Originally Posted by
littlevoices
Mindzeye82 , welcome to flyertalk, I do hope you are able to stay.
In your case I would do two things:
1. Make sure that the points reservation is set up as a "gift" in another family member's name, and if possible remove your Marriott number from this reservation (so that it doesn't accidentally post before the six night stay)
2. Put all of your incidental spend, if any, onto your cash room, so that you get the points (along with any elite bonus) posted there, after the six nights. Due to the new policy earning, requiring room dates line up, any incidentals put against the points room can't be credited to your account.
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Thank you for that suggestion - I called their helpline and booked the points room as a gift reservation. They confirmed that I would earn points and nights on my stay - but nothing for the points night (as expected). Calling Marriott and doing it that way is the way to go for these types of reservations.