Originally Posted by sggolf (Post 29944891)

That is what happened to my cert that I exchanged earlier this year. Mine shows up as:

7 Night Partial Package Category 1-5 Hotels
XX/XX/2018, Ordered -45,000 Rewards

Originally Posted by DelAbbot (Post 29944852)

Description: 7 Night Partial Package Category 1-5 Hotels
Reward code: P830
Valid through: Saturday, July 6, 2019
Total points redeemed: 45,000

Originally Posted by DelAbbot (Post 29944958)

Then that means the strategy for extended 7-night certificate is we must attach it to a booking by Aug 1. Otherwise it is worth the worst case value of 45,000. That is what the certificate says it is equivalent to 45,000 Marriott points.

Originally Posted by lexdevil (Post 29945025)

The real questions are:

1. Will the unattached certificates be converted to new certificates or points?
2. At what rate?
3. If they are converted to new certificates, will they be upgradeable for additional points?
4. If they are converted to new certificates, will elites still be able to get extensions?

#1 and #2 are mysteries. My guess is that #3 is a yes. It's hard to imagine why Marriott would not want folks to burn additional points. The justification remains the same in the new program as it has been in the old program. #4 is a mystery too. Nothing in the new program gives Marriott a reason to change this, but if they are looking for an excuse to stop allowing extensions, the advent of the new program is a convenient excuse.

Originally Posted by lexdevil (Post 29945025)

Not necessarily. That is the refund rate they have always given when you choose to return rather than use a Travel Package certificate. We still have no idea whether they will force a surrender and refund at this rate for certificates that remain unattached when the new system goes into effect.

My guess is that this is not what they will do because there has been no notice. After all, have any of those who have redeemed Travel Packages over the last month been warned that they must attach the certificate to avoid its being cancelled and refunded at a poor rate? Given that there is nothing about forced cancellation prior to expiry in the terms and conditions, it would be grossly unfair for them to do this.

The real questions are:

1. Will the unattached certificates be converted to new certificates or points?
2. At what rate?
3. If they are converted to new certificates, will they be upgradeable for additional points?
4. If they are converted to new certificates, will elites still be able to get extensions?

#1 and #2 are mysteries. My guess is that #3 is a yes. It's hard to imagine why Marriott would not want folks to burn additional points. The justification remains the same in the new program as it has been in the old program. #4 is a mystery too. Nothing in the new program gives Marriott a reason to change this, but if they are looking for an excuse to stop allowing extensions, the advent of the new program is a convenient excuse.

Originally Posted by Flying for Fun (Post 29939653)

While [MENTION=22296]Happy[/MENTION] says no, and I follow his reasoning [MENTION=850794]Flying for Fun[/MENTION] has a different viewpoint for consideration. Now, a 270K TP will get you 120K Airline miles for AA or AS and a Cat 1-5 7-day hotel certificate. Post August 1st 270K MR will get you 110K (no bonus for the additional 30K MR, only 5K bonus Airline Miles on multiples of 60K MR) and that is it!

We all believe that AS is overdue for a devaluation on partner awards, AA may be more stable over your 2 year window. However I don't believe after any AS devaluation you would be worse off than AA. Furthermore, AS does allow for stopovers on one-way awards and has some pretty sweet short haul awards starting at 5K. With 120K from a TP now you could take 24 one-way trips between SEA-SFO; 12 returns or a family of 4 round-trip 3 times.

Since you have many MR points I would buy a TP for 270K for 120K AS miles and the 7 day certificate. At a minimum you will have an additional 10K AS miles for the same amount of MR Points even if you throw the certificate away. But then again, maybe a family long-weekend getaway and a few free days in a hotel might fit the plans.

I know a lot of people are going to be making award reservations at the 60K level for future New Category 8 properties. I won't be one of them. These properties are generally more expensive to get to, expensive for food & beverage, transportation etc; often without alternatives. 5 nights for 240K (5th night free), while a steal is still 100K Alaska Miles post August 1st which is a return CX J flight from North America and SE Asia at current rates. For myself, I find more value in that.

James

Originally Posted by lexdevil (Post 29945025)

3. If they are converted to new certificates, will they be upgradeable for additional points?

Originally Posted by khlay (Post 29945179)

The problem for upgrade is the rate. Based on new chart or old one? For example, old cat 7 to tier 1-3 will cost 90k but will be 120k for new cat 5 to cat 6

Originally Posted by nexusCFX (Post 29945111)

The real question for me is whether or not a potential point certificate has a restriction to 7 nights. If I had an existing Cat8 cert and it was going to turn into a 240k point cert I would rather use it to book 5 nights at St. Regis Osaka in August than use it to book 7 nights at the Marriott Osaka right now.

Originally Posted by lexdevil (Post 29945241)

I too would love that flexibility, but I think it is highly unlikely. I assume that Marriott will convert unattached certificates into whatever the new certificates are. I can't imagine them going to the trouble to create an entirely new type of certificate that will only be good for the transition year. That seems like a lot of work for no benefit to Marriott.

It's going to be hard enough for folks to master the details of the new program. Why would Marriott want to add another confusing wrinkle to it?

Originally Posted by khlay (Post 29945179)

The problem for upgrade is the rate. Based on new chart or old one? For example, old cat 7 to tier 1-3 will cost 90k but will be 120k for new cat 5 to cat 6

Originally Posted by DelAbbot (Post 29944852)

I just got screwed by Marriott Rewards. I asked for an 1-year extension of my 7-night cat 1-5 certificate. The Marriott Rewards rep went head and cancelled my existing 7-night cat 1-5 certificate (code 830T) without informing me and gave me

Description: 7 Night Partial Package Category 1-5 Hotels
Reward code: P830
Valid through: Saturday, July 6, 2019
Total points redeemed: 45,000
...
This effectively crushed the value of my 7-night cat1-5 certificate to the lowest refund value of 45,000.

Originally Posted by lincoln boy (Post 29945525)

According to The Points Guy, "There’s one last small adjustment to the personal Marriott cards. The old Marriott Rewards Premier Card, which is no longer open for applications, also comes with an annual free night award at any Category 1-5 Marriott. Starting in August, instead of being category-based, that award will be limited to properties that cost 25,000 points"

So does this infer that the floating certificate of the travel package is most likely converted to the equivalent points? For example, 7 nights at category 1~5 may likely give you 150k (25k x 6). What do you guys think?