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 Aug 13, 2018, 1:31 am
  #5056  
 
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 6,790
Originally Posted by Happy
<snip>
If you are looking at exploring Sicily - you may want to do a bit more research - Palermo over Catania, Syracuse and Noto from Catania are far nicer, ditto Taomina.

Taomina is thought to be The town in Sicily to visit if you can only visit one town... I would not agree with it 100% but it definitely is a lot nicer than Catania.

With our almost round the island drive I would rate the cities and towns in Sicily in that order - Palermo, Cefalu (can easily take a train from Palermo), Taomina, Syracuse and Noto, (they often are mentioned hand in hand), Catania, and Messina being the last.
The must visit sites are out of any of the above cities / towns -
Villa Romana del Casale
Valle de Templi (Valley of the Temples - the Unesco site is modeled one of the temple ruin on this site)
Monreale Norman Church (there are buses from / to Palermo for a day visit)
If one has more time, then add Segusta (quite near Palermo airport about 50 miles drive)
Off topic, but - -

If you're considering visiting Sicily and have any connection with the US military (active duty, retiree, DoD civilian), don't forget to check NAS Sigonella. You might be able to find VOQ availability. I don't think they have a Navy Lodge there, though, but it has been a while since I visited so it's not impossible.
Counsellor is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 2:02 am
  #5057  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: AA, United, Delta, Marriott, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 41
Confirmed ...

Like all other I have a couple of Marriott travel packages and was in the process of decoding wheather to use them on a reservation or keep it as a floater or to upgrade it.

​​​​​​After going through the various blogs and the FlyerTalk threads I decided to call.

So I called Marriott India and got transferred to rewards desk and had a discussion regarding the much talked about topic of Marriott travel packages and asked him to help me decide what to do with them.

The great agent went in depths to explain how the whole process would work and what can be done to maximize the benefits of exisiting travel packages.

And all of this is in line with what Marriott have already said :

He said that the best way to use the travel package right now is to attach them to a reservation according to the category of the certificate before this transition period 18 Aug.

Meaning if u currengly have a category 6 - attach it to the present category 6 accordingly.

​​​​​​Upgrading or keeping a certificate floating is only going to have one result.

"MARRIOTT TRAVEL PACKAGE CERTIFICATE WOULD BE CONVERTED TO BASIC CATEGORY 1-4 CERTIFICATE AND THE REST OF THE POINTS OVER IT WOULD BE REFUNDED"

He mentioned that if u upgrade a certificate from category 1-5 to category 6 using 30k points and keep it floating - it would change to category 1-4 in the new system and 30k points would be refunded.

He further mentioned if u keep a category 1-5 floating - it would change to category 1-4 in new system. Keeping a category 7 or above certificate floating would result in the same result as above para.

So he stressed that using a category 6/7 etc certificate on the same category now would give u the advantage of having that hotel booked using that certificate and post September 18 the floating certificate would be converted to category 1-4 and the points costing to upgrade that certificate to the desired new category would be according to the new chart and would be much costly then now - so he suggested attaching the certificate now before August 18 for more value.

So according to the above discussion I guess he pretty much simplified the whole process.

​​​​​​So final thoughts - upgrading a certificate now to book a stay at a desired hotel category is the way to go or else leave any kind of certificate as a floater and would be converted to category 1-4 post sept 18 and one could use the new chart to upgrade them to category above.

If anyone else wanna share any views regarding the above can please share.

All The Best
​​​​​
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maxcalls is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 2:58 am
  #5058  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: Everything
Posts: 129
There are two SPG hotels in Malta. We are considering spending our 1-week certificates at one of them.
HeavenlyJane is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 5:26 am
  #5059  
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 745
Originally Posted by maxcalls
If anyone else wanna share any views regarding the above can please share.
​​​​​
As I have posted several times, if I were running the program that is the approach I would take. I think it is the easier, simplest, and fairest approach and it neatly addresses the re-categorization of the award table plus the valuation shifts in properties. If they map across to categories, based on how they priced the new travel packages in the first place, I think they will map to PEAK values and that will definitely make people upset.
OssianBlue is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 5:54 am
  #5060  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: WI
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Posts: 488
Originally Posted by maxcalls
Like all other I have a couple of Marriott travel packages and was in the process of decoding wheather to use them on a reservation or keep it as a floater or to upgrade it.

​​​​​​After going through the various blogs and the FlyerTalk threads I decided to call

He mentioned that if u upgrade a certificate from category 1-5 to category 6 using 30k points and keep it floating - it would change to category 1-

......

​​​​​​So final thoughts - upgrading a certificate now to book a stay at a desired hotel category is the way to go or else leave any kind of certificate as a floater and would be converted to category 1-4 post sept 18 and one could use the new chart to upgrade them to category above.

If anyone else wanna share any views regarding the above can please share.

All The Best
​​​​​
So those waiting to want to use a cert at a SPG i feel like are kinda screwed it feels like. I think its bad. I will say it sounds detailed and kinda official , doesn’t sound like he just made that up.
pointspinnacle is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 6:21 am
  #5061  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
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Originally Posted by pointspinnacle


So those waiting to want to use a cert at a SPG i feel like are kinda screwed it feels like. I think its bad. I will say it sounds detailed and kinda official , doesnt sound like he just made that up.
I'm highly sceptical of this answer. If they're implementing such a simple resolution, technically speaking, why would they require one month to code that into their IT systems.

No to mention it screws anyone holding a Cat 6+ package (supposedly the points rich and therefore some of their best customers).
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RafKa is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 6:29 am
  #5062  
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 745
Originally Posted by RafKa
No to mention it screws anyone holding a Cat 6+ package (supposedly the points rich and therefore some of their best customers).
Not really. If you hold a Cat 6, for example, you can't reasonably believe you can get a cert worth a 40K peak room with it, for example (new Cat 5).
OssianBlue is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 7:17 am
  #5063  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 736
Originally Posted by OssianBlue
Not really. If you hold a Cat 6, for example, you can't reasonably believe you can get a cert worth a 40K peak room with it, for example (new Cat 5).
Seems reasonable to me. The certificate currently works for hotels during peak season and the new packages will encompass that into them. Certificates that people currently have are protected from peak season pricing and there's been no written communication from Marriott that this would change. Any notice at this point would be less than sufficient before stabbing people with such a change.

If Marriott sent an email to all track package holders in April letting them know that they needed to attached their travel certificates by August 18th to avoid being subject to future peak pricing, then there would be a stink but it'd be reasonable. A similar action at this point would not be reasonable.
Willbur is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 7:20 am
  #5064  
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Originally Posted by pointspinnacle

So those waiting to want to use a cert at a SPG i feel like are kinda screwed it feels like. I think its bad. I will say it sounds detailed and kinda official , doesn’t sound like he just made that up.
This may be bad for the folks who want to book the SPG stays. But from Marriott's side, this is a clever and fair way to handle those certificates. It is going to be a huge headache having to deal with the upgrade or downgrade of the old vs new categories. Marriott can soundly claim that they treat all members fairly. You never gain or loss any reward from the TP calibration to base.

Clearly Marriott wants to get it right this time. Or it could have just shut down the TP program all together without any warning. This is never new with some of the other hotel/airline reward programs. I'll have to give Marriott applause on this.

I'd attach the TP to the Marriott property I plan to stay. Forget about booking the SPG aspirational properties or even the Ritz Carlton properties with those TPs. For those, we need to keep some points handy. Still those properties will be booked rather quickly....
RedSun is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 7:21 am
  #5065  
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Originally Posted by pointspinnacle


So those waiting to want to use a cert at a SPG i feel like are kinda screwed it feels like. I think its bad. I will say it sounds detailed and kinda official , doesnt sound like he just made that up.
Why do you say so. Has there been clarification that these certificates can not be used for SPG properties after August 18? Could you please clarify?
I am hoping to attach my certificates to Marriott properties for now. After August 18, I would like to transfer them to SPG properties. Is this possible? Would appreciate informed opinions.
yrs is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 7:32 am
  #5066  
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The way the new TPs are written, they're baking in the assumption that you're redeeming at Peak values. It's still a pretty big devaluation, but it does not look like there will be two tiers of Travel Packages. Just one tier, if you hold a Cat 4, you can use it at a Peak Cat 4.

While I don't take a single phone call with a customer support rep as an "official" announcement, the way maxcalls describes it is honestly the single most straightforward and fair way to handle the conversion. Nobody gets screwed. In fact, we all get the benefit of being able to redeem at the entire SPG/Marriott footprint and I suspect a lot of us are going to get an expiration date bonus. With the 1-month blackout, they'll probably just err on the safe side and make all of the certs valid through September 2019. (Seems simpler than adding exact blackout days to the end of each individual certificate.)

I'm not worried. I'll have a new Cat 4 and enough points to upgrade it if I need to. I'll finally have a meaningful status at SPG hotels, and am looking forward to redeeming at a hotel I couldn't have redeemed a TP at in the past.
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pinniped is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 7:49 am
  #5067  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,163
But the thing is SPG and Marriott said the old travel package certs will be converted to the new travel package certs where they can be used for properties at similar levels.
If they were planning on downgrading all certs to cat 1-4 and refund the points difference for any higher category certs, then they would not have said the above.
So now I am even more confused.
agjil is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 8:13 am
  #5068  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 87
Ok, I just learned about this so I'm scrambling go catch up. I read a ton already, but not all 300 pages of this thread. So I'm hoping for some advice.

Marriott: 352K points
SPG: 63K points
As I understand it, I can convert the SPG at 3:1 which would giv eme a total of 541,000 potential points.

We don't know where we want to go yet, or when. Is our best strategy to just make an educated guess as to where and when, and then to book the highest category 7 night option? IN this case, a Tier 4-5 Cert, and attach it to a Tier 5 hotel?

Also, regarding miles. I have exactly the same number of United miles as American right now. Is it better to select United miles for the bonus or Alaskan Airlines??

Much appreciated any advice. Trying to figure this out quick before it all goes poof!
teach42 is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 8:44 am
  #5069  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
Originally Posted by DaveInLA
I have already booked a category 1-5 travel package, but given recent updates, I want to upgrade to a category 8 in hopes if it converting to new category 6 (crossing fingers). I'm 12K points short of the number of points needed for that upgrade. Since Marriott allows you to book properties without the required points, will they allow me to make this upgrade if I'm short 12K? I'd hate to transfer them over from Chase UR right now. I have some points coming via the way of the SPG card when statement closes later this month.
Any help with this? I cant find the answer anywhere and I dont want to call and be put on hold for 30 minutes just to be told no.
DaveInLA is offline  
Old Aug 13, 2018, 8:49 am
  #5070  
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Originally Posted by DaveInLA
Any help with this? I can’t find the answer anywhere and I don’t want to call and be put on hold for 30 minutes just to be told no.
You can book reward MR rooms with borrowed points, but I do not think you can borrow to upgrade your TP. Your options are: buy SPG points; transfer either AmEx MR or Chase UR points. All of them are not super. But I think you should just eat the small cost, if I were you.
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