MasterGeek

What are the advantages of NOT combining accounts ?

How about keeping them separate so that each of them can get linked to a separate Chase/AMEX Marriott/SPG card and get 15 elite nights and anniversary night on each account then combine when the time is right, as in NEXT year when it will be harder to qualify for Platinum status due the disappearance of rollover and 10-elite nights benefit per booked event/meeting benefit ?

RogerD408

While this might sound enticing, you do run the risk that an audit may cause the nights over 15 (program limit) to be cancelled and that could be at a time where you have no option to recover. And Marriott may decide they no longer wish to have you as a member. Is it really worth the risk? Only you can decide.

Personally, I'm holding off combining accounts waiting for more issues to be resolved and what changes they will release that may be important to me. I am only a few nights away from LTP status in both programs and expect to become LTPP once combined.

MasterGeek

I have 'plausible deniability' to argue against account termination by Marriott. I, too, can claim that I wanted to hold off from combining until all glitches are resolved, or that I was encountering errors (could be due to my "outdated" browser or corrupted cookies, who knows :P ) whenever I tried to combine accounts online.

RogerD408

I seriously doubt that will take exception to maintaining the separate accounts for now. But milking the other means to earn credit you stated that would not be available to a single account might trigger an account review and clawing back such credit.

kennycrudup

Huh- I wonder why it's not working for you? FWIW, I just had one one stay last week have the link, and same with this one well before the integration:

GateGuardian

I still can't book SPG hotels after combining my accounts. It keeps on saying it can't find my SPG info. My only option is to make a reservation as guest and call SPG to add my number on. Anyone with or had the same issue and figure out another work around? Because Marriott/SPG doesn't seem to have a solution when I called them about it.

qofmiwok

My concern with this would be that your reservation won't have the member pricing and a lot of people are reporting pricing errors. So without a confirmation showing your price, how do you prove what it should be? SPG can't make the reservation for you if you call?

Also I'd suggest keep calling back and be nice to the reps. I called many times to fix my problems, but I actually feel sorry for them dealing with this horrible system integration. Finally one said "Yes we screwed it up, but the easiest way to fix it is to just give you the 30k points difference into your account." Still, half the time I log in one or more of my reservations are missing. And one I booked with a 7 night travel cert said it was 210,000 points when I booked and now the reservation says 135,000 points, so that makes me nervous. At least the certificate is attached.

PlatinumScum

I have the same issue. There's was a separate thread on it a couple of weeks ago.

Apparently it's a known issue, affecting anyone whose number begins with zero! Of course, there's no ETA for a fix.

(Note that based on my experience at The Westin Governor Morris, there's not much reason to worry about adding your Rewards number to an SPG reservation - unless you like a room by the dumpster that is.)

UA-NYC

YMMV - one night stay last month, they put me in a specialty suite, one of the ones that has a 12 seat conference table

puchong

If one has not merged the accounts yet, are there any advantages / disadvantages to doing it sooner / later? By what date will they forcibly merge the accounts if the member has not done so?

MSPeconomist

RobUAIntl

My new Marriot number also begins with zero. I was able to book SPG reservation on the phone app. Reservation doesn't show on My Trips as first zero was truncated, but just got email saying hotel is looking forward to our stay in a coup lo e of days. Wrote hotel and they corrected my marriott number and my status. Reservation is now showing up in my account. Good luck.

RogerD408

Combining your accounts makes sense if the combined numbers will garner a higher status than either one has currently. Also if you need to pool the points to book a trip coming up soon. And, lastly, if managing two separate accounts is too cumbersome. The T&Cs do state you are only allowed one account in the program, but exception is being made during this transition. Forced combination is not as straightforward as many may assume. Short of matching names, addresses, and telephone numbers, there's no direct tie between accounts. The only deadline I can see them coming up with is a final date to be able to combine ourselves and maybe stop adding the nights together. I would hope they will not drop the points. But this is all speculation at this point as it is more of many things we don't know about the new program, the least of which is what to call it!

xzh445

margarita girl