Mar 4, 2019, 1:50 pm
Last edit by: mahasamatman
NOTE: this thread is for discussing promotions and discounts on gift card purchases and cash-back rebate sites etc.
Discussion about gift card usage can be found here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...on-thread.html
For more details, see the first post of this thread: New to this thread? Start here: Intro - https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18858149-post1.html
You can use Marriott gift cards to pay for Marriott stays (not applicable for discounted prepaid rates), resort fees and parking fees, treatments at the spa, dining at Marriott properties and more. Keep in mind, however, that some Marriott brands do not accept Marriott gift cards. This includes Bulgari, Design Hotels, Homes & Villas by Marriott International and The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club and possibly more.
Historical portal earning and noticeable deals and discounts (July-2020):
Rakuten: 1.5%
MrRebates: 0%
TopCashBack & BeFrugal:
Discussion about gift card usage can be found here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...on-thread.html
For more details, see the first post of this thread: New to this thread? Start here: Intro - https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18858149-post1.html
You can use Marriott gift cards to pay for Marriott stays (not applicable for discounted prepaid rates), resort fees and parking fees, treatments at the spa, dining at Marriott properties and more. Keep in mind, however, that some Marriott brands do not accept Marriott gift cards. This includes Bulgari, Design Hotels, Homes & Villas by Marriott International and The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club and possibly more.
Historical portal earning and noticeable deals and discounts (July-2020):
Rakuten: 1.5%
MrRebates: 0%
TopCashBack & BeFrugal:
Asia Pacific: 5%
Europe, Africa, etc: 5%
US/Canada Properties: 3%
US/Canada Properties: 3%
There are others as well. See evreward.com and cashbackmonitor.com for other current deals.
Pros and cons of buying hotel Gift Cards:
Pros:
1. 15% discount. We do not get additional earning from credit card since we would have earned the same points by paying with cash (credit card)
2. Good for mattress runs at reduced costs. Assume score lower room rates.
Cons:
1. Commitment to a single brand Marriott. Eliminate the flexibility of stays with Hilton, IHG, Hyatt and other brands.
2. GCs are prepaid funds. The funds do not earn anything (interest). We lose the time value of money. The longer we do not use the GCs, we more we lose.
3. GC values are not protected (perishable). The physical GCs can get lost or stolen. We may forget to use the GCs. The GCs can be hacked and value drained. After the GC purchases, the credit card protection is gone.
4. GCs are not accepted at all hotels. Marriott hotels are more decentralized and it carries so many brands. Some do not follow Marriott rules and they may not accept those GCs even though they should. A lot hotels overseas do not accept the GCs.
5. GCs have limitation. At current time, they can't be used to book prepaid hotel stays. This defeats the main purpose of buying the GCs. The GC holders are not entitled for the discounted hotel rates.
6. GCs are dominated in US $ only. Even if they are accepted at foreign location, GC holders lose further more from foreign exchange. With credit card, we may get to choose to charge in USD $ or local currency.
7. GCs can't be redeemed for cash. If GC holders ever want to get the cash out of the GCs due to financial hardship, they can only be sold at the secondary markets like eBay etc. at steep costs.
To check card balance, visit gifts.marriott.com.
For Customer Service call +1 800.442.6132 or email [email protected].
Gift Card Registration: Lost, stolen or damaged cards will be replaced only if previously registered on gifts.marriott.com. Value of replaced card will equal balance on card at the time it was reported lost, stolen or damaged.
Notes:
1) If you make an LNF/BRG adjustment to your reservation you will still get cash back.
DIRECTIONS FOR A HOTEL TO PROCESS A GIFT CARD
Click on Givex icon
Enter login and password info at 2 levels
- property info
- employee info (password is birthdate MMDD, at least at this property)
Enter gift card number
Click on Check Balance (other 2 options are Activate and Redeem)
Click on Redeem
Enter amount to use
Enter card number again
Click Calculate
Click Submit
I used an e-gift card and a plastic one. It’s the same process for both. No swiping.
Enter login and password info at 2 levels
- property info
- employee info (password is birthdate MMDD, at least at this property)
Enter gift card number
Click on Check Balance (other 2 options are Activate and Redeem)
Click on Redeem
Enter amount to use
Enter card number again
Click Calculate
Click Submit
I used an e-gift card and a plastic one. It’s the same process for both. No swiping.
MASTER THREAD: Current Marriott Gift Card, Cash Back, Tricks & Promos
Jul 2, 2012, 12:06 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,289
MASTER THREAD: Current Marriott Gift Card, Cash Back, Tricks & Promos
INTRO
I maintain this master thread to summarize current Marriott gift card, cash back, and other promotions and offers. This helps us track in one place and avoid redundant discussions. New, temporary, and expiring offers are highlighted red. Please feel free to post additions, corrections, changes, or relevant commentary. Click here to subscribe to this thread or to receive emailed updates. Where relevant and no negative impact exists, my referral code is included - thanks!
Start by purchasing a discounted Marriott Gift Card as described in the Buying Gift Cards section (below), then use that card to pay for hotel stays you book via a cash back or points portal detailed in the Booking Stays section (below). Total savings periodically exceed 10%. Here's the Wikipedia page explaining how cash back sites work. Then stack other bonus offers, discount codes, status, tricks, and points-earning opportunities detailed in the Other Marriott Promos section (below) to get your effective cost much lower. If you're not staying soon, Gift Card savings are still appealing investments for future stays or to use as birthday, Christmas, or other holiday gifts.
BUYING GIFT CARDS : PROMOTIONS & DISCOUNTING METHODS (Gift Cards FAQ is here)
Buy through resellers + cash back. Marriott GCs are sold exclusively by Marriott, and cash back is not available on these purchases. However, various non-Marriott sites broker these GCs, often discounted a few %, and cash back is available with some of these brokers. To see the best options, click this link to Gift Card Granny and see what discounts are available. The best options are often to click through Top Cashback for 2% cash back on a card discounted via Cardpool, through BeFrugal for 2% CB on a card discounted via Raise, or through eBates for 1% CB on a card discounted via eBay. Purchases through these third party sites don't qualify as Marriott purchases when posted to a Chase Marriott-branded Visa card, so the 5-points-per-dollar earned by purchasing GCs directly from Marriott will be foregone. Note: Cardpool has a lifetime cap on cash back eligibility at $1,000 worth of GCs, regardless of which cash back sites you use.
Please post if I've missed an offer. Marriott periodically runs Gift Card promos such as 10% off, a 10% bonus, or 10 bonus points per dollar. Subscribe to this thread and check regularly to stay informed. Gift Cards purchased with the Chase Marriott Premier Visa Credit Card (an offer for which is detailed below in the "Other Marriott Promos" section) will earn 5 points per dollar only when placed through a Marriott-owned site. Stays paid with Gift Cards still earn "regular" stay points (10-15/$) and will not affect elite benefits. Gift Cards may complicate checkout ease and/or Megabonus qualification, but there are workarounds such as this one when a Megabonus requires Visa payment, or this one if the front desk is slow processing your GC. When weighing options, value points/miles/certificates by their worth to you, not what others claim.
BOOKING STAYS : MARRIOTT CASH BACK & POINTS PORTALS
You'll need a credit card to book online and to check-in, but you may pay at check-out with the discounted Gift Card you purchased as described in the previous section. If you settle by credit card instead, you'll still get the points/miles/rebates you'd normally earn for hotel spending on your credit card. The bonuses listed below are all earned in addition to whatever you normally earn for hotel charges to your card.
Cash/points back attempts will never invalidate special rates or bonus promotions, but some special rates and bonus promos may prevent cash/points back from posting. For example, some reservation codes and brands, and all non-commissionable and negotiated corporate rates are excluded, though it never hurts to try. AAA and many other popular codes are compatible. Read the T&Cs carefully if it's critical, or just hope for the best.
7% cash back via Upromise. Special rate. Usual rate is 5%.
2% cash back via Mr. Rebates. Simplest tracking interface.
1.5% cash back via ShopAtHome. 2.5% for non-Marriott-members only.
5% cash back via Top Cashback. 3% for 1-2 night stays.
1.5% cash back via eBates.
Valid stays aren't payable for up to 10 weeks after completion, so be patient. Cash/points back users report variable results, but reliability isn't usually related to the portal; user errors such as improper cookie handling and transaction errors such as affiliate reporting are factors. Award stays don't qualify, and changes to a reservation will usually disable tracking (reports are that LNF adjustments don't alter the confirmation number, and therefore are compatible). To bolster your odds if you need to appeal, always document your tracking ID and all details of your transaction, and be sure it qualifies. If you believe the portal you used is to blame, try an alternative next time.
OTHER MARRIOTT PROMOS, OFFERS, TRICKS, & TIPS
Refer a friend to Marriott Rewards and both of you earn 2,000 bonus points per stay. Maximums of 5 stays per referral (10,000 points) and 5 referrals (50,000 points) per year. The intro page to the offer is here, the T&C's for the offer are here, and the actual referral form is here. If you need a current member to refer you, feel free to PM me or see and post in this thread to find many others who are willing. Note: the offer is valid only for new members.
Free Category 1-5 Night For New Members. Instead of being referred, new members may also join using this promotional link to earn a free Category 1-5 award night by completing two paid stays within 120 days of joining. If you're already a member and your browser reveals a previous login, it will show an error, as you can't join twice. This offer is for new members to join.
Earn 5 points per dollar on all Marriott spending with the Chase Marriott Premier Visa Credit Card. This includes gift cards, stays, points, merchandise, etc., and still applies when promos or cash back or points portals are used, as long as you are buying via a Marriott-owned site. You also earn one Elite Qualifying Night (EQN) towards status for every $3,000 you spend (on anything) and receive a 15,000 point rebate on any Category 7, 8, or 9 redemption of seven or more nights (Travel Packages excluded). This thread details the current status of an on-and-off, sometimes targeted, 70,000-80,000 bonus point offer. It comes with a free night certificate, the first year's fee waived, 15 EQNs (automatic Silver status+), and more. A more consistent 50,000 point offer is also detailed. Regardless of which offer you use, be sure to take a screen shot of the offer landing page in case needed later. If you apply using the 50K offer, send Chase a Secure Message requesting a 20K bump to match the 70K offer - you might get lucky.
Jump to Gold or Platinum status with the Visa Ritz Carlton Rewards Card. This credit card provides Gold status with $10K annual spending and Platinum status with $75K spent annually. More details to be added soon.
Travel Package redemptions. An ongoing reward, detailed here, that represents perhaps the best, yet often overlooked, redemption value for MRPs. For example, you can use 270K MRPs to reserve seven nights at a Category 5 resort and receive 120K airline miles of your choice. If you would have otherwise paid $1,750 for the stay and $2,300 for the flights, you are achieving 1.5 cents per point (CPP) - far greater than what most people milk from them. If transferring to United miles and you're a RewardsPlus member (see section below), you'll get an additional 10% bonus (up to 12K) on your Travel Package UA miles. Even better: Delta, United, and American have, several times in recent years, offered 25%-75% transfer bonus promotions that were stackable with Travel Package redemptions. This increased the 120K airline miles portion of the offer to as much as 210K miles, enhancing the value immensely. If you are short of the points required, remember that it might make sense to purchase or gift (up to 50K MRPs/year for 1.25 CPP) or transfer (free from a spouse, unlimited quantity) to make it happen.
PointSavers Reward Redemptions. Marriott periodically updates this list of properties that allow you to redeem up to 33% fewer points for free nights by discounting the Category cost by one level for certain dates. This FAQ explains more. It is always worth checking PointSavers, especially if you have some flexibility. Don't forget that Travel Packages (detailed above) and five-night awards for the price of four are ongoing offers that typically provide the best values for a broader array of properties.
Seasonal Awards. These discounted awards offer a 25%+ savings on the points required for a free night during certain times of the year. Even better, you may combine this discount with the standard "redeem four nights, get the fifth night free" offer, meaning that five nights can be had for the price of three.
Elite Membership Benefits. Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elite Status yield many perks. This page summarizes them, this page expounds upon them, and this page details specific guarantees. There are too many nuances to enumerate here, but you should learn how to qualify and what you get at each level, as bonus points, arrival gifts, various guarantees, free internet access, food, and other services all kick in progressively. There's also Lifetime Elite Status, discussed here.
Instant Silver Status For New Accounts. Marriott offers Silver status and other bonuses to employees of some large corporations who sign up for new Marriott accounts using a dedicated link. The link ends with = followed by the company name. For example, this is IBM's link. Cisco, Accenture, Verizon, and many others participate. If you happen to be an employee of a participating company and don't already have a Marriott account, you should consider the offer. The form is simple and they don't even hassle you for proof of employment.
Accelerated Gold/Platinum Status Challenge. Do you lack status, or are Silver and want to enhance your mojo? Marriott offers a status challenge. Just call or email Marriott's Rewards department and request one. If you complete 6 paid stays or 12 nights (Gold) or 9 stays/18 nights (Platinum) within 90 days, they'll give you status through Feb of the following year. Doing this early in the calendar year will maximize the life of your status, and if your stays coincide with a Megabonus offer that earns free nights or bonus points, even better. Consider cheap one-night stays and paying with Gift Card credit you acquire at a discount, then use your new status to get free United Silver Premier status (Platinum only, detailed in the section below) to really play the game! See this thread for more details and discussion.
Buy Back Elite Status. In the first quarter of each year, Marriott offers Elite members the chance to use points to purchase the same status they had the previous year. This page details the offer, prices, and procedure. This year, Silver buyback requires 7,500 points, Gold is 25,000, and Platinum is 40,000. Because Marriott sells points for 1.25 cents each, if you don't have existing points to spend, you can essentially purchase status for $93.75, $312.50, or $500 for each elite tier respectively.
RewardsPlus Reciprocal Benefits Partnership With United. This program awards UA Gold, Platinum, and 1K Premier members with complimentary Marriott Gold Elite status and Marriott Platinum Elite and Platinum Premier members with complimentary UA Silver Premier status. There are also several point-to-mile conversion bonuses. UA elites can transfer miles to MRPs at a 1:1 ratio (50K max). All UA members can convert Marriott Rewards points to MileagePlus miles at a 20% discount. All Marriott members can receive 10% more UA miles when redeeming a Travel Package. UA members should register and read details here, and Marriott members should register and read details here. Discussion from the UA perspective is here, and here from the Marriott perspective.
Platinum Arrival Gift. When you earn Platinum Elite status, this incremental perk guarantees you will be offered your choice of an "arrival gift" upon check-in - food, beverage, or bonus points (200-500 at most properties). If you value MRPs at 1 CPP or more, requesting the points is generally the best value. However, if you don't value the points much or if you are in particular need of food or drink, the gift may be preferable. Sometimes you can succeed in politely requesting a room service item or other credit, but don't count on it. If you aren't offered a selection at check-in, notify the desk before you check out and the Platinum Arrival Gift Guarantee will kick in and you may receive compensation up to $100. See this page for details.
AAA & other special reservation codes. Always check at least the AAA rate before you book. It will often provide a rate as cheap or cheaper than a pre-paid one, but without the cancellation restrictions. While the terms state you must be an AAA member and other restrictions apply, you rarely are asked for proof and the restrictions are usually inconsequential. This thread details many other publicly available promotion codes, albeit some are much more restrictive and complex and should be used with care.
Book stays using cash back links. You can earn cash back by clicking through a portal such as Mr. Rebates when you book a room at any Marriott property. You don't even have to be the one staying (book rooms for friends/work and earn!) Clicking through the portals will not affect the price you pay nor any special offers or points earning.
Megabonus & targeted offers. Marriott provides periodic bonus offers that typically allow you to earn free nights or bonus points as you accumulate qualifying nights. Some are targeted and won't appear in all accounts. This thread details the latest ones available and compares the options. Platinum members are auto-registered for some offers, but you should always log in, go to My Account>Promotion Central>Go to Promo Central and register. Sometimes concurrent, stackable promotions run. Though not official, Platinum and Gold Elites can often call and politely convince a rep to change them to a different offer if a preferable one is known.
Look No Further (LNF) rate guarantee. If within 24 hours you find a lower rate elsewhere for the same room you've booked directly with Marriott, they'll adjust your rate to be 25% less than the lower one. This page provides the T&Cs and the forms you'll need. This thread is the place to request help from others, this thread is ideal for sharing your successful implementations, and this guy maintains a private list of obscure sites that might help.
Rewarding Events. Marriott offers 10 Elite Qualifying Nights (EQNs) when you book a meeting at participating properties. This thread discusses cheap ways to do this, and though you should always get a contract, sometimes you don't even need to show up. This can provide you with a status boost while benefiting the property by yielding additional revenue. Marriott provides details in this FAQ (click to expand "Will I earn Elite status..." section), this T&C page (point #6 ), 30-AllBrandsSalesBrochure.pdf (page 2 under "Take a step toward Elite membership"), and 31-RewardingEventsEBrochureAllBrand.pdf ("Earn recognition with elite status" section specifies how many meetings will earn Elite status). Additional details about Rewarding Events are on this web page and the 10 EQNs are mentioned under the Earn section.
Special Deals & Elite Exclusive Offers (EEOs). This page provides a summary of various deals offered to general and elite members. This sub-page lists special member offers that become increasingly appealing for higher status levels.
I maintain this master thread to summarize current Marriott gift card, cash back, and other promotions and offers. This helps us track in one place and avoid redundant discussions. New, temporary, and expiring offers are highlighted red. Please feel free to post additions, corrections, changes, or relevant commentary. Click here to subscribe to this thread or to receive emailed updates. Where relevant and no negative impact exists, my referral code is included - thanks!
Start by purchasing a discounted Marriott Gift Card as described in the Buying Gift Cards section (below), then use that card to pay for hotel stays you book via a cash back or points portal detailed in the Booking Stays section (below). Total savings periodically exceed 10%. Here's the Wikipedia page explaining how cash back sites work. Then stack other bonus offers, discount codes, status, tricks, and points-earning opportunities detailed in the Other Marriott Promos section (below) to get your effective cost much lower. If you're not staying soon, Gift Card savings are still appealing investments for future stays or to use as birthday, Christmas, or other holiday gifts.
BUYING GIFT CARDS : PROMOTIONS & DISCOUNTING METHODS (Gift Cards FAQ is here)
Buy through resellers + cash back. Marriott GCs are sold exclusively by Marriott, and cash back is not available on these purchases. However, various non-Marriott sites broker these GCs, often discounted a few %, and cash back is available with some of these brokers. To see the best options, click this link to Gift Card Granny and see what discounts are available. The best options are often to click through Top Cashback for 2% cash back on a card discounted via Cardpool, through BeFrugal for 2% CB on a card discounted via Raise, or through eBates for 1% CB on a card discounted via eBay. Purchases through these third party sites don't qualify as Marriott purchases when posted to a Chase Marriott-branded Visa card, so the 5-points-per-dollar earned by purchasing GCs directly from Marriott will be foregone. Note: Cardpool has a lifetime cap on cash back eligibility at $1,000 worth of GCs, regardless of which cash back sites you use.
Please post if I've missed an offer. Marriott periodically runs Gift Card promos such as 10% off, a 10% bonus, or 10 bonus points per dollar. Subscribe to this thread and check regularly to stay informed. Gift Cards purchased with the Chase Marriott Premier Visa Credit Card (an offer for which is detailed below in the "Other Marriott Promos" section) will earn 5 points per dollar only when placed through a Marriott-owned site. Stays paid with Gift Cards still earn "regular" stay points (10-15/$) and will not affect elite benefits. Gift Cards may complicate checkout ease and/or Megabonus qualification, but there are workarounds such as this one when a Megabonus requires Visa payment, or this one if the front desk is slow processing your GC. When weighing options, value points/miles/certificates by their worth to you, not what others claim.
BOOKING STAYS : MARRIOTT CASH BACK & POINTS PORTALS
You'll need a credit card to book online and to check-in, but you may pay at check-out with the discounted Gift Card you purchased as described in the previous section. If you settle by credit card instead, you'll still get the points/miles/rebates you'd normally earn for hotel spending on your credit card. The bonuses listed below are all earned in addition to whatever you normally earn for hotel charges to your card.
Cash/points back attempts will never invalidate special rates or bonus promotions, but some special rates and bonus promos may prevent cash/points back from posting. For example, some reservation codes and brands, and all non-commissionable and negotiated corporate rates are excluded, though it never hurts to try. AAA and many other popular codes are compatible. Read the T&Cs carefully if it's critical, or just hope for the best.
7% cash back via Upromise. Special rate. Usual rate is 5%.
2% cash back via Mr. Rebates. Simplest tracking interface.
1.5% cash back via ShopAtHome. 2.5% for non-Marriott-members only.
5% cash back via Top Cashback. 3% for 1-2 night stays.
1.5% cash back via eBates.
Valid stays aren't payable for up to 10 weeks after completion, so be patient. Cash/points back users report variable results, but reliability isn't usually related to the portal; user errors such as improper cookie handling and transaction errors such as affiliate reporting are factors. Award stays don't qualify, and changes to a reservation will usually disable tracking (reports are that LNF adjustments don't alter the confirmation number, and therefore are compatible). To bolster your odds if you need to appeal, always document your tracking ID and all details of your transaction, and be sure it qualifies. If you believe the portal you used is to blame, try an alternative next time.
OTHER MARRIOTT PROMOS, OFFERS, TRICKS, & TIPS
Refer a friend to Marriott Rewards and both of you earn 2,000 bonus points per stay. Maximums of 5 stays per referral (10,000 points) and 5 referrals (50,000 points) per year. The intro page to the offer is here, the T&C's for the offer are here, and the actual referral form is here. If you need a current member to refer you, feel free to PM me or see and post in this thread to find many others who are willing. Note: the offer is valid only for new members.
Free Category 1-5 Night For New Members. Instead of being referred, new members may also join using this promotional link to earn a free Category 1-5 award night by completing two paid stays within 120 days of joining. If you're already a member and your browser reveals a previous login, it will show an error, as you can't join twice. This offer is for new members to join.
Earn 5 points per dollar on all Marriott spending with the Chase Marriott Premier Visa Credit Card. This includes gift cards, stays, points, merchandise, etc., and still applies when promos or cash back or points portals are used, as long as you are buying via a Marriott-owned site. You also earn one Elite Qualifying Night (EQN) towards status for every $3,000 you spend (on anything) and receive a 15,000 point rebate on any Category 7, 8, or 9 redemption of seven or more nights (Travel Packages excluded). This thread details the current status of an on-and-off, sometimes targeted, 70,000-80,000 bonus point offer. It comes with a free night certificate, the first year's fee waived, 15 EQNs (automatic Silver status+), and more. A more consistent 50,000 point offer is also detailed. Regardless of which offer you use, be sure to take a screen shot of the offer landing page in case needed later. If you apply using the 50K offer, send Chase a Secure Message requesting a 20K bump to match the 70K offer - you might get lucky.
Jump to Gold or Platinum status with the Visa Ritz Carlton Rewards Card. This credit card provides Gold status with $10K annual spending and Platinum status with $75K spent annually. More details to be added soon.
Travel Package redemptions. An ongoing reward, detailed here, that represents perhaps the best, yet often overlooked, redemption value for MRPs. For example, you can use 270K MRPs to reserve seven nights at a Category 5 resort and receive 120K airline miles of your choice. If you would have otherwise paid $1,750 for the stay and $2,300 for the flights, you are achieving 1.5 cents per point (CPP) - far greater than what most people milk from them. If transferring to United miles and you're a RewardsPlus member (see section below), you'll get an additional 10% bonus (up to 12K) on your Travel Package UA miles. Even better: Delta, United, and American have, several times in recent years, offered 25%-75% transfer bonus promotions that were stackable with Travel Package redemptions. This increased the 120K airline miles portion of the offer to as much as 210K miles, enhancing the value immensely. If you are short of the points required, remember that it might make sense to purchase or gift (up to 50K MRPs/year for 1.25 CPP) or transfer (free from a spouse, unlimited quantity) to make it happen.
PointSavers Reward Redemptions. Marriott periodically updates this list of properties that allow you to redeem up to 33% fewer points for free nights by discounting the Category cost by one level for certain dates. This FAQ explains more. It is always worth checking PointSavers, especially if you have some flexibility. Don't forget that Travel Packages (detailed above) and five-night awards for the price of four are ongoing offers that typically provide the best values for a broader array of properties.
Seasonal Awards. These discounted awards offer a 25%+ savings on the points required for a free night during certain times of the year. Even better, you may combine this discount with the standard "redeem four nights, get the fifth night free" offer, meaning that five nights can be had for the price of three.
Elite Membership Benefits. Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elite Status yield many perks. This page summarizes them, this page expounds upon them, and this page details specific guarantees. There are too many nuances to enumerate here, but you should learn how to qualify and what you get at each level, as bonus points, arrival gifts, various guarantees, free internet access, food, and other services all kick in progressively. There's also Lifetime Elite Status, discussed here.
Instant Silver Status For New Accounts. Marriott offers Silver status and other bonuses to employees of some large corporations who sign up for new Marriott accounts using a dedicated link. The link ends with = followed by the company name. For example, this is IBM's link. Cisco, Accenture, Verizon, and many others participate. If you happen to be an employee of a participating company and don't already have a Marriott account, you should consider the offer. The form is simple and they don't even hassle you for proof of employment.
Accelerated Gold/Platinum Status Challenge. Do you lack status, or are Silver and want to enhance your mojo? Marriott offers a status challenge. Just call or email Marriott's Rewards department and request one. If you complete 6 paid stays or 12 nights (Gold) or 9 stays/18 nights (Platinum) within 90 days, they'll give you status through Feb of the following year. Doing this early in the calendar year will maximize the life of your status, and if your stays coincide with a Megabonus offer that earns free nights or bonus points, even better. Consider cheap one-night stays and paying with Gift Card credit you acquire at a discount, then use your new status to get free United Silver Premier status (Platinum only, detailed in the section below) to really play the game! See this thread for more details and discussion.
Buy Back Elite Status. In the first quarter of each year, Marriott offers Elite members the chance to use points to purchase the same status they had the previous year. This page details the offer, prices, and procedure. This year, Silver buyback requires 7,500 points, Gold is 25,000, and Platinum is 40,000. Because Marriott sells points for 1.25 cents each, if you don't have existing points to spend, you can essentially purchase status for $93.75, $312.50, or $500 for each elite tier respectively.
RewardsPlus Reciprocal Benefits Partnership With United. This program awards UA Gold, Platinum, and 1K Premier members with complimentary Marriott Gold Elite status and Marriott Platinum Elite and Platinum Premier members with complimentary UA Silver Premier status. There are also several point-to-mile conversion bonuses. UA elites can transfer miles to MRPs at a 1:1 ratio (50K max). All UA members can convert Marriott Rewards points to MileagePlus miles at a 20% discount. All Marriott members can receive 10% more UA miles when redeeming a Travel Package. UA members should register and read details here, and Marriott members should register and read details here. Discussion from the UA perspective is here, and here from the Marriott perspective.
Platinum Arrival Gift. When you earn Platinum Elite status, this incremental perk guarantees you will be offered your choice of an "arrival gift" upon check-in - food, beverage, or bonus points (200-500 at most properties). If you value MRPs at 1 CPP or more, requesting the points is generally the best value. However, if you don't value the points much or if you are in particular need of food or drink, the gift may be preferable. Sometimes you can succeed in politely requesting a room service item or other credit, but don't count on it. If you aren't offered a selection at check-in, notify the desk before you check out and the Platinum Arrival Gift Guarantee will kick in and you may receive compensation up to $100. See this page for details.
AAA & other special reservation codes. Always check at least the AAA rate before you book. It will often provide a rate as cheap or cheaper than a pre-paid one, but without the cancellation restrictions. While the terms state you must be an AAA member and other restrictions apply, you rarely are asked for proof and the restrictions are usually inconsequential. This thread details many other publicly available promotion codes, albeit some are much more restrictive and complex and should be used with care.
Book stays using cash back links. You can earn cash back by clicking through a portal such as Mr. Rebates when you book a room at any Marriott property. You don't even have to be the one staying (book rooms for friends/work and earn!) Clicking through the portals will not affect the price you pay nor any special offers or points earning.
Megabonus & targeted offers. Marriott provides periodic bonus offers that typically allow you to earn free nights or bonus points as you accumulate qualifying nights. Some are targeted and won't appear in all accounts. This thread details the latest ones available and compares the options. Platinum members are auto-registered for some offers, but you should always log in, go to My Account>Promotion Central>Go to Promo Central and register. Sometimes concurrent, stackable promotions run. Though not official, Platinum and Gold Elites can often call and politely convince a rep to change them to a different offer if a preferable one is known.
Look No Further (LNF) rate guarantee. If within 24 hours you find a lower rate elsewhere for the same room you've booked directly with Marriott, they'll adjust your rate to be 25% less than the lower one. This page provides the T&Cs and the forms you'll need. This thread is the place to request help from others, this thread is ideal for sharing your successful implementations, and this guy maintains a private list of obscure sites that might help.
Rewarding Events. Marriott offers 10 Elite Qualifying Nights (EQNs) when you book a meeting at participating properties. This thread discusses cheap ways to do this, and though you should always get a contract, sometimes you don't even need to show up. This can provide you with a status boost while benefiting the property by yielding additional revenue. Marriott provides details in this FAQ (click to expand "Will I earn Elite status..." section), this T&C page (point #6 ), 30-AllBrandsSalesBrochure.pdf (page 2 under "Take a step toward Elite membership"), and 31-RewardingEventsEBrochureAllBrand.pdf ("Earn recognition with elite status" section specifies how many meetings will earn Elite status). Additional details about Rewarding Events are on this web page and the 10 EQNs are mentioned under the Earn section.
Special Deals & Elite Exclusive Offers (EEOs). This page provides a summary of various deals offered to general and elite members. This sub-page lists special member offers that become increasingly appealing for higher status levels.
Last edited by mooper; Oct 18, 2018 at 4:49 am Reason: Updated CB rates
Jul 2, 2012, 12:07 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,289
Expired offers are buried here. Useful for spotting recurring patterns, comparing previous bonuses, referencing terms to pursue credit, etc...
2012 BONEYARD (August and onward)
TARGETED $50 Amex statement credit on $250+ spend. Expired August 15th, 2012, this offer allowed qualified cardholders to receive $50 back when they registered their card and paid for a stay of $250+.
5% Mr. Rebates Cash Back. Offer expired August 26th, 2012.
Up to 10 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points/$. Expired August 31st 2012. If you have a Chase Ink card, you always get 5 UR Points/$ for purchases at Staples (office supply stores). There are additional points when purchased through the Ultimate Rewards Mall. In August 2012 it was Ink 5X (Sapphire & Freedom 4X). The 5X and 5X combined for 10 UR Points/$. Note: The T&Cs said you wouldn't get points, but many reported otherwise.
2 Delta SkyMiles/$. This offer was valid June 3rd through September 2nd 2012, and allowed you to earn a maximum of 10,000 DL miles by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 500 miles/$250 Gift Card, 1,000 miles/$500, 2,000 miles/$1,000. Full T&Cs.
6.5% eBates Cash Back. Offer expired September 3rd, 2012.
6.5% FatWallet cash back. Offer for all stays and Gift Cards expired September 13th, 2012.
Lesbian & Gay Pride 10% Bonus. This offer was valid in 2012 and added a 10% bonus to any Gift Card valued between $25 and $1500 purchased using the promo code PRIDE during checkout. Shipping for orders up to $1,000 within the US is just $1, but larger, expedited, or international orders incur greater charges. You may place separate $1,000 orders as a strategy to minimize fees. The terms state that only 1 or 2 points per dollar spent will be earned for stays (instead of the usual 10), but no one has reported this as being enforced.
Hertz Third Day Free. This offer was valid through October 31st 2012. Any Gift Card purchase of $250 or greater earned a certificate (redeemable through December 31st, 2012) for a third day free with any full priced rental of three days or more. Enter code HTZ at check out. Full T&Cs.
5% eBates cash back. Offer for all stays and Gift Cards expired November 1st, 2012.
United Airlines MileagePlus Offer. This offer, expired November 26th 2012, allowed you to earn a maximum of 5,000 United miles by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 500 miles/$150 Gift card, 1,000 miles/$250, 2,000 miles/$400. Not stackable with cash back because it doesn't process through the standard website. Full T&Cs.
4.7% cash back via Big Crumbs for all stays reverted to the standard 3.5% on November 26th, 2012.
4.7% cash back via Big Crumbs for Gift Cards reverted to the standard 3.5% on November 26th, 2012.
United Transfer Bonus. Through November 30th, 2012 only, United had a bonus offer for up to 15,000 bonus miles (30% on 50,000) that allowed Marriott Travel Package redemptions to convert MRPs to UA miles at a rate even more favorable than 1:1. It required registration.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Offer. This offer, expired November 30th 2012, allowed you to earn a maximum of 12,000 Rapid Rewards Points by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 1,200 points/$100 Gift card, 3,000 points/$250, 6,000 points/$500. Not stackable with cash back because it doesn't process through the standard website. Full T&Cs.
Delta SkyMiles Offer. This offer, expired December 15th 2012, allowed you to earn a maximum of 10,000 Delta miles by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 200 miles/$100 Gift card, 500 miles/$250, 2,000 miles/$1,000. Not stackable with cash back because it doesn't process through the standard website. Full T&Cs.
Gifts For Them, Points For You 10 MRP/$ Bonus. This returning offer was valid through December 31st 2012 and earned a bonus 10 Marriott Rewards Points (MRPs) per dollar, up to a maximum of 20,000 MRPs ($2,000 in Gift Cards) on Gift Cards purchased by applying your Marriott Rewards account number during checkout. Shipping for orders up to $1,000 within the US is just $1, but larger, expedited, or international orders incur greater charges. You may place separate $1,000 orders as a strategy to minimize fees. Begin your order by clicking through Top Cashback to stack an additional 5% cash back upon this discount. Full T&Cs.
Earn 5% Cash Back on all Marriott spending with the Chase Freedom Credit Cards. Valid for the first $1,500 spent with Marriott and other qualifying hotels, airlines, and merchants through December 31st, 2012 only. You must register first. This includes gift cards, stays, points, merchandise, etc., and still applies when promos or cash back or points portals are used. If you also hold a Chase Sapphire card, you may transfer the 5X earnings to various airlines at a 1:1 ratio, making it particularly lucrative versus the 5 Marriott Rewards Points earned from the Chase Marriott branded card detailed below.
2013 BONEYARD
10% AMT Bonus. This returning offer, expired January 6th 2013, added a 10% bonus to any Marriott Gift Card valued between $25 and $1500 purchased by applying the promo code AMT during checkout (sponsored by Amtrak). Shipping for orders up to $1,000 within the US is just $1, but larger, expedited, or international orders incur greater charges. You may place separate $1,000 orders as a strategy to minimize fees. Full T&Cs.
Free Night + 2000 Airline Miles For Two Nights/Stays. If you're registered for the current Megabonus, you'll earn a free night in a Category 1-4 property for every two stays February 1st through April 30th 2013. Use an AAA or LNF rate + 3.5% cash back at two nearby properties, switch hotels after the first night, and earn the free night plus various Marriott points and bonuses. If you switched your earning preference to miles and registered for this promo and booked before January 15th 2013, you'll also earn 1,000 Delta Skymiles per stay falling between February 1st and 15th, 2013. The same applies for US Airways via this offer. These promotions stack with the Megabonus, yielding a very nice combined return. Note that only some properties (DL list and US list) qualify for the mileage promotions.
5% cash back via eBates expired Feb 26th.
6% cash back via Top Cashback expired Apr 19th.
USAirways 50% Transfer Bonus. April 1-30, 2013 there was a USAirways offer for a 50% transfer bonus, meaning that each mile you'd normally get via a Travel Package redemption instead yielded 1.5 miles.
5.5% cash back via eBates expired June 3rd.
Daily Getaways ~20% Discount Offer. Expired June 10th, 2013. $100, $500, and $1,000 denominations of Marriott Gift Cards, in limited quantities, were sold for 11% off (US residents only), but if you purchased with an Amex card, you got an extra discount that brought the total to ~20% off. In the past, these have sold out almost instantly, so have your thumb limber on the refresh button. Because this purchase is from a non-Marriott site, it won't qualify for the 5MRPs/$ you can earn when buying from Marriott with their branded Chase card. Because Gift Cards are typically available at a 10% discount using various methods, sometimes including the 5 MRPs/$, this is a superior offer but not by as much as you might think.
5% OPEN Savings discount via Amex Business Cards. This benefit ended July 1st, 2013. Paying with an Amex Business Card was sometimes an appealing alternative to the Chase Marriott Visa for stays at Fairfield Inns, Residence Inns, Springhill Suites, Towneplace Suites, and Courtyards because you received 5% back. This was particularly useful if your company requires the use of an Amex for business travel, if you value Marriott Rewards Points at less than a cent each, or if you need to meet an Amex spending threshold.
5% cash back via Top Cashback reverted to 3% around July 23rd, 2013.
5% cash back special offer via Top Cashback ended August 29th, 2013.
10% AMT Bonus. This returning offer, sponsored by Amtrak, expired August 31, 2013. It adds a 10% bonus when you buy a Marriott Gift Card valued between $25 and $1500 and apply the promotional code AMT during checkout (bonus amount won't be displayed, but will be on the card received). Valid for physical Gift Cards only; promo code entry box will not show for eGiftCards. Shipping within the US for orders $1,000 or less is $1, but larger, expedited, or international orders incur greater charges. You may place separate $1,000 orders as a strategy to minimize fees. Not eligible for cash back. Full T&Cs.
United Airlines MileagePlus Offer. This expired offer, valid August 7 through September 7, 2013, allowed you to earn a maximum of 7,500 United miles by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 500 miles/$100 Gift card, 1,000 miles/$250, 2,500 miles/$500. At 5 miles per dollar (except for the strangely inferior 4 MPD bonus for the $250 increment), choosing this is like paying 2 cents per mile, given the alternative AMT 10% bonus offer mentioned above and the fact it isn't stackable. Not eligible for cash back. Full T&Cs.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Offer. This expired offer, valid August 1 through September 26, 2013, allowed you to earn a maximum of 12,000 Rapid Rewards Points by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 1,200 points/$100 Gift card, 3,000 points/$250, 6,000 points/$500. At 12 points per dollar, choosing this was like paying .83 cents per point when alternative AMT 10% bonus offer was also live. Not eligible for cash back nor does it stack with other offers. Full T&Cs.
5.5% cash back via eBates expired around October 7th.
5.5% cash back via FatWallet expired October 14th.
15%/10%/15% Off "Print your own" Marriott/Ritz GCs @ TwoSmiles by HP. First offer expired mid-October, second one late October, and the third one on October 31st. Go here, add and personalize your GC, and during step 3 of the ordering process, click the "Enter Coupon Code" link and submit code SHARESMILES (first offer, 15%) or HALLOWEEN (second offer, 10%) HIP2SAVE (third offer, 15%). After paying, a printable code will be emailed to you instantly. Worked for me, but YMMV as the website is finicky. Limited to one GC up to $100 per email/credit card (perhaps you have more than one email/CC?!)
5.5% cash back via eBates expired November 1st.
6% cash back via CashBackCat expired mid-November.
5% cash back via eBates expired mid-November.
Amex Sync Offers. If you have an Amex card and check the "Offers For You" tab within your account, you will sometimes see targeted offers you can register for with a click. The offers typically run for a few months and offer an automatic statement credit if you spend a minimum amount at a specific retailer. Oftentimes the eligible retailer sells Marriott Gift Cards (link to a complete list of Marriott GC retailers coming soon). Some offers may be registered alternatively by syncing one of your cards to your Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare accounts and following the instructions there. There were two offers available in November 2013: 1) Lowes - Spend $50, get a $10 credit (20% off if you buy a $50 GC and nothing more). Expired Nov 15th 2013. 2) Staples - Spend $75, get a $25 credit (~33% off if you buy a $50 GC + $25 GC and nothing more). Expires Dec 10th 2013 but moved to Boneyard early because registration was closed. Only physical GCs count (eGifts excluded), and when purchased online, each card incurs a $1.99 fee (no fee in store). If you go the online route, clicking through a cash back or points portal is stackable. Plink is also stackable both online and offline if the same Amex card and the Staples offer are synced. Obviously, the Chase 5x points offers aren't stackable, as you're using an Amex.
5% cash back via eBates special rate expired November 30th, 2013.
4% cash back via ExtraBux special rate expired November 30th, 2013.
15% or 20% Off "Print your own" Marriott/Ritz GCs @ TwoSmiles by HP. These offers were for 15% and 20% off in late November 2013. The second offer went live a day early (on Thanksgiving, Nov 28th),sold out in less than a couple hours, then new inventory was added for a brief period the following Saturday, which also sold out quickly (~20 minutes). Instructions were: Go here, add and personalize your GC, and use promo code THANKS4FAM (15% offer) or BF20 (20% offer) during checkout. After paying, a printable code will be emailed to you instantly. Limited to one order per email/credit card, and 4 GCs per order (perhaps you have more than one email/CC?!) The 20% is as good as it gets, and because it's likely to sell out early, you should consider jumping on the 15% offer (which is pretty good) now if you don't want to risk missing it.
United Transfer Bonus. In the Fall of 2013, United ran a stackable 25% transfer bonus (capped at 20K miles). You had to register here first.
30% Off Cyber Monday Sale. Marriott ran a 30% off one-day special on Monday December 2nd, 2013. About 350 properties participated and the rates were advance/prepaid/non-refundable. This page was used for the special.
5% cash back via eBates special rate expired around December 10th, 2013 .
2014 BONEYARD
5% cash back via Top Cashback special rate expired January 11th, 2014.
Triple-dip at office supply stores with Chase Ink CC + UR Portal + Plink. This method appears to have died by early 2014. If anyone reports being able to buy Marriott GCs at Staples, Office Depot, Office Max, or similar office supply stores (online or B&M), please post in this thread immediately! Otherwise, we'll continue to assume the method is dead for good. If you have a Chase Ink credit card, you can earn 5 Ultimate Rewards (UR) points per dollar for purchases at office supply stores. Staples and Office Depot sell no-fee Marriott Gift Cards in-store, so you can earn that 5x category bonus on them. You'll forgo earning 5 Marriott Reward Points (MRPs)/$ by purchasing directly from Marriott using a Chase Marriott credit card, but most people value UR points greater than MRPs, so this is an appealing approach. Furthermore, Staples sells the Marriott GCs online with a $1.99 fee, and if you click through to Staples via the UR portal that offers additional points (usually 2 or 3 per dollar), you can boost your return for high value orders (the extra points more than cover the fee). Various cash back sites also include Staples and will stack. Though the T&Cs exclude GCs, they are probably referring to Staples GCs only, as most report the extra points/cash back post in addition to the 5x category bonus. YMMV. Finally, if you have a Plink account and have added both your Ink card and the Staples offer to it, you'll also earn 300 Plink points ($3) per $60+ order, both online and offline.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired February 9, 2014.
5% cash back via FatWallet expired mid-February, 2014.
4% cash back via Mr. Rebates expired May 25, 2014.
4% cash back via Mr. Rebates expired June 15, 2014.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired August 3, 2014.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired August 24, 2014.
4% cash back via Mr. Rebates expired late-August, 2014.
Buy Gift Cards through MyPoints. MyPoints sold $75 Marriott GCs at face value and awarded 750 MyPoints (MYPT) with the purchase. Maximum of 2 x $75 ($150 total for 1,500 MYPT) per transaction. Tomsam provided a good explanation here. Now expired.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired October 12, 2014.
2 points per dollar via the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall is no longer available as of October 2014.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired October 26th, 2014.
5% cash back via eBates expired late October, 2014.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired November 16th, 2014.
Sync Amex to Twitter, Register, Get $50 off $200. Registration filled up in a few days, but the actual offer was valid Nov 6, 2014 through Dec 31, 2014. Full T&Cs here. Terms exclude GCs but reports are that it works, as it did with similar past promotions. Go here and sync an Amex card to your Twitter account. Tweet #AmexMarriott and confirm that Amex tweets you back that you've been registered. Use that Amex card to buy a physical $200 Marriott GC in a FS Marriott and Amex should credit you back $50, amounting to a 25% discount on GC credit. For easiest verification, ensure you're first signed up for Amex email alerts, as this will typically generate an instant email confirmation after purchase. If you have several Amex cards, using Tweetdeck to after syncing multiple cards to various Twitter accounts is an easy way to register many cards at once. An alternative to registering via Twitter is to simply log into your Amex account online and check the Offers section to see if the offer appears for any of your cards. If it does and you want to register multiple cards, open each offer in a separate tab for each card, then click through to register each. Otherwise, the first registration will wipe out the offer on your other cards.
2015 BONEYARD
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired January 11th, 2015.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired January 31st, 2015.
5% cash back via Mr. Rebates expired February 14th, 2015.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired February 15th, 2015.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired March 15th, 2015.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired March 29th, 2015.
5% cash back via eBates expired April 10th, 2015.
NOTE: GOING FORWARD, ONLY CASHBACK OFFERS EXCEEDING 5% WILL BE APPENDED TO THIS LIST..
$40 off $200+ Amex purchases at Renaissance hotels. See this thread for details. Expired November 30th, 2015.
2016 BONEYARD
5.5%/7.7% cash back via Top Cashback expired February, 2016.
6-8% cash back via ShopAtHome expired March, 2016.
6% cash back via eBates expired October, 2016.
10%/15% cash back via ShopAtHome expired October 27, 2016.
2017 BONEYARD
None yet - High percentage offers have dried up this year
2012 BONEYARD (August and onward)
TARGETED $50 Amex statement credit on $250+ spend. Expired August 15th, 2012, this offer allowed qualified cardholders to receive $50 back when they registered their card and paid for a stay of $250+.
5% Mr. Rebates Cash Back. Offer expired August 26th, 2012.
Up to 10 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points/$. Expired August 31st 2012. If you have a Chase Ink card, you always get 5 UR Points/$ for purchases at Staples (office supply stores). There are additional points when purchased through the Ultimate Rewards Mall. In August 2012 it was Ink 5X (Sapphire & Freedom 4X). The 5X and 5X combined for 10 UR Points/$. Note: The T&Cs said you wouldn't get points, but many reported otherwise.
2 Delta SkyMiles/$. This offer was valid June 3rd through September 2nd 2012, and allowed you to earn a maximum of 10,000 DL miles by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 500 miles/$250 Gift Card, 1,000 miles/$500, 2,000 miles/$1,000. Full T&Cs.
6.5% eBates Cash Back. Offer expired September 3rd, 2012.
6.5% FatWallet cash back. Offer for all stays and Gift Cards expired September 13th, 2012.
Lesbian & Gay Pride 10% Bonus. This offer was valid in 2012 and added a 10% bonus to any Gift Card valued between $25 and $1500 purchased using the promo code PRIDE during checkout. Shipping for orders up to $1,000 within the US is just $1, but larger, expedited, or international orders incur greater charges. You may place separate $1,000 orders as a strategy to minimize fees. The terms state that only 1 or 2 points per dollar spent will be earned for stays (instead of the usual 10), but no one has reported this as being enforced.
Hertz Third Day Free. This offer was valid through October 31st 2012. Any Gift Card purchase of $250 or greater earned a certificate (redeemable through December 31st, 2012) for a third day free with any full priced rental of three days or more. Enter code HTZ at check out. Full T&Cs.
5% eBates cash back. Offer for all stays and Gift Cards expired November 1st, 2012.
United Airlines MileagePlus Offer. This offer, expired November 26th 2012, allowed you to earn a maximum of 5,000 United miles by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 500 miles/$150 Gift card, 1,000 miles/$250, 2,000 miles/$400. Not stackable with cash back because it doesn't process through the standard website. Full T&Cs.
4.7% cash back via Big Crumbs for all stays reverted to the standard 3.5% on November 26th, 2012.
4.7% cash back via Big Crumbs for Gift Cards reverted to the standard 3.5% on November 26th, 2012.
United Transfer Bonus. Through November 30th, 2012 only, United had a bonus offer for up to 15,000 bonus miles (30% on 50,000) that allowed Marriott Travel Package redemptions to convert MRPs to UA miles at a rate even more favorable than 1:1. It required registration.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Offer. This offer, expired November 30th 2012, allowed you to earn a maximum of 12,000 Rapid Rewards Points by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 1,200 points/$100 Gift card, 3,000 points/$250, 6,000 points/$500. Not stackable with cash back because it doesn't process through the standard website. Full T&Cs.
Delta SkyMiles Offer. This offer, expired December 15th 2012, allowed you to earn a maximum of 10,000 Delta miles by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 200 miles/$100 Gift card, 500 miles/$250, 2,000 miles/$1,000. Not stackable with cash back because it doesn't process through the standard website. Full T&Cs.
Gifts For Them, Points For You 10 MRP/$ Bonus. This returning offer was valid through December 31st 2012 and earned a bonus 10 Marriott Rewards Points (MRPs) per dollar, up to a maximum of 20,000 MRPs ($2,000 in Gift Cards) on Gift Cards purchased by applying your Marriott Rewards account number during checkout. Shipping for orders up to $1,000 within the US is just $1, but larger, expedited, or international orders incur greater charges. You may place separate $1,000 orders as a strategy to minimize fees. Begin your order by clicking through Top Cashback to stack an additional 5% cash back upon this discount. Full T&Cs.
Earn 5% Cash Back on all Marriott spending with the Chase Freedom Credit Cards. Valid for the first $1,500 spent with Marriott and other qualifying hotels, airlines, and merchants through December 31st, 2012 only. You must register first. This includes gift cards, stays, points, merchandise, etc., and still applies when promos or cash back or points portals are used. If you also hold a Chase Sapphire card, you may transfer the 5X earnings to various airlines at a 1:1 ratio, making it particularly lucrative versus the 5 Marriott Rewards Points earned from the Chase Marriott branded card detailed below.
2013 BONEYARD
10% AMT Bonus. This returning offer, expired January 6th 2013, added a 10% bonus to any Marriott Gift Card valued between $25 and $1500 purchased by applying the promo code AMT during checkout (sponsored by Amtrak). Shipping for orders up to $1,000 within the US is just $1, but larger, expedited, or international orders incur greater charges. You may place separate $1,000 orders as a strategy to minimize fees. Full T&Cs.
Free Night + 2000 Airline Miles For Two Nights/Stays. If you're registered for the current Megabonus, you'll earn a free night in a Category 1-4 property for every two stays February 1st through April 30th 2013. Use an AAA or LNF rate + 3.5% cash back at two nearby properties, switch hotels after the first night, and earn the free night plus various Marriott points and bonuses. If you switched your earning preference to miles and registered for this promo and booked before January 15th 2013, you'll also earn 1,000 Delta Skymiles per stay falling between February 1st and 15th, 2013. The same applies for US Airways via this offer. These promotions stack with the Megabonus, yielding a very nice combined return. Note that only some properties (DL list and US list) qualify for the mileage promotions.
5% cash back via eBates expired Feb 26th.
6% cash back via Top Cashback expired Apr 19th.
USAirways 50% Transfer Bonus. April 1-30, 2013 there was a USAirways offer for a 50% transfer bonus, meaning that each mile you'd normally get via a Travel Package redemption instead yielded 1.5 miles.
5.5% cash back via eBates expired June 3rd.
Daily Getaways ~20% Discount Offer. Expired June 10th, 2013. $100, $500, and $1,000 denominations of Marriott Gift Cards, in limited quantities, were sold for 11% off (US residents only), but if you purchased with an Amex card, you got an extra discount that brought the total to ~20% off. In the past, these have sold out almost instantly, so have your thumb limber on the refresh button. Because this purchase is from a non-Marriott site, it won't qualify for the 5MRPs/$ you can earn when buying from Marriott with their branded Chase card. Because Gift Cards are typically available at a 10% discount using various methods, sometimes including the 5 MRPs/$, this is a superior offer but not by as much as you might think.
5% OPEN Savings discount via Amex Business Cards. This benefit ended July 1st, 2013. Paying with an Amex Business Card was sometimes an appealing alternative to the Chase Marriott Visa for stays at Fairfield Inns, Residence Inns, Springhill Suites, Towneplace Suites, and Courtyards because you received 5% back. This was particularly useful if your company requires the use of an Amex for business travel, if you value Marriott Rewards Points at less than a cent each, or if you need to meet an Amex spending threshold.
5% cash back via Top Cashback reverted to 3% around July 23rd, 2013.
5% cash back special offer via Top Cashback ended August 29th, 2013.
10% AMT Bonus. This returning offer, sponsored by Amtrak, expired August 31, 2013. It adds a 10% bonus when you buy a Marriott Gift Card valued between $25 and $1500 and apply the promotional code AMT during checkout (bonus amount won't be displayed, but will be on the card received). Valid for physical Gift Cards only; promo code entry box will not show for eGiftCards. Shipping within the US for orders $1,000 or less is $1, but larger, expedited, or international orders incur greater charges. You may place separate $1,000 orders as a strategy to minimize fees. Not eligible for cash back. Full T&Cs.
United Airlines MileagePlus Offer. This expired offer, valid August 7 through September 7, 2013, allowed you to earn a maximum of 7,500 United miles by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 500 miles/$100 Gift card, 1,000 miles/$250, 2,500 miles/$500. At 5 miles per dollar (except for the strangely inferior 4 MPD bonus for the $250 increment), choosing this is like paying 2 cents per mile, given the alternative AMT 10% bonus offer mentioned above and the fact it isn't stackable. Not eligible for cash back. Full T&Cs.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Offer. This expired offer, valid August 1 through September 26, 2013, allowed you to earn a maximum of 12,000 Rapid Rewards Points by awarding bonuses in the following increments: 1,200 points/$100 Gift card, 3,000 points/$250, 6,000 points/$500. At 12 points per dollar, choosing this was like paying .83 cents per point when alternative AMT 10% bonus offer was also live. Not eligible for cash back nor does it stack with other offers. Full T&Cs.
5.5% cash back via eBates expired around October 7th.
5.5% cash back via FatWallet expired October 14th.
15%/10%/15% Off "Print your own" Marriott/Ritz GCs @ TwoSmiles by HP. First offer expired mid-October, second one late October, and the third one on October 31st. Go here, add and personalize your GC, and during step 3 of the ordering process, click the "Enter Coupon Code" link and submit code SHARESMILES (first offer, 15%) or HALLOWEEN (second offer, 10%) HIP2SAVE (third offer, 15%). After paying, a printable code will be emailed to you instantly. Worked for me, but YMMV as the website is finicky. Limited to one GC up to $100 per email/credit card (perhaps you have more than one email/CC?!)
5.5% cash back via eBates expired November 1st.
6% cash back via CashBackCat expired mid-November.
5% cash back via eBates expired mid-November.
Amex Sync Offers. If you have an Amex card and check the "Offers For You" tab within your account, you will sometimes see targeted offers you can register for with a click. The offers typically run for a few months and offer an automatic statement credit if you spend a minimum amount at a specific retailer. Oftentimes the eligible retailer sells Marriott Gift Cards (link to a complete list of Marriott GC retailers coming soon). Some offers may be registered alternatively by syncing one of your cards to your Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare accounts and following the instructions there. There were two offers available in November 2013: 1) Lowes - Spend $50, get a $10 credit (20% off if you buy a $50 GC and nothing more). Expired Nov 15th 2013. 2) Staples - Spend $75, get a $25 credit (~33% off if you buy a $50 GC + $25 GC and nothing more). Expires Dec 10th 2013 but moved to Boneyard early because registration was closed. Only physical GCs count (eGifts excluded), and when purchased online, each card incurs a $1.99 fee (no fee in store). If you go the online route, clicking through a cash back or points portal is stackable. Plink is also stackable both online and offline if the same Amex card and the Staples offer are synced. Obviously, the Chase 5x points offers aren't stackable, as you're using an Amex.
5% cash back via eBates special rate expired November 30th, 2013.
4% cash back via ExtraBux special rate expired November 30th, 2013.
15% or 20% Off "Print your own" Marriott/Ritz GCs @ TwoSmiles by HP. These offers were for 15% and 20% off in late November 2013. The second offer went live a day early (on Thanksgiving, Nov 28th),sold out in less than a couple hours, then new inventory was added for a brief period the following Saturday, which also sold out quickly (~20 minutes). Instructions were: Go here, add and personalize your GC, and use promo code THANKS4FAM (15% offer) or BF20 (20% offer) during checkout. After paying, a printable code will be emailed to you instantly. Limited to one order per email/credit card, and 4 GCs per order (perhaps you have more than one email/CC?!) The 20% is as good as it gets, and because it's likely to sell out early, you should consider jumping on the 15% offer (which is pretty good) now if you don't want to risk missing it.
United Transfer Bonus. In the Fall of 2013, United ran a stackable 25% transfer bonus (capped at 20K miles). You had to register here first.
30% Off Cyber Monday Sale. Marriott ran a 30% off one-day special on Monday December 2nd, 2013. About 350 properties participated and the rates were advance/prepaid/non-refundable. This page was used for the special.
5% cash back via eBates special rate expired around December 10th, 2013 .
2014 BONEYARD
5% cash back via Top Cashback special rate expired January 11th, 2014.
Triple-dip at office supply stores with Chase Ink CC + UR Portal + Plink. This method appears to have died by early 2014. If anyone reports being able to buy Marriott GCs at Staples, Office Depot, Office Max, or similar office supply stores (online or B&M), please post in this thread immediately! Otherwise, we'll continue to assume the method is dead for good. If you have a Chase Ink credit card, you can earn 5 Ultimate Rewards (UR) points per dollar for purchases at office supply stores. Staples and Office Depot sell no-fee Marriott Gift Cards in-store, so you can earn that 5x category bonus on them. You'll forgo earning 5 Marriott Reward Points (MRPs)/$ by purchasing directly from Marriott using a Chase Marriott credit card, but most people value UR points greater than MRPs, so this is an appealing approach. Furthermore, Staples sells the Marriott GCs online with a $1.99 fee, and if you click through to Staples via the UR portal that offers additional points (usually 2 or 3 per dollar), you can boost your return for high value orders (the extra points more than cover the fee). Various cash back sites also include Staples and will stack. Though the T&Cs exclude GCs, they are probably referring to Staples GCs only, as most report the extra points/cash back post in addition to the 5x category bonus. YMMV. Finally, if you have a Plink account and have added both your Ink card and the Staples offer to it, you'll also earn 300 Plink points ($3) per $60+ order, both online and offline.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired February 9, 2014.
5% cash back via FatWallet expired mid-February, 2014.
4% cash back via Mr. Rebates expired May 25, 2014.
4% cash back via Mr. Rebates expired June 15, 2014.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired August 3, 2014.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired August 24, 2014.
4% cash back via Mr. Rebates expired late-August, 2014.
Buy Gift Cards through MyPoints. MyPoints sold $75 Marriott GCs at face value and awarded 750 MyPoints (MYPT) with the purchase. Maximum of 2 x $75 ($150 total for 1,500 MYPT) per transaction. Tomsam provided a good explanation here. Now expired.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired October 12, 2014.
2 points per dollar via the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall is no longer available as of October 2014.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired October 26th, 2014.
5% cash back via eBates expired late October, 2014.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired November 16th, 2014.
Sync Amex to Twitter, Register, Get $50 off $200. Registration filled up in a few days, but the actual offer was valid Nov 6, 2014 through Dec 31, 2014. Full T&Cs here. Terms exclude GCs but reports are that it works, as it did with similar past promotions. Go here and sync an Amex card to your Twitter account. Tweet #AmexMarriott and confirm that Amex tweets you back that you've been registered. Use that Amex card to buy a physical $200 Marriott GC in a FS Marriott and Amex should credit you back $50, amounting to a 25% discount on GC credit. For easiest verification, ensure you're first signed up for Amex email alerts, as this will typically generate an instant email confirmation after purchase. If you have several Amex cards, using Tweetdeck to after syncing multiple cards to various Twitter accounts is an easy way to register many cards at once. An alternative to registering via Twitter is to simply log into your Amex account online and check the Offers section to see if the offer appears for any of your cards. If it does and you want to register multiple cards, open each offer in a separate tab for each card, then click through to register each. Otherwise, the first registration will wipe out the offer on your other cards.
2015 BONEYARD
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired January 11th, 2015.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired January 31st, 2015.
5% cash back via Mr. Rebates expired February 14th, 2015.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired February 15th, 2015.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired March 15th, 2015.
5% cash back via Top Cashback expired March 29th, 2015.
5% cash back via eBates expired April 10th, 2015.
NOTE: GOING FORWARD, ONLY CASHBACK OFFERS EXCEEDING 5% WILL BE APPENDED TO THIS LIST..
$40 off $200+ Amex purchases at Renaissance hotels. See this thread for details. Expired November 30th, 2015.
2016 BONEYARD
5.5%/7.7% cash back via Top Cashback expired February, 2016.
6-8% cash back via ShopAtHome expired March, 2016.
6% cash back via eBates expired October, 2016.
10%/15% cash back via ShopAtHome expired October 27, 2016.
2017 BONEYARD
None yet - High percentage offers have dried up this year
Last edited by mooper; Oct 30, 2017 at 5:02 am Reason: added 2017 note
Jul 9, 2012, 10:56 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1
Hi Mooper. Thanks for putting this thread together.
Im new to flyertalk, and previously my rewards program of choice has been PC. However, today i will be joining Marriott rewards, and was going to request a referral.
Im going to PM you for one as well, but I just wanted to note that the thread you linked for 2011 has a message at the end of it stating that the offer is over. Not trying to be a jerk - just informing you.
Thanks again for the very informative thread.
Im new to flyertalk, and previously my rewards program of choice has been PC. However, today i will be joining Marriott rewards, and was going to request a referral.
Im going to PM you for one as well, but I just wanted to note that the thread you linked for 2011 has a message at the end of it stating that the offer is over. Not trying to be a jerk - just informing you.
Thanks again for the very informative thread.
Jul 9, 2012, 1:10 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,289
I don't believe there is a way to add to an existing card via online purchase of any kind, cash back or otherwise. However, there shouldn't be a downside to buying a separate card, as you are allowed to use multiple ones at checkout if needed. It can cause a delay at checkout, but if necessary, you can always leave a xerox of the card info with the front desk and ask them to process on their own time after you've left.
Jul 20, 2012, 10:00 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,289
Appears to be targeted - it rejected my attempt to sign up. If someone else can confirm that registration worked for them, however, I'll add it to the OP and note it as targeted. Nice find - thanks for the contribution! Amounts to a 20% discount if you spend $250 on the nose, though you forgo the 5 MRPs/$ you can earn by using a Chase Marriott Visa as well as the 14% Gift Card discount (by purchasing a Gift Card using cashback + 10% off AMT code).
Jul 23, 2012, 10:11 am
#8
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,720
20% Supermarket Rebate Savings
Jul 23, 2012, 11:19 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,289
Jul 23, 2012, 11:25 am
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,720
There is none, I received it via e-mail.
Here is the announcement and it is good only at Shoprite and only after you signed up for this service and linked your shopping card to it.
http://www.couponnetwork.com/gift-cards-coupon/yomd29
Here is the announcement and it is good only at Shoprite and only after you signed up for this service and linked your shopping card to it.
http://www.couponnetwork.com/gift-cards-coupon/yomd29
Last edited by NJUPINTHEAIR; Jul 23, 2012 at 11:43 am
Jul 23, 2012, 1:19 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,289
There is none, I received it via e-mail.
Here is the announcement and it is good only at Shoprite and only after you signed up for this service and linked your shopping card to it.
http://www.couponnetwork.com/gift-cards-coupon/yomd29
Here is the announcement and it is good only at Shoprite and only after you signed up for this service and linked your shopping card to it.
http://www.couponnetwork.com/gift-cards-coupon/yomd29
Jul 23, 2012, 6:33 pm
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,720
Added to OP. Appears to be highly targeted, and holders of the Chase Visa are giving up 5 MRPs/$ plus Gift Card discount + cashback opportunities by using this, but might appeal to some.
Thanks. I've added it to the OP. It requires membership to the network and is just a $10 credit for future spending, but might appeal to some. Do you know when it expires? In a quick check, I didn't see the expiration date.
Thanks. I've added it to the OP. It requires membership to the network and is just a $10 credit for future spending, but might appeal to some. Do you know when it expires? In a quick check, I didn't see the expiration date.
7/15/12 - 7/28/12, Buy $50 or more in participating gift cards, Get $10.00 coupon for use on next trip.
Jul 24, 2012, 4:23 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: U.S. (sometimes)
Programs: UA 1k 1MM, AA Exec Plat, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, IHG Plat, Accor ?????
Posts: 1,398
Appears to be targeted - it rejected my attempt to sign up. If someone else can confirm that registration worked for them, however, I'll add it to the OP and note it as targeted. Nice find - thanks for the contribution! Amounts to a 20% discount if you spend $250 on the nose, though you forgo the 5 MRPs/$ you can earn by using a Chase Marriott Visa as well as the 14% Gift Card discount (by purchasing a Gift Card using cashback + 10% off AMT code).
Re spending $250 on the nose: This is actually quite easy to achieve since you can use your gift card for everything past $250. But I agree with mooper's main point that it's not more than a 5% savings compared to using a gift card.
