Memo to loyalty packages: Slashing advantages and incomes charges impacts my reserving choices
This week, two main loyalty packages made updates that weren’t favorable for patrons. On Tuesday, Marriott Bonvoy up to date its phrases and circumstances to point that members will earn factors at a lowered price and earn no elite night time credit at StudioRes properties. Then, on Wednesday, Southwest Speedy Rewards drastically lowered factors earnings for choose fares.
As I thought of these updates, I thought-about how they’d have an effect on my interactions with these packages. I already take incomes charges for factors and elite night time credit under consideration when reserving inns, but it surely’s a nasty signal that Marriott Bonvoy now has a model that awards no elite bonus factors or elite night time credit on stays. And though I not often e book paid Southwest Airways flights, I am going to now be even much less possible to take action.
Loyalty packages exist to incentivize engagement and spending with a program. So, one straightforward technique to protest damaging loyalty program updates is together with your pockets. Listed here are some methods I am going to defend myself from these damaging updates and how one can, too.
Keep away from affected lodge manufacturers
You may earn 10 Marriott base factors per greenback spent on qualifying prices at most manufacturers. Nonetheless, you will solely earn 5 base factors per greenback spent at 9 Marriott Bonvoy manufacturers, 4 factors per greenback spent at StudioRes and a pair of.5 factors per greenback spent at Marriott Govt Flats. So as to add insult to harm, you will solely earn one elite night time credit score per two nights stayed at Protea Accommodations, Metropolis Categorical and 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton, one elite night time credit score per three nights stayed at Marriott Govt Flats and no elite night time credit score for stays of any size at StudioRes.
In consequence, I keep away from reserving paid charges at Marriott manufacturers that earn lower than 10 base factors per greenback. I additionally keep away from staying at Protea Accommodations, Metropolis Categorical, 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton and Marriott Govt Flats — and now StudioRes — since stays at these manufacturers earn fewer factors and elite night time credit. My husband and I attempt to keep up lodge elite standing with a number of packages, so each night time counts. Plus, out of precept, I do not need to frequent these manufacturers if Marriott Bonvoy will give me fewer earnings for doing so.
On a latest journey to Turkey, the 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton Istanbul Taksim Sq. appeared interesting due to its location and value. However then I remembered I would earn factors and elite night time credit at a lowered price, so I stayed at a equally priced Vacation Inn as a substitute. Even when I would needed to remain at a Marriott Bonvoy property in Istanbul, I may have booked the equally handy DeCamondo Galata, a Tribute Portfolio Resort for the same value and higher earnings.
Likewise, though I loved staying at a number of Protea Accommodations properties in South Africa once I obtained full elite night time credit and factors earnings for these stays, I now keep away from Protea Accommodations. As an alternative, I now select Hyatt or IHG properties in Cape City and Johannesburg. You’ll be able to’t go fallacious with these cities’ nice Class 1 Hyatt properties.
As a traveler, it is annoying that $1,000 in qualifying prices on a six-night keep at a 4 Factors Flex would get me 5,000 base factors and three elite nights whereas the identical prices at a 4 Factors would earn me 10,000 base factors and 6 elite nights. However it might be actually irritating for this to occur to a member who did not find out about it — particularly in the event that they’re relying on a keep to succeed in the following standing qualification threshold.
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It is price noting that Marriott Bonvoy is much from the one lodge loyalty program with manufacturers that earn factors and elite nights at decrease charges. For instance, you will earn World of Hyatt factors at a decrease price when staying at Hyatt Studios and IHG One Rewards factors at a decrease price when staying at IHG Military Accommodations, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Residences. In the meantime, Selection Privileges has a model — WoodSpring Suites — that does not take part in its loyalty program in any respect.
Associated: Adore it or depart it: My airline and lodge elite standing plans for 2025
Redeem rewards
I like a superb extended-stay lodge with a kitchen, however these properties usually earn factors at decrease charges. So, I normally redeem factors for these stays and save my money for stays that earn at a better price. Better of all, I usually get a fourth or fifth night time free when redeeming factors with choose lodge loyalty packages.
For instance, I usually redeem IHG One Rewards factors for stays at Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites, which earn at a decreased price of 5 factors per greenback as a substitute of the usual 10 factors per greenback. If I redeem factors for a four-night or longer keep, I can benefit from the IHG fourth-night-free reward profit, a perk of my IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card.
Within the case of Southwest, I’ve already been redeeming factors for flights once I determine a Southwest flight is my most suitable choice. In spite of everything, Southwest may lower the redemption worth of its factors at any time — corresponding to the way it decreased the worth of Southwest factors at first of 2024 — whereas journey funds do not expire and will preserve their face worth.
My husband and I sometimes alternate incomes a Southwest Companion Cross each different yr, and we normally accrue a large steadiness of Southwest factors via bank card welcome provides whereas doing so. Then, we use these factors to e book as a lot of our Southwest flights as attainable. We aren’t planning to earn a Companion Cross this yr, however I nonetheless have quite a lot of Southwest factors in my account from once I earned a Companion Cross in 2021, so I am going to use these as wanted to e book Southwest flights.
Associated: Methods to earn and use the Southwest Companion Cross
Use a unique program
Lastly, it is price contemplating whether or not damaging loyalty program adjustments are sufficient to alter your loyalty or encourage you to make use of a unique program. In fact, even in case you determine you are executed with Southwest Speedy Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy or one other program, switching will take time as you end touring on present reservations and burn up your remaining factors. Or, chances are you’ll not need to fully break with this system however as a substitute proceed utilizing it when it is smart.
For instance, I am not flying Southwest a lot this yr since my husband and I haven’t got a Companion Cross. But when Southwest has a modestly priced nonstop flight on a route I must fly, I am going to possible redeem Southwest factors to e book the flight.
It is simple to maintain utilizing the packages you have all the time used. You know the way they work, and also you might need elite standing (and even lifetime standing). I am going to admit that the Marriott lifetime elite standing program compels me to maintain incomes not less than Platinum Elite standing. In spite of everything, I presently have lifetime Marriott Gold Elite standing, and — assuming Marriott does not change its program — will earn lifetime Platinum Elite standing after incomes Platinum Elite standing (and the required elite night time credit for this standing) for 4 extra years.
However, particularly with standing matches and the power to mechanically obtain or earn elite standing via choose bank cards, just like the Marriott Bonvoy Sensible® American Categorical® Card, it could be comparatively painless to begin utilizing a new-to-you loyalty program.
Associated: How and why it’s best to maximize your lodge stays by utilizing a number of loyalty packages
Backside line
Loyalty needs to be a two-way avenue. So, in case you aren’t pleased together with your loyalty packages, it could be time to develop into a free agent or extra concerned with one other loyalty program. I love sure elite standing advantages, corresponding to assured 4 p.m. late checkout, confirmed suite improve awards and Oneworld Emerald standing, so I deal with packages that present these advantages.
I am nonetheless giving Marriott Bonvoy some nights annually, as I am solely 4 years away from incomes lifetime Platinum Elite standing. Nonetheless, I’ve grown pissed off with the loyalty program’s many exclusions and the way its advantages and incomes charges usually differ by model. Plus, now that Marriott Bonvoy has began providing no elite night time credit or elite bonus earnings at one model, I count on extra manufacturers will comply with.
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