Feb 25, 22, 8:38 am
Last edit by: beltway
*** It seems the Free Night Certificate + Points "top-off" redemption went live on April 29 or 30th 2022 - Discussions here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...on-thread.html ***
Starting March 29, our new flexible point redemption rates will go into effect. That means free nights will align more closely with nightly rates and availability. For stay dates in 2022, you can expect that nearly all of our hotels will have the same minimum and maximum number of points required for redemption — similarly to how they were previously categorized.
All the ways you earn points will not change — you’ll just have more flexibility when you’re ready to redeem.
Plus, starting at the end of April, you can combine your Free Night Award with up to 15,000 points to access more hotels you’ll love.
Our current redemption process will remain in place through March 28. After that, you will not see hotel categories (1–8) or redemption rates classified as Off-Peak, Standard, or Peak. At the same time, as part of our yearly redemption assessment process (similar to our annual category changes in previous years), the minimum point redemption rates will increase for approximately 200 hotels on March 29 — that’s less than 3% of all hotels. You can explore this list of hotels and decide when and where to maximize your free nights.
With our flexible cancellation policy, you can reserve your redemption stay and still modify your reservation if you find a lower rate in the future.
Want to learn more? Check out all our flexible point redemption rates FAQs.
Starting March 29, our new flexible point redemption rates will go into effect. That means free nights will align more closely with nightly rates and availability. For stay dates in 2022, you can expect that nearly all of our hotels will have the same minimum and maximum number of points required for redemption — similarly to how they were previously categorized.
All the ways you earn points will not change — you’ll just have more flexibility when you’re ready to redeem.
Plus, starting at the end of April, you can combine your Free Night Award with up to 15,000 points to access more hotels you’ll love.
Our current redemption process will remain in place through March 28. After that, you will not see hotel categories (1–8) or redemption rates classified as Off-Peak, Standard, or Peak. At the same time, as part of our yearly redemption assessment process (similar to our annual category changes in previous years), the minimum point redemption rates will increase for approximately 200 hotels on March 29 — that’s less than 3% of all hotels. You can explore this list of hotels and decide when and where to maximize your free nights.
With our flexible cancellation policy, you can reserve your redemption stay and still modify your reservation if you find a lower rate in the future.
Want to learn more? Check out all our flexible point redemption rates FAQs.
29 Mar 2022 : Introduction of Dynamic award pricing and removal of award chart
Mar 24, 23, 4:17 am
#691
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: UAMP S, TK M&S E (*G), Marriott LTP, IHG P, SK EBG
Posts: 9,977
I did the same last May too. 16.5k per night at Surrey Sheraton and cash price was 275++ so the total cost would end up like $320 or so (taxes don't give you points). Biggest bang for the bucks.
Mar 24, 23, 6:11 am
#692
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 79
Mar 24, 23, 8:56 am
#693
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC (LGA, JFK), CT
Programs: Delta Diamond, American Gold, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond,
Posts: 4,285
Points increases are obviously a shame, but cash prices in some areas are so crazy. I spent 60K on an upcoming booking for the Vancouver Marriott because cash prices were close to 570 USD (just like everything else in Vancouver in June). Regardless, I'm excited to visit the city almost a year after my first visit (which was the first city I visited outside of the US)!
Mar 24, 23, 11:36 am
#694
Join Date: Mar 2023
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 27
I just stayed at Mpxy Miami South beach in mid Feb for 40K points a night. Cash rates were about $500. I was happy with this.
Mar 25, 23, 11:41 am
#696
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: FLG
Programs: UA Platinum, Marriott Titanium, AA Platinum, IHG PlatInum
Posts: 88
Who decides how many points it costs at each hotel for a free night?
Who decides how many points it costs for a free night? Marriott or the individual hotel? Back when there was a redemption chart, the answer was always Marriott. But now with dynamic pricing, this is a valid question. The purpose of the question is to know who I should be angry at!
I was trying to use to use points advance before it goes away and made a reservation on March 8th for a 10 day stay at the AC Marriott in downtown Tucson, AZ, in late October. At the time, I had 127k points and I needed 239k. I had the option to transfer points from my wife’s account (she had 23k), Chase Sapphire still had their deal for a 50% bonus for transfers to Marriott (I had 44k points so that would be a 66k point transfer) and I had 41k points coming to me when my Amex Bonvoy card would post points. That would’ve brought me to 257k points by today (March 25th), which I felt was a safe buffer for any potential increase in points in the 18 days it would take me to collect all those points. I kept track of the reservation and saw that the points required were creeping up (it was at 241k just a few days after I made the booking and 247k about 4 days ago). When I confirmed this morning that I had the 257k points in place, I went into my account to redeem the points, only to find out than in the last 4 days the points needed jumped up by 20k, so I now needed 267k points to complete the booking! I ended up buying the 10k points right away, since at that rate, who knows how many I’d need by the time I organically earned those extra 10k points. Thankfully there was a 25% discount on the point, so it was only a slightly outrageous purchase!
Am I being unreasonably upset for a 28k redemption increase in 18 days for a reservation at the end of October? This is an AC Marriott after all, not the JW Marriott resort a few miles away!
Btw, before someone jumps at me for transferring UR points to Marriott and that not being an optimal transfer, just know that I had no other use for those points and they were more valuable to me to use for that reservation. FWIW, the lowest refundable price for a paid stay for the same days is $3700, so an almost 1.4c/point redemption is not too bad in my book. There were some cheaper options around Tucson (both in points and money), but the AC Downtown was the most convenient location for our plans.
I was trying to use to use points advance before it goes away and made a reservation on March 8th for a 10 day stay at the AC Marriott in downtown Tucson, AZ, in late October. At the time, I had 127k points and I needed 239k. I had the option to transfer points from my wife’s account (she had 23k), Chase Sapphire still had their deal for a 50% bonus for transfers to Marriott (I had 44k points so that would be a 66k point transfer) and I had 41k points coming to me when my Amex Bonvoy card would post points. That would’ve brought me to 257k points by today (March 25th), which I felt was a safe buffer for any potential increase in points in the 18 days it would take me to collect all those points. I kept track of the reservation and saw that the points required were creeping up (it was at 241k just a few days after I made the booking and 247k about 4 days ago). When I confirmed this morning that I had the 257k points in place, I went into my account to redeem the points, only to find out than in the last 4 days the points needed jumped up by 20k, so I now needed 267k points to complete the booking! I ended up buying the 10k points right away, since at that rate, who knows how many I’d need by the time I organically earned those extra 10k points. Thankfully there was a 25% discount on the point, so it was only a slightly outrageous purchase!
Am I being unreasonably upset for a 28k redemption increase in 18 days for a reservation at the end of October? This is an AC Marriott after all, not the JW Marriott resort a few miles away!
Btw, before someone jumps at me for transferring UR points to Marriott and that not being an optimal transfer, just know that I had no other use for those points and they were more valuable to me to use for that reservation. FWIW, the lowest refundable price for a paid stay for the same days is $3700, so an almost 1.4c/point redemption is not too bad in my book. There were some cheaper options around Tucson (both in points and money), but the AC Downtown was the most convenient location for our plans.
Mar 25, 23, 11:55 am
#697
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1K 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Ti, LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 53,501
Btw, if you'd waited, there's a very good chance that at some point the price would have gone back down. One of the features of dynamic pricing is frequent swings in redemption rates. Keep watching and if the price goes down you can rebook and get points refunded. Many of us have gotten multiple points refunds on a single reservation as the price progressively drops.
Mar 25, 23, 7:59 pm
#698
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: FLG
Programs: UA Platinum, Marriott Titanium, AA Platinum, IHG PlatInum
Posts: 88
Marriott sets redemption rates.
There's really no such thing. This is always a risk, even when there's only a one day lag, let alone an 18 day lag.
Btw, if you'd waited, there's a very good chance that at some point the price would have gone back down. One of the features of dynamic pricing is frequent swings in redemption rates. Keep watching and if the price goes down you can rebook and get points refunded. Many of us have gotten multiple points refunds on a single reservation as the price progressively drops.
There's really no such thing. This is always a risk, even when there's only a one day lag, let alone an 18 day lag.
Btw, if you'd waited, there's a very good chance that at some point the price would have gone back down. One of the features of dynamic pricing is frequent swings in redemption rates. Keep watching and if the price goes down you can rebook and get points refunded. Many of us have gotten multiple points refunds on a single reservation as the price progressively drops.
I am aware that the rates can come down, as it’s happened to me before (strangely enough on a redemption in the Maldives!). But with the last round of changes to the points advance program, you have 60 days from booking to redeem the points, and if they’re not in your account at the 60-day mark, they cancel the reservation. But I’ll definitely be checking often between now and then to get point refunds.
Mar 25, 23, 9:04 pm
#699
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Silver, DL Silver, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,241
That’s strange (to me at least) that Marriott would set the points. I always assumed the dynamic pricing was all about the hotels wanting to be able to charge as many points as they wanted, hence why I thought it might’ve been the hotels setting the redemption amounts.
I am aware that the rates can come down, as it’s happened to me before (strangely enough on a redemption in the Maldives!). But with the last round of changes to the points advance program, you have 60 days from booking to redeem the points, and if they’re not in your account at the 60-day mark, they cancel the reservation. But I’ll definitely be checking often between now and then to get point refunds.
I am aware that the rates can come down, as it’s happened to me before (strangely enough on a redemption in the Maldives!). But with the last round of changes to the points advance program, you have 60 days from booking to redeem the points, and if they’re not in your account at the 60-day mark, they cancel the reservation. But I’ll definitely be checking often between now and then to get point refunds.
Mar 26, 23, 8:13 am
#700
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1K 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Ti, LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 53,501
That’s strange (to me at least) that Marriott would set the points. I always assumed the dynamic pricing was all about the hotels wanting to be able to charge as many points as they wanted, hence why I thought it might’ve been the hotels setting the redemption amounts.
Mar 26, 23, 8:27 am
#701
Join Date: Feb 2020
Programs: British Airways Executive Club Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,472
Marriott sets redemption rates.
There's really no such thing. This is always a risk, even when there's only a one day lag, let alone an 18 day lag.
Btw, if you'd waited, there's a very good chance that at some point the price would have gone back down. One of the features of dynamic pricing is frequent swings in redemption rates. Keep watching and if the price goes down you can rebook and get points refunded. Many of us have gotten multiple points refunds on a single reservation as the price progressively drops.
There's really no such thing. This is always a risk, even when there's only a one day lag, let alone an 18 day lag.
Btw, if you'd waited, there's a very good chance that at some point the price would have gone back down. One of the features of dynamic pricing is frequent swings in redemption rates. Keep watching and if the price goes down you can rebook and get points refunded. Many of us have gotten multiple points refunds on a single reservation as the price progressively drops.
Mar 26, 23, 8:32 am
#702
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Plat Pro; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 7,625
Who decides how many points it costs for a free night? Marriott or the individual hotel? Back when there was a redemption chart, the answer was always Marriott. But now with dynamic pricing, this is a valid question. The purpose of the question is to know who I should be angry at!
I was trying to use to use points advance before it goes away and made a reservation on March 8th for a 10 day stay at the AC Marriott in downtown Tucson, AZ, in late October. At the time, I had 127k points and I needed 239k. I had the option to transfer points from my wife’s account (she had 23k), Chase Sapphire still had their deal for a 50% bonus for transfers to Marriott (I had 44k points so that would be a 66k point transfer) and I had 41k points coming to me when my Amex Bonvoy card would post points. That would’ve brought me to 257k points by today (March 25th), which I felt was a safe buffer for any potential increase in points in the 18 days it would take me to collect all those points. I kept track of the reservation and saw that the points required were creeping up (it was at 241k just a few days after I made the booking and 247k about 4 days ago). When I confirmed this morning that I had the 257k points in place, I went into my account to redeem the points, only to find out than in the last 4 days the points needed jumped up by 20k, so I now needed 267k points to complete the booking! I ended up buying the 10k points right away, since at that rate, who knows how many I’d need by the time I organically earned those extra 10k points. Thankfully there was a 25% discount on the point, so it was only a slightly outrageous purchase!
Am I being unreasonably upset for a 28k redemption increase in 18 days for a reservation at the end of October? This is an AC Marriott after all, not the JW Marriott resort a few miles away!
Btw, before someone jumps at me for transferring UR points to Marriott and that not being an optimal transfer, just know that I had no other use for those points and they were more valuable to me to use for that reservation. FWIW, the lowest refundable price for a paid stay for the same days is $3700, so an almost 1.4c/point redemption is not too bad in my book. There were some cheaper options around Tucson (both in points and money), but the AC Downtown was the most convenient location for our plans.
I was trying to use to use points advance before it goes away and made a reservation on March 8th for a 10 day stay at the AC Marriott in downtown Tucson, AZ, in late October. At the time, I had 127k points and I needed 239k. I had the option to transfer points from my wife’s account (she had 23k), Chase Sapphire still had their deal for a 50% bonus for transfers to Marriott (I had 44k points so that would be a 66k point transfer) and I had 41k points coming to me when my Amex Bonvoy card would post points. That would’ve brought me to 257k points by today (March 25th), which I felt was a safe buffer for any potential increase in points in the 18 days it would take me to collect all those points. I kept track of the reservation and saw that the points required were creeping up (it was at 241k just a few days after I made the booking and 247k about 4 days ago). When I confirmed this morning that I had the 257k points in place, I went into my account to redeem the points, only to find out than in the last 4 days the points needed jumped up by 20k, so I now needed 267k points to complete the booking! I ended up buying the 10k points right away, since at that rate, who knows how many I’d need by the time I organically earned those extra 10k points. Thankfully there was a 25% discount on the point, so it was only a slightly outrageous purchase!
Am I being unreasonably upset for a 28k redemption increase in 18 days for a reservation at the end of October? This is an AC Marriott after all, not the JW Marriott resort a few miles away!
Btw, before someone jumps at me for transferring UR points to Marriott and that not being an optimal transfer, just know that I had no other use for those points and they were more valuable to me to use for that reservation. FWIW, the lowest refundable price for a paid stay for the same days is $3700, so an almost 1.4c/point redemption is not too bad in my book. There were some cheaper options around Tucson (both in points and money), but the AC Downtown was the most convenient location for our plans.
Mar 26, 23, 8:35 am
#703
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Plat Pro; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 7,625
I have no problem getting value out of the 35k certs. Burned last one at CY King Kamehaha Kona + 6k additional points. The room was going for over $500/night.
They're generally not useful for aspirational redemptions, but if you're a frequent traveler, it's not at all hard to burn them for well over 1 cpp (i.e., $350+ value). Considering the $95 annual fee, that's not bad.
They're generally not useful for aspirational redemptions, but if you're a frequent traveler, it's not at all hard to burn them for well over 1 cpp (i.e., $350+ value). Considering the $95 annual fee, that's not bad.
not sure I’ll get to use my 85k where I would like to though.
Mar 26, 23, 8:37 am
#704
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond (Aspire), Hyatt Globalist (expiring), AA Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 3,187
It's interesting how market-specific everything is. I was booking 5 weeks of stays earlier today and managed to whittle down 240K points in the process (I currently only have 623 points - the lowest I have ever been). There wasn't a single strong points redemption in Hong Kong, but Singapore, Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney (especially Brisbane) all had redemptions over 1 cent per point.
Mar 26, 23, 8:45 am
#705
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Marriott, United, Jetblue
Posts: 94
During their original statement over a year ago Marriott only locked in those bands for 97% of their properties so we knew lifting of these ceilings was coming in 2023 with a slow roll out of dynamic pricing. No surprise.
What is a shock is that reward inventory seems to be more difficult to find at aspirational properties.
Finding a 5 day redemptions in peak season has become a challenge in many markets. Feel like I am going to waste a lot of my time searching going forward.
What is a shock is that reward inventory seems to be more difficult to find at aspirational properties.
Finding a 5 day redemptions in peak season has become a challenge in many markets. Feel like I am going to waste a lot of my time searching going forward.
