Old Jul 30, 2016, 4:21 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Slickw
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Legacy to New Travel Package Conversion (effective August 2019)
A Marriott supervisor can currently convert your legacy travel package into the new category mapping. If you hold a Category 6, 8, or Tier 1-3 legacy certificate, it's ideal to downgrade your certificate before converting so that points don't potentially get lost in the process.

The codes for the new partial packages are:
New Cat 1-4: QP83
New Cat 5: QP91
New Cat 6: QP99
New Cat 7:

Originally Posted by Marriott Rewards Insider
Members who purchased a Category 6, Category 8 or Tier 1-3 certificate prior to 8/18 are able to request a one-time exchange for a Travel Package one category lower. This process will cancel your current Travel Package, reissue a Travel Package one category lower and result in a refund of 30,000 points to your account. To submit a request, follow these steps:
  • Select Packages - Deals from the Topic drop down menu
  • Submit your request
As a reminder, status.marriott.com will periodically have additional updates.
Source: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...es-update.html

The legacy certificates map to the new certificates as such:
Cat 1-5 => Cat 1-4
Cat 6 => Cat 1-4
Cat 7 => Cat 5
Cat 8 => Cat 5
Cat 9 => Cat 6
Tier 1-3 => Cat 6
Tier 4-5 => Cat 7
==================================================

If you are unsure where you will use your 7 night stay, when you request the package, just ask for a category 1-5 hotel. That way you are out of the least number of points. If later, you decide to book for a higher level category, then you can do so and pay the difference the travel package points. If you can't use your certificate within the year, then as close to the one year anniversary (without going over!) call to extend the certificate for one more year. That's as long as they will typically allow, one extension. There is an option to expedite the mileage delivery to within three business days (sometimes faster) for $15. There are reports that this fee may be waived for platinum members.

Effective April 1 2017 re: Southwest & the companion pass:

"Purchased points, points converted from hotel and car loyalty programs, and e-Rewards, e-Miles, Valued Opinions and Diners Club, points earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment, tier bonuses, flight bonuses, and partner bonuses (excluding points bonuses earned on the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase) do not count toward Companion Pass."
************
Can I book SPG properties with my Marriott Travel Package? As of 9/1/2018 apparently not. see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30155836-post6529.html
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Marriott Travel Packages

 
Old Jul 28, 2018, 10:26 am
  #4351  
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Originally Posted by sinfonia
I am also struggling with which airlines to choose. Ideally, I would like to use these miles for a LAX-EVN trip (economy) but if no good option, am open to getting miles for something else.

The choices I am looking at for LAX-EVN are 120K miles on Delta (partners with Air France) which has horrendous availability, 85K miles on Air France which has good availability but still only 85K, and the 132K miles on United (partners with LOT Polish and Austrian) which has good availability but I know nothing about how LOT Polish or Austrian are. Any suggestions? Or should I just go with AS for the ability to take another cool trip somewhere with a stopover and leave my LAX-EVN trip out of this?
I flew to EVN last year on Qatar, using AA miles.
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 11:19 am
  #4352  
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Originally Posted by Points Poppa
Except the "travel agent" didn't say anything to you. Have holders of existing unattached travel packages been advised anything?
I am holding 3 and have not been advised yet.
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 11:42 am
  #4353  
 
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Originally Posted by Happy
The certs part is not real time on Marriott site. They will surely disappear after tonight's processing.
Still showing 2 unused certificate. Could they be mistakenly attached one single certificate to two different reservations?
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 12:35 pm
  #4354  
 
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Originally Posted by tth6133
About 2 business days.
Travel Package transfer to AA

So far it has been 4 business days. Is Marriott backup because of the merger, or should I be concerned?
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 12:44 pm
  #4355  
 
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Originally Posted by SanDiego1K
I flew to EVN last year on Qatar, using AA miles.
Ah! I did not realize we could get there via AA. Thank you for the information!!
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 2:27 pm
  #4356  
 
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Originally Posted by Points Poppa
Except the "travel agent" didn't say anything to you. Have holders of existing unattached travel packages been advised anything?
Ummmm, Yes!!! They have, on more than one occasion, encouraged people to attach their "floaters." Some believe it is a guise!!!

Originally Posted by onlysuites
Now same situation. I buy a holiday and a couple weeks later the Travel agent says your flights are still intact but the hotel is only for one night now. I was given the commitment that it was 7 nights and valid for 1 year. They simply can't turn around 2 months later and say here is 1 night instead of your 7.
No, that is not what they are saying!! They are saying that your current hotel voucher is good for a 7 night stay at this list of properties; for maximum benefit you should make your hotel reservation now. You will still be able to make a 7 night reservation after the change but the list of properties you can use it at will be different. If you use your voucher before the changes they will honor your reservation even if it would otherwise not be available to you after the changes.

Look at it this way. You redeem 270K for a TP. 225K is redeemed for Airline FF Miles and 45K is redeemed for a 7 night Cat 1 certificate. However, as an added bonus this special Cat 1 certificate will allow you to make a reservation at any hotel up to and including Category 5. Hence we will refer to it as a Cat 1-5 certificate. Category 1 hotels are 7500 MR per night but we will throw in a 5th night free. 6*7500 MR = 45,000 MR is required for a 7 night stay at a Category 1 property. For maximum benefit you can attach your Cat 1-5 now and take advantage of the "special provision" allowing you to reserve a 7 night stay at any property up to Category 5 until August 18th. If you have not made a hotel reservation by that date we could cancel your Cat 1-5 certificate and return your 45K MR to your account in the new program.

In the new program a Category 1 property is 7500 MR per night STANDARD, 5000 MR LOW & 10,000 HIGH. With the 45K residual points from your TP and a 5th night free you can reserve a Category 1 property for 7 nights STANDARD, 11 nights LOW and 5 nights HIGH with 5000 MR leftover.

Don't fool yourself into believing that your 45 MR points are only worth a 1 night stay in the new program. You have a window of opportunity to maximize your redemption now, anything else is a gamble.

Just my 2 cents and I am sure a Small claims court judge would see similar.
What a SCC Judge would see is that you had an opportunity to attach your certificate to a reservation to maximize your redemption but you chose not to do that in hopes of a better redemption in the new program. Marriott is not liable to you for your negligence and since the entity where you redeemed your MR points and could have made a reservation no longer exists, you are bound by the Terms and Conditions of the new program.

Originally Posted by rny321

Also, MPG is still selling travel packages and not telling customers that what they are purchasing might be worth far less than it is currently. Regardless of the legality of doing so, such an action would not be viewed charitably.


Why should they stop selling travel packages? Not everyone is "floating" their certificates. The airline FF miles are a good value and attaching a certificate to a reservation adds further value to the redemption. Would you be happy to have to wait to redeem for your airline miles at the devalued rate? The Cat 1-5 certificate has a value of 45K MR points. Unless it is going to be less than 45K MR points in the new program, why would anybody need to advise you? Besides, they don't have any information to relay to you anyway. The intent of the redemption should be to "attach" the certificate to maximize your value while you still can. The end date to do so is known. "Floating" into the new program leaves you "exposed" to the unknown. Are you comfortable with that? A huge windfall is highly unlikely.

One solution that might work is to refund points equal to the difference between a Cat 5 and currently held packages. Then issue a voucher with a value of up to 150K that can be used on a single 7-night stay. That would be easy to implement and wouldnt disadvantage current holders.
That is what I have been suggesting. All "floater" certificates converted to a "restricted" 150K point certificate which would be equivalent to a 7 night stay at a new Cat 1-4. Any points used for category upgrades in the current program would be returned unrestricted. The point certificate would be "restricted" in the sense that if it was not used for a 7 night hotel stay it would retain it's 45K value which would be returned upon cancellation or become worthless if allowed to expire. Any upgrades of the 150K points certificate would be at the new upgrade rates. 60K additional MR points would upgrade you to a new Category 5 which would allow a redemption at a lot of existing Marriott Category 8 properties requiring a 90K MR upgrade now. Believing you are "owed" 150K "unrestricted" MR points and/or Certificates should transfer Category to Category is simply nonsense. A current Category 7 CANNOT have the same weight as a Category 8, 9 nor a Tier 1-3, 4-5 in the new program.

But hey!!! These are just numbers, Do with them as you please.

James
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 2:34 pm
  #4357  
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Originally Posted by UA-NYC
Austrian is IMO a 4* airline, with some of the best food in the air. Staggered biz seating, not the best product out there, but perfectly fine. If you can get that flight in biz now (they usually have good availability 11 months out) and get your connection, I'd lock that in in a heartbeat. LOT a step down but has flat beds on 787s too.
Agree with this. Austrian is a very nice airline, but long-haul and on their mid-haul narrowbodies they use for 4-5 hour flights. (Real J seats and great food on the aircraft they use on these routes.)

I'd probably get the 132k miles and look for one of those flights. I don't know anything about LOT but have a friend who flies ORD-WAW twice a year and says LOT is good enough in J that he does not feel the need to avoid it and connect elsewhere.
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 2:47 pm
  #4358  
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Originally Posted by pinniped
Agree with this. Austrian is a very nice airline, but long-haul and on their mid-haul narrowbodies they use for 4-5 hour flights. (Real J seats and great food on the aircraft they use on these routes.)

I'd probably get the 132k miles and look for one of those flights. I don't know anything about LOT but have a friend who flies ORD-WAW twice a year and says LOT is good enough in J that he does not feel the need to avoid it and connect elsewhere.
I'll chime in on LOT. We were rerouted on their WAW-LAX nonstop last year and really liked it. I agree with a poster above who says that Austrian is easily available when award seats open. I've booked it a number of times and have several Austrian flights held for future travel. I was surprised to find the new LOT seat even more comfortable. I haven't seen it at the 11 month mark when I'm booking, but I'd grab it in a heartbeat if I did.
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 3:32 pm
  #4359  
 
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I have talked to several Elite Marriott reps who have assured me that the packages would continue ... that a 1-5 would still give me a 1-5 in the new system ... should i not believe this??

If this not the case why do they keep telling me this... i documented reps names and employment city and dept..

thoughts? I am Platinum Elite BTW
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 3:32 pm
  #4360  
 
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Originally Posted by Flying for Fun
Ummmm, Yes!!! They have, on more than one occasion, encouraged people to attach their "floaters." Some believe it is a guise!!!
SPG Lurker posting on an online forum is not the same as Marriott emailing all holders of travel packages and instructing them to take some type of action regarding their travel certificate. Pretending those are the same thing is just silly.
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 3:39 pm
  #4361  
 
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Originally Posted by Flying for Fun
Ummmm, Yes!!! They have, on more than one occasion, encouraged people to attach their "floaters." Some believe it is a guise!!!


James
Who is they and where on Marriotts website does it mention the value of an unattached certificate being 45K?
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 3:41 pm
  #4362  
 
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If MPG intended to substantially devalue the hotel portion, I believe the company would have told customers. Relying on bloggers to pass along updates to a small portion of your customers is not sufficient notice.
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Last edited by rny321; Jul 28, 2018 at 3:48 pm
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 4:12 pm
  #4363  
 
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Originally Posted by zerodegre
I have talked to several Elite Marriott reps who have assured me that the packages would continue ... that a 1-5 would still give me a 1-5 in the new system ... should i not believe this??

If this not the case why do they keep telling me this... i documented reps names and employment city and dept..

thoughts? I am Platinum Elite BTW
I'm surprised someone who has dealt with Marriott enough to become Platinum Elite thinks that the front-line agents know anything about anything.
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 4:43 pm
  #4364  
 
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Originally Posted by nexusCFX
I'm surprised someone who has dealt with Marriott enough to become Platinum Elite thinks that the front-line agents know anything about anything.
thanks for the useless.. snarky remark..
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Old Jul 28, 2018, 4:46 pm
  #4365  
 
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Originally Posted by rny321

Who is they and where on Marriotts website does it mention the value of an unattached certificate being 45K?
Exactly. I seriously doubt that folks on FlyerTalk and obsessive travel blog readers are typical of Marriott Rewards members. Additionally, expecting customers to read material that is both outside of the T&C and not from Marriott seems unreasonable, to put it mildly.
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