My friend recently asked me if she should pay for a Marriott stay using her American Express SPG card. As of today, I would say yes.
Today, it was announced that American Express SPG cardholders who use their card for their hotel bill at a Marriott or Ritz property, would be able to earn the same 2x SPG points per $1 that they would earn at Starwood properties.
Similarly, Chase Marriott cardholders and Ritz cardholders, who use their card for their hotel bill at an SPG property, would be able to earn the same 5x Marriott/Ritz points per $1 that they would earn Marriott/Ritz properties.
My friend has both the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest card and the Marriott Premier Rewards card. Why should she use her Amex for her Marriott stay?
One of the terms of the merger is that you can transfer SPG points to Marriott at a rate of 1:3. That is for every one SPG point that you transfer, you will receive 3 Marriott Rewards points.
If my friend spends $1,000 on her stay, with her Marriott card she will earn 5,000 Marriott points. ($1,000 X 5 points). However, using her SPG card, she can yield 6,000 Marriott points. She would earn 2,000 SPG points on the stay ($1,000 X 2). She could then transfer those 2,000 SPG points and receive 6,000 Marriott points.
If you have both cards, choose the Amex SPG on stays!