Marriott Rewards Update: Category 8 hotels will go into effect March 2019

Marriott's PR team reached out to us with an update to the combined Marriott / SPG / Ritz-Carlton loyalty program to pass along to the Rewards Canada Community. The big takeaway is the time when the new more expensive Category 8 hotel redemption takes effect. It was assumed it would be January 1, 2019 based on prior communication but we now know that it won't happen until sometime in March 2019. This is great news as it gives you more time to book those future Category 8 hotels at Category 7 prices until at least February 28! This means hotels that will cost 85,000 points per night come March will still be able to be booked for only 60,000 points per night.

Here is the communication we received from Marriott

• Combine accounts: As a reminder, members are encouraged to combine accounts by December 31 to potentially achieve a higher Elite status this year. While some members might have delayed combining to earn two years toward lifetime this year, please note there is no advantage to maintaining two accounts after 2018 ends. Combine Accounts
• Update email addresses on separate accounts: If members have the same email address on two separate accounts, and do not wish to combine, they should change the email address on one of the accounts. An email address can only be associated with ONE account by the time we launch the new brand in 2019. We will notify impacted members that this needs to occur, and if they do not either combine accounts or change an email address, we will remove the email address associated with the less active account from the profile. This process will occur on a rolling basis starting January 7. After this occurs, the member will still be able to access the less active account by using their member number and password (not email address.) Please note, this account maintenance has been standard practice for members with multiple Marriott Rewards accounts since 2015 and multiple SPG accounts since 2017. Account balances, Elite night credits and any activity in members’ accounts will remain the same. Update Account > 
• Category 8: Category 8 redemption rates go into effect in March 2019 along with the annual category changes. If members wish to lock in redemption pricing for a current Category 7 hotel moving into Category 8, we encourage them to book now. Explore Redemption Rates 

Be sure to follow steps one and two as soon as you can and of course book any potential Category 8 hotels between now and March 2019!!