Yesterday, I wrote that, while people were expecting August 1st to be the go-live date for the new combined Marriott/SPG program, I didn’t think that was going to happen.
And it won’t.
As you can see, the Marriott transition webpage now lists August 18th as the go-live date.
This means you can still book hotels at the old rate until August 17th but it also means you cannot use Marriott points to book all-suite SPG properties until then.
- If you have any SPG bookings made tentatively expecting to refund the difference (for example, a property that is 70,000 SPG Starpoints a night expecting a refund to 60,000 Marriott points later), make sure your cancellation date doesn’t fall after August 17th. You will NOT be able to get the points refund if you are outside the cancellation period.
- If you are looking to buy an Flight +Hotel travel package under the current structure, I’d still aim to do it before August 1st, simply because anything can happen. They *could* pull that plug early if they choose. However, my press contact at Marriott has stated that they will remain bookable at old rates until August 17th. Hopefully, that means we will learn more about how certificates booked before then will be treated after the category changes kick in.
H/T: Dan’s Deals via Chris J.
Also see: Marriott: Summary of New Categories / Air + Hotel Rates Announced (SPG/Marriott merger)
I’m sure you have some thoughts on this. Let me know here, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group.
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