seanthepilot

RogerD408

Sometime after the 18th you will have two accounts, your original MR account and a new MR account created from your SPG information. I am sure there will be some indicator, even if just from the structure of the number (since the SPG numbers won't work in the new system). I do not expect any difference in the appearance, but that is totally possible. MPG will be tracking legacy activity should you wish to up your status based up legacy rules. At some point after the new system is in place, we will be allowed to merge our accounts reducing down to a single MPG account with all numbers combined.

lingua101

TravelinSperry

My stays have been crediting properly (had a check out on Friday that posted already).

Starwood Lurker IV

We now know the exact date in August when SPG®, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® will combine into one program – Saturday, August 18.

To help make this experience as smooth as possible for you, we wanted to share some key dates and important information.

Now Through August 17 --

· Free Night Awards: Be sure to check out the Free Night Award Chart we shared last month to decide if you want to redeem for your Free Nights before or after the new Chart takes effect on August 18.

· Account Linking for Status Match & Points Transfer: Since you’ll be able to combine your SPG and Rewards accounts starting August 18, the last date to link accounts for status match and points transfer will be August 17. Click here to link accounts.

Starting August 18 --

· One Program Live: SPG, Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards will become one program with new benefits and opportunities at more than 6,500 hotels across 29 brands. In the meantime, visit members.marriott.com for full program details and FAQs.

· Account Combine Available: If you have both a SPG and Rewards account, you’ll want to combine into one at SPG.com or Marriott.com. You’ll have to take this step even if you’ve already linked accounts. Once complete, all your points and nights will be added together, and you’ll have one profile and one account– and may even achieve new status when you add up all your Elite-night credits.

· New SPG.com and SPG App: SPG members will experience a new website and mobile app, with changes to design and user experience. Look for changes at SPG.com and updates in the app store.

· New SPG Number: All SPG members will receive a new 9-digit account number to align with the specifications of our new loyalty system. Members will receive the new number via email (starting August 19 for members opted in to email) or while logging in to SPG.com. Passwords will remain the same, unless a member elects to change it themselves.

· Planned Systems Outage: As we launch our new program, a temporary outage of all systems, sites and apps is planned for August 18 beginning early morning (U.S. Eastern Time). This means that for most of the day there will be time when bookings are not possible, your account is not accessible, account combine is not available, etc. Please plan accordingly and be a bit patient with us during this transition.

Hopefully you’ll find this information helpful, however please feel free to comment here with questions and suggestions and we’ll do our best to answer all of them.

Additional information -- New member number --

Thank you for your patience. We have heard from our members that there are still questions around your new SPG member number – so wanted to provide some points of clarification.

Which SPG® members are receiving a new member number?
All SPG members will receive a new member number.

Why am I receiving a new SPG member number?
Every SPG member will receive a new nine-digit number to align with the specifications of our new loyalty system and to make sure there are no duplicate accounts.

What if my current SPG member number is already nine-digits?
Even if your current SPG member number is nine-digits, you still need a new number to make sure there are no duplicate account numbers.

When will I receive my new SPG member number?
Beginning August 18, you will receive your new number while logging in to spg.com. In addition, members opted in to email will receive their new number via email starting August 19.

What do I need to do with my new member number? How will this impact future reservations I’ve already booked?
New member numbers will be automatically applied to existing reservations. If you have the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card(s), your new member number will be automatically linked to your Card account(s) as well. After August 18, remember to apply your new number to any new hotel reservations and meetings/events bookings that you make, and confirm other travel partners have the updated information.

I understand that on August 18, if I have both an SPG and a Rewards account, I’ll need to combine them into one account. May I choose which number I keep?
Yes. If you prefer to keep your SPG account, start from spg.com. If you prefer to keep your Marriott Rewards® or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® account, start from marriott.com. Tip: Keep in mind that all SPG members will receive a new nine-digit member number, so an SPG profile would be under that new number. Don’t sweat your choice—you'll get the same great benefits whichever number you keep.

If my SPG and Rewards accounts are linked, do I still need to combine my accounts?
Yes. Linking your accounts lets you match your status between the programs, but your accounts remained separate. When you combine your accounts, your elite night balance and points will be added together, which means you might even qualify for a status boost. You'll also have only one login/member number to remember, and you'll be able to earn and redeem points across all 29 participating brands with that single account.


We hope this helped to clarify any lingering questions you may have around your new SPG number.

Best regards,

Chris C
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC

[email protected]
__________________
Stay Connected with SPG!

MSPeconomist

khabah

The SPG app and website, SPG.com will be Marriott-ized with interfaces identical to the current Marriott app and SPG legacy brand websites [i.e. the new LeMeridien.com is now le-meridien.marriott.com with a brand new design]. SPG's e-mail to us about the new program launch date had a little graphic at the bottom of what the new designs look like:



Hope you guys enjoy using the current Marriott app, because the SPG app we know is going away for good.

khabah

TerryK

Is there any reason not to combine SPG and MR accounts on Aug 19th?

djsinc

I'm in a similar boat with others as I have two 5-night award stays starting on the 19th, and the hotel rate is dropping by 10,000 MPG points. I've called twice to SPG and both agents have brought up the fact that on the 18th, I would be past the cancellation window, so there would be penalties. One agent checked with her supervisor who also said the process to get the new rate would involve a cancel and rebook, thus both the cancelling and the rebooking (lack of award availability) would likely be roadblocks.

When I read the messages here, I get some glimmer of hope that I might be able to get a points refund instead of having to deal with a cancel and rebook situation.

It seems unlikely I will even be able to get through on the phone 18th or 19th, but on the off-chance I do, is there something specific I should ask for to try to get the adjustment before I checkin? Once I checkin, does that mean all bets are off and I am accepting the higher rate as is?

Thanks for any feedback.

CJKatl

Cancel and rebook was the SPG method but Marriott would always allow the difference to be refunded without the cancel and rebook. You might want to try calling the Marriott number on the 18th, once they can see your SPG account, and see if they can help you. Also, even if you do not get through you might want to reach out to them later. The number of points you are charged probably has nothing to do with the amount of money the hotel gets for your stay - the hotel will likely get reimbursement based on the new numbers which will be in place by your stay - so Marriott may be able to make the adjustment after the stay, I don't know for sure but it cannot hurt if all else fails.

sdsearch

Yes. If you're afraid that some IT bug will mess things up by doing that, you may want to wait for datapoints of successful combining before you do your combining.

Also, for those pursuing legacy Marriott lifetime status (based on Marriott lifetime points), some people might want to wait for datapoints to make sure that a combined account still shows Marriott lifetime points.

Also, for those pursuing 25 stays to Starwood Platinum this year, some people might want to wait for datapoints to make sure that a combined account still shows number of Starwood stays this year.

Also, for those pursuing lifetime status in the new program with combined years, some people might want to wait to make sure that the years they see on the Starwood site plus the years they see on the Marriott site do indeed get added up (rather than a different number being substituted ) when you combine accounts.

(No matter what may or may not have been promised, there could be IT glitches. So, I for one, would want to verify any such stuff from datapoints before I jump the gun myself. You need to make your own decision about that.)

But there are other people in situations where combining accounts will not make any difference in annual or lifetime status, and for them there may perhaps be fewer reasons to wait. So they can become the datapoints.

Zorak

Saturday checkout, same.

MSPeconomist

stimpy

I don't think that is quite true. They can create a new SPG app anytime they want, but I don't have to download it. I can keep using the current SPG app for as long as I like from what I've read. Yes someday in the far future it won't work anymore, but I would guess it should work for the rest of 2018.


Question for lurkers: Do I have to rush to create a combined account? Can I take my time and think about it? Combining won't help my status in my case. Is there any deadline to combine or any reason other than status?

Starwood Lurker III

Hi stimpy,

Does this post answer your question?

Best Regards,

Christina Zhou
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]