Sorry for a slight day on this news, but we have been traveling the last day. Earlier this week, we told you that Marriott and Starwood Were To Become A Combined Company September 23. Well, Marriott completed their buyout of Starwood and you can now transfer Starpoints to Marriott Rewards points at a 1:3 ratio and Marriott Rewards points to Starwood at a 3:1 ratio. The minimum amount of points that you can transfer are 1k Starpoints into 3k Marriott Rewards points or 1k Marriott Rewards points into 333 SPG Starpoints. I actually stayed at a Marriott Resort this weekend, but noticed no signs of the merger yet. See the SPG link here to merge your accounts.

Link Your Marriott & SPG Accounts To Transfer Points

Here are some highlights of the FAQ:

The loyalty programs will continue to operate as separate entities for some time — we don’t anticipate combining the programs until 2018. Your Rewards account will have its own login, points balance and associated hotels. The same goes for your SPG account. Now that the two companies have merged, you can link your Rewards and SPG accounts. We encourage you to do this so you can get the best benefits across the portfolio. Please note, the policy remains that you can be a member of either Marriott Rewards or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, but not both programs.
• You can now link your Rewards and SPG accounts.
• Your highest status level* will now be matched across all of your accounts.
• You can transfer points between your accounts.
*Note: This applies to your highest non-promotional status level.

We don’t anticipate that the two programs will come together before 2018, and we will keep you informed of any updates. In the meantime, there’s no change to how you book reservations, manage your accounts or earn Elite night credits, points and miles in the current programs.

Bottom Line 

You can transfer points back and forth between your Marriott and SPG accounts to take advantage of the sweet spots in either chain. This merger opens up a whole world of possibilities and I pleased with 1:3 ratio Starpoints to Marriott Rewards points. There are still plenty of things that we have outstanding with this merger, but for now it certainly looks to be favorable. Post your comments.

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