I don't have any answers for you. Would it be better if they did provide remedies....sure it would.

That said its still worth the risk at 10% off. I do them in $1000 increments as my stay is usually under 1000/week. I know people who carry that kind of cash on their person....the same arguments of risk could be made.

They get more sales and overall business if they institute a replacement policy and better training of employees on the processing of MGC. And happier customers who'll probably end up spending more with them ! (at least in my case. ;) )

I doubt it's greed. I'm sure Marriott is reasonably careful to follow the law, and the law on escheat* is pretty plain, and pretty common throughout the United States at least. I'm sure Marriott would follow it as to unclaimed gift card credits, because not to do so would cause large problems for little gain.

I agree that Marriott's position on lost/stolen gift cards is hard to explain. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that the practice was set years ago and simply hasn't been revisited by those who make policy. Let's hope this thread (and the Marriott Concierges) can get that relook.

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* For those unfamiliar with the term, it comes from old feudal law and originally applied to real estate; as applied in modern times to personal property, it is the doctrine that says that a holder of property -- especially money -- that actually belongs to another cannot simply keep that property (or convert it to the holder's) if the true owner does not claim it, but rather must turn it over to the government, who will attempt to locate the proper owner or, failing that, will itself keep the money. This is the law that prevents a bank from just keeping the money left in a dormant account, or a utility from just keeping the remaining deposit on a closed account.

Here's Another Warning

I still have a couple of MGCs to use up before going on what I hope is only a temporary personal boycott of their use.

So the other day I follow the tedious drill that one has to go thru to ensure that they get charged correctly and I still have ended up with an issue.

1. I wait until checkout to use the card.
2. I call to check my balance.
3. I go to checkout, am asked how much is left, I repeat the amount I was given 5 minutes ago.
4. I ask for a new copy of my bill, the amount deducted from the MGC appears to be itemized correctly.
5. The Guest rep starts to put or throw away the gift card, I ask for it back "just in case."
6. I go home and call the number on the back of the card, and it says I still have a $12 balance!!

Now, although I really don't think so in this case, it is at least possible that I had a moment of severe dyslexia and wrote down the balance wrong although it certainly wasn't a simple transposition of a digit in the balance remaining. (An aside here - why is it always so difficult for the Marriott guest rep to see what the value remaining on the card is?). I also don't think I made a mistake because this kind of thing has happened before. I remember one case in particular where at check out the rep tried repeatedly to use up the balance on the card and for some reason the system would not let her use the last several dollars on it.

So if you really want to be safe you'll need to keep a spreadsheet and record each transaction as it occurs, to use to double check with your checkout bill and what the 800 number tells you your balance is. Have fun using these!

I simply have a piece of scrap paper wrapped around the card and deduct each and every use till its "0".

but then again after every trip I write down all the Airline flights, car rentals and Hotel credits I should be having come in and cross them off as they do. Its the samething unless you trust that all your Flights,car rentals , hotel stays and any bonuses with them will 100% get into your acct, so you never check them and throw away anything that might be needed in order to get them posted if they werent.

At a 10% savings, I plan on getting my share , only I wont order any within a 2 1/2 week period of the promo ending, as I dont want to go thru what I had to for buying them on 12/31 in order to finally have gotten the DL miles.

So far, I have enjoyed some of the promotions that Marriott has offered on GCs. I also like to buy the GCs as a means of budgeting for leisure travel and extending our travel dollars (in the form of the rewards).

I have had a couple of problems using the cards, too.

In one case, we left the card (it was a brand new unused card) with the manager because he had already spent about 20 minutes trying to apply it to our balance and he didn't want to inconvenience us and further. He was going to call us, later on. Well, he never did call us and when we received our bill, our CC had been charged instead. I went down to the front desk to get it squared away and there was a different manager on duty who didn't know what I was talking about. After a while, he found my card which had been placed in a drawer (no note) and then he spent another 30 mins until he was finally successful at applying it to our bill. Because the bill had been so messed up (not just the GC issue), he ended up comping us for parking and comping us for breakfast.

In another case, we provided the GC and they charged a small amount on the GC and rest on the CC. It was one of the first times I used the GC, so I queried them at the front desk on check out because it didn't look correct--they assured me it was as it should be. I got home and checked the GC balance--it should have been zero (lucky I still had it), but it wasn't. I checked my CC and found a larger charge than should have been there (they had reversed them, I guess). So, I ended up having to call the manager after we returned home to get it squared away.

As a result of past experiences, I check the GC balance online, print it out, trim the paper and wrap it around the GC before we go on my trip. (They always ask what the balance is on the GC). I do provide a CC, but I ask them to apply the gift card to the hotel bill when we check in (and I keep the GC after they have run it through). Then, when we get the final bill under the door in the morning, I verify the last 4 digits of the charge (the GC is always listed as a Visa charge even though it is a GC) are the same as my GC and not my real CC.

I have received some push back at the front desk about charging the GC at check-in -- such as at some properties I have been told it is impossible to do this. When I explain that I have done it at other properties and I really don't feel comfortable with leaving the card at the front desk because I had one get misplaced, they are generally more accommodating.

I'm not sure if I have just become immune to the hassle or if I have finally just learned all the little unwritten rules.... :D

I just got back from a trip where I used gift cards to stay at four different properties -- two airport Fairfield Inns, the Seattle Waterfront and the Vancouver Pinnacle. In all cases, the cards were handled perfectly. I checked in using my credit card, then upon checkout, I had them switch the billing to the GC. No questions asked, no billing problems, no confusion. In two of the hotels they called to verify the balance on the card (which I have no problems with) in the other two they took my word that there was enough on the card to cover the charges. In Seattle, I actually applied a BB coupon to the room, had them "finish off" one GC, and then pay the rest of the room with a second GC. All in all that checkout probably took 3 minutes start to finish.

Maybe I got lucky, or maybe the GC situation isn't as bad as it appears.

IMHO you should never do this and hotels don't have to accept them this way. The card is basically a prepaid Visa not a credit card per se. Just settle the account at the check out to the GC.

I'm confused as to why you would not want to prepay your bill? What's the downside?

If you have to settle the bill when you check out, it defeats the purpose of express check out. Additionally, when we are ready to go, I don't want to spend 30mins (or more) standing at the front desk while they are trying to figure out how to use the GC (sometimes we just don't have extra time slotted for this). If I present it when we check in, I find out immediately if there will be a problem....

When you prepay your bill (or provide a guarantee for payment) the hotel puts a hold for the room charge Plus some more amount for incidentals and other charges. If you do this with the gift card they will put a hold on the gift card for the amount. Sometimes it may take more than a week for the funds to be released and you cannot use the gift card if you have low balance ( after the hold amount)

It is tough to track and challenge charges against a gift card compared to a Credit card. And imagine what happens if the FD makes a mistake of typo or entering an incorrect hold amount?

Most FT'ers give the credit card as a guarantee and then spend the extra 15 to 30 minutes when checking out ( a big YMMV) settling the gift card.

Philyphlyer had a great post on his routine and some times it takes all the steps he mentioned to use a GC.

Oh BTW the 10% discount is worth the hassle.

damon2,
I also provide a CC at check-in time as a guarantee. I have never had the hotel put the hold amount on the GC. I also get a bill that I can look at--at my leisure in the morning to make sure there were no typos and everything was correct (now that I have a few years of experience with using the cards).
If I did not experience several instances of front desk personnel having problems figuring out how to use the GC, I might be more comfortable with presenting the GC at check out. But again, I prefer not to go to the FD to check out in the AM, unless I have to.
No arguments about the promotions being worth the hassle--or, I would not keep buying them. :D

The couple of times I gave a GC at check-in, I had the same issue. The hotel will put a hold on the estimated hotel room charges plus some "extra" to cover incidentals. Sometime after you check-out and the charge posts to the GC, the "held" amount will be returned to the GC. But in the mean time, you won't have access to your total GC amount. This normally isn't an issue with CCs as most have a much higher credit limit than the GC has balance. BTW, I have also had problems with GCs in general when using them at restuarants for this same reason. Since most restaurants will pre-authorize before you add the tip, they automatically pre-authorize the amount of the meal PLUS an extra 20-25% to make sure you can cover your added tip.

If you want to settle the folio to a GC you cannot use express check out. Settling to the GC in US is fairly painless. Just ask them to run it as a Visa.

Well, this should be the case. Sadly, ime, this often does not go so smoothly; many, many GS reps have a problem applying these.

Also, with regards to the MGC balance confusion issue, it has become clear to me that when the rep thinks they have zeroed out the card and collects it from you, there in fact may be some remaining balance on the card. So one needs to follow all of the advice above in this thread - keep records of each transaction, and never let them keep your card, always call the number on the back of the card a day later to make sure all of the balance is indeed exhausted.

hhoope01,
You need to have them figure out what your room charge will be (including tax) and have them deduct that amount from the GC. It would be equivalent to you handing them $$ or putting a cash deposit on the room. You also present a CC at the same time for the incidentals and the "hold amount"

If you have any doubts about whether the transaction was properly done, you can race up to your room and check your GC balance on your free internet access! ^

Using this procedure, I have never had them charge more than the amount of the room on the GC.