Had the same exact thing happen in November...used Gift Card for entire stay--around $600; did not receive credit for that stay on the promo. So, found a really cheap rate for New Year's Eve, used a gift card for $75 of the $82 bill and paid the rest with a Visa...it posted as a stay.

never had an issue, all credited as Visa-paid stays.

Appears the 2009 Megabonus promo does not have a Visa card requirement.

Same here.

I've used the gift/travel cards overseas in South America and in Europe; no problem, they're processed the same way as credit cards (they are, after all, just stored value VISA cards that can only be used at Marriotts.)

The biggest potential problem is the fact that the stored value is denominated in dollars, and if the charge is denominated in another currency one never knows exactly what the exchange rate will be when the charge actually crosses. This is true with regular credit cards as well, but it assumes more importance with a stored value card because there's no easy mechanism for dealing with a charge that exceeds the value left on the card.

So, what I do is this: I check the remaining value on the card, convert that to the local currency (www.oanda.com is your friend if you can't find a Financial Times), subtract 10% from the answer, and ask the desk to charge no more than that amount against that gift/travel card. This pretty much ensures that you won't exceed the value then on the card, and after the charge is processed (usually takes a day or two) you can check the card on-line to see how much remains.

I save the cards with only a few bucks remaining on them and use them up the next time I get to the States. I'm not going to show up at check-out with a handful of cards, though; when I have "odds and ends" to get rid of, I'll take advantage of a slow period sometime before the day I check out and have them credited against my account then.

When checking the value of Marriott GCs online or via the US toll-free phone #, they give us the option of also hearing the value in Euros, UK Pounds, or Can. $, based on the MARSHA rate of the day. I assume but I have not tested that we could use it for that exact amount in those countries & zero out the card. If true, this is a way to avoid Visa's 2--3% exchange commissions :) !

Re: Markie #5, in Brisbane in 2007 I used one. The receptionist asked me if I wanted her to convert & submit the charge in USD to save me Visa's fee. She incorrectly told me that it would be done at the hotel's cash rate (bad by 8% or so.) But 1 look at her Visa accepting machine told me a different rate of 4% bad, so I taught her why there was a difference :) . IIRC I asked her to put it thru in AUD, so Visa charged me 3 or 4% on my use of the GC.

Using a gift card for on a prepaid rate?
 

I'm not a Marriott regular so I apologize if this question is dumb. Is it possible/how do I use a gift card for a reservation which requires prepayment? TIA ^

Technically, it cannot be done. I suppose you could call the GM, and talk with them - perhaps they would be willing to charge your credit card now, then reverse the charge when you arrive, then put the room on your gift card...but quite honestly, I wouldn't risk it.

As you are not a Marriott regular, I would also encourage you to re-consider booking a pre-paid rate - if ANYTHING goes wrong, you will be stuck with that charge - when they say no refunds and no changes they mean it! IMO, the rate is not that much better - especially if you try the discount codes at the top of this forum.

Just a thought YMMV.

Need some help using a Gift Card!
 

I will be staying in Thailand for 28 days with my family. The rates for the Marriott properties are incredibly attractive at a 40% discount if you book early and get their Advance Purchase Rate. I'm trying to get an even better rate by using Marriott Gift Cards which I can buy at a discount. I am told the ONLY way to get the best rate is by paying early with a credit card. Personally I think this is a dumb policy since my Gift Card will already have an amount. Not sure why I can not just call reservations and give them the gift card number to prepay. They still get their money and I get a good rate. I even asked if I could book early with a credit card and then receive a credit at the hotel on checkout and then pay with gift cards. Anyone have any experience with how to get around this insane policy.

LS

You might do better if you check into the "gold card" thread on this board.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...thailand.html?

Follow the directions - email the location "Marriott Worldwide", which is routed to the Brisbane Marriott.

They will sell you a package for about $200 which includes the following coupons:

7 - 50% off up to 7 day in Thailand/Asia (off full rack rate)
7 - 70% off for one day each in Australia

Plus - lots of discounts on dinner in the restaurants.

That combined with the 10% discount on gift cards worked out the cheapest for me.

YMMV.

Billy

MArriott Gift Card- Use in US or Abroad
 

I have a Marriott Gift Card. I am visiting Hawaii this month and France and England this summer. How does MArriott figure in the exchange rate on gift cards? Should I use it in the Us or wait for my European trip.

It's up to each hotel. You will generally lose up to 7% of the value in a foreign country because they won't give you a great exchange rate.

In Hong Kong, one hotel (SkyCity) gave me a good rate (about 2% below the exchange rate), but another hotel (Renaissance Kowloon) gave me a very bad rate (7% below). At the latter I just paid with cash instead.

Some people say that they print out the exchange rate from the Marriott site (which is fair) and the hotels sometimes honor it. That didn't work for me, though.

I can understand hotels giving a poor rate on exchange of currency, because it's a hassle for them and they will sometimes get bad money. But this justification doesn't apply to gift cards (or premium pounds).

I've just had them swipe it as a Visa: the rate I've gotten has been about 2% from that day's Interbank rate. The hotel shouldn't do any currency conversion at all...

Premium Pounds, Bonus Bucks, and other promo certs are a bit of a different story. I agree with BigE...in an ideal world you should get a fair rate since no real currency conversion takes place. (The hotel rates reflect the fact that the hotel has to physically take a foreign currency to its bank for deposit/credit, and there is a cost associated with that.) But it's not an ideal world, and if you get a clerk who even knows what a Premium Pounds is, be prepared to get a less-than-desirable rate. In the past I have chosen not to fight the battle on the rate...I'm usually happy just to get the cert posted correctly and quickly.

When US currency is weak, I use gift card in the US. When the reserve is true, I use it overseas. Pretty much what BigE had experienced in Hong Kong (you always lose some in the conversion).

I'm confused.

What kind of gift cards are you guys talking about?

The ones I've had have been essentially Visa cards of a fixed value. Yes, you lose a small amount to the Visa FX fee if you use them in a currency different from what you bought them in, but my priority has been to spend them fast since I've already outlaid payment against my regular MR Visa card to get them.

In order words, if I'm playing the Marriott Gift Card promos, I'd get my hands on enough to cover both the Hawaii and the European stays. I'd try to get them just-in-time: that'll also minimize the chance that you get negatively impacted by a big move in exchange rates after you buy the card.

EDIT: I'm actually not 100% how much you lose in FX fees on Visa Gift Cards. I believe it's about 2% but cannot confirm.

If one checks online, the gift card balance is usually shown in 3 different currencies besides USD. Euros, Pounds and Canadian dollars. Since the HK dollar is pretty much pegged against the USD, there should not be much fluctuation there.