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Marriott Reveals They Had My Unencrypted Passport and Credit Card Information, and Now Hackers Have It

by Gary Leff on February 24, 2019

Feb 24 2019

Marriott let me know that the hack of their systems released my unencrypted passport number and unencrypted credit card number. Even this information isn’t helpful because they don’t let me know which number or whether or not it’s expired.

The data breach compromised 383 million records including 5.25 million unencrypted passport numbers and 8.6 million payment cards. Marriott claims most credit cards were expired which means they have that information, but even though they’re telling me my credit card number was compromised they aren’t telling me the expiration date of the card.

Beware: Several Marriott Hotels Charging Thousands of Dollars Cash When You Redeem Points

by Gary Leff on February 23, 2019

Feb 23 2019

Significant cash deposits are being required by some Marriott properties when booking an award. They say they’ll charge you cash up front and give it back at the end of your stay.

What’s more these are very poorly disclosed during the booking process, the credit card charges would come as a complete surprise to most people.

Existing Legacy Starwood Amex Cardholders Can Earn 100,000 Marriott Points

by Gary Leff on February 22, 2019

Feb 22 2019

If you have the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card you might not even know it because you still think of it as the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Card — and your card still says SPG on it.

One of the biggest criticisms of the new program is that the value of points earned via credit card is one third less than Starwood Amex cardmembers are accustomed to. They’ve solved that through the rest of the year.

Marriott Requires $20,000 Spend for Top Tier Status, This Man Tipped $22,000 and Got Arrested

by Gary Leff on February 20, 2019

Feb 20 2019

Marriott’s new program doesn’t just require 100 nights a year to earn top tier elite status, it also requires $20,000 in spending. That’s odd for a loyalty program with so many hotels in China and elsewhere that rates are super cheap. It’s possible to stay nearly 300 nights with Marriott in a year and still not be a top tier elite.

One man probably wasn’t testing to see whether tips would count towards qualifying spend, though Marriott is at least in the process of rolling out points-earning for food and beverage while not a guest on property (something that Starwood offered for years).

Another Change to Marriott’s Rules and Watch Out for Post-Purchase Upsells

by Gary Leff on February 18, 2019

Feb 18 2019

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

How to Check if Your Personal Information Was Part of the Massive Marriott Data Breach

by Gary Leff on February 15, 2019

Feb 15 2019

There’s a new website managed by OneTrust that lets you check if your information was part of the Marriott data breach.

In all 383 million records were hacked including 5.25 million unencrypted passport numbers, 8.6 million payment cards (most expired). Marriott has not revealed whether the notes they’ve taken on you were revealed.

Hilton CEO: Marriott’s Flubbed Loyalty Efforts are Bringing Him Customers – But He’s Likely Wrong

by Gary Leff on February 14, 2019

Feb 14 2019

ilton’s CEO suggests that Marriott’s troubles have been Hilton’s gain.

Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said on the company’s earnings call on Wednesday that the Honors program added 14 million new members last year, a 20% increase to a total of 85 million. He attributes that to guests shifting from Marriott. But that’s not at all suggestive of what he thinks it is.

Marriott Bonvoy Launched Today, Replacing Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest

by Gary Leff on February 13, 2019

Feb 13 2019

Marriott has officially launched a new name for its loyalty program today. There’s no more Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, or Starwood Preferred Guest. There’s now only Bonvoy.

We knew what Rewards meant. That’s all about earn and burn. Preferred Guest was all about how a loyal member is treated. Bonvoy literally has no meaning. It is not a word.

Use Points Advance to Lock In Current Marriott Redemption Rates Before Prices Go Up

by Gary Leff on February 11, 2019

Feb 11 2019

When Marriott announced their award category changes that go into effect March 5, I noted that 346 hotels would cost more points and 37 would cost fewer.

I initially wrote that you could use points advance to lock in reservations now at the current rate even if you don’t have the points, and redeem later (after March 5 when prices go up). Several readers pointed out to me that Marriott implied in their announcement that this wasn’t the case. However I’ve re-confirmed this still works.

Marriott’s New Champagne Vending Machine and BYO Wine on Planes

by Gary Leff on February 11, 2019

Feb 11 2019

News and notes from around the interweb: Is it snobby to bring your own wine on planes? I think when Delta serves $4 Andre in business class the answer is clearly no. I love trying new wines when I’m flying Singapore (especially) but also Qantas and other carriers in first class. When the wines are mediocre or poorly-paired I just won’t just drink. It’s always a bad idea to drink booze that a flight attendant does not serve to you. My seat opponent on a Dallas – Austin flight was once written up for bringing a to-go cup from the Admirals Club with wine in it — and refusing to give it up when called out by a flight attendant. Her reasoning: she didn’t want to waste the company’s resources. The Emir of Kuwait’s holding…

marriott

Marriott Reveals They Had My Unencrypted Passport and Credit Card Information, and Now Hackers Have It

Beware: Several Marriott Hotels Charging Thousands of Dollars Cash When You Redeem Points

Existing Legacy Starwood Amex Cardholders Can Earn 100,000 Marriott Points

Marriott Requires $20,000 Spend for Top Tier Status, This Man Tipped $22,000 and Got Arrested

Another Change to Marriott’s Rules and Watch Out for Post-Purchase Upsells

How to Check if Your Personal Information Was Part of the Massive Marriott Data Breach

Hilton CEO: Marriott’s Flubbed Loyalty Efforts are Bringing Him Customers – But He’s Likely Wrong

Marriott Bonvoy Launched Today, Replacing Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest

Use Points Advance to Lock In Current Marriott Redemption Rates Before Prices Go Up

Marriott’s New Champagne Vending Machine and BYO Wine on Planes

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