Originally Posted by
hhoope01
First yes you can make the reservation using points today and switch to a cert later. But you can also call Marriott and ask the agent to make an award reservation for your stay without taking any points out of your account.
This is a nice benefit of the Marriott program as you don't have to have points in your account at the time you make a reservation and if you do they can still make the reservation without taking the points out if you don't want the points taken out. Just make sure to call in and get the cert applied to the reservation at least a few weeks before your stay.
Thanks for the advice on this. Called in the reservation and they were able to book it without taking out any points from my account. I get a certificate from my Canadian AmEx SPMarriott card (signed up in late September 2017 so I anticipate getting the certificate around then).
In case you're wondering, my certificate will be applied to a NYE stay at the AC Hotels Time Square (going rate is $1000 USD/night). I'd be surprised if anyone could find a more valuable use of that certificate. I know this booking is quite a bit in advance but hotels in Manhattan are selling out for NYE (go figure!)
Thanks again!
Safe Travels,
James