Roundup: Articles From Around the Web
Here are some posts from around the web that I thought you may find interesting. Let me know if there is anything good I missed. Email me anything awesome that you find, or write, at Mark@milestomemories.com.
Articles
FRUSTRATIONS YOU ARE LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER IN MILES AND POINTS HOBBY – Miles For Family
I have dealt with all of these things, several times. The saying the only things that are certain are death and taxes should include devaluations too!
New AMEX App Feature: Split Purchases & Request Venmo or PayPal Payments from Others – Travel With Grant
File this under something I will never use but that I think others may find interesting/useful.
Marriott Updates Bonvoy Terms To Hint At Higher Award Costs – OMaaT
We all know where this is heading. Dynamic pricing like Hilton is on the horizon. The only problem is Hilton gives out points like candy where Marriott locks their down like they are better than SPG points.
I feel bad for anyone that sticks with this chain, things will only get worse. Ryan is earning his Marriott Platinum status without spending any money outside of annual fees but that is because he has points to burn. Once those are gone he is done with them as most people should be.
Conclusion
Which article did you find most interesting? Remember to let me know of anything you come across that you want added into the next edition at Mark@milestomemories.com.
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I no longer travel for business. But when I did and someone else paid for the room I could find a Marriott anywhere. The points added up over the years and I hit nearly 4MM. Now I am at 600K. I am lifetime Titanium. We actually are working on Hyatt points on our occasional stays and will continue to work that. You hit the nail on the head when you said those Hilton points are easy to come by and Marriott is extremely tight. Honestly, I am not sure what lifetime Titanium does for me, that really Gold would not do already.
I think Hyatt gets it right.
Yeah I think Hyatt having UR earning as a way to ramp up earning power and their points being valuable is what makes them the best combo. Hopefully they keep growing their footprint like they have the last few years.
Honestly I think a lot of the whining about Marriott from the blogs is overdone. My Marriott stays have increased this year and will likely keep going up as it is super easy to find good hotels in all major business and leisure markets where I need to be. The footprint is unrivaled, and there are a lot of desirable redemption options. I like Hilton as well but there are more, higher end hotel choices with Marriott. Hyatt is too limited in terms of available hotels
I wouldn’t say they are unrivaled with IHG and Hilton only being 1000 locations behind. They are in the same ballpark but they have the most locations for sure. I will also agree that their group has more high end hotels than both.
I don’t think they are an easy program to earn points with via spend or credit cards though like Hyatt or Hilton are (or even Radisson). That is why they will always ride backseat, just like IHG, for me.
I thought the miles & points frustrations post was really good, although I felt that it overlooked my biggest frustration: lack of award space in premium cabins. You’ve spent countless hours amassing points/miles for that big trip in half a year or whenever, only to find that your points are worthless because there’s no saver space available. It kinda shoots a big hole in that aspirational dream the airlines are selling.
That is frustrating for sure and the more dynamic the pricing gets the harder it is going to be.