Major +1!!

My approach:
(1) For all gift cards that are being fully exhausted that stay, write the exact amount on the back of the card with a sharpie.
(2) Approach front desk before breakfast, present Bonus Buck, EEO, or anything else non-GC-related. Get adjusted bill printout.
(3) Go eat breakfast.
(4) Return to check out, handing over the sharpied cards one at a time.
(5) Finally, hand over the last gift card (no sharpie amount on the back) and ask them to run the balance.

And it even works at Edition.

gift card and international fees?
 

i am looking at buy a $1000 gc from marriott.

My next trip is international with a $1200 bill. Can i simply charge $1000 at the hotel? or do it need to be 970 (3% foreign exchange fee). How does it work as i can see the card getting declined and being stuck will the bill.

I'd factor in at least 4% to make sure the card is not declining. GCs work ok outside the US, I have used them many times.

If you're being billed in local currency, I'd actually go 5% less (i.e., check the Financial Times or www.oanda.com to see what yesterday's rate was, figure out how much in that currency $950 would buy, and ask them to charge that much against the card) just in case the exchange rate dropped overnight.

If the amount is refused, subtract about another 1% and ask them to run it again. If refused again, reduce another 1%. Sooner or later the charge will be low enough that it will go through.

Save the card!! You'll have a little left on the card after the charge is processed, but you can use it when you stay at a Stateside Marriott property.

Last week, JW Marriott Quito, Ecuador would not accept use of my gift card as payment unless I surrendered the gift card to the hotel. Hotel staff said this was a recent policy to prevent problems they had encountered with fraud. Fortunately, I was able to apply a colleague’s room charges to my account to zero out my gift card balance. However, the policy effectively prevents one from using a gift card where the balance on the card materially exceeds the amount due the hotel. Anyone else encounter the problem?

I have had Marriott Cheques processed incorrectly when checking out. Instead of applying them as a cash/check equivelent, they somehow reduced the room rate. This caused the incorrect number of points to post to my account.

Gift Cards Can't be Used with a EEO / BOGO (2nd night free) Certificate
 

Recently I had a lot of headaches using a BOGO/EEO and then a Marriott Gift Card to pay the balance. First, even after having a note in my reservation that I would use one and then presenting the certificate at check-in, which they took, they still charged me for the second night, and at checkout it took them 30 minutes to "verify" the certificate and take the second night charge off.

Subsequently, I was told by a Marriott property Assistant Manager that I was not allowed to use a gift card for my stay because I used one of the Platinum elite free second weekend night certs. They noted a clause on the EEO cert that says it cannot used with other discounts and gifts (I don't know the specific language as Marriott.com isn't letting me login now for some reason.)

I don't think that Marriott intended that Gift Cards not be allowed to be used with any paid stay - maybe they need to alter the language on the certificates?

Wrong I think
 

I used an EEO at a Scottsdale property and paid with a giftcard, it did take them a day to process after I had checked out but that was due to the giftcard not due not being able to use a giftcard.

SM

Gift cards are like money. They can be used on any rate. And trying to restrict the EEO cert to certain types of payment (for instance, no gift cards) is ridiculous.

Marriott is becoming very customer-unfriendly lately. What's going on?

Bruce

If the OP is referring to the gift cards that have a 15-digit account number on the backside and are posted as a Visa credit card payment (btw, they just add the #4 at the beginning to make it be a 16-digit number when posting the payment), then there's absoulutely no reason for them not doing this. You pay for those at straight value. Now a gift certificate or gift cheque is a different issue.

If this indeed where the OP refers to I have done the same last weekend, used a EEO certificate, I used my AMEX card as credit card on file at check-in but paid with my gift card, the front desk did not make any problem of this. I did not check my balance yet but presume everything was processed.

The bill indeed state that the payment was done by VISA.

Regards

Ever since the cards were introduced years ago have stated they were only good on public avail rates....but this is the first time I've heard anyone refuse them for this reason (afterall MI makes them available to their associates for use on the associate rate)

Marriott gift cards = money
 

Gift cards issued by Marriott should be treated like cash at a Marriott... period.

If you have a balance due for any reason, you should be able to use your gift card to pay. I've never heard of ANY restrictions on gift cards whatsoever... and the bill will show a Visa Payment line item (as it's the processor of the transaction). So, really sort of like a prepaid Visa Card.

Gift Card Questions
 

-Can gift cards be used at the Ritz for food,etc..?

-If I order it today, how long does it take to come?