Meeting professionals soon will be unable to use Uber rides to earn Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) points, but the transportation company may offer other loyalty program options.
Marriott International, which purchased Starwood in 2016, issued a statement Tuesday indicating that the Starwood-Uber partnership will not be renewed in 2018. Starpoints that already have been earned through Uber will not be affected, and registered SPG members who have stays posted with their accounts through the end of this year can earn Starpoints for Uber rides until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 17.
The partnership between Starwood and Uber was established in 2015, and allowed customers to link the two accounts. The arrangement allowed 0.5 hotel points to be earned for each dollar spent on Uber rides. Promotions were later added that enabled customers to multiply the points earned.
This arrangement was considered highly significant because it was the first between a hotel company and a ridesharing firm. It was popular among meeting professionals and other business travelers, in particular, because Uber and Starwood are leading companies in their respective fields.
Skift stated that it’s unclear whether or not Uber is planning to link up with another loyalty program and speculated that it may want to switch its loyalty program to more of an internal platform. Earlier this week, Uber announced that it is launching its own branded credit card, which could indicate that it wants more control over how points are earned and spent.
This could indicate that Uber’s partnership with American Express—which provides platinum cardholders with a $200 annual credit and membership reward points for every ride—could be discontinued in the future.
