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See the answers to your most pressing SPG/Marriott Rewards questions in our post-merger Q&A with the heads of both programs.
In case you missed the news overnight, Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood has now closed. Much to our surprise (and great relief), at the same time, Marriott launched the option to link accounts and transfer points between SPG and Marriott Rewards. Members will receive an instant status match and points can be transferred at a very reasonable rate of 1 Starpoint to 3 Marriott Rewards points.
As of now, Marriott’s site is live — you can link your accounts, receive your matched status and transfer points right away. I’ll run through this process below.
Linking Accounts
1. Go to Marriott’s new members site.
2. Sign in to your Marriott account (or start with Ritz-Carlton or SPG).
3. Sign in to your SPG account.
4. Click “Link” on Marriott’s site.
I received confirmation right away and my Marriott status was instantly upgraded to Platinum Elite to match SPG Platinum.
Once your accounts are linked, you can begin the instant transfers.
Transferring Points to Starwood
1. Sign in to your Marriott Rewards account.
2. Click “Transfer Now” on Marriott’s site and enter the number of points.
3. Choose an option to confirm your identity (if required)
4. Check your email and type in the temporary code (mine arrived instantly)
5. Verify your transfer
Your points should be transferred right away.
I received an email confirmation as well.
You can also transfer points in the other direction — from Starwood to Marriott.
Transferring Points to Marriott
1. Log in to your SPG account.
2. Click “Transfer Starpoints to Rewards Points.”
3. Enter the number of points to transfer.
4. Verify details and click “Complete Transfer.”
You should receive a confirmation message.
I received a confirmation email as well.
My Starpoints appeared in my Marriott account instantly.
And my Marriott Rewards points appeared instantly in my Starwood account as well.
Bottom Line
There’s no reason not to link your accounts and receive an instant status match, and with Marriott offering unrestricted (and instant) transfers in either direction, there’s no disadvantage to transferring as many points between programs as often as you’d like. We were initially told that the match and transfers would take several hours to complete, but both processes are instant.
We’ll have more news to share regarding the Marriott/Starwood merger in the weeks and months to come, and we’ll be digging into some of the topics Marriott has not yet addressed in our Facebook Live session with David Flueck and Thom Kozik, the heads of Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards, later this morning. Be sure to tune in at 10am ET!
Source: thepointsguy.com