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Last week, I wrote about plans to dump all of my Marriot and SPG credit cards (See: Sending the Marriott and SPG cards off into the sunset). This morning, in my post about why I think there is no hurry to sign up for the Marriott Premier Plus before the 100K offer ends tomorrow (See: Is there a hurry for the Marriott card? (Answer: No.), I noted that one group of people who might want to consider applying for that card are those who can maximize the free night award benefit. After saying last week that I would dump these cards despite that benefit, it turns out I’m going to keep one for the free night benefit after all.
I said last week that the free night benefit doesn’t excite me because Marriott tacks on resort / destination fees to free night awards. That annoys me to no end. It’s like a tax for choosing Marriott over Hilton or Hyatt, and it’s insulting to the consumer to pretend that the room rate is the price of the room only to add an additional mandatory hotel fee that goes into the same pot of profit for the hotel as the rest of your money. I say either itemize the entire bill — with a fee of three cents for laundry soap to clean the bedsheets, two bucks for electricity, eighteen cents for water usage, two hundred dollars for shareholder profits, and so on — or just charge one price that earns you the profit you need without trying to convince me that I should have to pay separately for the convenience of having a towel available next to the pool that you used pictures of to lure me into paying for your resort over someone else’s. /rant.
I did also note that I’m sure there are times when it is possible to get better-than-$95 in value out of a free night certificate, but it would require more time and focus to make sure you’re getting a deal. Further, as Greg has shown (See: Manufacturing free nights (Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott), it’s possible to manufacture nights at average Hyatt and Hilton properties for reasonable spend — using manufactured spending techniques, it is possible in many cases to manufacture free nights at comparable Hyatt and Hilton hotels for less than $95.
Of course, almost immediately after taking that stance, I ran into an exception. Early next year, I have a trip booked with an overnight stopover in San Jose on the way, and rooms are expensive right now for our date. While there are some motels in the area in the $150-$200 per night range, I recently noted in another post that even the La Quinta Inn near the airport is pretty spendy the night we need.
As you move up to the Hilton and Marriott properties, prices get kind of ridiculous. More than $400 after tax for a night at a Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, or Fairfield Inn near an airport seems ludicrous.
The nearby SPG options don’t look much more reasonable for a quick overnight before an early morning flight out.
But wouldn’t you know it….all of the above properties will be 35,000 points or less under the new chart. In fact, the Fairfield, Four Points, and Residence Inn will all cost just 25,000 points — meaning those are even bookable with the old Cat 1-5 cert that comes with the old (and no longer available) Marriott Rewards Premier card (not “Plus”).
As fate would have it, I have an available Cat 1-5 certificate, but we need 2 rooms. Fate further pushing things along: my SPG personal anniversary date is in August, and Amex has said that the free 35K award night will post with your next anniversary date after August 1st. Considering the fact that Hyatt doesn’t have a hotel with a shuttle and Hilton is charging enough points as to make it less desirable to MS a free night at one of the Hilton properties, paying that $95 annual fee is looking like a good idea after all. I’ll end up using my “up to 35K” certificate at a property that only charges 25K in order to keep both rooms together at the same hotel, but between two annual fees, I’ll have spent less than the cash cost of one room.
And so it looks like I’m already going back on my promise to cancel as soon as the fees hit. This is exactly the type of situation where this type of free night benefit comes in handy — I’m just surprised it came around so fast as to make me retract my threat to cancel almost instantly. That’s better that than realizing I needed the stay right after I had cancelled….
Anyone have a recommendation between the Fairfield, Four Points, and Residence Inn? 🙂
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[…] shared last year about how he planned to cancel all his Marriott and SPG cards, although he subsequently decided to keep one as he’d be able to get value out of the anniversary […]
SPG vs Marriott anniversary free night reward.
I am new to the SPG free night……is it true that
SPG anniversary night posts 6-8 wk after anniversary date
vs Marriott anniversary night posts the day after the anniversary date
My SPG American Express credit card anniversary date is 8/26/17. I plan to close my account after that date, but soon enough that I won’t have to pay the annual fee. But if I close it before my anniversary night posts to my account (ie, less than 8-12 weeks after 8/26/18), will I still get an anniversary night posted to my account? To be clear, my intention is to have the credit card open on the anniversary, but not 8-12 weeks after the anniversary.
Can you share with us what your experience was? When did you cancel and was the free nights certificates posted?
And, by changing your mind, you got an extra post. 😉
I was going to cancel mine too until I saw their updated award chart. Between wife and I we have 2 SPG personals, one SPG biz, and two Marriott Biz cards that will each yield 35,000 free night awards. That might be too many but I think we’re going to keep them all for at least one year and see how often we need those nights. Based on what we’re looking to do the next couple years, I see us easily using those nights. Usually free night awards on other chains are not great properties, not even good most of the time. But 35,000 will go a long way with Marriott, at least for a couple years.
This is my first post here but this is a great blog and I’m a frequent reader. Thanks
There is an Aloft hotel where I will need to stay for several upcoming events. I have the Chase Marriott Business Card. I had closed my Amex SPG cards a few years ago, no more bonus eligibility. Even without the bonus, would it be worthwhile to pick up an SPG card again just for earning purposes at Aloft? (I plan on staying at some Aloft properties in the next couple of years) . Thanks
Not at all. Starting next month, all of the cards earn the same 6x at Marriott/Ritz/SPG properties. The only advantage to an SPG card would be if you value the annual free night — otherwise, you’re better off with your Marriott Business card. The Marriott Business card will earn the same 6x at Marriott properties and also earn 4X at restaurants, gas stations, and on shipping, Internet, cable, and phone services purchases.
I just checked my AMEX account. My account fee hit last year on July 27, 2017. Do you think I could ask AMEX to have it post this year on August 1? I really don’t want to keep the SPG card because of the devalued earning. Should I cancel my card as soon as the fee hits? Ask for a retention bonus?
I got stuck at SFO unexpectedly and yes, that 1-5 cert came in handy indeed and saved me a packet.
If I get a retention bonus for my SPG card that is greater than or equal to $35, which is pretty much how much resort fees cost, then I will keep my card for another year.
When I have a paid stay at Hyatt or Hilton, the hotel has always awarded points for parking fees (not resort fees though). I was so surprised the first time I stayed at a Marriott when these fees didn’t earn points. It’s annoying that because resort fees are not part of the hotel rate, they don’t earn points with hotel programs.
Yep. More and more, finding a room for the free night will become tough unless you get lucky in Barstow, CA. A couple of days ago, many news outlets were running the story that earning $117,400 a year qualifies you as “low income” in some counties (San Francisco area). I have a Marriott card and two SPG cards. Most coastal areas north of L.A. are pretty much outrageously priced. But you nailed it with you said it would take “more time and focus to make sure you’re getting a deal”. While I travel mostly in Asia a couple of months a year, I have no problem finding great and reasonable independent hotels. I’m Hilton Gold for now, and I’ll see how far that takes me before I drop all chain loyalty. I’ll let Agoda or Expedia do the shopping for me. But I’ll be dumping my two SPG cards in a few weeks. Besides, I’m kinda getting tired of having to maintain a spreadsheet to play and chase miles and points.
I stayed at that FFI a couple of weeks ago in transit to Maui. It was underwhelming. The free breakfast was the usual fruit/bagels/oatmeal/waffle maker. The breakfast area was way understaffed for the amount of guests, which means when we got there for a late breakfast, there was food all over all the tables and on the floor…and they couldn’t keep the food stocked. I didn’t go inside the RI, but I do remember thinking that it looked nicer (at least from the outside). The FFI wasn’t awful, and I’d stay there again…but if all the same, I’d choose RI.
Good to know. Flight out is too early for breakfast anyway, but seems several people suggested the RI.
Did I miss something?? What SPG card gives you a free night every year??
Starting in August, all of the SPG cards will. It’s the consolation prize of the earning dipping from 3x Marriott per $1 to 2x Marriott per $1. See our transition guide for more details:
https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-spg-ritz-transition-guide/#creditcards
Any idea if keeping an SPG card will cause you to miss out on sign-up bonus for the new Amex Marriott card due to Amex once per lifetime language ?
I just ran in to a similar situation. I had to spend last night in Brookfield, WI, a suburb of Milwaukee. I assumed the rates would be cheap. The Courtyard by Marriott, a Category 3, was $234 plus tax! This is not California, folks! I had a free night certificate that expires in September, so I put it to good use.
We’ve stayed at the Four Points San Jose Airport, and it’s not bad at all. Free shuttle to SJC, and it’s about a mile away, I think. As for Hyatt, I’m pretty certain Hyatt House in Santa Clara has a free airport shuttle, as does HH San Jose.