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BIG Marriott Starwood Merger Update! 2 New Cards, 1 Loyalty Program, & More!

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    Marriott has just announced several changes coming to the Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Starwood loyalty programs, and how they intend to unify the very different programs.  The good news is, it’s largely positive!

    Marriott will soon finally consolidate everything into 1 loyalty program.  You’ll be able to earn points faster.  And there are even brand new fancy credit cards coming our way!

    Expect a Major Overhaul in Marriott Hotel Categories!

    Here are the details.

    Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Starwood to Soon Become 1 Loyalty Program

    Link:   Marriott Members

    Having all 3 loyalty programs in one place will simplify a lot.

    One loyalty program will make it easier to search for a stay, as you can see both Starwood and Marriott hotels in one place.  And in August, Marriott will convert your Starwood points to Marriott points at a ratio of 1:3 (1 Starwood point = 3 Marriott points).  You can already do this yourself any time, but the change will be mandatory in August.

    Here are 5 more changes coming to the program.

    1.   One Combined Award Chart

    Marriott will publish a new award chart of 8 categories.  We don’t have all the details yet, like which hotels will fall into each category, but we do know that this makes some Starwood hotels slightly more affordable!

    Some hotels currently cost 35,000 Starwood points per night.  Because you can transfer Starwood points to Marriott at a ratio of 1:3, these hotels cost an equivalent of 105,000 Marriott points (35,000 Starwood points X 3).  The most you’ll pay for a hotel is 100,000 Marriott points.

    Hopefully No Marriott or Ritz-Carlton Hotels Fall Under Category 8. That’s Significantly More than Any Marriott or Ritz-Carlton Hotel Charges Currently

    We do know that more hotels are going down in cost than are going up.  And Marriott is introducing peak night and off-peak night prices.  With peak nights, you’ll spend 20% more points than normal.  And with off-peak nights, you’ll spend 20% less.

    There will also be NO blackout dates for award nights.

    2.   Improved Transfer Partners

    You can transfer Starwood points to 30+ airlines at a ratio of 1:1, with a bonus 5,000 miles for every increment of 20,000 Starwood points you transfer.  Folks were worried that this benefit would disappear, but it is NOT!  It’s actually getting better.

    You can transfer Marriott points to airlines at a ratio of 3:1 (3 Marriott points = 1 airline mile).  And you’ll get a bonus 15,000 points for every 60,000 points you transfer (which translates into 5,000 bonus miles).  That’s a ratio equivalent to Starwood’s transfer rate and bonus, as 1 Starwood point = 3 Marriott points.

    And there will be 10 additional transfer partners!  So you’ll be able to transfer your points to more airlines at a good rate than ever before.

    3.   New Credit Cards

    On May 3, 2018, Marriott will release a new Chase Marriott credit card, the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus.  The card will have a 100,000 Marriott point sign-up bonus after meeting minimum spending requirements.  And we have lots of other details about the card.

    You’ll get:

    The annual fee is $95.

    There will also be a super fancy new AMEX Starwood credit card, the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card.  We don’t know the welcome offer on this card, but we know it comes with:

    The card comes with a $450 annual fee.

    4.   Elite Status

    Every night you spend at one of Marriott’s 29 brands will soon fall under the same elite status structure.  And Starwood and Marriott will combine elite nights in August 2018.

    You Won’t Have to Juggle the Marriott and Starwood Elite Status Requirements Anymore

    There is also an Ambassador elite level you can earn after staying 100 nights and spending $20,000 per year.  If you already have lifetime elite status with one of these loyalty programs, you will keep it.

    5.   Marriott Moments Program Expands

    Link:   Marriott Moments

    The Marriott Moments program lets you redeem your points for more than just hotel stays.  You can do things like attend exclusive concerts, reserve box seats at sporting events, take private winery tours, etc.  Things you probably couldn’t do otherwise!

    Marriott says there are currently 8,000 experiences you can use your points for with Marriott and Starwood points.  But they’re adding 110,000 more!  Time will tell how valuable your points will be toward these new experiences.

    Bottom Line

    Lots of changes are coming to the Starwood and Marriott loyalty programs!  By August 2018, you can expect things like:

    Let me know what you think of these changes!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)