I don't think they will do the point conversion... I think it will get extended for another 6 months from when it expires just like the original ones.. Then all the new certificates will be points.

Did I miss something? Wouldn't it be 90k SPG?

I'm guessing craigthemif included the 45k refund on the certificate (15k spg).

So I am curious about T & P packages at Any Marriott Property, Any Where in the world. What is the best way to maximize this program given you have airfare and hotels up to category 8? What T & P packages have been the readers most enjoyable experiences at any type of destination. I am looking to utilize a T & P package in 2019 and want to get it assigned to a room prior to July 31 but am having a real hard time deciding where in the world we want to use it. Looking for suggestions on people having used a T & P Package and loved their choices.

It's 75k if Marriott gives 45k MR points (15K SPG) back for each TP Cat 1-5 cert.

Are we all overthinking this........... I imagine they just move the hotel certificate down a category or two in the new system and provide a grace period for those hotels that tracked to a new category while your certificate went in the opposite direction. 13 categories down to 8 with some winners and some losers..... Converting the certificate to points may be an option but no way would they do that across the board it would create unhappy members or cost Marriott too many points....

Ah, got it.

I just finished a Cat 5 stay last week that would have been about $1200 paid. Not the sexiest award nor one where I chased max value-per-point - it was a trip more out of necessity than fun - but I would definitely seek to use the hotel portion as opposed to redepositing it.

This was the original thinking. I believe SPG Lurker's comments are the most official info we have but that's pretty vague itself but it does suggest that they'll be converted to points themselves. He could have easily said "certificates of equivalent points" but chose not to. At the same time, it's vague enough to leave some wiggle room and I just don't think we know for sure either way.

Can someone point me in the direction of SPG Lurker's comments? Thanks!

Certs can be downgraded for the difference in points right? Ie: If I buy a cat 6 cert I can move it to a cat 1-5 cert and be refunded 30k marriott?

I will more than likely have a long stay in a cat 6 in March, but am wondering what the new mappings will be (courtyard marriott miami downtown/brickell). I'm thinking about getting the cat 6 cert now, attaching to the reservation, and then once we find out more about the certs/hotel mappings in July decide what makes best sense.

From the wiki on this thread.

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

That is an interesting read and I'm going to assume we have a few people playing the long game on this and they will have multiple floats. If I had the points I'd dump a few million in..... No way they cancel and give you 45k when you have a piece of paper that says seven night stay....... 5th night free at 150k current so what is the equivalent? On the flip side SPG Lurker may be misinformed....

It seems the most obvious and fairest solution would have been to convert the certs to whatever new category best matches the old one, in terms of which hotels it would be valid for. The mapping wouldn't be perfect, but probably you could get fairly close, some small percentage of hotels that you're now short for, and a similar number of hotels that were above the category before but are now within it. But assuming William's answer is valid, they've decided not to do this for whatever reason.

So that really leaves only two possibilities. Convert to enough points to redeem a 7 night stay in the aforementioned approximately-mapped category, or convert to less. If they convert to less, the existing voluntary return level (e.g. 45K for the cat 5) seems most likely.

But if they convert for less, that would incur the ire of those who hold the floater certs, especially those who actually planned to redeem for a stay at property in that category in the program. Imagine the non-Flyertalker who redeems this month for the promise of a 7 night stay reservable for a year, only to be told 6 weeks later that all of a sudden, that cert is cancelled and to actually book that stay, you need to come up with over 100K more points.

So my hunch is that they'll cash out at full value (150K for cat5, etc.). But as others have pointed out, this presents a huge valuable opportunity to do a straight conversion of MR points 1:1 to much more valuable air miles. So if I'm right, there's no way there will be any advance notice of this. The disclosure of the value of the floater certs won't come until after it is no longer possible to redeem for the old travel packages, it can't. Most likely that's August when the new program launches, but I suppose it could come earlier, if MR is ok having some interim weeks when neither old now new travel packages are available.

For those hoping for the chance at a bargain MR to mile conversion, do you take that risk? I'm undecided but tempted.

You can remain optimistic but the FACT remains Marriott has steadfastly REFUSED to give any answer on the repeated questions about how the point conversion would be calculated. Wouldn't tell you something that your gamble may not pay off at all?

SPG Lurker is THE ONLY SOURCE that we can get ANY OFFICIAL Information from Marriott. You should READ a lot more (and carefully) that Williams has said very early on, ANY of his comments has to be read and approved by the Marriott Loyalty Team before it can be posted.

Based on the fact that you are not aware where to get the official information thru the only (and unusual channel) until now, you may want to get up to speed versus wishful thinking / speculation on what might happen.

The FACT is, SPG Lurker is the "voice" Marriott chose, to give out official answers. He cannot give out any info that is not approved by Marriott Loyalty Team and he definitely is the one most informed, outside Marriott Loyal Team itself.

They dont care if you are mad. The way that they choose to communicate this issue and remain so vague despite REPEATED questions from the members, should give you people enough hint to think about - all of the same certs / 150K pts conversion have slim to none chance to happen.

If they really care about the fairness to the members who hold the floater certs, they would have announced the conversion mechanism by now, as the questions raided were back in Late April - we are in late June now - 2 months gone by and there is no answer.

On top of that, Marriott has said it would provide new hotel category charts effective Aug 1st, sometime in June - even leaked out some examples - again we are in late June already - where is the new chart information? Nada!

I am surprised after 2 months have gone by there are still folks seemingly have no idea of what is going on and there are still folks have all the wishful thinking on the conversion.

Those who speculate the 45K pts refund thus exchanged SPG pts to miles at a somewhat bargain rate, would most likely be on the target. Anything above that seems to be very wishful thinking at this stage of the "game".

For those who really want to use the hotel certs instead of getting point refunds, the most prudent way is to attach the cert to a hotel stay as far in the future as possible, so no floater cert subj to involuntary conversion.