tai4de2

I had stayed at Cosmo a few times over the years with Marriott loyalty programs, but decided to switch to Identity this year (2021) just 'cuz. After two stays, I made gold. Following are some observations and info. Note that I do not gamble; my participation is purely based on room and incidental spend.

My first couple of stays were originally booked on Bonvoy. To avoid chasing after incidental spend credit, I decided to not intermingle room spend and incidental spend during those stays. This might be overkill but whatever. Regardless, it leads to the first observation: I found I must be on top of points earning. Save receipts! Around 50% of my transactions get credited within say an hour. The other 50% never get credited, or get credited with incorrect amounts. I made a practice of (a) checking my Identity account periodically throughout the day, and (b) going to the membership desk and showing receipts once or twice per day. In my experience the lines there are always short even when the hotel is rammed full, so this isn't really a huge problem. The agents there are very helpful and sort things out quickly.

Second observation: they throw points around quite liberally. Transactions credited incorrectly are an equal mix of in my favor and not in my favor. The agents at the membership desk are not at all bothered by the ones in my favor, and not once corrected any of them.

I made Sterling during my first stay. The moment that happened, the membership desk gave me a new card. I was able to use the monthly Wicked Spoon 2-for-1 immediately. Doing that requires a trip to the membership desk so they can "load it on the card"... you can't just show up at Wicked Spoon expecting it.

I made Gold at the tail end of my second stay. Got new card on the spot then also. At checkout (or was it after my stay I called? Can't remember) and they removed the resort fee for the entire stay, not just for the final days of my stays after I had made Gold.

Quirk: Sterling nets you one comp night. It was explained to me that if you attain Gold before consuming that one comp night, the Sterling comp night disappears. I did not test this, as I quickly made a new reservation that included a comp night. Similarly, when I made Gold, I made a booking that consumed the two Gold comp nights.

Another quirk: it was explained that 20k more tier points extends Gold status by a full year beyond the original year I got when I qualified. But if I get 10k more points and thus get to Platinum, the Platinum year starts right then. If this is true, it seems like I'd much prefer to never actually achieve Platinum!

Gold feels like the sweet spot for this program.

gengar

This wasn't explained well. Identity works on a rolling year qualification period that counts TPs from the past 365 days. If at any point in the past 365 days you've earned enough TPs to qualify for a tier, you will have earned that tier for at least the next 365 days. (Another way to put it is that the 'year that you earned status for' doesn't start counting down until you no longer earned enough TPs for that tier in the past 365 days). But there's no way to earn a status for the next two years that wouldn't be negatively affected by advancing to a higher tier. For example, if you earned 20k TPs for Gold on day 1 (and would thus be Gold for at least 2 years), then earned another 30k TPs and became Plat on day 2, you'd still be Plat for at least 2 years minus 1 day, and presumably Gold on the last day again.

Earning the TPs you need for Gold doesn't "extend" status by 365 days, you just achieve Gold for (at least) the next 365 days.

easy_money

Made this mistake when I first started with program. Identity doesn't state or tell you that and my host never informed me neither when I made Gold so I lost the night. For most people it would probably be a rare occurrence. Because you would have to achieve Sterling then Gold. If you maintained Gold then you don't get the Sterling night anyways and if you don't, you would drop back down to Sterling and would have to make Gold again to lose the night. Still sucks though that you can't bank the night.

easy_money

For the most part that's correct. But I don't entirely agree, with the Plat part. It's true that Cosmo Identity is on a rolling 365 day tier earning period. Your tier anniversary date, whether it's renewal or upgrade begins the day you earned that tier. Using your example, you would only be Plat for 1 year and not 2. You would have to at least earned Plat first and then once you earn it, put in another 50K TP.

Using your same example. if you earned Gold today, then your 365 rolling day earning period would begin. If you put in 20k today, and then tomorrow you put in another 30k, you would get Plat but also establish a new anniversary date. Your new earned Plat tier would then expire in 365 days unless you earn another 50K. So if you put in another 50k on day 3, then you would maintain it for 2 years minus the 1-2 days.

If you start from bottom Sterling to Gold then to Plat, you're anniversary date will change each time you reached a higher tier. Vice versa, if you're Plat and don't maintain status for the next 2-3 years after, your anniversary date remains the same. That's my understanding of it unless I'm misunderstanding what you're stating.

Either way, I'm sure we both can agree Cosmo Identity earning year is probably the most confusing. I see many people confused or complaining about it on a lot of the gaming forums. Also, I would imagine it produces a lot more visits or emails to the Identity desk to find out your anniversary date/expiration. I remember Cosmo site used to show it but it disappeared for a while now. They should just change it to calendar year like everyone else. After the longest, even MLife is going to calendar year now starting next year.

tai4de2

The way I understood it (possibly incorrectly) is as follows, assuming advance from Sterling to Gold on 7/15/2021:

My anniversary date is 7/15. In the absence of any other tier advancement/qualification, etc. Gold status runs through 7/14/2022.

1. If I earn 20k more tier points on or before 7/14/2022, my Gold status is extended through 7/14/2023.
2. If I earn 10k more tier points on top of the 20k, my anniversary date changes and Platinum runs for 365 days from them. So, if I hit Platinum on e.g. 10/1/2021, I'd be Platinum through 9/30/2022.

If my understanding of 1 is correct, then it seems like I'm being penalized for advancing tiers.
Or is my understanding incorrect?

gengar

Identity uses a continuously rolling qualification year - there is no such thing in Identity as a separate renewal year from qualification year, or such a thing as an anniversary date.

Again, there is no such thing in Identity as an "anniversary date". Identity uses a 365-day continuously rolling period. There is no "renewal period", so you cannot "extend" Gold by another full year just by earning 20k tier points the day after you achieved Gold by earning 20k tier points.

To use as an example: If status lasts 365 days, and you achieve Gold on day 1 by earning 20k TPs, then earn 20k TPs on day 2, you "lose" the first 20k TPs on day 366 and the second 20k TPs on day 367. You would still lose Gold on day 367.

gengar

Rereading the posts, I think we're conflating two issues here:
1. Do you get a whole, "no-matter-what" year upon qualifying, similar to other frequent flyer / hotel loyalty programs <- I thought this was true for Identity, but it's not in the FAQs or T&C's - sorry if this was incorrect information
2. Is there a renewal or qualification period with anniversary date for Identity? <-- this is a definite no. I've edited my post above to remove the confusion caused by point 1, to emphasize point 2.

Bjayjay81

Does room charging make any difference in the likelihood of points being correctly accounted for? Or is it the same receipt tracking game as when you pay at individual venues and have your Identity card swiped?

tai4de2

Now that I'm (almost) finished with reservations I originally made through Marriott, I've started charging to my room some of the time. My experience has been that there is no need to play the receipt tracking game when charging to the room; assuming a charge shows up correctly on the room folio, it will get Identity points correctly.

As a pleasant surprise, I'm also finding that Identity points show up within 24 hours of checkout (all of them -- for room and incidentals).

gengar

Charging to the room has always gotten the points credited IME. I actually never present my card at the venues anymore. I just assume I will have to send the receipt in after.