I read this and switched from the silver color to the black card. I was not told anything would be different from what is stated below...and I would expect all who have applied would have the same bennies, espically for the rise in the annual fees:
"...Marriott Rewards® Debuts Premier Visa Signature® Card
New Card Offers A Free Night Certificate
Every Year And More Points Per Dollars Spent
WASHINGTON – Feb. 28, 2006 – Today, Marriott Rewards, Marriott International, Inc.'s [NYSE:MAR] award-winning hotel loyalty program, and Chase [NYSE: JPM] introduced the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card, which gives cardmembers more benefits and faster ways to get to their dream vacations.
Cardmembers earn five Marriott Rewards points for every dollar spent on the card at any of the 2,600 participating properties worldwide including Marriott, JW Marriott Renaissance, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites hotels. In addition, cardmembers earn two Marriott Rewards points for every dollar spent on qualified dining, airline and rental car card purchases, and one Marriott Rewards point for all other card purchases made at more than 30 million retail locations worldwide.
Cardmembers can use their Marriott Rewards points for over 250 redemption options including vacation packages, luxury cruises, theme park tickets, state-of-the art electronics and much more. Premier cardmembers receive:
15,000 bonus points after their first card purchase
A free night certificate valid at category 1 - 4 hotels, which is awarded upon account approval
A two-for-one golf certificate for use at participating Marriott managed golf courses, which is awarded upon account approval
A free-night certificate valid at category 1 - 5 hotels every year on their account anniversary date
15 nights toward Elite status every year, which makes every cardmember a Silver Elite member and also gives more frequent travelers a lift towards Gold or Platinum Elite status
"We want our members to be able to maximize their point earning potential. This card not only allows members to earn more Marriott Rewards points, it also gives them many benefits such as a free-night certificate yearly, and 15 nights towards Elite status," said Ed French, senior vice president, customer relationship management for Marriott International.
"The Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card is a great way for consumers to make their vacation dreams come alive more quickly," said Hugh Bleemer, executive vice president, Chase Card Services. "With a variety of redemption options and extra perks just for being a cardmember, consumers can reap rewards for using the card for all their purchases."
The Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card is only available to residents of the United States. To apply for the card or to obtain more information, log onto
www.marriottrewards.com/premiervisa.
With more than 2,600 participating hotels and 23 million members worldwide, Marriott Rewards provides travelers the opportunity to get to the places they dream of 30 percent faster than with other leading programs.*
Marriott Rewards has been named "Best Hotel Rewards Program in the World" by Business Traveler magazine for the past eight years, "Best Hotel Loyalty Program" for three consecutive years by Travel Savvy, and "Best Hotel Loyalty Program" by the readers of Business Week magazine.
For information about Marriott Rewards or to enroll, call (800) 249-0800, visit the front desk of participating hotels or log on to
www.MarriottRewards.com.
*Comparison based on seven nights at Starwood, Hilton, InterContinental Hotel Group and Hyatt full-service hotels of similar quality and points earned on dollars spent. Assumes standard award offerings for base-level members. All comparisons made as of 1/06.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with over 2,700 lodging properties in the United States and 66 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Marriott is also in the synthetic fuel business. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 143,000 employees. In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $11.6 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at
www.marriott.com.
About JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $1.2 trillion and operations in more than 50 countries. The company has more than 100 million credit cards issued. Under the JPMorgan, Chase and Bank One brands, the firm serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients. Information about the firm is available at
www.jpmorganchase.com.
CONTACTS:
Laurie Goldstein
Marriott Communications
(301) 380-5296
laurie.goldstein@marriott.com
Chase Card Services
(302) 282-1100 ..."
