Originally Posted by
dingo
It's been a while since i've used a Marriott GC, but I'm sitting on about $5k of them. When I used to use them, I made a habit of going to the front desk the morning of check out, handing over the card / cards, and telling the agent that I'd be back in 90 minutes to complete checkout. Anyone else use this tactic, knowing that it will take a while to get things figured out? When I was buying and burning these with frequency, it always worked out well for me in the US but I never have redeemed internationally (Europe for me).
I have mentioned this several times on FT. For the best gift card experience, NEVER wait until the last minute to pay with a gift card. If I have an early morning check out, I always go to the front desk the day before.
Also make sure you register your gift card (see wiki) and check the balance after the gift card has been processed if you’re not spending the whole thing.
There are too many hotels/employees who have no idea how to process these.