Book Now: Marriott Category Changes to Take Effect March 5
Update: The category changes detailed below took effect on March 5, 2019. For details on Marriott redemption options, please visit How to Redeem Points With the Marriott Bonvoy Program.
One of the most lucrative redemption options in the new Marriott Bonvoy program is slated to come to an end this March when Category 8 pricing takes effect. Roughly 60 of the most luxurious properties in the program will jump from 60,000 to 85,000 points per night, including aspirational locations like the St. Regis Maldives and St. Regis Bora Bora.
Well, we now know when this will happen, as Marriott has officially announced that Category 8 pricing will take effect on Tuesday, March 5, 2019.
The program has also announced its slate of annual category changes, and fortunately the impact is relatively mild. While the program normally has 10-15% of its properties changing categories, just 6% are doing so in this round (note that this includes the 62 luxury resorts moving into Category 8). Unfortunately, the impact is most significant at the top, as 5% are moving up and just 1% are moving down.
It's also frustrating to only have three and a half weeks' worth of notice of these changes, as that isn't a ton of time to finalize plans ahead of the new pricing taking effect. I was holding out hope that the program would provide plenty of notice, but clearly that did not happen.
We're diving into all of these changes and will be back with a full analysis, but for now you can access the full list of these properties at this page (warning: PDF link). If you were planning a trip to one of the properties increasing in price, you should go ahead and lock in your reservation ASAP, as I'd guess that award inventory will dry up quickly at those resorts.
And even though the new pricing takes effect on March 5, you can book Marriott reservations roughly 50 weeks in advance, so you can take advantage of the current pricing for stays through February 2020, as long as you book by March 5.
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month