hornet25

A gift card can be used with any rate. A travel card cannot be used with any discounted rate. This according to the T&C for each.

joshua362

So, if we bought these assuming they were like the usual Delta promo gift cards fully intending to use these with AAA and corporate rates, are we screwed? Any thoughts, please?

I bought $3000 worth. Having to pay "normal" rates wipes out any discount and then much more. Sounds like I've been had, shame on me.

Might be best to refuse delivery, mark "return to sender" and just forget the whole thing!

hornet25

I buy $2500 worth of gift cards each December when Marriott runs their promo. I thought the travel cards were the same thing except at a 20% discount. After reading the T&C I decided not to purchase. I would think that these travel cards would slip through the radar occasionally maybe even most of the time but it's not worth the initial outlay for me to take the chance.

I'm sure there are some business travelers out there that sometimes have to stay at a non-discounted rate. To those folks having a few of these cards could come in handy. My travel is all leisure and if I don't get a discounted rate I stay home.

cfischer

this would be really bad, but I doubt they are agoing to do this. Guess I'll find out soon.

joshua362

If they stick to their guns, it really champions Marriott's recent effort to confuse and baffle their loyal customers with ambiguous and ever changing T&C's about everything. Really dilutes their image IMO.

I glanced at this thread under the time pressure of Wednesday, saw many members giving it the thumbs up, so I dove in for $3,000. In perfect hindsight, the T&C's seems perfectly clear. Whether that filters down to the front desk is anyone's (educated) guess at this point.

In retrospect, these T&C's make perfect sense for everyone but the consumer. Marriott gets stays at usually inflated prices that few people stay at plus the breakage from whatever is never redeemed. Hell, I'd be happy to sell my product all day long at 20% off some made up list price. Discover America (whoever they are) gets flush with cash now probably collecting whopping commission from these.

My bad for not doing my homework and putting blind trust into Marriott as usual.

shanny19

I'd put the odds of being able to successfully use these at checkout at over 90%, no matter the rate. I'm in for a bunch and plan on using them mostly on gov or corp rate stays.

boomdog

The T&C's on these cards seem completely random. I've used delta promo cards, mileage promo cards, etc. for thousands of dollars, and no one has ever carefully reviewed the fine print on the back of the card. Doing so would just annoy the customer. Here is some data:

1) Last year's 10 miles/dollar promo cards: no apparent restrictions
2) Last year's delta cards (which say "vacation card" on the front): "Card cannot be applied to group, special corporate/negotiated, catering, associate or other discounted/non-commissionable rates"
3) This year's honeymoon card: "Card is not valid for catering, non-commisionable rates or reservations made using a travel agency."

So far, all have been dealt with exactly the same way. It is, by and large, a non-issue. Since these things are widely accepted, asking for clarification, or making a big deal of it, could only hurt matters.

I also got the discover america cards. I'm not worried.

Good luck,

bd

LKO

I received my cards in the mail today. I placed 3 orders but they all arrived in the same envelope. Quick service!

I plan to use some next week and will report if I have any trouble at check-out.

pinniped

Pretty much every Marriott card I've bought over the years has technically been a "Travel Card" or "Vacation Card" or something like that. Usually they're $1000 cards that I buy for $910 or so. (The 20% D.A. deal was a bit unusual.)

I've never had Marriott refuse to accept one because of the room rate paid. At a minimum, that would be incredibly bad PR on Marriott's part. In some parts of the world, that could even be illegal. (Think U.S. states that have cracked down on gift card scams in recent years.)

Reality: Marriott doesn't appear to be running a dirty gift card business. Why would they? Running a clean gift card business must be incredibly profitable for them. Even in the best case for the consumer (people like us who will use the cards quickly) Marriott's locking in thousands of dollars of future business. We get a slight discount, they get our cash and commitment right now.

I actually canceled a string of Le Meridien stays after loading up on Marriott gift cards last week: they've recaptured some short-term stays and shut down previous notions I had of doing some SPG and Priority Club hopping.

hhoope01

I'm actually doing that this week hopping between a Sheraton and a Crowne Plaza.

But I also have added some extra rooms for a family Orlando trip this fall (both my brothers and their families are now coming and I'm putting them up at a SHS there.) So Marriott got some extra business from me because of this deal as well.

cfischer

same here, all cards came today ... suprised they didn't send them by FedEx or signature required ... $2000 is a lot.

iwc

Were they sent by Marriott in Salt Lake City?

iwc

I can answer my own question, received mine today from Marriott Fulfillment in Salt Lake City.

shanny19

Huh. No joy for me in today's mail, and I'm in an adjacent state.

4Health

So does everyone think that I can make a reservation using the AAA rate and then simply pay upon arrival (or checkout) with these cards or is AAA considered a "corporate rate"? Thanks.