Marriott Bonvoy Points Earnings Remain Steady

Marriott Bonvoy Points Earnings Remain Steady

Marriott Bonvoy Points: Steady or Sinking?

First things first, no need to unleash the panic sirens just yet, folks. Apparently, this is nothing more than a glitch, but enough of you have flagged it to make it worth chatting about. I’m not exactly a tech guru myself, so there are a few questions I’d like to throw out there to those more versed in the digital arts.

Marriott Bonvoy’s Bizarre Website Brain Freeze

The rumor mill was grinding hard earlier today when Marriott’s site decided to tease a slash in points earning rates at a bunch of limited-service brands. Intriguing, right?

Officially, if you follow the gospel according to Marriott, Bonvoy members snag 10 points per dollar at most brands, while only a minority of limited-service hangouts dole out five points per dollar. That’s the party line, anyway.

For a brief, baffling moment, the site suggested you’d only earn five points for many more brands than you’d expect. Turns out we might’ve been looking at a coalition of cuts including Aloft, Courtyard, Four Points, Moxy, and their pals. Imagine cutting your rewards in half — not ideal, especially when they’re hiking redemption rates like a ski resort Val Seny hike.

Quick off the mark, Marriott smoothed the digital ruffles and chalked it up to an error. I reached out to Marriott to clarify if the mistake was in the data shared or just a case of bad timing.

The clarification? They assured me it’s “not indicative of any future plans.” Phew, if they took the road of “no comment,” it could’ve fueled the fire of suspicion.

Exploring the Mischief of IT Glitches

Which begs the question — how do these digital slip-ups sneak in? Having covered loyalty programs since flip phones were the rage, I’ve seen way too many instances of early reveals yanked back like a wool sweater caught on Velcro.

Usually, the premature info is the gaffe, not necessarily its substance. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a guy who pokes at keyboards efficiently but finds digital glitches mystifying.

My educated guess? These hiccups occur for a few prime reasons:

  • They’re gearing up for changes but hit the “go” button too early — a classic move.
  • They toyed with the idea but dropped it — how common is that, anyway?
  • Or perhaps, someone’s having a laugh — though this doesn’t seem the prankster’s radar.

If the update was something batty, like a mix-up yielding bonkers points at the Ritz while depleting the Residence, I’d assume it’s just shoddy formatting.

This scenario, however? It wouldn’t serve shocks on the menu:

  • Should Marriott really slash those rates, the move matched the leaked display.
  • The leak was fresh enough, factoring in recent additions like MGM Rewards — hardly a relic from the past.
  • Didn’t Marriott’s CEO recently hint at scouring for efficiency tweaks? This fits the bill.

So, tech-savvy folks, I open the floor to you. How would such a site update happen? My Sherlock hat’s flapping in the wind, but does anyone have cleaner insights?

The Final Word

Today, Marriott’s digital realm fluttered, hinting at a tightening of the rewards faucet. A spokesperson gave us a breather by affirming it was just an error, with no future consequences looming. Hallelujah.

Yet, I still find myself pondering these technical tremors. Usually, these snafus spring from schedule slips rather than content flubs. Nonetheless, not this time, they say.

What are your thoughts on Marriott Bonvoy’s little web hiccup?

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