Marriott Rewards Redemption Category Changes 2014

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Marriott Rewards has released their redemption chart category changes for 2014.

Starting April 8, 2014 the new categories will be in place. If you book before the 7th, reservations will be honored at the current value.

You can book redemption reservations 50 weeks in advance of your stay. You can also book before you have the required points or certificate in your account, as long as you have them in place by your stay. This works with Cash & Points bookings as well.

The good:

+ There are no new award categories
+ 233 properties are moving down

The neutral:

+ 66% of properties will remain categories 1-4
+ 73% of properties will remain unchanged

The bad:

– 848 are moving up
– No Category 7 or 8 properties are moving down
– No Ritz Carlton properties are moving down

Here’s the full list: Marriott Category Changes 2014

The points required to redeem for each category remains unchanged. Here is the chart for Marriott:

Screen Shot 2014-03-19 at 1.58.59 PM

And for Ritz Carlton:

Screen Shot 2014-03-19 at 1.59.14 PM

Overall, the changes aren’t good. Megabonus certificates are good for categories 1-5, but since there are so many properties that moved from category 4 to 5 last February and now up to category 6, there are less preferred properties to choose from once these category changes take affect.

As Marriott Rewards says in their Insider forum, “Book now for the best value”.

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