Originally Posted by
crazyhorse
There is a reason Marriott chooses to use Certs instead of simply using points - reduce the number of redemptions. Points live on forever and are a liability on Marriott's books. Certs have a fixed shelf life and if they are less usable, the better for Marriott's balance sheet.
But if they want to reduce their liabilities, then MR should enable people to "spend" points. HHonors has done that with their rather unreasonable point rates for "nicer" rooms but at least they've monetized/spendized. There are some points and dollars options sometimes for some properties via MR when you search but these are not consistent. Combining points with certs is logical. Whether MR will do it is to be determined.
David