This week, two main loyalty applications made updates that weren’t favorable for purchasers. On Tuesday, Marriott Bonvoy up to date its phrases and circumstances to point that members will earn factors at a decreased price and earn no elite night time credit at StudioRes properties. Then, on Wednesday, Southwest Fast Rewards drastically decreased factors earnings for choose fares.
As I considered these updates, I thought of how they’d have an effect on my interactions with these applications. 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 ebook paid Southwest Airways flights, I am going to now be even much less possible to take action.
Loyalty applications exist to incentivize engagement and spending with a program. So, one simple option to protest adverse loyalty program updates is along with your pockets. Listed below are some methods I am going to defend myself from these adverse updates and how one can, too.
Keep away from affected lodge manufacturers
For years, a number of main lodge loyalty applications 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 lodge loyalty program that does not give an elite night time credit score per night time stayed in any respect its manufacturers.
You may earn 10 Marriott base factors per greenback spent on qualifying costs at most manufacturers. Nevertheless, 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 Flats. So as to add insult to damage, you will solely earn one elite night time credit score per two nights stayed at Protea Resorts, Metropolis Specific 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 Resorts, Metropolis Specific, 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 take care of lodge elite standing with a number of applications, so each night time counts. Plus, out of precept, I do not wish 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 might earn factors and elite night time credit at a decreased price, so I stayed at a equally priced Vacation Inn as an alternative. Even when I might needed to remain at a Marriott Bonvoy property in Istanbul, I may have booked the equally handy DeCamondo Galata, a Tribute Portfolio Lodge for the same price and higher earnings.
Likewise, though I loved staying at a number of Protea Resorts properties in South Africa after I received full elite night time credit and factors earnings for these stays, I now keep away from Protea Resorts. 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 costs on a six-night keep at a 4 Factors Flex would get me 5,000 base factors and three elite nights whereas the identical costs 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 learn 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 value noting that Marriott Bonvoy is way 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 Resorts, 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 lodge elite standing plans for 2025
Redeem rewards
For Southwest Fast Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, you may keep away from the decrease incomes charges caused by this week’s adjustments by redeeming factors. Sadly, redeeming factors nonetheless will not provide you with elite night time credit on stays at StudioRes properties. But when your main concern is the slashed incomes price, redeeming factors is an effective answer.
I really like extended-stay lodge with a kitchen, however these properties typically earn factors at decrease charges. So, I often 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 night time free when redeeming factors with choose lodge loyalty applications.
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 an alternative 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 after I resolve a Southwest flight is my best choice. In spite of everything, Southwest may lower the redemption worth of its factors at any time — comparable to the way it decreased the worth of Southwest factors at first of 2024 — whereas journey funds do not expire and will keep their face worth.
My husband and I sometimes alternate incomes a Southwest Companion Move each different yr, and we often accrue a large stability of Southwest factors by way of bank card welcome presents 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 Move this yr, however I nonetheless have a number of Southwest factors in my account from after I earned a Companion Move in 2021, so I am going to use these as wanted to ebook Southwest flights.
Associated: The best way to earn and use the Southwest Companion Move
Use a unique program
Lastly, it is value contemplating whether or not adverse loyalty program adjustments are sufficient to alter your loyalty or encourage you to make use of a unique 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 present reservations and expend your remaining factors. Or, you might not wish to fully break with this system however as an alternative 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 Move. 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 applications you’ve got all the time used. You know the way they work, and also you may 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 the moment 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 robotically obtain or earn elite standing by way of choose bank cards, just like the Marriott Bonvoy Good® American Specific® Card, it might be comparatively painless to start out 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 applications
Backside line
Loyalty ought to be a two-way road. So, in case you aren’t completely satisfied along with your loyalty applications, it might be time to turn out to be a free agent or extra concerned with one other loyalty program. I love sure elite standing advantages, comparable to assured 4 p.m. late checkout, confirmed suite improve awards and Oneworld Emerald standing, so I deal with applications that present these advantages.
I am nonetheless giving Marriott Bonvoy some nights every year, as I am solely 4 years away from incomes lifetime Platinum Elite standing. Nevertheless, I’ve grown annoyed with the loyalty program’s many exclusions and the way its advantages and incomes charges typically fluctuate by model. Plus, now that Marriott Bonvoy has began providing no elite night time credit or elite bonus earnings at one model, I anticipate extra manufacturers will observe.