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.

Hilton Goes First, Dropping Elite Status Requirements For 2021

Travel brands across the world have been struggling with how to get customers to travel since the start of the pandemic. Many of those offers were patchwork in the beginning to solve a problem that seemed to be measured in weeks, maybe months. Six months later it’s clear that travel is on a very slow path to recovery and major travel companies need a long-term plan. Hilton recently made clear how much they value increasing/retaining their loyalty ranks in 2021. Hilton Reduces Elite Status Requirements Early on, Hilton was the […]

HELP WANTED: Hiring An Intern

Boy, have I been swamped lately…… I need your help! Between my blog and podcast (with another surprise or two on the way) I’ve just run out of time. I much prefer writing and recording than social media, but that’s really just me putting my head in the sand. So, I need someone who has a bit of social media experience and a lot of excitement to work on a part-time basis as an intern/coordinator to help me make things great! The right person will be willing to maintain a […]

Why It’s Time To Start Lowering Hotel Award Redemption Rates (Probably Not Why You Think)

As 2020 starts to wind down, there have been plenty of announcements from airline and hotel loyalty programs designed to keep members engaged. The first salvo revolved around reducing the requirements needed to earn elite status. This was at a time when it seemed like we might get back to some level or normalcy fairly quickly. Heck, at that point I thought I’d be home for 3 or 4 weeks and then back on the road. Little did I know then that I probably wouldn’t get on another plane this […]

Hyatt Announces (Mostly) Customer-Friendly Extensions And Changes

Hyatt has announced some more changes and extensions to key benefits that should benefit most travelers. In light of the virtually unprecedented financial impact of COVID-19, travel brands have had to quickly adapt. Back in April, Hyatt moved to extend elite status and other key benefits such as free night awards. At that point, nobody was really sure when travel would rebound. The big chains made the decision to wave the white flag on getting loyalty members to qualify for status in 2020. Now, Hyatt is tweaking a few things […]

Uber Will Be Allowed To Continue Operating In London

Uber will allowed to continue operating in London. For years, Uber has tussled with Transport for London, the major regulatory agency for car transport in the UK city. Uber has been on a series of shorter extensions of their license. They’ve been seeking a 5-year license in London. Back in November of last year they had lost a ruling to extend their license, though they filed an appeal. Now, they’ve won that appeal. Uber Wins Transport For London Appeal Uber announced this morning that it had been granted an 18-month […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]