Seven Things To Do Before the New Marriott Rewards Program Launches in August
Summer is flying at a pace that I've never experienced, and August will be here in less than two weeks. This means that the Marriott and SPG programs will become one in the very near term. The exact date that two become one is still a bit of a mystery, but we know it will come in August. That could mean August 1 or August 31, but in either case, today is as good a day as any to check off some last minute agenda items to prepare for the new Marriott Rewards program launch next month.
Last Day to Purchase Discounted SPG Points
Today is the last day to purchase at least 5,000 SPG points and get a 35% discount on the purchase. This drops the per point cost to 2.275 cents per point. It is always possible they will throw up another sale in the few days remaining before the programs combine and SPG is no more, but I'm not personally counting on it. I plan to buy the maximum 30,000 points allowed today because I know I will more than get my money out of them with some planned travel.
Make Your Award Bookings Now if the Price is Increasing
There will be some award chart gems that go live when the new combined chart launches in August, but there are also some real award chart massacres happening to popular family destinations. If you haven't combed over the line-up of the award chart prices that are changing next month, please do so now. At the very least, glance at the summary I have for you below. You will sadly find hotels at Walt Disney World, Grand Cayman, Beaver Creek, Atlantis, Punta Cana, and more jumping out of points range for some of us.
- Walt Disney World Dolphin: going from 36,000 Marriott points to 50,000 points
- Walt Disney World Swan: going from 36,000 Marriott points to 50,000 points
- Sheraton Lake Buena Vista: going from 12,000 Marriott points to 25,000 points
- Atlantis, Royal Towers, Autograph Collection: going from 40,000 Marriott points to 50,000 points
- The Cove Atlantis, Autograph Collection: going from 45,000 Marriott points to 60,000 points
- Westin Punta Cana: going from 30,000 Marriott points to 35,000 points
- The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman: going from 70,000 Marriott points to 85,000 points
- Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort: going from 45,000 Marriott points to 50,000 points
- Westin Grand Cayman: going from 36,000 Marriott points to 50,000 points
- The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas, Beaver Creek Mountain: going from 36,000 Marriott points to 60,000 points
- Vail Marriott Mountain Resort: going from 45,000 Marriott points to 60,000 points
- Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant, Quebec: going from 36,000 Marriott points to 50,000 points
You can make award bookings as far out as the schedule allows at the current prices as long as you do it before the combined chart launches in August. Currently, that means you can make award reservations at most properties into early July 2019.
If your family needs more space than a standard hotel room can provide, don't forget to give a special look to the Marriott Vacation Club properties. Many of these multi-room units are going up in award price.
Check Your Status
While you have all year to qualify or re-qualify for elite status under the current rules, I am personally earning credit for three Category 1 SPG rooms this weekend at a cost of 2,000 points per room. My understanding is that beginning in August you can only earn elite status credit for one room at a time, so I am knocking some of this out now to get me a little closer to retaining my Platinum status one final year. In 2018, you can qualify for SPG Platinum status one last time based on just 25 stays, but all of the stays have to be from the SPG side of things if you are using the SPG rules.
Combine Your Points
SPG lets household members combine their points with no fee while Marriott caps their points sharing feature at 50,000 points per year and charges $10 if you don't at least have Gold status. I am not 100% sure what will happen with this functionality beginning in August, but if you want to be sure you can combine your SPG points into one bucket with your household member for free, I'd do that now.
Book Vacation Packages
The Marriott Hotel + Air Packages are getting more expensive in August, so if you want to turn your points balance into seven nights of a hotel stay plus airline miles, I recommend doing that as soon as possible. The current prices for five nights at a Category 1 - 5 Marriott property + 55,000 airline miles start at 200,000 Marriott points. Beginning in August, the starting price will be 255,000 points.
You can purchase a vacation package without knowing where you want to stay, and Marriott has not yet told us what will happen to the vacation package hotel certificates that have not yet been used. My bet is that they will be at least as valuable in the new program or they would be warning us about what is to come.
Make Your August Booking Plans
As you may know, the Category 7 SPG resorts will get temporarily (much) cheaper in the new program. Currently, it costs 30,000 to 35,000 points SPG per night to book award stays at Category 7 SPG properties including St. Regis Princeville in Kauai, St. Regis Punta Mita in Mexico, St. Regis New York in Manhattan, the St. Regis Aspen, St. Regis Deer Valley in Utah, and many more.
However, from August 1 until they add an eighth category in early 2019, you will be able to book all of those properties for a maximum of 60,000 points per night in the new program. This is the equivalent of 20,000 SPG points at a 3x transfer ratio. Remember that with award stays, if you book five award nights, you will only pay for four nights. This drops the per-night price to just 16,000 SPG points per night. That is almost half-off the current maximum rate of 35,000 points per night, and it may present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay at these world-class resorts for a reasonable award rate.
This once-in-a-lifetime chance is especially true if you have been dreaming of visiting the currently astronomically priced resorts, such as the St. Regis Maldives that will be going from the current equivalent of 270,000 Marriott points per night to 60,000 Marriott points per night for a standard room. Demand will likely well out-pace supply for some of the super high-end resorts with a limited number of standard rooms, so have your strategy in place to book as soon as the functionality goes live in August.
To circle this back to the final day to purchase discounted SPG points, at 2.275 cents per purchased point, 16,000 points per night comes to $364 per night. That certainly isn’t a cheap hotel stay, but is much less than what these resorts often sell for with cash.
Deadline to Transfer SPG points to Amtrak Guest Rewards
If you like to transfer your SPG points to Amtrak, July 31, 2018, is the deadline to transfer to do so. Until that time, SPG points will transfer to Amtrak at a 1:1 ratio, but note that there is not a 5,000 mile bonus when you transfer 20,000 SPG points to Amtrak Rewards the way there is when transferring to most airline programs.
What are your specific last-minute Marriott and SPG agenda items to complete before August, and which properties are you locking in before the award chart changes?
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended 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.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.