I have just discovered the marriott cheques award (elite only) ... 1000$ (50*20) for 135000 points ...
This could be a nice way for me to reduce the price paid out of pocket for some weekend stays while still accruing nights towards status and points (instead of using plain awards that dont)

So lets say i take a 4 day weekend with a 150$ room rate and hand over 8 50$ cheques ... Would i still get credited for 4 nights and 10*4*150 = 6000 base points ?
Or would i get 4 nights and 10*4*(150-50-50)=2000 base points ?

What if i hand over 12 cheques such that the room is actually "free" do i still get the 4 nights and 6000 points ?

Paying with cheques is the same as paying with cash...you get full point and stay credit. DSoesn't matter whether you pay for $50 of the stay or the whole shebang.

The only reason you would want to partially pay for a stay in this case would be to put the balance on a (Visa, AmEx, MasterCard) to get credit for whatever promotion happens to be running at the moment.

Clearly, YMMV when using this approach. If your chosen hotel is a Category 3 then you are probably better off using points for the stay. But at a Category 5, I think your math is right...the stay and point credits make it a good deal.

Thanks ... This is great .. I agree with you regarding the type of properties .... Right now i am looking at cat 6 properties which are never available with a saver award .. So with the full award this is a 120000 points for a 4 day weekend or 4x150$ = 600$ ... So 135000 points for 1000$ is a much better deal and it counts towards status and i get points ....

Im staying at the Casamagna resort in Puerto Vallerta in December. if i was to use points for the stay it would have cost me 180,000 points. the price for 7 nights not using points comes out to like $950 including tax, so for 135,000 points i get a $1000 cheque, it works out much cheaper and i get points and the stays! The cheques are a great deal!

I came to the exact same conclusion in January this year at the CM in Cancun.

An even bigger plus - the Marriott cheque exchange rate into Pesos was better then any other rate - better than credit card, cash, or even the posted resort rate. YMMV

I used MR check once and it was deducted from room rate directly.

Accidents can definitely happen from time to time. But the few times I have used MR checks, as others have mentioned, they were treated like cash.

yeah, but they still charged the forex fees.

Last month I had 4 separate stays that I used Cheque's for, and in all 4 instances it showed up on my account summary as the room rate being discounted as opposed to the Cheque being treated as cash. Although it's only a few hundred points I'm missing, I thought it was interesting that most threads on this topic talk about the Cheques being treated as cash. That's just my luck I guess.

I've posted on this before. (I'm waiting for someone to post a snide remark about using the search function). I use my points for cheques; I find it's the best use of my points - your mileage may vary.

As for getting proper credit (your payment treated as if you paid in cash), it's definitely hit and miss. I'd say that 2/3s of the time I have to call Marriott to get them to correct the points for the stay.
The reason for not getting proper credit for cheques is because the person at the front desk usually inputs the credits with the wrong code so that it appears to be Bonus Bucks or some other credit that doesn't receive points. I have had desk clerks take up to 45 minutes trying to figure out how to input the cheques ... for that reason, I use the cheques well prior to checkout; usually at check in. If they are still clueless after a few minutes, I head up to my room and tell them that I'll stop back later.
Since you don't get any cash back when paying by cheque, I always pay a small amount with my MR visa.

They are supposed to be used as cash, but you need to be careful how they apply them to the bill. Make sure to keep the bill they slip under your door as well as the final bill after you check out and apply the gift cheques. I have been to a couple properties where they've tried to discount them off the bill, rather than use them as a form of payment. While it ends up being the same financial impact, you'll get less points if they deduct them off the bill. At the Grand Cayman Marriott a couple months ago, they had some trouble figuring them out so I was concerned, but all the points posted properly.

I did the same thing when I tried to use the check. But 8 out of 10, the clerks at the front desk had trouble taking the check. And 9 out of 10, I got correct point credits for my stay. I had to call almost every time to have them fixed. During a recent call, the lady told me that they were working on a fix for that problem. Hopefully I don't have to call for that matter anymore. Marriott check is a great way of double dipping, but sometime using points saves more. You have to compare.

The use of points for the cheques is not the best value, but can be a better value option than using points for the stay.

Earlier this year business was slow so I decided to take an extra holiday. The problem with business being slow is that as a self employed individual my income goes down, so I have the time but can't afford the cost. However points maketh free. I decided to go to Sharm, got some cheap flights and resolved to use points however, the cost in points for the 10 night stay was 160,000. To buy the room including breakfast was only $75 night. By encashing 135,000 points for the $1000 cheques and using them for the stay I was able to get nights credit, which enabled me to reach my megabonus, and the 10 nights credit to renew Plat, an important consideration since slower business meant fewer stays and I was unlikely to have renewed PLT without those 10 nights. I also had breakfast thrown in and of course was able to use the remaining $250 towards room charges.

Finally, yes, spending the cheques did result in points awarded and PLT bonus too, so the net cost was 135,00 points less 15,000 for spending the cheques (inc plat bonus). I also reached my megabonus awarding 40,000 more points, renewed PLT, had $250 spending money AND most of all had a wonderful 10 night holiday that otherwise would have been unaffordable.

Thats what I call a real reward from Marriott ^

Does anyone know if these will work at the Edition Waikiki?

You could call them up and ask...but I don't see why they wouldn't I just used them at the Ko'Olina Beach Club and that's one of Marriott's timeshare properties.