Marriott & SPG Programs Will Not Merge In 2018 – Mostly Minor Changes Only For 2018

Earlier in the year Marriott’s EVP and Chief Financial Officer, Leeny Oberg said that they were hopeful that the Marriott & SPG programs would merge and be fully integrated by the end of 2018. It looks like that was an overly optimistic timeline because despite being more than twelve months away loyalty members have been sent an e-mail stating that Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and SPG will remain separate programs. They also announced some relatively minor changes to the programs that will happen in 2018. These are:

  • Hertz Benefits. Marriott & Starwood Platinum members will receive Hertz Five Star status. Starwood Ambassador and Marriott Platinum Premier members will receive Hertz President’s Circle (if you want this anyway, try this trick). SPG members will also earn SPG points on Hertz rentals. This also means the Avis/SPG partnership will be ending.
  • SPG points won’t expire for Starwood lifetime elites. This is already a benefit for Marriott lifetime elites.
  • Marriott is ending rollover nights and status buy back. 2017 is the last year members can earn Elite Rollover nights This means any 2017 nights earned in excess of Elite requirements will roll over toward 2018 status, but excess nights earned in 2018 will not roll over toward 2019 status. Your next big trip is waiting, so make sure you continue to take advantage of exclusive benefits.

I’d say that the third point is really the only major change and it’s entirely negative. I think if you’re going to announce that full integration is going to be delay and you’re ending rollover nights, you might want to try and actually include some good news as well rather than fringe rental car benefits that most people already have access to anyway. I guess the real good news for readers of this site is that this would surely mean that both American Express & Chase co-branded cards will be continued to be offered into at least 2019, unless the rumored card launches earlier than the full merger and I just don’t see that happening.

 

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Priscilla Berry
Priscilla Berry (@guest_546541)
January 3, 2018 13:11

Last year Marriott gave a cross-over program that said if you were a Platinum in SPG, you would be considered a Platinum in Marriott. Is this going to continue this year if they do not merge?

I made a point in 2017 of staying at SPG for over 25 stays to get my Platinum level renewed with SPG, instead of focusing on 75 nights at Marriott. I am only 2 more years of Platinum status to get lifetime Platinum. Do you know if they are going to keep that part of the program?

The ability to earn Platinum with only 25 stays would put them in direct competition with Hilton, where you can renew Diamond status with 30 stays.

sdsearch
sdsearch (@guest_529447)
December 3, 2017 11:43

You wrote: “this would surely mean that both American Express & Chase co-branded cards will be continued to be offered into at least 2019,”

You’re forgetting what happened with Hilton and Citi (-> Amex). It was announced in mid-2017 that Hilton would make Amex the exclusive issue of Hilton cards come 2018. However, within weeks of that announcement, Citi HH card applications completely disappeared (about 6 months before the actual Citi HH card end data).

So all that Marriott said is that the programs themselves won’t change before the end of 2018. But they haven’t said that they won’t announce the changes before the end of 2018. Isn’t it quite possible that they’ll announce changes mid-year, including to credit cards, and that if one the cards is to be discontinued at the start of 2019, then applications for that card might quickly disappear as they did with the Citi HH cards?(

So IMHO counting on those cards to be offered “into 2019” is excessively optimistic.

Jonathan S
Jonathan S (@guest_526234)
November 28, 2017 22:15

No more status buy back is pretty huge, because that was a fairly easy way to maintain platinum (13,333 SPG points) without staying an insane number of nights.

Chucks
Chucks (@guest_526417)
November 29, 2017 04:15

Agreed. 13333 starpoints got you:

Marriott Platinum
SPG Platinum
United Silver
Faux Delta Status (crossover rewards)
Emirates faux status
Previously, Uber earning

Among others

Jack
Jack (@guest_527169)
November 30, 2017 00:47

Emirates faux status How?

Electric Wayfarer
Electric Wayfarer (@guest_527704)
November 30, 2017 20:20

Please share how someone can buy back status with 13,333 SPG Points.

Thanks

Jonathan S
Jonathan S (@guest_528069)
December 1, 2017 11:43

13,333 SPG points = 40,000 Marriott points

If you had Marriott platinum status (which could be achieved through various means, including credit card spend), you could buy back Marriott platinum status for 40,000 Marriott points each year.

Right now there are conflicting reports (via Frequent Miler comment section) that Marriott will allow one final buy back in 2018.

Electric Wayfarer
Electric Wayfarer (@guest_528096)
December 1, 2017 12:16

Thanks Jonathan.

I’m currently Marriott Platinum for 2017 and I wasn’t going to re-qualify to Platinum for 2018. However, Marriott offered me a challenge to where if I stayed 20 nights in Q4, they would extend my Platinum for all of 2018.

If I don’t get to the 20 night mark, will I be able to buy-back the status with 40K Marriott Points? And if so, what’s the process to do it?

Thanks!

sunny
sunny (@guest_526223)
November 28, 2017 22:05

this news is a lot better for new spg member like myself and many others. was going to spend my spg points for my Marriott stay but i guess i just keep collecting points for now and use it when it’s worth while.

Bruce
Bruce (@guest_526086)
November 28, 2017 18:19

I’ve had my SPG card for many years….is Amex’s definition of “once in a lifetime” (for the purpose of disqualifying people for a sign-up bonus) still 7 years?

I ask because, if SPG will live for at least another year, I might have time to cancel my SPG card, wait a few weeks, then apply again.

Fred
Fred (@guest_526500)
November 29, 2017 07:52

I would think you would have to have canceled the card seven years ago for them to not be able to see it.

HERSH
HERSH (@guest_526079)
November 28, 2017 18:14

Just found out that the Avis/SPG partnership will be coming to an end on December 31, 2017 🙁

https://twitter.com/HH_Cash/status/935622838110867456

projectx
projectx (@guest_526009)
November 28, 2017 17:03

I’m a complete novice when it comes to this type of stuff so bear with me…

Is there any reason they can’t operate as separate programs that are both owned by Marriott? For example, Carnival Cruises owns Princess, but each line’s loyalty program is independent of the other (at least as of a couple years ago.

rct12345
rct12345 (@guest_526199)
November 28, 2017 20:55

I saw comments about this on some other blogs and reddit. The case they make about merging is that today if someone spends 30-40 nights EACH with both programs, they get platinum status in none of them. Even if they do not merge the programs they absolutely need to resolve this or else someone in that position is forced to opt for one or other program to gain platinum status.

Also, maintaining 2 programs will definitely be more expensive than maintaining 1. The email from marriott also had this text: “While we continue to work with SPG to create a combined program,”. This is not a question of if but when.

Sam
Sam (@guest_526308)
November 29, 2017 00:02

Came here to comment exactly this, I love SPG properties but my coworker (and co-traveler) usually puts us in Marriott properties so I’m left at the end of the year with 50 nights Marriott and 30 nights SPG so I don’t get to renew my Platinum in either program…sucks.

Aaron
Aaron (@guest_526005)
November 28, 2017 16:55

In the email I received, it said rentals with Hertz would also earn SPG points. I thought that was pretty good news.