Ritz-Carlton Rewards

New Miles to Go Episode! All About Marriott/SPG & Alliance Partner Award Booking

April 19, 2018By Pizza in Motion0 Comments

This week Ed is joined by Gary Leff from View from the Wing for a deep dive on the most asked questions about the changes to Marriott and SPG’s new program – there’s so much that we couldn’t get to it all! Summer Hull from Mommy Points is back to talk about how to get to Europe in business class MUCH cheaper.

Details Of The New Marriott Loyalty Program, SPG Replacement

April 16, 2018By Edward Pizzarello1 Comment

Marriott announces details of new loyalty program, combining Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest and Ritz-Carlton Rewards into one program. New award charts, elite benefits, lifetime status and credit card updates are just some of what we’re chewing on.

Marriott and SPG Are Teaming Up For Their First Promotion Of 2017

December 16, 2016By Edward Pizzarello4 Comments

It’s a double points promo, but is it really? There are a few wrinkles in this joint promotion. Let me walk you through it.

How To Transfer Points From Starwood Preferred Guest To Marriott Rewards

November 10, 2016By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

There’s been a lot going on with Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest since the merger between the two hotel companies was finalized. It’s only been about a month since the merger was finally approved. Immediately thereafter, Marriott and Starwood Preferred Guest had great news for us about using our points at both chains. They provided an immediate path to link your Marriott Rewards (or Ritz-Carlton Rewards) account with your Starwood Preferred Guest account. In case you haven’t linked your accounts yet, follow these steps and do it now. A couple of weeks […]

SPG and Marriott Quickly Expand Ways To Earn Points

October 18, 2016By Edward Pizzarello4 Comments

Marriott and Starwood continue to make much faster progress with integration after the announcement of the merger than I expected. After quickly moving to status match and give members the ability to transfer points, Marriott and SPG have another announcement that members are really going to enjoy.

How To Link Your Starwood Preferred Guest Account To Marriott Rewards

September 24, 2016By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

Now that the merger between Marriott and Starwood has been approved, it’s time to link your Starwood Preferred Guest account to Marriott Rewards or Ritz-Carlton Rewards.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to do so.

New Offer For The Ritz-Carlton Visa Is Pretty Darn Good

August 10, 2016By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

While I’m not a big participant in the Marriott family, there are some changes to the Ritz-Carlton credit that many customers will find compelling.

Why This September 11th Is Just A Little Bit Different For Me

It’s a day to stop and think about the bravery it must have taken for first responders in lower Manhattan to watch the first tower collapse, then run up the stairs into the second tower to try to rescue survivors. I started forming the thoughts for this story a few weeks ago. My plan was to publish it last week, but as with so many things lately, time got away from me. So, here we sit on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. In some ways, September 11th is just another […]

The Canada-US Border Is Open. Here’s What Crossing By Land Is Like Right Now

If you’re thinking about crossing the Canadian border, I’ve got plenty of details on what to expect. Our family recently crossed the border into Canada and then back into the US. If you prefer to listen to the story than read it, you can check the whole thing out on my podcast. If you just want the quick and dirty, here are some key links: The ArriveCAN app (you need to complete an online application to enter Canada) Nova Scotia pre-arrival application Link to order Abbot BinaxNOW tests (rapid test […]

Recent Experience Shows How Marriott Properties Treat Award Bookings Differently Than Paid Bookings

Since Marriott acquired Starwood Preferred Guest a few years ago, the number of paid stays I’ve had with Marriott have been steadily dropping. It didn’t start out intentional, but I did find myself booking fewer and fewer Marriott stays . I don’t go out of my way to avoid Marriott. But, I used to go out of my way to stay with SPG. As the years have gone by, a number of changes have caused me to continue moving business elsewhere. Marriott has been fairly intentional in establishing a loyalty […]

Hyatt Adds 100 Leisure Hotels With More On The Way

Hyatt announced earlier this week that they were acquiring Apple Leisure Group. The move will add 100 existing hotels to the Hyatt family and another couple dozen that are in the pipeline for Apple (ALG). Here’s a quick description of ALG from the press release: ALG’s hotel portfolio consists of over 33,000 rooms operating in 10 countries. The portfolio has grown from nine resorts in 2007 to approximately 100 properties by the end of 2021 and has a pipeline of 24 executed deals with a large number of additional hotels […]

EXCITING! Aeroplan Is The Newest Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner

There’s really good news for folks who have a stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, especially if you have easy access to Air Canada hubs (think Toronto and Vancouver). In anticipation of the launch of a credit card for US residents, to be issued by Chase, Ultimate Rewards transfers to Aeroplan are live. This is all part of a significant relaunch of Aeroplan that started last year. Aeroplan came up with a bunch of great new options like Status Pass, where you can grant elite status to a friend or […]

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]