This week, two main loyalty packages made updates that weren’t favorable for patrons. On Tuesday, Marriott Bonvoy up to date its phrases and situations to point that members will earn factors at a decreased price and earn no elite evening credit at StudioRes properties. Then, on Wednesday, Southwest Fast Rewards drastically decreased factors earnings for choose fares.
As I considered these updates, I thought-about how they might have an effect on my interactions with these packages. I already take incomes charges for factors and elite evening credit under consideration when reserving lodges, nevertheless it’s a nasty signal that Marriott Bonvoy now has a model that awards no elite bonus factors or elite evening credit on stays. And though I not often ebook 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 option 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 resort manufacturers
For years, a number of main resort loyalty packages have singled out some manufacturers as incomes at decrease charges. However Marriott Bonvoy has by far the very best variety of manufacturers with decrease incomes charges. Marriott Bonvoy can be the one main resort loyalty program that does not give an elite evening credit score per evening stayed in any respect its manufacturers.
You will 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 couple of.5 factors per greenback spent at Marriott Govt Residences. So as to add insult to damage, you will solely earn one elite evening credit score per two nights stayed at Protea Lodges, Metropolis Categorical and 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton, one elite evening credit score per three nights stayed at Marriott Govt Residences and no elite evening credit score for stays of any size at StudioRes.
Consequently, 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 Lodges, Metropolis Categorical, 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton and Marriott Govt Residences — and now StudioRes — since stays at these manufacturers earn fewer factors and elite evening credit. My husband and I attempt to keep up resort elite standing with a number of packages, so each evening 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 current journey to Turkey, the 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton Istanbul Taksim Sq. regarded interesting due to its location and value. However then I remembered I would earn factors and elite evening credit at a decreased 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 might have booked the equally handy DeCamondo Galata, a Tribute Portfolio Resort for the same price and higher earnings.
Likewise, though I loved staying at a number of Protea Lodges properties in South Africa once I received full elite evening credit and factors earnings for these stays, I now keep away from Protea Lodges. As a substitute, I now select Hyatt or IHG properties in Cape City and Johannesburg. You possibly can’t go improper 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 will 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 achieve the subsequent standing qualification threshold.
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It is price noting that Marriott Bonvoy is way from the one resort 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 Lodges, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Residences. In the meantime, Alternative Privileges has a model — WoodSpring Suites — that does not take part in its loyalty program in any respect.
Associated: Find it irresistible or depart it: My airline and resort elite standing plans for 2025
Redeem rewards
For Southwest Fast Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, you’ll be able to keep away from the decrease incomes charges led to by this week’s adjustments by redeeming factors. Sadly, redeeming factors nonetheless will not provide you with elite evening credit on stays at StudioRes properties. But when your major concern is the slashed incomes price, redeeming factors is an efficient resolution.
I like an excellent extended-stay resort with a kitchen, however these properties typically earn factors at decrease charges. So, I normally redeem factors for these stays and save my money for stays that earn at the next price. Better of all, I typically get a fourth or fifth evening free when redeeming factors with choose resort loyalty packages.
For instance, I typically 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 resolve a Southwest flight is my best choice. In spite of everything, Southwest might lower the redemption worth of its factors at any time — similar to the way it decreased the worth of Southwest factors initially of 2024 — whereas journey funds do not expire and may preserve their face worth.
My husband and I usually alternate incomes a Southwest Companion Go each different yr, and we normally accrue a large stability of Southwest factors by way of bank card welcome provides whereas doing so. Then, we use these factors to ebook as a lot of our Southwest flights as doable. We aren’t planning to earn a Companion Go this yr, however I nonetheless have loads of Southwest factors in my account from once I earned a Companion Go in 2021, so I am going to use these as wanted to ebook Southwest flights.
Associated: Learn how to earn and use the Southwest Companion Go
Use a special 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 special program. After all, even in case you resolve you are achieved with Southwest Fast Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy or one other program, switching will take time as you end touring on current reservations and dissipate your remaining factors. Or, you could not need to fully break with this system however as a substitute proceed utilizing it when it is sensible.
For instance, I am not flying Southwest a lot this yr since my husband and I haven’t got a Companion Go. But when Southwest has a modestly priced nonstop flight on a route I have to fly, I am going to possible redeem Southwest factors to ebook the flight.
It is simple to maintain utilizing the packages you’ve got at all times used. You understand how 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 at the least Platinum Elite standing. In spite of everything, I at present 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 evening credit for this standing) for 4 extra years.
However, particularly with standing matches and the flexibility to robotically obtain or earn elite standing by way of choose bank cards, just like the Marriott Bonvoy Good® American Categorical® Card, it might be comparatively painless to begin utilizing a new-to-you loyalty program.
Associated: How and why it’s best to maximize your resort stays by utilizing a number of loyalty packages
Backside line
Loyalty must be a two-way avenue. So, in case you aren’t completely satisfied together with your loyalty packages, it might be time to grow to be a free agent or extra concerned with one other loyalty program. I love sure elite standing advantages, similar to assured 4 p.m. late checkout, confirmed suite improve awards and Oneworld Emerald standing, so I give attention to 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 typically range by model. Plus, now that Marriott Bonvoy has began providing no elite evening credit or elite bonus earnings at one model, I anticipate extra manufacturers will observe.
