I am still trying to decide if I should go for Cat 5 or Cat 8. The difference for 5 days is 65k which I have. But some resort did not change points required at all so I could just save some points to use for 1-2 days.
No Modifications to Travel Package Certificates from August 18 - September 18
About an hour ago, a Marriott representative posted this in a FlyerTalk forum:
If you currently have a Travel Package Certificate that’s not yet attached to a hotel reservation, you have the following options:
- If you know when you want to travel, make a new reservation or attach your certificate to an existing one prior to August 18, 2018.
- If you are still trying to plan that perfect trip, you can hold onto the certificate and will be able to add it to a reservation starting September 18, 2018.
Please note that you will not be able to modify your certificate for an existing reservation or attach it to a new one between August 18 and September 18, 2018. Please plan accordingly.
I just received an email from Marriott with this exact text, so sounds like the official policy everyone has been wanting.
It’s still doesn’t clarify anything with regard to transition of categories.
Correct. Here is the fine print from the email
*Our New Travel Packages will launch with our new loyalty program on 8/18/18. Certificates purchased on or after 8/18 are able to be used immediately. For certificates purchased prior to 8/18, we are working to convert your package and it will be available based on the new converted values on September 18, 2018."
I think this means they won't be canceling the certificates and returning points as some had speculated. But the "new converted values" could mean good or bad things... I am hoping for good or at least fair...
Also received the email in the UK, the interesting paragraph for me is:
Please note that whichever option you choose, from August 18 through September 18, you will not be able to modify your certificate for an existing reservation or attach it to a new one. Please plan accordingly.
This to me means that there will be no ability to change an existing certificate between the two dates. What it does not tell us is if after September 18 we will be able to extend a certificate or upgrade/downgrade to a different category.
Like many who jumped into buying a number of TP before the changes we are holding onto certificates, it seems that we will now have to wait until September 18 before we know what we can and cannot do.
I would be interested to know what the MRP value if I cancelled the certificates for my certificates and put points back into my account
Interesting times!!
I spoke with Marriott Rewards in London after I posted and wanted to know the value of "cashing in" the hotel part of the package - although they were unable to gain access to my account (Neither am I) as they are working on the system pending all the changes next week, the agent was very knowledgeable, apparently for a 7 night TP they can go on-line and tell you what points you get back but a 5 Night TP is paper based, so she was able to answer my query - I was told that all I would get back for 1 Cat 1-5 is 10,000 MRP, so there is no point in cashing in.Is that even technically an option now? I didn’t think so. Otherwise people would just keep cancelling certificates and booking more packages to maximize the air miles even further. In the end it would result in a nearly 1:1 mrp to miles conversion. That’s a heavy loss for Marriott.
Southwest is THE competition for the big airlines. And soon Southwest will add Hawaii.
I agree. Whenever I've flown Southwest, I've purchased a Group A upgrade so as to avoid being at the end of the cattle call and being left with only middle row seats. :-(I've never quite understood the enthusiasm many show towards Southwest. It's always come across to me as something of a cattle car. When we arrived in Los Cabos this past February on American, we had to deplane through the air stairs due to congestion at the jetway gates that Saturday afternoon. We passed these big queues of Southwest passengers standing there on an outdoor ramp, lining up to board two Southwest flights. I've generally seen them as only a small notch above the Spirits and Frontiers of the world. To fly to Hawaii from Charlotte on Southwest will probably take three or more stops - at least one stop to get to the west coast, plus the stop out there to switch to a Hawaii flight. No thanks.
Thats what I was told, too...else your airline points disappear into thin air. I tried to contact Marriott Rewards to do this, but got cut off. Will try again Monday.I believe the name on the MR account and the name on the Airline rewards account has to be exactly the same for the transfer to occur. At least they made a point to ask me about it during my recent TP transactions.
60% is more optimistic than I would be. The factor they don't seem to take into account (or they took it into consideration but just don't think it means much) is that breaking 7 night stay certs into points makes redemption much easier / more likely. The circumstance where I need 7 straight nights at the SAME Cat5 hotel is much smaller than the ways I can use 150,000 MRPs! I can't see Marriott being generous and unlocking those handcuffs.
From the article, I think mapping to the new TP Categories is the way they will go because it doesn't unlock them. (Also, there will be so many moving parts that only the most dedicated folks are going to see the "gaps" they created.)
- 1-5, 7 and Ritz Tier 1-3 are easy. They just get converted to 1-4, 5 & 6, respectively.
- 6 goes to 5 and the cert holder "benefits" 5k/nt.
- 8 goes to 6 and the cert holder "benefits" 10k/nt.
- 9 goes to 6 and the cert holder "benefits" 5k/nt.
- Ritz Tier 4-5 goes to 8 and the cert holder "benefits" 15k/nt.
- They will deal with the complainers that call about "I bought Cat7 TP and got converted to the same cert that someone who bought a Cat6 TP did" on a one-off basis.
I need to transfer more than the 50,000 points. I had them transfer the 50,000 points yesterday which gave me enough points for one travel package. I want to transfer 230,000 more points so I can book one more. My wife has 234,000 points left. I have 7,000 left.
If you have an existing travel package with Cat 1-5 hotels and you're wondering where to get the most bang for your hotel certificate, you might find this interesting. The Points Guy lists the best category 1-5 hotels for 2018 -
https://thepointsguy.com/2018/03/best-marriott-category-1-5-hotels-in-2018/