I love credit cards so much!

[havaneselover]

I am also not excited about Marriott redemption but got the card recently anyway to transfer points to SPG mostly. Marriott seems to take a lot of points but we already had SPG card. I like the SPG but you just missed the big bonus. Marriott is 100k points for 5k spend right now.

I think it really depends. I have marriott and spg cards and am looking for two nights in August 2018 in Vancouver (pre-cruise). Marriott Pinnacle is 35k/night. Westin Bayshore is 12-16k spg points. It seems like every situation requires analysis.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I am also not excited about Marriott redemption but got the card recently anyway to transfer points to SPG mostly. Marriott seems to take a lot of points but we already had SPG card. I like the SPG but you just missed the big bonus. Marriott is 100k points for 5k spend right now.

Honestly, the Marriott promotion now is pretty similar to the SPG promo that just ended. 100,000 Marriott points is the equivalent of 33,300 SPG points. The minimum spend is higher, but it comes with some nice perks that the SPG card doesn't, including automatic Silver status and a free night each anniversary. The rewards programs are slated to merge next year, so all those SPG cards might just get turned into Marriott cards anyways.

And 100k Marriott points can get you 5 nights at a mid-range Marriott hotel. I think that is pretty decent value.

 

[tink1970]

I keep looking at the Marriott, but it seems like the points don't go very far when booking hotels, maybe I am looking at it wrong. Maybe I should get the CSP myself or the CSR?

100,000 miles (plus the 5,000 spend) would be 105,000 Marriott which could translate into 35,000 SPG. I'd either try to maximize the Marriott a little more to have enough points for a 2 night R-C stay (R-C and Marriott accept the other's point). I actually used 60,000 of my 80,000 sign up from last year) on the R-C Barcelona for after our cruise this summer. Or I'd transfer 60,000 of the 105,000 to SPG then transfer 20,000 since 20,000 SPG is awarded 5,000 bonus miles. That's how I spend my Marriott points...R-C and Delta. Always chasing Delta here...

That said, if I had to chose between Marriott and CSP I'd go with CSP (unless you're like me and essentially married to Delta). Overall, just seems to have more flexibility.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

For anyone that does Swagbucks, I just got a notice about their spring shopping deals. There are some good travel cash back rewards.

InterContinental Hotels Group 12% cash back
Priceline up to 10% cash back
Hotels. com up to 20% cash back
Expedia up to 20% cash back
Travelocity up to 16% cash back

Check on each portals categories, because they usually vary, but could be some decent returns if you are planning to book something soon.

 

[calypso726]

I think I need to quit reading this thread. lol I have a $2000 spend coming in the next few weeks and I feel like I need to get a new card. My husband in the last year got the CSP (4/16) and the CSR (11/16). Just downgraded the CSP to the Freedom Unlimited this week. I am a AU on CSP (4/16) and Just got both SW cards (1/17) and (3/17). Should I get a new card? I keep looking at the Marriott, but it seems like the points don't go very far when booking hotels, maybe I am looking at it wrong. Maybe I should get the CSP myself or the CSR? We have a trip out west at the beginning of June that I have booked all hotels either with points or cash. But 3 of those nights were prepay, so will have no "travel" expenses coming up with this trip that is not already taken care of. Well, I guess 1 hotel night ($150) and airport parking ($100).

I did start this after reading this thread, I have read and reread and still not 100% sure on which way to go. My husband was not happy with the opening of all the cards recently, but he is excited to see how much I have saved us for our upcoming trip. Have no other trips in the plans, but would love to go to Europe next year.

I would open up your own CSR if you are still under 5/24. 50,000 UR points and the travel credit are way more valuable than the 100k Marriott points. Then, after that, if you are over 5/24 and are thinking of Europe, I'd suggest you and your DH both open up a Club Carlson Premier card. You'd each get 85,000 points bonus for spending $2500 in 90 days which would up your total to 97,500 each. The card earns 5x on non category spend. Every anniversary year of having the card you'd each get 40,000 points. So after a year you and DH would have 275,000 points to use at Radisson Blu in Europe. Having the card gives you automatic gold status so you get late/early check in and complimentary upgrade and in room welcome gift. If your stays are 50,000 points per night then you'd have 5 free nights and be half way towards a 6th. DH and I each ave this card and the $75 annual fee has provided us with accommodations that would have cost a few thousand over the last few years in Scotland, Ireland and London.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I think it really depends. I have marriott and spg cards and am looking for two nights in August 2018 in Vancouver (pre-cruise). Marriott Pinnacle is 35k/night. Westin Bayshore is 12-16k spg points. It seems like every situation requires analysis.

So for CC spend, I need to spend $35k to get a night at Marriott but $16k at SPG. That's a lot of spending.
I like that SPG can also transfer to partners. I'm currently working on the Marriott 100k bonus. Will likely transfer to SPG for Disney stay but we'll see.

 

[calypso726]

Honestly, the Marriott promotion now is pretty similar to the SPG promo that just ended. 100,000 Marriott points is the equivalent of 33,300 SPG points. The minimum spend is higher, but it comes with some nice perks that the SPG card doesn't, including automatic Silver status and a free night each anniversary. The rewards programs are slated to merge next year, so all those SPG cards might just get turned into Marriott cards anyways.

And 100k Marriott points can get you 5 nights at a mid-range Marriott hotel. I think that is pretty decent value.

 

[havaneselover]

So for CC spend, I need to spend $35k to get a night at Marriott but $16k at SPG. That's a lot of spending.
I like that SPG can also transfer to partners. I'm currently working on the Marriott 100k bonus. Will likely transfer to SPG for Disney stay but we'll see.

I would never put regular spend on Marriott. Put it on spg and transfer. I can spend $12k on spg Amex and that's worth 36k Marriott points--enough for a category 7. My point is there are times when there are fairly comparable hotels but if you are using points the Marriott will be a better value.

My goal to maximize value is accomplished in two steps:
1) earn as many points as possible (so never use Marriott on regular spend)
2) maximize value of those points (for me SPG will not always dominate here)

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

So for CC spend, I need to spend $35k to get a night at Marriott but $16k at SPG. That's a lot of spending.
I like that SPG can also transfer to partners. I'm currently working on the Marriott 100k bonus. Will likely transfer to SPG for Disney stay but we'll see.

This isn't quite true. You get 5x points for spend at Marriott and SPG (so you would need 7k spend, not 35k). You also can get 2x spend on restaurants, car rental agencies and on airline tickets, but if you have CSP or CSR, those are much better. These branded cards are meant for those that actually stay at the chain or fly the airline to really maximize the points. But this card pays for itself with the one free night per year, so that makes it a net gain to keep imo.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Yeah, I am waiting to see how things shake out. As an SPG loyalist, I was very unhappy when the buyout was announced. As separate programs with transfers, I am still happy. Actually like that more. But once they merge, I am worried that SPG hotel points costs will be inflated. Or the program will be highly devalued. SPG is the best loyalty program for a reason. I keep hoping they will change their minds and keep them separate like Marriott did with the Ritz.

 

[calypso726]

Yeah, I am waiting to see how things shake out. As an SPG loyalist, I was very unhappy when the buyout was announced. As separate programs with transfers, I am still happy. Actually like that more. But once they merge, I am worried that SPG hotel points costs will be inflated. Or the program will be highly devalued. SPG is the best loyalty program for a reason. I keep hoping they will change their minds and keep them separate like Marriott did with the Ritz.

You and me both. My big fear is the SPG airline transfer to over 30 airlines will go out the window. It is quite literally the only reason we have the card. I am truly hoping that if that happens, the bloggers will get wind of it, warn everyone else and we can jump ship. I imagine I'd transfer everything to Alaska Airlines since they partner with airlines across two alliances.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

You and me both. My big fear is the SPG airline transfer to over 30 airlines will go out the window. It is quite literally the only reason we have the card. I am truly hoping that if that happens, the bloggers will get wind of it, warn everyone else and we can jump ship. I imagine I'd transfer everything to Alaska Airlines since they partner with airlines across two alliances.

I used a nights and flights offer for our DL stay. I didn't need the Delta miles at that time, but it was just 20k points more than just the hotel to get 50k miles that I couldn't not do it. I will be very sad if opportunities like that go away.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

This isn't quite true. You get 5x points for spend at Marriott and SPG (so you would need 7k spend, not 35k). You also can get 2x spend on restaurants, car rental agencies and on airline tickets, but if you have CSP or CSR, those are much better. These branded cards are meant for those that actually stay at the chain or fly the airline to really maximize the points. But this card pays for itself with the one free night per year, so that makes it a net gain to keep imo.

But I only stay at Marriott with points. Even before using CC bonuses/points for travel, I likely haven't spent 7k on hotels in 10 years. We can't afford to travel that much. Although I've pretty much scrapped my idea of Seattle this summer & thinking of 2 Marriott nights near Six Flags where we already have season passes

 

[calypso726]

I used a nights and flights offer for our DL stay. I didn't need the Delta miles at that time, but it was just 20k points more than just the hotel to get 50k miles that I couldn't not do it. I will be very sad if opportunities like that go away.

This is a benefit I have yet to use and barely understand. If you would care to elaborate on the how and why of nights and flights I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

This is a benefit I have yet to use and barely understand. If you would care to elaborate on the how and why of nights and flights I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

The nights and flights is an SPG redemption option were you redeem five free nights and 50,000 air miles together. This promotion saves you up to 20,000 SPG points so that you get the extra 50,000 miles for just 20-30k points instead of the normal 40k it costs. You have to stay at a Category 3-4 hotel and can only transfer to airlines with a 1:1 Starpoints-to-miles exchange rate.

In our example, we booked 5 nights at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort for our DL trip. Booking 5 nights gets you the 5th night free. At first, that was all I did for 40k points. But then I decided that since I had the balance available, it made sense to take advantage of the Nights and Fights offer. You have to call in to redeem it, but it was very easy. So for 30k more points (total of 70k), I got 50k Delta miles on top of the free hotel nights. The cost for the miles in term of average SPG points value was $660. The cost for the hotel was $880. But at the time, the room would have cost us closer to $1100 if paid out of pocket. So basically, I felt like I was getting 50k miles for $440 in value, or 0.0088 cents per mile, which is decent value.

We didn't need the miles for that trip. I used 25k of them to fly DH down to Austin during my work trip in January so that he could hang out with my brother and sister in law. That flight would have cost $450 out of pocket. The other 25k are still hanging out in my account waiting for a use.

 

[kmc8826]

The nights and flights is an SPG redemption option were you redeem five free nights and 50,000 air miles together. This promotion saves you up to 20,000 SPG points so that you get the extra 50,000 miles for just 20-30k points instead of the normal 40k it costs. You have to stay at a Category 3-4 hotel and can only transfer to airlines with a 1:1 Starpoints-to-miles exchange rate.

In our example, we booked 5 nights at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort for our DL trip. Booking 5 nights gets you the 5th night free. At first, that was all I did for 40k points. But then I decided that since I had the balance available, it made sense to take advantage of the Nights and Fights offer. You have to call in to redeem it, but it was very easy. So for 30k more points (total of 70k), I got 50k Delta miles on top of the free hotel nights. The cost for the miles in term of average SPG points value was $660. The cost for the hotel was $880. But at the time, the room would have cost us closer to $1100 if paid out of pocket. So basically, I felt like I was getting 50k miles for $440 in value, or 0.0088 cents per mile, which is decent value.

We didn't need the miles for that trip. I used 25k of them to fly DH down to Austin during my work trip in January so that he could hang out with my brother and sister in law. That flight would have cost $450 out of pocket. The other 25k are still hanging out in my account waiting for a use.

No doubt this is a dumb question but I am not familiar with nights/flights either. When you say you got the 50K Delta miles do they just transfer those to your account? And then you spend those how you choose? Is that what you mean when you say you didn't need the miles for the flights to CA?

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

No doubt this is a dumb question but I am not familiar with nights/flights either. When you say you got the 50K Delta miles do they just transfer those to your account? And then you spend those how you choose? Is that what you mean when you say you didn't need the miles for the flights to CA?

Exactly. My delta account just got a deposit for 50k miles to use whenever I want.

 

[kmc8826]

Exactly. My delta account just got a deposit for 50k miles to use whenever I want.

That seems like a really good deal then. I am pretty much stuck with Delta for the most part because since we are a hub city and it always has the best/cheapest flights. Anything to get extra miles like that for a more minimal cost is awesome. I will have to look into it.

 

[Albort]

Honestly, the Marriott promotion now is pretty similar to the SPG promo that just ended. 100,000 Marriott points is the equivalent of 33,300 SPG points. The minimum spend is higher, but it comes with some nice perks that the SPG card doesn't, including automatic Silver status and a free night each anniversary. The rewards programs are slated to merge next year, so all those SPG cards might just get turned into Marriott cards anyways.

And 100k Marriott points can get you 5 nights at a mid-range Marriott hotel. I think that is pretty decent value.

are the minimum spendings the same? $3000 for 25k in 3 months, $2000 for the remaining 10k? for spg.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

are the minimum spendings the same? $3000 for 25k in 3 months, $2000 for the remaining 10k? for spg.

The Marriott is 5k spend. I thought the SPG was 3k only. Is it 5k for all 35k points? If that is the case, then it is the exact same offer really.