Originally Posted by
Admiral Ackbar
The author of that article doesn't seem to have used the cards much, based on some of his statements.
Historically each person can only take advantage of the promotion once, though you can purchase up to $5,000 worth of gift cards under the offer, which would lead to a $1,000 bonus.
Not really. The terms have always been very clear, that you can only use the promotion once per credit card. There is no per person limit. They don't validate the names and cross check for duplicate orders per person. The terms even suggest that you use another credit card if you want to buy more than $5,000 in certificates.
You can choose whether you want to buy gift cards in USD or CAD. While you can use the gift cards in currencies other than the ones they’re issued in, the conversion rates used for those purposes may be unfavorable.
There is nothing unfavourable about the Fairmont gift card exchange rates. With many chains, there is. I know Four Seasons cards when used in foreign countries, are converted by the hotel using their cash rate, which generally sucks. The Fairmont gift card terminals use the OANDA spot rate with no exchange premium applied. I don't have a credit card in my wallet that can get me an exchange rate as good as using a Fairmont gift card.
For the past few years Fairmont has been offering bonuses on gift card purchases at least twice a year.
For several years, it's been exactly two per year. In the fall, it's always on Black Friday.