Jul 30, 2016, 4:21 pm
Last edit by: Slickw
LINK TO CHART
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:
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
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:
Source: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...es-update.html
- Select “Packages - Deals” from the “Topic” drop down menu
- Submit your request
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
Marriott Travel Packages
Jul 29, 2018, 11:17 am
#4381
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 745
I've been looking in the T&C and on the Marriott site for a breakdown similar to this, and I haven't found one. There is no itemization that I've seen so that the "buyer" knows that the portions of the package are priced in such a manner. Please show me where this information is available to the person redeeming the award when he redeems it.
What I see is that that 7 nights can be "purchased" separately by redeeming 210K points if the hotel is a Cat 7. Looks as though that's how they value those seven nights. So that part of the package could be said to be worth 210K points and the miles worth the balance. Please show me where the T&C say differently. It seems to me that what the "buyer" sees is the package is the package. If they don't itemize (which seems more likely) I would argue the certificate stands on its own and is worth 7 nights in the (hypothetical) Cat 7 property.
What I see is that that 7 nights can be "purchased" separately by redeeming 210K points if the hotel is a Cat 7. Looks as though that's how they value those seven nights. So that part of the package could be said to be worth 210K points and the miles worth the balance. Please show me where the T&C say differently. It seems to me that what the "buyer" sees is the package is the package. If they don't itemize (which seems more likely) I would argue the certificate stands on its own and is worth 7 nights in the (hypothetical) Cat 7 property.
Jul 29, 2018, 12:28 pm
#4382
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: Marriott/Starwood Lifetime Titanium, Hilton HHonors Diamond, IHG Spire, United Premier Silver
Posts: 707
So now that I read that David Flueck did indeed say that members would not receive a refund if the price drops, I am now reticent to purchase anything over the category that it will be post-change. Is there an efficient search to show current cat 5 hotels which will remain cat 5 hotels post-change?
I was considering a current cat 6 which will be a 4 after the change, but then was considering several cat 8s that will become 5 after the change, and obviously attaching my certificates. So it sounds like if I do either of these, that I am fine as long as I do not touch it and as long as I am willing to not receive a refund once the price drops. I can probably stomach giving up the cat 6 to 4 refund points, but going from an 8 to a 5 is a bigger gamble that I am not certain I am prepared to make.
I was considering a current cat 6 which will be a 4 after the change, but then was considering several cat 8s that will become 5 after the change, and obviously attaching my certificates. So it sounds like if I do either of these, that I am fine as long as I do not touch it and as long as I am willing to not receive a refund once the price drops. I can probably stomach giving up the cat 6 to 4 refund points, but going from an 8 to a 5 is a bigger gamble that I am not certain I am prepared to make.
Jul 29, 2018, 12:38 pm
#4383
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: New York
Programs: MB-LTT , HH-Diam., HGP-Expl.
Posts: 778
I've been looking in the T&C and on the Marriott site for a breakdown similar to this, and I haven't found one. There is no itemization that I've seen so that the "buyer" knows that the portions of the package are priced in such a manner. Please show me where this information is available to the person redeeming the award when he redeems it.
What I see is that that 7 nights can be "purchased" separately by redeeming 210K points if the hotel is a Cat 7. Looks as though that's how they value those seven nights. So that part of the package could be said to be worth 210K points and the miles worth the balance. Please show me where the T&C say differently. It seems to me that what the "buyer" sees is the package is the package. If they don't itemize (which seems more likely) I would argue the certificate stands on its own and is worth 7 nights in the (hypothetical) Cat 7 property.
What I see is that that 7 nights can be "purchased" separately by redeeming 210K points if the hotel is a Cat 7. Looks as though that's how they value those seven nights. So that part of the package could be said to be worth 210K points and the miles worth the balance. Please show me where the T&C say differently. It seems to me that what the "buyer" sees is the package is the package. If they don't itemize (which seems more likely) I would argue the certificate stands on its own and is worth 7 nights in the (hypothetical) Cat 7 property.
Last edited by rny321; Jul 29, 2018 at 12:55 pm
Jul 29, 2018, 12:40 pm
#4384
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: Marriott/Starwood Lifetime Titanium, Hilton HHonors Diamond, IHG Spire, United Premier Silver
Posts: 707
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'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.
Jul 29, 2018, 1:05 pm
#4385
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
in addition, the difference in cost of 5 and 7-night packages with a different amount of included miles is frequently equal to the difference in points required. A package with 120K miles might be 70K higher than one with 50K. For many 7-night packages, the cost in points is equal to the number of miles plus the cost of a separate hotel award.
LOL
James
Jul 29, 2018, 1:05 pm
#4386
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 39
No brainer to put it in Aeroplan if you would use it up in 2019. The Doomsday is not until June 30 2020 if the Sleazy Air Canada ends up not able to buy Aeroplan dirt cheap by driving down its share price from CAD20 a year ago when the nonrenewal of contract announced, down to below CAD2 recently. Now AC wants to buy it at CAD3ish?
If your trip is a R/T you can have 2 stopovers and 1 destination, i.e. 3 stopovers in total. You can also route thru Europe to Asia.
EVA has excellent business class product that many claim the services and amenities are comparable to other airlines F, certain far better than either AC or UA, and many European airlines.
I am giving you this suggestion from a person located in US but actually have redeemed 2 TPs and a big chunk of AMEX points to send miles to Aeroplan because we plan to do a miniRTW in 2019. (for example 160K should be able to bring you in business class to Australia via Europe from East Coast, with 2 stopovers and a destination which would be in Australia the farthest point. Just need to spend some time to learn the do's and dont's on planning the routes.
Please go to Air Canada forum on FT as well as do some googling to learn more how you can really make great redemption with your Aeroplan miles. FT itself has some excellent dedicated threads on the Aeroplan miniRTW topic.
If your trip is a R/T you can have 2 stopovers and 1 destination, i.e. 3 stopovers in total. You can also route thru Europe to Asia.
EVA has excellent business class product that many claim the services and amenities are comparable to other airlines F, certain far better than either AC or UA, and many European airlines.
I am giving you this suggestion from a person located in US but actually have redeemed 2 TPs and a big chunk of AMEX points to send miles to Aeroplan because we plan to do a miniRTW in 2019. (for example 160K should be able to bring you in business class to Australia via Europe from East Coast, with 2 stopovers and a destination which would be in Australia the farthest point. Just need to spend some time to learn the do's and dont's on planning the routes.
Please go to Air Canada forum on FT as well as do some googling to learn more how you can really make great redemption with your Aeroplan miles. FT itself has some excellent dedicated threads on the Aeroplan miniRTW topic.
Thanks everyone's advice! I've frequently used aeroplan for my trips and especially for the AC direct to Tokyo, however I was looking for a better business product for this trip and was willing to do a connection for it. This is simple travel for Toronto to Tokyo and will not include any additional destinations (fam obligations) so the rtw and extra stops are not valued.
I was leaning toward the Alaskan miles now since I can earn more on the cc we have here, but flying JAL means I need to get to another hub separately which is crappy unless anyone knows another way to include the connection in the same redemption. Going to call VS to see if the UA connecting flight from Toronto to Chicago can be include as it is sometimes a code share I believe to get ANA.
I wish i could still hit so many other places but at the moment it's not practical. I also got a bunch of avios sitting around for short hauls and more aeroplan as it's the easiest to earn here. Been holding onto lots of AMEX MR Canada for a big luxurious trip, but we don't have great transfer partners up here so will need to investigate options for the future. Looking to Bora Bora in the lifetime.
Jul 29, 2018, 1:40 pm
#4387
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 6,790
Great analogy! If apples were oranges! Faulty logic! A cat has 4 legs and a chair has 4 legs so cat = chair! 1 starpoint to My321. Feel free to transfer to MR and redeem for 3 Airline FF Miles. Just make sure you make the magic transfer because 1 starpoint is only worth 1 Airline FF Mile.
LOL
James
LOL
James
For a Cat 7, the 7 nights plus 50K miles is 260K points.
If you increase the miles to 70K, an increase of 20K miles, the cost for the package increases to 280K points, so those 20K miles cost you 20K points, or 1 mile costs 1 point.
If you increase the miles again to 100K, an increase of 30K miles, the cost for the package increases to 310K points, so those 30K miles cost you 30K points, so again 1 mile costs 1 point.
If you increase the miles again to 120K, an increase of 20K miles, the cost for the package increases to 330K points, so those 20K miles cost you 20K points, so yet again 1 mile costs 1 point.
I leave it as an exercise for the reader, but this same ratio, 1 mile costing 1 point, prevails throughout the chart. So, it does seem clear that Marriott values the miles in the package at one point each.
Taking the package valuation one step further, one can redeem 7 nights in a cat 7 all by itself (not as a part of a travel package) for 210K points. Redeeming a travel package for those 7 nights at a Cat 7 and adding 100K miles costs 310K points, which can be broken out as 210K for the room and 100K for the miles. This may be pure coincidence, but it does seem to be a logical conclusion for a buyer to draw.
Jul 29, 2018, 2:09 pm
#4388
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: MCO, YEG
Posts: 1,181
So now that I read that David Flueck did indeed say that members would not receive a refund if the price drops, I am now reticent to purchase anything over the category that it will be post-change. Is there an efficient search to show current cat 5 hotels which will remain cat 5 hotels post-change?
I was considering a current cat 6 which will be a 4 after the change, but then was considering several cat 8s that will become 5 after the change, and obviously attaching my certificates. So it sounds like if I do either of these, that I am fine as long as I do not touch it and as long as I am willing to not receive a refund once the price drops. I can probably stomach giving up the cat 6 to 4 refund points, but going from an 8 to a 5 is a bigger gamble that I am not certain I am prepared to make.
I was considering a current cat 6 which will be a 4 after the change, but then was considering several cat 8s that will become 5 after the change, and obviously attaching my certificates. So it sounds like if I do either of these, that I am fine as long as I do not touch it and as long as I am willing to not receive a refund once the price drops. I can probably stomach giving up the cat 6 to 4 refund points, but going from an 8 to a 5 is a bigger gamble that I am not certain I am prepared to make.
Jul 29, 2018, 2:13 pm
#4389
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: UA-1K, Hertz-Gold, Marriott-Gold, PC-Platinum, SPG
Posts: 2,777
Search your email inbox. When you ordered your TP, a confirmation email should be sent from [email protected] with the title "New Reward Order Confirmation". The email should contain the expiration date and the last 4 digits of the certificate. Check this information against what has been attached and what is still in your account.
Jul 29, 2018, 2:47 pm
#4390
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 546
If you can't match up the expiration date of the certificate shown in your account activities with that from your email, then you'd have to call Marriott, unfortunately. Marriott's IT infrastructure is clearly not what it should be. And this merger is really stretching it to the limit.
Jul 29, 2018, 2:56 pm
#4391
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 546
He said that members would not automatically receive a refund for bookings that will go down in price. Depending on which blogger you have read, who also all talked to the same guy, you will either be able to cancel and rebook to get the lower price or you will be able to call in and just ask them to refund the difference without cancelling and rebooking, but either way, you would need to call them to get the refund. I have not seen anywhere that you will not be able to get the points refunded, they just wont be refunded automatically. They must think that the time their reps spend on the phone fixing it for everyone will be worth it for those that never bother to check if they can save some points.
Jul 29, 2018, 3:13 pm
#4392
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: MLI
Programs: UA Silver, MR Ambassador, HH Gold
Posts: 255
Just an FYI. Just called and redeemed my 5th TP in the last month. The entire call was less than 5 minutes from the time I dialed. Maybe I just got the one amazing person or perhaps things are starting to get a bit better on the phone. I had been averaging about 15 minutes previously.
Jul 29, 2018, 3:15 pm
#4393
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: Marriott/Starwood Lifetime Titanium, Hilton HHonors Diamond, IHG Spire, United Premier Silver
Posts: 707
. . . Depending on which blogger you have read, who also all talked to the same guy, you will either be able to cancel and rebook to get the lower price or you will be able to call in and just ask them to refund the difference without cancelling and rebooking, but either way, you would need to call them to get the refund. . .
Jul 29, 2018, 3:18 pm
#4394
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: Marriott/Starwood Lifetime Titanium, Hilton HHonors Diamond, IHG Spire, United Premier Silver
Posts: 707
So, we do not know whether they will refund the points for lower category hotel TPs. Is that what you are saying?
Jul 29, 2018, 3:18 pm
#4395
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Do folks expect a TP booked with a specific Categ. 9 hotel for 2019 will be honored as long as no changes to the dates are made. In other words, not subject to the dredded cancel and whatever redeposit of unknown points?