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Marriott Gift Cards

Give a head's up to the front desk

Be sure the front desk knows NOT to automatically charge the Visa you gave them at check in the night before you leave. We had this happen and our quick check out receipt was under the door the morning we were leaving. After that we made sure they put a note on our account that we would be settling our bill by using gift cards.
 
There's no need to do that. Yes, your account is settled with the under-the-door copy, but only if you don't make changes! It's an easy change to go to the front desk that last morning and ask that they use a gift card for all or part of the bill. It's really no more difficult for them than if you get that under-the-door-bill and then charge breakfast to your room.
 
Quilter said:
Be sure the front desk knows NOT to automatically charge the Visa you gave them at check in the night before you leave. We had this happen and our quick check out receipt was under the door the morning we were leaving. After that we made sure they put a note on our account that we would be settling our bill by using gift cards.
Click to expand...

They will only charge to the Visa you gave at checkin if you don't give them another form of payment at checkout. I don't know when they actually charge the card for a stay, but it is definitly not first thing in the morning. In some cases it may be a day or more later, after they count the mini bar and any other incidentals?
 
Dave M said:
There's no need to do that. Yes, your account is settled with the under-the-door copy, but only if you don't make changes! It's an easy change to go to the front desk that last morning and ask that they use a gift card for all or part of the bill. It's really no more difficult for them than if you get that under-the-door-bill and then charge breakfast to your room.
Click to expand...

Actually, I'd rather take 30 seconds at check-in to ask for them to note it on my account and thought it was a good suggestion. We bought gift cards last year during the triple play and the first time I went to use them at OP in January the clerk told us the charges were already on the Visa and it would be too difficult to remove them. Spending 10+ weeks either at Marriott timeshares or hotels I have enough paperwork making sure MR points/Visa charges all add up correctly. If I can avoid hassles at the front desk at check out while the clerk tries to figure out how to make changes, all the better.
 
A statement like that by the front desk person shows a lack of understanding and mirrors some of what has been said earlier in this thread.

Or it shows that person is lazy!

As dioxide45 accurately states, the account hasn't been closed out when they put the bill under the door early in the morning. No matter what, you'll need to go to the front desk at some point to use the gift card. The attendant merely slides it through and charges the amount you designate just as though it were any other Visa card. You can charge the entire amount or a portion of the bill to the gift card. But it's no more difficult to do whether an account has been noted or not.
 
Dave maybe you can answer this for me. Does Marriott have this promo every year? And if yes, do you know what time of the year they have it? We are going again next year, January, and was thinking of buying the card again.
 
I can't answer regarding "every year". Marriott first made the offer in November 2006, with the possiblity of earning 29 points per dollar spent. Then last November, as described in this thread, Marriott offered a similar program, with a maximum of 27 points per dollar spent. If the economy stays weak, I think it's a good guess that Marriott would offer something similar again toward the end of 2008.
 
GetawaysRus said:
I searched, and am a little surprised not to find a thread here on this subject...

For those who collect Marriott points, Marriott is offering a gift card promotion. Gift cards can be purchased in denominations starting at $50. You earn 10 points for each dollar spent. (And I assume you could try to charge the purchase on your Marriott Rewards credit card - I don't know if they'd catch you double-dipping for points or not.)

The promo is slated to end on December 1.

If you're interested, go to https://gifts.marriott.com
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It seems marriott is offering this again this year. :banana:

I benefited from it last year and since we are going to the Maui Ocean Club in January, I think I will take advantage of it again this year.
 
This year they are offering on the dining for two certificates also!
 
Dining certificates???

Where in Orlando can these be used? I read the information on the link for the DC and it listed places with restaurants and then it also said that that a number of places were excluded? How do they work? What is the best way to use them?
 
I agree about the Gift cards. You had better beware when trying to use them. We bought several and took them with us for a stay at Frenchman's Reef. First we tried to use them in the restaurant for dinner. The restaurant would not take them because the restaurant was not owned by Marriott itself but by a outside vendor. We ended up having to charge the meal to the room. When we went to check out we found out that they had already charged our bill to the credit card that we gave them at check in even though we had been told that they would not do that and that we could pay at check out with the gift cards. The front desk staff had no clue about how to process these cards and it took 3 staff people standing around the computer to process them which took forever. Finally we got out of there with a bill that said we had no balance due. Guess what? They never credited the credit card that they had already charged. What a mess! It finally got straightened out but not without a lot of intervention on our part. I will never use those gift cards again!
 
I jumped on board with these cards a few years back and had a lot of trouble with them. Hopefully they've 'educated' all front desk people about them and how to use them, but once burned...

I remember checking out of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis on a busy checkout time, handed the gal my gift card and she said there was no money in it - even though I hadn't used it. They swiped it several times and apparently that's where the Marriott fraud division got into action and put a hold on the card. People in line behind me were growing very impatient and I figured they all thought my credit cards bounced. Problems happened three days in a row using my cards at different Marriotts ... I couldn't wait to get rid of those cards and swore I'd never buy them again - and haven't.

Brian
 
I have 2 Dinner for two certs I bought to use when we stay at DSVII next week. When I contacted our Marriott "assistant" about reservations at The Mikado, and asked for verification that the certs would be accepted there, we started a merry-go-round of emails, with her telling me that "gift certificates can always be used at Marriotts...." She had no idea what a Dinner for Two certificate entailed, but she has a bit of an education now. Sheesh!
It doesn't seem that the education in that area has improved much.
 
Jaybee said:
I have 2 Dinner for two certs I bought to use when we stay at DSVII next week. When I contacted our Marriott "assistant" about reservations at The Mikado, and asked for verification that the certs would be accepted there, we started a merry-go-round of emails, with her telling me that "gift certificates can always be used at Marriotts...." She had no idea what a Dinner for Two certificate entailed, but she has a bit of an education now. Sheesh!
It doesn't seem that the education in that area has improved much.
Click to expand...

Just so I understand, as I may have missed something...Are they accepted there or not?
Thanks!
 
I'm told they'll be accepted, and I was told that the restaurant is run by Marriott, so I'm hoping for the best. The assistant checked, and said they'll be accepted. How's that for definite? Jean


sandesurf said:
Just so I understand, as I may have missed something...Are they accepted there or not?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Remember the name of the assistant who checked for you.
We've never had a problem with the JW restaurants in Desert Springs taking the dinner for two certificates. (Tuscany and SeaGrille) Likewise the Meritage Steak House at Canyon Villas.

However the Marriott Waikiki Beach Club d.k Steakhouse was a snag. We phoned first to ask if they took the certificates and were told they did.

When we checked in at the restaurant my husband showed the certificate to the hostess, and she said they were accepted and seated us. When our server appeared we showed the certificates to him. He checked with the manager who said "NO they were not redeemable because it was not a Marriott owned restaurant". (You'd think the hostess would know who she was working for.)

We had a choice of slinking out with a big "L" for Losers on our foreheads or biting the bullet and paying. Because we had guests with us we opted for staying and not making a fuss.
Jolene
 
NOTE; Dining for two certificates and Marriott Gift cards are two entirely different things. I just want to make sure everyone knows that and is clear about what each of the two are.
 
Jolene, the Mikado is the Japanese restaurant at the JW in Palm Desert. When I tried to call the restaurantd directly, I got a Marriott staff member. She asked me to read from the back of the cert. to verify it was good at hotels AND resorts, and told me that all the restaurants at the hotel are run by Marriott.
I had already verified that the Dinner for Two's are accepted at Tuscany and Lakeside. I think we should be OK, but I'd sure hate to find us in the embarrassing situation you were in. Jean
 
The promotion is over in a few days so I'm probably going to get them again. The only glitch I encountered was at the Grand Flora in Rome. Evidently it gets a little confusing for the desk clerk to figure out what they are worth in Euro's at the current exchange rate. She had to keep putting it in at various amounts to use up the card. When I bought the gift card the Euro was a lot cheaper than when I used it so in effect I lost some cash on the transaction. Same thing would have happened if I used the CC. It seems they advertise the rate in US$ then give you a bill in Euro's and then your CC company reconverts and charges the appropriate US$.

Used the cards in 2008 at Marriotts in NYC, Morningstar and Frenchman's Cove in STT, Paris, San Antonio and Florida and except for the Euro conversion thing it wasn't a problem.
 
Just to clarify Dave's info from November, "The current MegaBonus promotion offers bonus Marriott Rewards points for paid stays at most Marriott properties between September 23, 2007 and January 18, 2008."

I checked on my account and the Marriott website states the promotion is from September 15, 2008 this year until January 15, 2009 for this fall promotion. They already have the Spring mega bonus registration available on their website.
 
Diane -

This is an old thread from 2007 that has been resurrected. The info from my "November" post that you quoted was from November 2007!
 
Dave M said:
Diane -

This is an old thread from 2007 that has been resurrected. The info from my "November" post that you quoted was from November 2007!
Click to expand...


Yes, I realized that as I purused the thread and upon noticing the thread was being reactivated, I thought the current dates that the program spanned would be helpful to those looking at using this year's MegaBonus opportunity.
 
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