Today Is The Last Day to Book SPG and Marriott Awards That Increase Tomorrow

Today is the last day to book those hotels increasing in award category for both Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards.  Tomorrow, a chunk of properties from both chains will cost you more points to redeem for free nights.  At the same time, some properties are getting “cheaper”, costing less award points.

But, since we’re all about value here, I’m focusing on those going up.  I figured a brief reminder to book if you’re thinking about it was worthwhile today.  Remember that, in most cases, you can cancel an award within a couple of days of arrival with no penalty.  If you’re on the fence (and have enough points), it’s worth booking something today you might use later in the year before the number of points required goes up.

I spent a few minutes discussing the list of SPG properties changing category when the announcement was made.  On whole, I think the increase was more gentle than I excepted.  In short:

• Many properties in Canada are going up in category (will cost more points to redeem).
• Some nice properties in Italy and some key metro markets in the US are getting cheaper.
• These adjustments are mostly “surgical”, without whole regions moving up or down.  That means taking a closer look at the list to match your future plans.

I didn’t review the Marriott changes.  I probably should have.  But, as with most things in my life it came down to the number of grains of sand left in the hourglass.  Mommy Points touched on some specific hotels that members might be dreaming of redeeming points at.  And, View From The Wing provides a brief breakdown of how the Marriott changes skew by brand type.

The Final Two Pennies

The final two pennies are easy on this one.  Take 5 minutes and scan through the lists today.  Book something if it might pop up on your radar later in the year.  You can always cancel later.  Make sure you set a reminder to cancel if you’re not sure of your plans!

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