I got an email from AMEX about the “updates” to my SPG Business card. In reading through the information about the new card/benefits, this jumped out at me about the new Luxury card:
“Complimentary Gold Elite status: Earn Platinum Elite status after making $75,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.”
Then it says (emphasis mine):
“Coming in 2019: Each calendar year you can receive credit for 15 nights towards the next level of Elite status. Limit one 15 Elite Night Credit per Marriott Loyalty Program member. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.”
Does that mean the Luxury card will automatically give you 40 elite nights just for holding the card? 25 from the complimentary Gold status, then another 15 towards the next level? If so, you’d only need to stay 10 more nights to get Platinum. Which sounds too good to be true, but that’s what it says the way I’m understanding it.
So I'm reading about the new Marriott Premier Plus card and it says there:
***
Automatic Silver Elite Status: You will automatically receive Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year as a cardmember (“Account anniversary year” means the year beginning with account open date through the anniversary of your account open date, and each 12 months after that).[/QUOTE]
***
But doesn't say how that will happen, currently they credit you with nights to achieve that. Since they don't mention nights I'm wondering if it changes to a simple status check box (do you have the CC? check. account is silver) But if they give you 10 nights on your anniversary year to make that happen, then it could stack with the 15 you get as the next perk that starts 2019:
***
15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year a maximum of 15 Elite Night credits will be credited to one of your Marriott Loyalty Program accounts operated by Marriott International (i.e., Marriott Rewards®, Starwood Preferred Guest® or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®) (the “Marriott Loyalty Program”) on or before March 1 in accordance with the Marriott Loyalty Program terms and conditions.
***
However, if that were to happen everyone with a CC would be gold at some point. (i.e. I get my 15 nights on or before March 1. My anniversary year is March, I get another 10 nights, I'm now at 25 in the same calendar year). So that's just confusing, if each calendar year you'll get the 15 nights that pretty much gives you the Automatic Silver Elite just as it does now.
Possibly the automatic status is just for 2018 since the elite nights aren't starting until 2019. (So you get 10 nights when you open the card which are good through Dec 31. Then Jan 1 you get the 15 nights which keeps you at Silver Elite. If they're slow crediting those nights and it takes until March 1, you're still silver Elite because of the automatic status thingie) But since the SPG cards have the same automatic language, I'm leaning towards the check box concept rather than being given actual nights. So you might get the perks of Silver Elite but you have to earn the full 25 nights to get to Gold Elite (likewise, perks of Gold Elite but need 50 nights or spend to make the Platinum). The 15 nights are then technically counting towards the next level, just maybe not as quickly as one would like
On another note, the new Marriott Premier Plus card does not have the elite night credit for every 3k in spend like the current Premier and Biz cards.
And more confusion for the current Marriott cards it still says Cat 1-5 for the free night but only valued up to
25k points. But in the new chart 25k points is a Cat 4. So I guess it's Cat 1-5 if booked pre Aug 1, after Aug 1 it's really Cat 1-4. (we used our night already so doesn't affect me, we won't get the next one until after the change) Still really need to see the new list of property values to see if that's a devaluation or not.
Next on my research list: lifetime status. At first glance, it looks like it just got easier so I'm sure I'm missing something
My oldest is almost 18 and I've wondered when she can go for her own card. She has no steady income though, which I'm sure is a requirement.
