This fits Marriott's appetite to raise the category level for any popular spot. We'll have to find value at some remote places. Mainly overseas.

Just add my experience. Had an old cat 1-5 TP expiring. Phoned the UK line on 4 -5 occasions with different operators and followed the wiki advice, but all advised it was not possible to convert the old TP to anything other than a new cat 1-4. gave up as the TP would have expired. Now stuck with a TP I have very little use for.

Are you trying to convert it to 1 category up? Which means to the NC CAT 5?
Why not just convert it to a NC CAT 4 first? At least you get a 1 year extension to live another few more months to call in to get it upgraded eventually.
From what I understood, you need to pay extra points to upgrade the cert CAT, you can't get it for free now. You might be EXTREMELY lucky, but I think most reps have manuals and SOP in place now that they can't just wing it for you like before.

I wouldn't say the cert is wasted, there is a whole other pool of SPG properties that are introduced to the CAT 4 list.
You don't need to stay all 7 nights to get your money worth. TBH staying just 2-3 nights in a CAT 4 hotel will already exceed the 50k points already, which is what the original cert costs (45k) anyway, it's just not an outsized value.
So book for a quick staycation or something!

Marriott 5n Cat-5 certificate
 

I read a post where a it was stated that the FF had a Marriott 5 night, category 5 certificate. I have been Platinum and now Titanium and have never received such a certificate. How does one earn it? My credit cards only offer 1 night.

The 5 night certs are a benefit for Marriott Vacation owners. Non-owners can get a similar 7 night certificate.

https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/red...el/packages.mi

Unfortunately, you're late to the game. The packages were an awesome redemption until Aug 18. Now not so much. :(

I tried and failed to get my OC5 to a NC5 yesterday, first 2 calls I just HUCA, the third call was cut off when they were investigating the possibility to convert and apply it to my 7 night points advance reservation in a NC5 hotel.
The 4th person put me on hold as soon as I said that I wanted to convert it, then returned to confirmed that I now had a NC4. When I claimed that I needed a NC5 they told me that it wasn't possible. They seem to have had some new training with a conversion grid that they cannot deviate from.
Not a big issue as the voucher was going to expire, was just hopefull to be able to use it in somewhere interesting in Japan.

I have spent a few hours this trying to catch up with things - I have missed everything for months, mainly due to an extended illness. I want to do a check now and see whether or not I am getting a correct understanding of things, I'd greatly appreciate it if someone would let me know if these interpretations are right or wrong, and correct them if you can:

I have three 7-night travel packages booked late summer 2018 under the old system - two cat. 9 and 1 cat. 5. Each is attached to a reservation, most likely I will not be able to use them. I also have several reservations booked as backups last summer.

1. My understanding is that I should be able to change the attachment to another reservation booked last year as Marriott Bonvoy has continued the policy that such reservations can be grandfathered at the rate in effect at the time it was booked.

2. If I want to use, for example, an Old Cat. 9 certificate next year instead of this year, I need to detach the certificate before the reservation cancel by date or 15 days before arrival (whichever comes first). If I want to maximize the extension of the expiration date, I should wait however to a few days before it's current expiration date to request its conversion to a new category 6 cert.

3. One of the properties I booked with the old TP was Mauna Kea Beach, which remains until now a Cat. 6 property. So I think I could still get an award booking next summer after I have converted the TP - or is that only possible in off-peak pricing?

4. It looks like we're pretty screwed if we can't use the TP this year or next - the points back from cancelling them are pretty trivial - and even more trivial I have read somewhere if canceled once converted to a new TP. By my logic, if I can't use one of the 3, the best thing to do would be to cancel the lowest cost one I have (old Cat. 5) and at least get 45k points back, not much, but better than nothing.

5. It's a minefield trying to make conversions / changes over the phone. It seems to have been thought that experiences were generally better with UK customer service, although reading recent posts seems to indicate that it won't necessarily make a difference.

Converting your OC9 to NC6 and OC5 to NC4 is fairly easy through the UK call centre.
Attaching them to a hotel that has gone up to a higher category that you had booked before will likely be very difficult though. You will need someone who understands that Marriott's policy is to honour the original price and has the knowledge to be able to do it. They will have to manually credit you the points difference, cancel your existing cert, order the higher cat one and attach it to the booking.

You are right in that you get a fresh one year expiry from when you convert the OC to the NC. It has also been reported a few times on here that agents have allowed a one year extension on NCs. Potentially that gives you at least 2 years to use your certs.

@GrizShel and to anyone needs to attach a cert to existing point advance booking on hotels have gone up in category -

Read this, the instruction is given by Marriott twitter team. There is an internal memo out with a specific number. Tell agent to read that document if you encounter push back, according to BonVoy twitter team.

https://travelupdate.boardingarea.co...-reservations/

Thank you Happy and potm for your helpful insights!

GrizShel While your understanding seems solid, be prepared for the unexpected!

Despite reading several posts where old certificates were detached from existing reservations and successfully redeposited in their account for conversion at a later date to a new TP, that was not my experience.

I had 2 OTPs, ordered last summer, each attached to an reservation that expired last December. Each time I called to detach a certificate and have it redeposited in my account, "something" (that was never explained) happened and the agent was forced to perform the conversion at the time of detachment. While both were given an expiration date a year after the detachment/conversion date, that premature conversion cost me more than 6 months validity.

Hopefully, you'll have better luck but just be prepared that possibility.

Also, when reattaching the new certificate, keep a close eye on your points balance and have the agent repeatedly confirm the cost/terms of the new reservation.

I called to attach one of my now converted Cat6 TPs to a new Cat6 reservation. Simple enough? Of course not! This time, another "unexplained something" happened and the new reservation was showing I owed 5,000 points in addition to the Cat6 certificate? I asked the agent why I owed an extra 5,000 points? She had no idea why it showed me owing points, put my on hold and came back to tell me that neither she or her supervisor could figure what was going on.

Luckily, instead of opening a case, and having to suffer through a prolonged investigation, the supervisor told the agent to deposit 5,000 points in my account to cover the added points charge.

Good luck and just expect the unexpected.

two weeks ago i used the online form to ask for a reservation to be cancelled and a certificate to be reissued and points refunded. I still have not heard from them except for the automatic reply that they got the request. what should i do now I called once and the person said I would get a cat 1-4 certificate and lose the 30k points i paid extra. it is an old cat 6 7 days certificate I have two more weeks before I can no longer cancel the reservation since i need to cancel 1 month before the reservation.

Thanks NImitz

Did you read the Wiki that is at the top of the thread? Or even just a few posts before yours? Specifically posts 1598, 1599 and 1602? You should be able to know what to do if you read those posts first.

If you access this site using cell phone app, change the setting to Desktop else you would not see the Wiki.
Read the Wiki first.

I m trying to upgrade OC6 to NC5 (should require 30k additional points). Keep getting told only NC4 possible (with refund of 30k) ...