dvs7310

I've got a problem with a hotel in Japan insisting that I can get Bonvoy point credit nor elite nights for a stay paid on a company credit card not in my name.

I can't for the life of me figure out how this is possible. Certainly this comes up all the time. A very common situation I can imagine is when 2 people share a room and the non-member pays. Ours is a little different, it's a prepaid rate on the bosses corporate AMEX.

We had the same issue a year ago with the same hotel, that was straightened out with an email to the desk manager after checkout. But they are absolutely insisting now that Bonvoy has changed and they can't do it now.

I'm baffled and absolutely dumbfounded. I'd not have stayed in a Marriott hotel if that were the case, it's a lot more expensive than a domestic brand but like many others here, we tend to use Bonvoy hotels when possible even jf paying more because of the status benefits and or points.

Is this indeed a known policy or are these guys just blowing smoke?

And quick answer is before asked, no I don't have a company credit card. Officially I'm a consultant for them instead of regular employee. Nor does the boss want to reimburse me to put on my own personal card because he gets the Amex points and it's better for cashflow to be on his card.

stargold

It has been the case as far back as I can remember - you must be the one that books and pays for the room. This is consistent with the T&Cs.

Some hotels (and the back-end IT) will not always catch this and points can be credited, but I've also had points subsequently reversed when it was paid with a card under the name of a different person.

dvs7310

That's a shocker, just wondering for the life of me the motivation of that even is? Why do they care who paid assuming it's all on the up and up. They have no problem taking the payment, just in points distribution.

I don't believe Hilton has that policy, I've been on a number of stays where my companion actually paid the bill at checkout. I guess I know in the future where our money goes when we have the same situation, something that comes up a few times a year I guess. Hilton is the same price in Tokyo just a little less convenient location.

CPH-Flyer

It is not just because your boss took the Bonvoy points for both rooms? If booked in his name with his number associated, he gets the elite nights for one room, the points and the spend for both rooms.

Xiaotung

Get a folio that is in your name and retro claim it if it doesn't post. If the folio is not in your name, then that's another issue and has nothing to do with the credit card.

dvs7310

Correct, it's booked under my Bonvoy account, prepaid with his credit card.

Worth a try, I'll push it as far as I can, no way Id' have booked anything under Marriott if it weren't for the elite night credits I was expecting. We pay nearly double for any Marriott affiliated property vs. a domestic brand here. And add to that, the rooms are no nicer to justify the cost differential. Just Bonvoy vs. a relatively useless domestic point program. At the end of the day, the real issue isn't even the points, it's the elite night credits.

Dav77

I never had any problem (points always credited correctly) at any chain (Marriott / IHG / Accor ) when it happens that, on vacation, we pay with my wife’s credit card

I don’t know if it’s because she’s of course in the same room with me, but the reservations are always under my name / account

TerryK

This is in Bonvoy T&C:

https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/terms/default.mi#earn

cfischer

Given the state of Marriott's IT it will most likely post just fine. We have been able to use Mrs. cfischer's CC before (to use a CC promo for example) and never ran into issues w/ points posting fine.

TerryK

I concur. However, it stay doesn't post automatically, then you are sol.

Collierkr

need not be the one who books but it must be in the member’s name and paid for by the member. My executive assistant books for me all the time using my info.

dvs7310

Just still really at a loss on this one as to why someone would even think that a line in the T&Cs like that would be necessary. I've been racking my brain trying to think of any possible way that could get abused and come up completely empty handed. The only thing I can think of is potential credit card fraud, but in my case at least, they were perfectly happy to let me check in as it stood, so they're willing to take the money, just saying I won't accrue points / elite nights. On third party bookings like Expedia, etc. that's quite easily justified and can understand, they have to pay a quite large commission to those companies... this one I can't understand any justification in the least bit since it's booked on Marriott.com under my name and profile.

I won't really know anything until the end of next week how it turns out. Last year around this same time someone at the hotel had to manually process it after checking out, but they are quite insistent that this time they can't do it. All I can see for now is that my Bonvoy profile says stay in progress.

Can you imagine if airlines tried to pull that? Only the ticket purchaser and credit card holder can accrue miles... LOL. Would certainly be a lot less elites flying.

HHonors OUTSIDER

How is the property preventing your stay from posting? Have you submitted a missing stay request?

dvs7310

The stay is in progress, I won't know until late next week if it auto posts or not, that's just what they said when I checked in and they found out it wasn't my own credit card that made the pre-payment. They seemed pretty hell bent on it though, talked to 3 different people.

HHonors OUTSIDER

They can only block it if it’s booked under your name and loyalty account number but you didn’t stay or it’s an ineligible prepaid rate or it was booked using an ineligible booking channel. Can you put a small incidental charge on a card in your name? I assume your card was given for incidentals at check in?