This week, two main loyalty applications made updates that weren’t favorable for purchasers. On Tuesday, Marriott Bonvoy up to date its phrases and situations to point that members will earn factors at a decreased charge 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-about how they might 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 accommodations, nevertheless it’s a foul signal that Marriott Bonvoy now has a model that awards no elite bonus factors or elite night time credit on stays. And though I hardly ever guide paid Southwest Airways flights, I will now be even much less doubtless to take action.
Loyalty applications exist to incentivize engagement and spending with a program. So, one straightforward option to protest unfavorable loyalty program updates is together with your pockets. Listed below are some methods I will defend myself from these unfavorable updates and how one can, too.
Keep away from affected lodge manufacturers
You will earn 10 Marriott base factors per greenback spent on qualifying fees 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 Government Flats. So as to add insult to damage, you will solely earn one elite night time credit score per two nights stayed at Protea Motels, Metropolis Categorical and 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton, one elite night time credit score per three nights stayed at Marriott Government Flats and no elite night time 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 Motels, Metropolis Categorical, 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton and Marriott Government 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 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. seemed interesting due to its location and worth. However then I remembered I might earn factors and elite night time credit at a decreased charge, so I stayed at a equally priced Vacation Inn as a substitute. Even when I might wished 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 Motels properties in South Africa once I obtained full elite night time credit and factors earnings for these stays, I now keep away from Protea Motels. 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 fees on a six-night keep at a 4 Factors Flex would get me 5,000 base factors and three elite nights whereas the identical fees 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 achieve the following standing qualification threshold.
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It is value 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 charge when staying at Hyatt Studios and IHG One Rewards factors at a decrease charge when staying at IHG Military Motels, 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: Adore it or depart it: My airline and lodge elite standing plans for 2025
Redeem rewards
I like extended-stay lodge 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 a better charge. 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 charge 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 — equivalent to the way it decreased the worth of Southwest factors in the beginning of 2024 — whereas journey funds do not expire and will keep their face worth.
My husband and I sometimes alternate incomes a Southwest Companion Cross each different 12 months, and we normally accrue a large steadiness of Southwest factors by bank card welcome affords whereas doing so. Then, we use these factors to guide as lots of our Southwest flights as doable. We aren’t planning to earn a Companion Cross this 12 months, however I nonetheless have numerous Southwest factors in my account from once I earned a Companion Cross in 2021, so I will use these as wanted to guide Southwest flights.
Associated: How you can earn and use the Southwest Companion Cross
Use a distinct program
Lastly, it is value contemplating whether or not unfavorable loyalty program modifications are sufficient to vary your loyalty or encourage you to make use of a distinct program. After all, even in the event you resolve you are carried out with Southwest Fast Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy or one other program, switching will take time as you end touring on current reservations and expend 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 12 months since my husband and I haven’t got a Companion Cross. But when Southwest has a modestly priced nonstop flight on a route I have to fly, I will doubtless redeem Southwest factors to guide the flight.
It is easy to maintain utilizing the applications you’ve got at all times used. You understand how they work, and also you might need elite standing (and even lifetime standing). I will admit that the Marriott lifetime elite standing program compels me to maintain incomes no less than 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 flexibility to mechanically obtain or earn elite standing by choose bank cards, just like the Marriott Bonvoy Sensible® American Categorical® Card, it might be comparatively painless to begin utilizing a new-to-you loyalty program.
Associated: How and why you need to maximize your lodge stays by utilizing a number of loyalty applications
Backside line
Loyalty must be a two-way avenue. So, in the event you aren’t joyful together with your loyalty applications, it might be time to change into a free agent or extra concerned with one other loyalty program. I love sure elite standing advantages, equivalent to assured 4 p.m. late checkout, confirmed suite improve awards and Oneworld Emerald standing, so I give attention to 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 pissed off 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 comply with.
