SPG Accidentally Awards Double Night and Stay Credits
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While there were some minor tweaks at the beginning of the year, the Starwood Preferred Guest program is still operating independently from Marriott Rewards — at least through the end of this year. That means it's business as usual when it comes to qualifying for elite status, including the ability to earn up to 10 night and four stay credits each year, just for holding the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and the Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I logged into my SPG account this morning to find that I was more than halfway to Platinum status, which requires 50 nights annually:
Clearly there was some sort of mistake — I've only had one qualifying stay in 2018 — but I certainly wasn't going to complain about being halfway to my year-end goal without a single paid night. While a policy change seemed unlikely — especially given the fact that I had been awarded 25 nights instead of, say, twice the expected amount — I wasn't holding out much hope.
As it turns out, quite a few other SPG members have received double credit; I wasn't alone. Much to my non-surprise, a Marriott spokesperson confirmed that the extra credits had been awarded in error, and would be removed:
There are no changes in the elite benefits associated with the SPG Amex co-brand card. We are aware of the issue below and actively working to correct any errors.
So, yeah, if you thought you'd just landed a shortcut this time around, sadly that isn't the case — your balance will likely return to normal soon.
