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Back in July, I wrote about a rumored update occurring in regards to hotel redemptions utilizing Marriott Vacation Club on August 1st. Seeing as though the overall Marriott Rewards/SPG integration got delayed to August 18th, I figured that the MVC would face a delay as well. Something has happened because I only see 11 hotels in the entire world that are available for MVC club point redemptions.
If you’re a current MVC participant you’ll see this when you go to Use Points:
One of the most valuable uses of MVC have been on Explorer Collection properties, in fact, this is the only way you can stay at a Ritz Carlton Reserve Property. Mandapa, in Ubud Bali is available via this redemption.
The 11 hotels currently named in the Explorer Collection:
Several of these have no association with Marriott at all.
- Eagle Tree Condominiums
- Ritz Carlton Golf Resort Naples
- Ritz Carlton Naples
- Ritz Carlton Kapalua, Hawaii
- Travaasa Hana
- 47 Park Street, London
- Ayana Resort Bali
- Mandapa Bali
- The Canopi – Bintan
- Ritz Carlton Jakarta
- Ritz Carlton Singapore
The list of hotels used to be extensive, I’d never counted the properties in their entirety, but I’d have guessed it around 75-100 hotels around the world whereby you could use your MVC points to stay. In fact, I thought once the programs had integrated we would actually see additional hotels added to the Explorer Collection, but apparently we are in a weird limbo stage.
I think this will be for the better.
The drop means that something is changing, we just don’t know what. While this momentary period is annoying if you’re wanting to lock down a redemption, in the long run I think it could end up being much better for MVC members.
If you’re thinking of utilizing your Marriott Vacation Club Points for hotels I’d hold off on making any plans and take some deep breaths. I highly doubt the list will stay this short in perpetuity, and I figure we will learn a lot over the next few weeks as the program settles.
Here’s to hoping some of the nicer SPG hotels get folded into the MVC Explorer Collection in the coming weeks.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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