Originally Posted by
Starbucks
Knowing that this is not a strategy for everyone but after spending some time thinking about the upcoming "enhancements" to MR and the slowing economy i am seriously considering ordering gift cheques instead of travel packages.
While the 0,74 cent face value per point (1.000$/135.000 points) might look shabby in the first place it isnt that bad if taking a closer look. Those spent 1.000 $ will generate at least 15.000 MR points (FS Hotels, Plat. Member) plus any applicable stay/night promo bonus Marriott might offer as incentive during recession year 2009. Also one should not forget that those paid nights do count as "night credit" and therefore will help to qualify/requalify for a higher status/lifetime status without spending additional $$$ to accomplish that goal.
The cheques are great if you need to book stays which requires a lot of points or properties not readily available for points redemption. For example, 25000 points equal to $185.18 under the cheque exchange rate. So if the room + tax is less than that, one is better off with the cheque. You get all the benefits of a paid stay as well as being able to book pretty much anytime.
I order the $1000 cheques and spend half right away to avoid possibly having them expired. Keep the other half around for about a year to pay for those emergency personal trips. Works well.