Marriott/Starwood transfers are instantaneous.

Ok, and when making a booking with Mariott Reward points, can I still cancel it later and get all the points back?

Is it possible to book a Marriott property,or other chain for that matter, through Concur and then change the credit card at check in?

Normally, yes. But as always with any reservation, check the cancellation policy for the reservation before you reserve it. While most award reservations have pretty lenient cancellation policies (i.e. full refund of points up to a few days before the actual stay), some might be more restrictive.

Points back always follow the cancelation rules. So make sure you pay attention to the bottom of the screen where it says 'cancel by dd/mm/yyy to avoid cancellation fees".

If I book a promo rate at Marriott site for 2,000 bonus points per night, will I still get the 2,000 point for second stay winter mega bonus points?

Thanks in advance for any help. Back before the category changes I booked a cat 5 hotel that has now changed to a cat 6 short (without having the points). I just received my annual free night certificate from the card and wanted to apply it to said reservation. I called in and spoke to a rep who told me that unfortunately he can't apply the certificate since the hotel is now a category 6. Is this a hang up call again situation or am I out of luck? Thank you!

You should. Just as an FYI, many people have had issues getting the bonus points with the promo rate (not connected with the mega bonus, there have just always been issues with it in general), so you'll want to track that to make sure it posts correctly.

Apologies if this isn't the correct thread to ask, I didn't want to start a new thread for a personalized question. Back in February, before the category change, I booked a category 5 short (without the points) and the hotel is now a category 6. I just received my free night certificate from the marriott credit card and called in to apply it to said reservation however the agent told me that he won't be able to do it since the hotel is now a category 6. Is this a hang up call again situation or am I SOL? Thank you!

Call again. And if the new agent gives you grief, tell him it was booked when it was a 5.

I called last year when I noticed the points on my reservation reflected the new higher level. I was told not to worry as I would get charged at the older level. And i was.

Third time is the charm, thank you for your encouragement! In case anyone has this issues, I had to call this number (801)468-4000 to get an agent who was able to apply my certificate.

Quick question - apologies if this answer is elsewhere... When booking a rewards stay, should the points to be debited immediately on booking?

Made a booking over the phone, there was some confusion and now i've got a booking and all my points!

I'll just stay quiet?

That's happened to me. They eventually take the points. I think it's because of how Marriott redeems points for an e-certificate which is then applied to the reservation.

Is this the new Flyertalk format that abbreviates the thread titles? What the heck is the point of that? I have to click on them to see what the thread is...

i apologize if this has been asked before in this thread but a search did not yield one.

I read that the maximum points you could purchase in a year is 50k. I also read the maximum you can be gifted is 50k per year. I also understand that either transaction will count as points toward Lifetime status.

Where I am vague is if you can both purchase and be gifted points and receive more than 50k combined in a year. Any guidance is appreciated as I am trying to make the LTP before August 1 deadline. Thanks

Marriott Website - Compare Rates
 

Is there a way to compare rates on Marriott's website, similar to SPG? I'd like to see a grid of cash rate, points rate, cash + points, and maybe a special code rate. SPG's site is so clean and easy to do this. With Marriott, I feel like I need to click back and forth and this is impossible? Am I missing something?
Not impressed with Marriott so far.

Sadly, you're not missing anything. Welcome to Marriott!

Do I earn points with extra purchases in the hotel like breakfast, dinner and shopping? I stayed for 4 nights at Courtyard by Marriott using 7500 per night, 2 of my nights are already posted but I don't see the points for extra purchases.

ok, thanx for confirming that and good to see that this will change in August. How many days may it take before I see my nights in my account? I stayed April 10-12 but I still don't see the nights in my account. However I see my stay of April 15-17 has been posted.

While I haev never purchased points, I think the 50K is a limit for each method. So you could get 50K by purchasing points and another 50k through a transfer for a total of 100K.

This may be a silly question - I am planning stays for Plat Challenge and notice the Marriott Reward Member Rate (cancellable) is always the lowest among the public discount rates such as AAA and Senior Rates. However it also says Please note: Non-commissionable rate versus the AAA or Senior Rates only say about Valid ID required.
Does the Marriott Reward Member Rate is an eligible rate to earn Stay / Night? The FAQs on Marriott site do not touch this topic. I assume it would since this is a form to award loyalty as a benefit to become a member and book direct. But I want to make sure this. The difference is $5 lower than Senior and AAA rates and only $1 higher than the nonrefundable rate. Since I need to do 9 stays, even $5 difference adds up.
Furthermore, this is a Springhill. Somehow the Member Rate is put under "package" = the word "package" bothers me as in the T&Cs. Package is not considered eligible rate.
Rooms booked through third party online retailers, such as Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline.com, Tripadvisor.com or any other 3rd party online/mobile travel portal (regardless of how the hotel is paid) are not eligible for Points or Elite night credit. Wholesale rates, wholesale packages, Fam-Tastic® rates, travel industry rates and organized tours or package bookings are not eligible for Points or Elite night credit regardless of booking channel.

This is bothersome because the hotel lists the Member Reward Rate under "Packages".

Can anyone confirm the Marriott Reward Rate is good to use for pay stays to do the Challenge, even it says Non-Commissionable?

I think "non-commissionable" has to do with whether a TA would get a commission if you booked the rate through them. While there may well be some type of rate on Marriott's website that doesn't include points, I've always received points and stay credit for any rate I booked via their website including the Member Rewards rate. So you shouldn't have any issues getting night/points.for the stay.

Here is a basic question: How do I set the default credit card for reservations? The systems automatically uses one I don't want instead of the Marriott visa I'd prefer.

Thanks!

If you logon and navigate to your profile page. At the bottom you should see the list of credit cards the system can use. Click "edit" on the one you want to make your "preferred" card. Notice at the bottom of the pop-up window is a check-box titled "Make my preferred card." Check that box and click save.

Is there a typical amount of time I can expect for my Marriott points and stays to credit? Coming from the Starwood side I am so used to stays posting like clockwork 24-36 hours after I check out. I thought for a while that Marriott was posting within 48-72 hours but my last stay was over 3 days ago and still nothing. Is this typical? I am still learning Marriott.

If I book a Marriott as a Gold Elite now, but for a check in after the official merger (looking at dates at end-Aug/early-Sep) anyone have an idea of free breakfast/lounge would still apply? This actually influences about 4 reservations I'm looking to make for the rest of this year.

Sorry I can't answer your question, but it's always safer to not have it on file. With the sheer number of data breaches over the last few years, you should save as little important information to online profiles that you can.

I do believe a Marriott Gold elite (assuming you achieved it through Marriott not through your SPG Gold status), you should become a Plat elite under the new "combined" program. That means, yes, you should still get free breakfast/lounge where applicable for elite status (i.e. no lounge access at resorts nor breakfast or lounge access at RCs, etc.)

I earned it as a match from SPG (but I did have Marriott Silver priort), so I need to assume I will stay Gold.

So I set my account up as a Ritz one and I'm gold (via match). I have an upcoming stay at a renaissance and I noticed that the gold benefits listed via Ritz say "Suites and Club Level room are exempt from this benefit." under upgrade, but the marriott terms explicitly include exec level and suites.

I assume these terms only apply at the respective hotel types and that I am eligible for a suite on my stay but wouldnt be if I were staying at a property under the Ritz umbrella right?

Correct. Elite benefits can be different between the different Marriott hotel brands. So it does make sense to spend a little time and read through what the benefits are for the brand you will be staying at.

But do note this doesn't mean you will get a suite upgrade when you stay at a Ren, just that it is possible. If this is a "traditional" US Ren, it may very likely only have a couple of suites. And if that is the case, don't get your hopes up for a suite upgrade.

Ok, so the fact that I'm "technically" Ritz gold wont be any different there then it would be it it was marriott?

The only reason I'm hoping for a suite is because this hotel is right by where I'm taking the bar exam so it's likely to be booked up by people w/o any status and I'm hoping they'll want to clear standard rooms to book to day of people.

Well in the end I got my upgrade. I always find that a smile and the flexibility to check in a different times is really helpful. Thanks for the info everyone.

planning to go to Hawaii,

given the same points requirement, what's the benefit of Marriott vs Marriott vacation club for a party of 2?