Marriott Rewards Points Expiration policy will continue as per the program rules today. It will also be applicable to legacy SPG members/accounts as well. Points do not expire with any qualifying activity within the past 24 months. As today, Points Purchases do count as qualifying activity in Marriott Rewards. <added by Starwood Lurker 25Apr18> Points sharing and transfer does not count toward qualifying activity. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>
D6. Will Starpoints earned through Vistana Signature Experiences property be converted to the new program on August 1? The current T&C of the ability to transfer SPG Starpoints to Marriott Reward Points state "Starpoints earned through an interest in a Vistana™ Signature Experiences property, and Rewards Points earned through an interest in a Marriott Vacation Club® property cannot be transferred between the Programs."Vistana points will be combined into a single account consistent with all other SPG points. All points will be available to redeem across the combined portfolio, subject to specific timeshare restrictions. <added by Starwood Lurker 26Apr18>
D7. Will the SPG Cravings discount be available beyond Aug 1? If yes, any chance it might be expanded to include Marriott properties? Hotels that offer SPG Cravings today will be able to continue to do so in the future as well. <added by Starwood Lurker 02May2018>
E. Co-branded Chase and Amex cards

E1. Will Chase or Amex prorate the annual fee upon canceling a credit card due to the new changes?Please call the number on the back of your co-branded card for details. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>
E2. Will the ability to earn 1 elite night per $3K spent on the current Chase Marriott card remain available for people who continue to hold that card? (The card is being closed to new applicants when the new Chase Marriott is released on May 3, per TPG.)

E3. If the Starwood Amex annual fee is billed in the last week of July, the free night benefit won't be awarded until July 2019. Will Amex offer to add the equivalent in points as compensation?Card Members will be eligible to receive the Free Night Award beginning after their first renewal on or after August 1, 2018. <added by Starwood Lurker 30Apr2018>
====================

Stay tuned! We’re still working to get you answers to these ones. Please add any new questions to the very end:

1. Can SNAs be used at all brands -- in particular, can they be used at Ritz-Carltons? If so, and if an SNA is used at a Ritz-Carlton to upgrade to a room category that includes club access or breakfast, will those features be honored despite those not being elite benefits at Ritz-Carltons? {answered as A6 above}

2. If SPG member who has been 7 years Elite Gold/Platinum and the combine nights between SPG and MR more than 250 nights, does this mean the member will be LT Silver in the new program? {pending as B2 above}

3. Can you confirm the details of what types of years of status count toward the new Lifetime Platinum calculation? Years of SPG Platinum definitely count. Do years of old Marriott Gold (50 nights) count toward the new Lifetime Platinum Elite requirement? If so, does old Marriott/Ritz Gold earned through a Marriott credit card or Ritz-Carlton credit card count? If not, does old Marriott/Ritz Platinum earned through spending $75K on the Ritz-Carlton credit card count? Going forward will spending $75K in a year on the new Amex Premium card count as a year of earned Platinum status for the lifetime status requirement? {answered as B4 above}

4. Will SPG or Marriott best rate guarantee terms be used in the combined program, particularly with respect to rate type? {pending as D1 above}

5. Will C&P still be available? If so then when can we expect to see the new chart? (chart question is already answered elsewhere) {answered as C4 above}

6. Why does master statement point accumulation records only go back to 2003 although I was in program since 1999? Does Starwood know our total point accumulation?

7. A <75 PLT from 2017 will be mapped as a PLT50, not a PLT75, regardless of 2017 Marriott nights, correct?
Your Elite status will depend on how many nights you’ve stayed at Rewards and SPG hotels this year. We’ll be rolling out new Elite tiers to give members the best benefits from the combined programs. You can check out the new Elite tier chart here: members.marriott.com/marriottrewards <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>

8. What will happen with SET codes when my SPG and MR accounts are combined ?

9. Will Sheraton lounges continue to be required to be open 7 days/week?

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. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>

11. If I have credit card free night certificate and want to stay in hotel which requires more than 35K points, can I use my own points to make up the difference? This would be very useful as there often no hotels at a given location that are available for low amount of points.

12. Under the new points-based (versus category-based) credit card free night certificates, can two or more valid certificates in the same account can be combined for stays at properties that require more than 35K points?

13. How many Make a Green Choice points will be awarded per night after August ?

14. Will the NEW SNAs earned under the COMBINED program continue to function like the current SPG SNAs in that the (Plat50+) elite can designate (currently by checking boxes) the specific suite/room categories for which the SNA-supported upgrade is requested? Or is the hotel free to confirm an upgrade to any standard suite or select premium room and claim that the SNA has been used? In addition, will the SNA-supported upgrade be required to confirm an upgrade to the best available standard suite on the list which was checked if the property permits use of SNAs for more than one suite category?

15. When will multiple stay/night credit for up to 3 rooms stop counting for legacy SPG members? Is it August or January? If August, will reservations made prior to August still count?
This policy will begin in early August when the combined program begins. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18

16. What will happen to Cat. 1-5 free night certs chosen as SPG50 requalify amenity both for requal in in 2017 and 1st half of 2018?

17. Does the "If you earned status in both programs in the same year, you will get credit toward lifetime status for both" rule apply to 2018? [Example: staying 75+ nights in current Marriott hotels plus completing 25+ stays in current SPG hotels - will this earn two years toward Lifetime Platinum status?[color=#27ae60]Yes, if you earned status in both programs in the same year (not by linking) you will get credit towards Elite status for both programs. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May1818. In August, we can combine our Marriott and SPG accounts to have one joint account and two sets of accumulated nights working together towards elite status for the upcoming year. However, we also have until January 1st, 2019 to keep earning status as usual in either the MR and SPG legacy programs as they stand before they fully become one in 2019. My question is: if I combine accounts in August to have one points balance and one set of nights, can I still keep plugging along with my SPG account and make my elite magic happen there [i.e. earn 100 SPG-only nights and earn Ambassador status]? Or does combining accounts mean I only play by the rules of the new program? If that's the case, then I won't combine accounts until they force-merge in 2019 and just keep doing my thing with SPG.

In addition to earning based on the new criteria, members can earn Lifetime Elite Status under the legacy requirements through the end of 2018. If Lifetime status is achieved by legacy requirements, between August and December 31, 2018 you will receive notice of your updated Lifetime Elite status in January 2019. If Lifetime status is achieved based on the new criteria, you will be notified both in August 2018 as well as any time it is achieved through the end of the year.

Example: An SPG member has 300 Lifetime nights, 4 years of Gold Elite Status, and 1 year of Platinum Elite Status after August, 2018. Under the SPG legacy Lifetime requirements, this member would earn Lifetime Gold Elite status which would reflect in their account January 2019. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18

19. This didn't get a decent response from the Lurkers via e-mail [namely the copy-paste 'visit [url]http://members.marriott.com/ for more info' response] the first time I reached out to them and I have yet to receive a response based on the second e-mail I sent last week, so: I'm on track to make the 250 lifetime night requirement for SPG LT Gold in the first half of this year. I also have four+ years of elite status. I know SPG LTG will translate into LTG in the new program. Since I don't know when the annual cut-off is for the elite year calculation is/when I first started making status, will I be able to make LTG under SPG and have it translate over to LTG in the new program, or am I stuffed and will just be a LT Silver under the new scheme?
You will earn Lifetime Gold as long as you complete the legacy SPG requirements by December 31, 2018. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>

20. Will the SPG50 rate, or some other form of it, continue in the new program?

21. Can Marriott Gift Cards and Marriott eCards be used at SPG properties beginning August 1? If not, when will they be accepted?No, but we are looking into what the possibilities might be for the future. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>

22. Will incidentals (food, drinks, etc.) earn points at all (or some) brands in the new program? Will the amount of money spent on those items also count towards the 20,000$ annual spending requirement to reach PP with ambassador status?
There will be more information provided on what is eligible when the terms and conditions of the new program are announced; however, all qualifying charges during hotel stays within the calendar year will count towards the $20,000 accrual. <added by Starwood Lurker 18May18>