EuropeanPete

That list does make me really hope that whoever designs the new scheme remembers that not everyone is based in the US and has a choice of incorporating the branded credit cards into their membership.

JackE

What do you suggest?

EuropeanPete

Us non-Americans are very used to US credit cards offering lots of points that are impossible elsewhere, but I think that you get problems when membership schemes are designed from the ground up assuming that high value customers will take the (US) credit card - things like elite nights, etc.

X-ON

My idea would take the domiciliation of the member into account when you define tiers.

As an example in the context of LT tiers:
1) As an example in the context of LT tiers:
a) For member that been domiciled outside US & Canada for the last z years reach #x nights OR #y points
b) For member that been domiciled inside US & Canada for the last z years reach #x nights AND #y points

2) As an example in context if annual tiers
a) For member that been domicilied outside US & Canada for the last z years reach #a nights within a calender year
a) For member that been domiciled inside US & Canada for the last z years reach #a +k nights within a calender year

There are of course a lot of practical problems associated with a scheme like this.
(1) How do you track domiciliation?
(2) The obvious PR problem; the perception that you are punishing your US based core customers

The positive aspect is that you might aline your frequent stay program to growth market in Europe and Asia. When the number of MPG hotels and brands increase in these markets ideally they should be accompanied by a competitive frequent stay program..

ac777

Painting the US/Canada members with the same brush does not work well. Here is an example:
US SPG Amex card holders get extra night credits on renewal of their card. Canadian card holders get nothing, zero, zilch!! irrespective of how much they spend on the card!

EuropeanPete

British Airways tried that kind of differentiation by residence before and I'm not sure it really worked.

forumpersona999

Lufthansa, too. They used to do something like Senator Status for German residents requires 120k EQM whereas for US residents it would be 100k EQM.

It was determined purely by mailing address and of course was circumvented by using a friend's address in the US.

X-ON

I am aware a lot if airlines had this geographical differentiation in the past SK had one for Norwegian residents which made *Alliance Gold very easy to achieve (ard 30K miles or something). I agree the big downside with this type of arrangement is the potential for people to be gaming the system.
However even if you can switch to another mailing address when you start transferring points or other benefits from your US issued CC I would think the game would be up, hence if you choose to game the system you might not be able to utilize the beneficial US CC anymore...anyway no system is perfect ...

I apologize if I earlier lumped US and Canada SPG members ... since not being NA based my detalied knowldge of the SPG CC scene is limited

JackE

This is one of those things where solving a problem only creates new problems.

Keep in mind that the credit card provides a workaround to the lack of properties. If your travels don't take you to Marriott/SPG properties, then just use the credit card to create nights (one for each $3K spend).

If you live in a country or continent with fewer properties, then it probably means you're not staying with Marriott/SPG as much. The whole point of a loyalty program is to give the company your business. If you're not giving them business via nights, then focus on CC spend.

X-ON

In principle I agree with you, the law of unintended consequences.

However if you want to expand the # of properties and brands in a new region like Asia or Europe you might realize that their is much harder to cover that region with an associated CC product as it is in the US.

Hence you might have different regions with different dominating revenue streams but only one loyalty program it might be worth to take a look at how and if you can tailormake the loyalty program for different regions where the products differ or maybe rollout a pan eurpean (or asian) CC, whatever can increase profitability.

Actually i think you need to a least consider it, but it might be that in the end the cost benefit analysis will imply that clarity and simplicity wins (over a bit more complicated solution that is harder to mange)

The outcome of the above cost-benefit analysis, will depend on a multitude of variables, one important one will be the growth ambition in other geographical regions such for example Europe or Asia.

X-ON

To the few of you that might be interested;
Got another call from the same CSR agent as before trying to feed me some bs that the account now seems to be complete but at the same time saying that the development team need more time. How can it seem to be complete either it is or not. At the end I realized there have been nil progress so far. The same discrepancies as before, prior to 2003 incomplete debit and credit of the account. I beginning to think that the data points are forever gone or stuck away somewhere on a piece of paper.
Still wonder if I am a one off in this regard or if this is the case for the history for more than one account

bocastephen

While management can certainly tinker with new earnings and redemption criteria, Lifetime is Lifetime. Whether you come from the Starwood or Marriott side, if you were Lifetime Gold or Platinum at the time the merger was signed, you should remain Lifetime at that same level in the combined program.

To fiddle with who should and should not remain Lifetime of either program is a recipe for chaos, lawsuits and very unhappy customers.

JackE

Absolutely agree. When you acquire a companies assets, you also acquire it's obligations.

At the very least, they could single out the acquired properties for Marriott Platinum privileges extending to SPG LTPs.

CCIE_Flyer

Look, I'm totally onboard with your sentiment and logic. But this whole loyalty program lawsuit notion has recently been tested in the courts (check the UA forum for UA/CO merger-related legal excursions). Are there examples of where this has actually succeeded that I need to be made aware of?

Canada101

In all fairness to Marriott, all their actions so far would not lead anyone to think that they are trying to undermine Lifetime status or tier for SPG members. In fact, SPG LT Golds and Platinums are automatically matched to MR Gold and Platinum status every year.

We will have to wait and see how this plays out going forward but I would not be surprised to see a new tier above Platinum or different sets of privileges/perks that new Platinum/Gold tiers receive.