Yesterday I received an email from Ritz-Carlton letting me know that they are instituting a new policy on expiring points. Even though I received it from Ritz-Carlton, the same policy applies for those with a Marriott Rewards account. While I overall do not love new policies that do not benefit the consumer, I really do not think this is a big deal at all. To keep points from expiring is extremely easy, you just need to keep on top of it.
Starting next year on February 1, 2016, if you have not had ANY activity where you either earned or redeemed points in the past 24 months you will forfeit all points in your account. This means they are giving you an entire year to earn or redeem at least one point which is beyond easy. Here are the two easiest ways to keep you points active if you do not have a stay within the next year.
- Use the Marriott shopping portal to make a purchase at an online merchant. The shopping portal is your first step before being re-directed to the online merchant that you are ultimately looking to shop at. Through some back end technology, the merchant knows that you were sent to the site through the Marriott site and you earn points based on Ultimately it takes an extra two seconds where you go to the shopping portal, search for the merchant where you are looking to place an online order, and you will b
- Make a reservation with points and then cancel it. This should keep your points active.
Going forward, you will still need to maintain account activity once every two years to ensure you do not lose your points. You just need to be diligent and you will be good. I highly suggest keeping some sort of spreadsheet that includes al your loyalty program accounts and when the points will expire.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.