Apr 16, 2018, 4:15 pm
Last edit by: dayone
This thread (post #5 from Marriott Rewards Insider) has the official announcement of changes effective later in 2018.
An earlier, speculative discussion appears in the following closed thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...tus-tiers.html
An earlier, speculative discussion appears in the following closed thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...tus-tiers.html
Official announcement – See how our three loyalty programs will become one in August
Apr 22, 2018, 3:22 pm
#571
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tacoma, WA, USA
Posts: 639
I haven't seen this addressed, but I hope they continue with the Marriott paradigm where you can transfer as many points as needed for an award to anyone. Otherwise, one can transfer 50K points to their spouse/SO annually. I am unfamiliar with how it currently works for SPG. I hope that info helps in understanding how it currently works at Marriott. - Bob
Apr 22, 2018, 3:26 pm
#572
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,078
Chase Marriott Visa free night certificates are not transferable.
Regular awards and the hotel portion of Travel Package awards in the current program are transferable; you make the reservation and then call MR and have them change the name on the reservation. If the reservation is cancelled then the points would go back into your account; whereas, if you transfer points to another person so they can complete an award then if they cancel the award all of the points from the award would go into their account.
Now another question that I have not yet seen addressed (but may have missed) is:
Will we be required to have points in our account to make an award reservation? That is the way it is currently at Marriott, but I believe you must have the requisite points at SPG (please correct me if this is wrong).
Regular awards and the hotel portion of Travel Package awards in the current program are transferable; you make the reservation and then call MR and have them change the name on the reservation. If the reservation is cancelled then the points would go back into your account; whereas, if you transfer points to another person so they can complete an award then if they cancel the award all of the points from the award would go into their account.
Now another question that I have not yet seen addressed (but may have missed) is:
Will we be required to have points in our account to make an award reservation? That is the way it is currently at Marriott, but I believe you must have the requisite points at SPG (please correct me if this is wrong).
Apr 22, 2018, 3:33 pm
#573
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tacoma, WA, USA
Posts: 639
Chase Marriott Visa free night certificates are not transferable.
Regular awards and the hotel portion of Travel Package awards in the current program are transferable; you make the reservation and then call MR and have them change the name on the reservation. If the reservation is cancelled then the points would go back into your account; whereas, if you transfer points to another person so they can complete an award then if they cancel the award all of the points from the award would go into their account.
Now another question that I have not yet seen addressed (but may have missed) is:
Will we be required to have points in our account to make an award reservation? That is the way it is currently at Marriott, but I believe you must have the requisite points at SPG (please correct me if this is wrong).
Regular awards and the hotel portion of Travel Package awards in the current program are transferable; you make the reservation and then call MR and have them change the name on the reservation. If the reservation is cancelled then the points would go back into your account; whereas, if you transfer points to another person so they can complete an award then if they cancel the award all of the points from the award would go into their account.
Now another question that I have not yet seen addressed (but may have missed) is:
Will we be required to have points in our account to make an award reservation? That is the way it is currently at Marriott, but I believe you must have the requisite points at SPG (please correct me if this is wrong).
Apr 22, 2018, 3:36 pm
#574
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,078
Let's say your friend has 400,000 points in their account and you want to transfer 100,000 points to them. You have them make a 11 night dummy reservation for 10 months from now at a cat 8 property, which would be 360,000 points leaving them a balance of 40,000 points. Then have them make at dummy 4 night reservation in the distant future at a cat 7 property which requires 140,000, their 40,000 plus your 100,000. The reservation will be made without points and you call into reservation/marriott rewards and tell them you want to transfer 100,000 points to your friend to complete their award. I believe then you have to email/fax in a signed form listing you and your friends names, account numbers, etc. and it's almost done. Once the transfer is complete the friend can go cancel both dummy reservations and the points are automatically redeposited showing your friend a balance of 500,000 points.
Apr 22, 2018, 3:40 pm
#575
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tacoma, WA, USA
Posts: 639
With Marriott, you can do it to anyone at any address. Here's an extreme example of how it currently works:
Let's say your friend has 400,000 points in their account and you want to transfer 100,000 points to them. You have them make a 11 night dummy reservation for 10 months from now at a cat 8 property, which would be 360,000 points leaving them a balance of 40,000 points. Then have them make at dummy 4 night reservation in the distant future at a cat 7 property which requires 140,000, their 40,000 plus your 100,000. The reservation will be made without points and you call into reservation/marriott rewards and tell them you want to transfer 100,000 points to your friend to complete their award. I believe then you have to email/fax in a signed form listing you and your friends names, account numbers, etc. and it's almost done. Once the transfer is complete the friend can go cancel both dummy reservations and the points are automatically redeposited showing your friend a balance of 500,000 points.
Let's say your friend has 400,000 points in their account and you want to transfer 100,000 points to them. You have them make a 11 night dummy reservation for 10 months from now at a cat 8 property, which would be 360,000 points leaving them a balance of 40,000 points. Then have them make at dummy 4 night reservation in the distant future at a cat 7 property which requires 140,000, their 40,000 plus your 100,000. The reservation will be made without points and you call into reservation/marriott rewards and tell them you want to transfer 100,000 points to your friend to complete their award. I believe then you have to email/fax in a signed form listing you and your friends names, account numbers, etc. and it's almost done. Once the transfer is complete the friend can go cancel both dummy reservations and the points are automatically redeposited showing your friend a balance of 500,000 points.
Apr 22, 2018, 3:50 pm
#576
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,078
I have read about that round about way of doing this, but apparently it is very much against the rules and you'd be taking a chance. Somewhere someone quoted from the rules and regs specifically addressing this idea. Seems very risky to me, but thank for making the effort in writing.
While I gave that example of what one could do, most people and I would venture to say 99%+ of all transfers are to actually complete family or a friend's award. Why would anyone need to jump through the hoops I described in my previous post when one can transfer points to a friend when they need the award. FWIW, I have transferred points friends to complete awards and not had any need to jump through the hoops I described in my previous post.
My point was with the Marriott scheme you can currently transfer virtually as many points as you need/want to anybody.
So I don't understand why this wouldn't work for someone at the same address? So having explained the detail to you of how transfers work at Marriott, please be so kind as to explain to me how they work at SPG and the advantage over the Marriott method as I just don't understand.
Last edited by aaupgrade; Apr 22, 2018 at 3:56 pm
Apr 22, 2018, 3:55 pm
#577
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
Apr 22, 2018, 4:00 pm
#578
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tacoma, WA, USA
Posts: 639
It's actually well within the rules and I have not seen rules and regulations to the contrary to which you are referring. Please provide a link.
While I gave that example of what one could do, most people and I would venture to say 99%+ of all transfers are to actually complete family or a friend's award. Why would anyone need to jump through the hoops I described in my previous post when one can transfer points to a friend when they need the award. FWIW, I have transferred points to friend to complete awards and not had nay need ot jump through the hoops I described in my previous post.
My point was with the Marriott scheme you can currently transfer virtually as many points as you need/want to anybody.
So I don't understand why this wouldn't work for someone at the same address? So having explained the detail to you of how transfers work at Marriott, please be so kind as to explain to me how they work at SPG and the advantage over the Marriott method as I just don't understand.
While I gave that example of what one could do, most people and I would venture to say 99%+ of all transfers are to actually complete family or a friend's award. Why would anyone need to jump through the hoops I described in my previous post when one can transfer points to a friend when they need the award. FWIW, I have transferred points to friend to complete awards and not had nay need ot jump through the hoops I described in my previous post.
My point was with the Marriott scheme you can currently transfer virtually as many points as you need/want to anybody.
So I don't understand why this wouldn't work for someone at the same address? So having explained the detail to you of how transfers work at Marriott, please be so kind as to explain to me how they work at SPG and the advantage over the Marriott method as I just don't understand.
The SPG transfer is just that. I transfer x amount of points to a friend or family member who has the same address. They then
do the redemption. I like to keep all the SPG points from my family in one account so occasionally I will empty their account and put it into mine. Not just when needing a redemption, but just in general. I was hoping that the Marriott points would work the same way.
Apr 22, 2018, 4:06 pm
#579
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Seattle WA
Programs: DL DM, Marriott Titanium, AA PLT for Life
Posts: 398
Fine, no one has suggested otherwise.
As a result, I am aware of several incidences where people tried to game the SNA system as suggested by creating multiple consecutive stays to try and avoid the SNA rules (requiring one to have enough SNAs for every night of a stay)—and had their SNAs canceled out entirely.
Proceed as you wish, but know that booking multiple consecutive stays in an attempt to bypass the SNA rules IS a violation of the SNA rules for Starwood. I would expect that Marriott would adopt those same rules, since the Marriott SNA terms already publicized indicate the exact same restriction.
Trying to do what you’re suggesting IS gaming the SNA system. Whether or not Marriott adopts the same rules or even cares or catches you and cancels out your SNAs is another matter. Proceed with caution.
See why the "rules" are so stupid?
Apr 22, 2018, 5:08 pm
#580
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
And what if you are not attempting to bypass the rules? What if you have a 7-night stay planned at exactly the kind of resort where you'd want a suite? But you are only a Platinum 50? What then? No, sorry, you can't suite? What about contacting the property and saying, "I'm here 7 nights booked over 2 stays. I want to apply the SNAs to the 5-night stay. I know I can't be promised anything and I'd be fine moving to/from the regular room on the 2-day stay." Still no? I mean this is irrational.
If you want 7 SNAs, then you wil need to stay 75 nights to get the 10 total SNAs.
See why the "rules" are so stupid?
Apr 22, 2018, 6:32 pm
#581
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: RTW
Programs: MR Ag, LH FTL
Posts: 947
It's natural to not like stupid and irrational rules. Why would SPG object if a person wants to stay 5 nights in a suite and 2 nights in a standard room? Makes no sense to me at all.
Apr 22, 2018, 7:17 pm
#582
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
Apr 22, 2018, 10:51 pm
#583
Join Date: Apr 2018
Programs: United Global Services, Ritz-Carlton Rewards Platinum, SPG Ambassador 100 Night
Posts: 7
If I stay 10 nights with SPG in 2 rooms before August 1st, when the elite nights are calculated on August 1st will I get credit for 20 nights or 10 nights?
Apr 23, 2018, 5:56 am
#584
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,172
You could even get credit for those 20 nights after 8/1, BUT you wouldn't be allowed to combine any Marriott nights into that total
(someone please do let me know if this is off...whole lot of grey area at this point)
Apr 23, 2018, 9:52 am
#585
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: AA (EXP), SPG/Marriott (Platinum)
Posts: 27
Which exact cards and which exact elite nights are you talking about?
Some if not all of the new cards are saying "15 elite nights coming in 2019", meaning they won't issue them in 2018 at all.
But if you meant the 5 elite SPG nights from an already-open SPG Amex (that issued the elite nights already earlier this year) adding to 15 elite Marriott nights from an already-open Marriott Chase card, that's more likely come August when they combine SPG and Marriott accounts.
Some if not all of the new cards are saying "15 elite nights coming in 2019", meaning they won't issue them in 2018 at all.
But if you meant the 5 elite SPG nights from an already-open SPG Amex (that issued the elite nights already earlier this year) adding to 15 elite Marriott nights from an already-open Marriott Chase card, that's more likely come August when they combine SPG and Marriott accounts.
What if you had consumer and small business version of each card? Would that be 40 nights for 2018?