It works straight from your spg account if logged in :) atleast for myself and my better half :)

Thank you aysoo.

I have updated my original post with another link that would help.

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Thyetus Lee | Social Media Specialist
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

It appears to be going away as alluded here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27249764-post1167.html

My take-away from this announcement:

1. Upgrades will immediately suffer as a result of the instant merger of membership base. Suite Night Awards will become ever more important in 2017 (assuming you continue staying at SPG properties in 2017).

2. SPG Gold = MR Gold, SPG Platinum = MR Platinum represents the honeymoon period before SPG members get the shive. Sure, you get instant access to Star Alliance Silver via Marriott's partnership with United; however, that's a costly arrangement which is unlikely to last in 2018. Perhaps, we could even see that as a MR Platinum-only benefit going forward. I'm sure Marriott members are not happy about this, but those who don't already have status in SPG now get to compete with us for everything.

3. Lifetime status is likely to go away for SPG members. Here's the original quote:

source: http://members.marriott.com/faq/#if-...nk-my-accounts

emphasis mine

Here's the breakdown:

a. No, they don't. They appreciate the cost synergies of knocking out a competitor. If they had genuinely appreciated your loyalty (to Starwood), then this would've already been decided as has been the case with every other facet of this merger.

b. And what happens when one programme is consumed by another?

c. The honeymoon period.

d. SPG Lifetime Status will be enjoyed through the end of 2017.

e. They're not. That will be the shive on 1 January 2018.

2017 is going to look like a shiva as Discount Arnie has slayed the SPG behemoth.

Sad that us SPG Plat elites who earned it the hard way now have to compete for upgrades with a bunch of people who just spent $75k on a credit card. Doesn't seem fair.

you can only stay in one room at a time.

Maybe there will be more upgrade opportunities as those SPG Plats who had little status at Marriott try out a room with them now that they are Plat with Marriott too.

Why is Marriott not matching SPG Lifetime status? This seems like a bad decision.

this is what i get when i try to link accounts:

Go back to the main page. Click on SPG, and your status. Then go all the way to the bottom of that page. Click the "Link Account" button there, and you should be taken to the link page.

There is no grandfathering today. The programs haven't been merged yet. There very well may be grandfathering or matching of lifetime status post-merge of programs.

They didn't instantly match it (today). I don't believe this means they will not ultimately match it when they combine programs in 2018. Currently they are simply allowing you to match status for 2017 (before the programs are put together). That's a perk. After all, they could've done nothing today and let us all wait til 2018 to get matched.

Platinum For Life
 

Today I hit platinum for life, I read the FAQs nothing certain yet for us, I am hoping we will maintain the top tier in the resulting programme(s) for life, but I am not confident.

I'm not so sure... I kind of get the sense a NEW program will be created in 2018 (let's call it MPG)... And as a result of MPG, everyone, in all 3 current programs will lose any LT benefits... Perhaps a fast-track for ex-LT's to the same new MPG LT status, but as a rule - everyone gets knocked back down.

So on the positive side, I don't think it will be only SPG who get knifed... But on the negative side, it will be everyone.

I am hoping, however, that the resultant backlash from their most loyal core would prevent them doing anything so foolish. Everyone seems as though they are pleasantly surprised so far... Let's hope the same applies into 2018.

Scrolling to the bottom of that page is the key part! Took me a while to figure that out, and isn't obvious at all that you need to scroll... (Chrome user)

I'm just wondering if there is a possibility that one could shoot oneself in the foot by matching. E.g., I'm an SPG Lifetime Plat, but barely have any activity in my Marriott account (am also Hyatt Diamond, HHonors Diamond, LHW Unlimited, IC RA/Spire, so haven't had time for Marriott ;)). If I link the accounts and they see that the combined activity is not above the 750 nights for Marriott Lifetime Plat, perhaps they will let the SPG Lifetime Plat die with the end of SPG?