Memo to loyalty programs: Slashing benefits and earning rates impacts my booking decisions

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 lowered price and earn no elite night credits at StudioRes properties. Then, on Wednesday, Southwest Rapid Rewards drastically reduced points earnings for choose fares.

As I considered these updates, I thought of how they might have an effect on my interactions with these packages. I already take incomes charges for factors and elite evening credit into consideration when reserving lodges, however 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 hardly ever guide paid Southwest Airways flights, I am going to now be even much less seemingly to take action.

Loyalty packages exist to incentivize engagement and spending with a program. So, one simple technique to protest adverse loyalty program updates is together with your pockets. Listed below are some methods I am going to defend myself from these adverse updates and how one can, too.

For years, a number of main hotel loyalty programs have singled out some manufacturers as incomes at decrease charges. However Marriott Bonvoy has by far the best variety of manufacturers with decrease incomes charges. Marriott Bonvoy can be the one main lodge 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 fees at most manufacturers. Nonetheless, you may solely earn 5 base factors per greenback spent at 9 Marriott Bonvoy brands, 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 may solely earn one elite night credit per two nights stayed at Protea Hotels, Metropolis Categorical and Four Points Flex by Sheraton, one elite evening credit score per three nights stayed at Marriott Government Flats and no elite evening credit score for stays of any size at StudioRes.

Because of this, 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 Accommodations, Metropolis Categorical, 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton and Marriott Government Flats — and now StudioRes — since stays at these manufacturers earn fewer factors and elite evening credit. My husband and I attempt to take care of lodge elite standing with a number of packages, so each evening 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 latest journey to Turkey, the 4 Factors Flex by Sheraton Istanbul Taksim Sq. appeared interesting due to its location and worth. However then I remembered I would earn factors and elite evening credit at a lowered price, so I stayed at a equally priced Vacation Inn as an alternative. Even when I would 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 value and higher earnings.

Likewise, though I loved staying at a number of Protea Accommodations properties in South Africa once I obtained full elite evening credit and factors earnings for these stays, I now keep away from Protea Accommodations. As an alternative, I now select Hyatt or IHG properties in Cape City and Johannesburg. You may’t go fallacious with these cities’ nice Category 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 might 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 succeed in the subsequent 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 may earn World of Hyatt points at a decrease price when staying at Hyatt Studios and IHG One Rewards points at a decrease price when staying at IHG Army Hotels, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Residences. In the meantime, Choice Privileges has a model — WoodSpring Suites — that does not take part in its loyalty program in any respect.

Associated: Love it or leave it: My airline and hotel elite status plans for 2025

For Southwest Rapid Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, you possibly can keep away from the decrease incomes charges led to by this week’s adjustments by redeeming factors. Sadly, redeeming factors nonetheless will not offer you 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 hotel 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 price. Better of all, I typically get a fourth or fifth night free when redeeming points with choose lodge loyalty packages.

For instance, I typically redeem IHG One Rewards points 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 benefit, a perk of my IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.

Within the case of Southwest, I’ve already been redeeming factors for flights once I resolve a Southwest flight is my most suitable choice. In spite of everything, Southwest may lower the redemption worth of its factors at any time — reminiscent of the way it decreased the value of Southwest points at first of 2024 — whereas journey funds do not expire and may keep their face worth.

My husband and I usually alternate earning a Southwest Companion Pass each different 12 months, and we normally accrue a large steadiness of Southwest factors by bank card welcome presents 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 Move this 12 months, however I nonetheless have loads of Southwest factors in my account from once I earned a Companion Move in 2021, so I am going to use these as wanted to guide Southwest flights.

Associated: How to earn and use the Southwest Companion Pass

Use a special 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 special program. After all, even if you happen to resolve you are achieved with Southwest Speedy Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy or one other program, switching will take time as you end touring on present reservations and dissipate your remaining factors. Or, you could 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 12 months 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 seemingly redeem Southwest points to guide the flight.

It is easy to maintain utilizing the packages you have 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 status program compels me to maintain incomes at the very least Platinum Elite standing. In spite of everything, I at the moment have lifetime Marriott Gold Elite standing, and — assuming Marriott would 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 status matches and the flexibility to mechanically obtain or earn elite status through select credit cards, just like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, it might be comparatively painless to begin utilizing a new-to-you loyalty program.

Associated: How and why you should maximize your hotel stays by using multiple loyalty programs

Loyalty must be a two-way avenue. So, if you happen to aren’t glad together with your loyalty packages, it might be time to develop into a free agent or extra concerned with one other loyalty program. I love certain elite status benefits, reminiscent of assured 4 p.m. late checkout, confirmed suite improve awards and Oneworld Emerald status, so I give attention to packages 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. Nonetheless, 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 evening credit or elite bonus earnings at one model, I count on extra manufacturers will observe.