Transfer of Marriott Rewards Points

[GaryDouglas]

This ad in eBay indicates they can give the buyer 250,000 MRP with the sale of their Grand Chateau property. Is that really possible?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Marriott-Las-Vegas-Grand-Chateau-2-bdrm-Platinum_W0QQitemZ290057835180QQihZ019QQcategoryZ15897QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[qlaval]

I think so.
If he got the reward points in his account he can easily give you a certificate or two to your name.
example-one for 100,000pts and one for 150,000pts.

 

[Dave M]

Not exactly.

Marriott Rewards points are not transferable, except to a spouse in connection with obtaining an award or upon death. Certificates for a certain number of points are also not available.

However, one or more awards can be obtained and transferred to the purchaser, since awards are transferable. Thus, the purchaser would have to make a choice of awards totaling 250,000 points and have the seller obtain those awards. If the purchaser wants the big one for 270,000 points (7 nights in a category 7 hotel and 120,000 FF miles), some negotiation will be necessary!

 

[ondeadlin]

No, it is normally not possible. I've got a ton of MRP in my account and I've never heard of such 100,000 certificates, as the last poster suggests.

What the voter could do order a travel package, transfer the FF miles to you using your FF number, and then give you the physical certificate that entitles you to 7 nights in a Marriott resort. A little complicated, of course, and if Marriott found out you were transferring the FF miles to someone else's account, they'd be within their T&C to confiscate the points.

 

[RLG]

Marriott Rewards points are not transferable, except to a spouse in connection with obtaining an award or upon death.

This is not correct.

Marriott Rewards ARE transferrable to *anyone* (not just a spouse) in connection with redeeming an award. I just did this. You call Marriott and give them the account numbers of the people who are supplying the points. They send a special form that each person has to sign and fax back. They transfer the specified number of points from each 'sending' account to the 'receiving' account and redeem the award out of the receiving account.

This is completely in accordance with the T&C's.

What isn't in accordance with the T&C's is selling or bartering the awards or points.

For example, I need Marriott points and would be willing to pay cash for them. Someone who has 'a ton' of points could transfer them to me. We could do that, but in the words of a famous ex-president 'that would be wrong'.

 

[Dave M]

I don't think that's what the T&C provide. I think they allow you to transfer points to a spouse and only to a spouse. The general rule is:

Points accrued by a Marriott Rewards member are for the member's benefit only and may not be transferred to anyone. Points are transferable to a legal spouse or partner only in the case of documented death of the member. Points are not transferable to another person for any other reason, including divorce or inheritance.

The only exception that I know of in the T&C is for transfers to a spouse in connection with claiming an award, when a transfer is necessary for the spouse to have enough points for the award:

Immediately prior to redemption, a member may authorize the transfer of the necessary number of Marriott Rewards points into the Marriott Rewards account of his/her spouse or domestic partner, in order to qualify for a specific reward.

Only the necessary number of Marriott Rewards points needed to redeem the specified reward, rounded to the nearest 1,000 points, may be transferred — no more, no less.

Yours is the first report here that anyone has had success in going beyond the wording of the T&C to transfer points to someone else.

There have been a few isolated reports on the Marriott forum at FlyerTalk of success in transferring points to another's account (other than a spouse) in situations where the last names of the two individuals were the same. But that's about it. Does that apply to your situation?

Even in those situations, the FlyerTalk experts say that it's a case-by-case unpublished benefit that one shouldn't count on.

Can you tell us more?