5 Points per $
 

Last night I saw a application for the Platinum Visa it gives 5 points per dollar at Marriott properties and three elsewhere. Visa says it has been around for ten months is this correct?

Yes-- I've had it for a while now.

If you haven't signed up but are thinking about it-- let me know, I can get a referral bonus and you will get 5,000 points as well.

Where do you find this 5 points per dollar/3 points per dollar application or offer?
I looked at the Platinum Marriott Visa site
and mine has only been giving 3 for 1 for
stays. 1 for 1 for other charges.
I'd like the 5 for stays option! The new
Hilton Amex has that option, so maybe it's
getting more competitive (I hope)!
Thanks!

I saw the application in a hotel they made me apply eventhough I have a card. 888 259 4131

hmmm... I called the 888 number and gave up after being on hold for a long time (it's weekend). I also called the First USA number
and asked about the 5/stays,3/otherwise. The
agent insisted there was no such thing and got a little huffy when I rephrased the question. Soooo...It's worth a try again next
week. Or I need to find 1 of the applications. Thanks!

It is a great card...you can really rack up the points with it!

billhallNY:

Welcome to FirstUSA's level of customer "service." IMHO, they are, absolutely, positively the worst to deal with when there's any problem whatsoever with a charge on your account.

MBNA's been great to work with -- no waits on hold and great customer service personnel. The NEA program (flights, hotels, rental cars) has been great -- about a 3.5% reward.

I gotta say I've been chasing my tail on this one. Any additional help any of the prior posters can provide would be very much appreciated.

I've been a Marriott cardholder for some years. So, if they've got a better deal going than 3 points (for Marriott charges) and 1 point for all other charges, then they ought to give it to me, their (pick one) wonderful, loyal, brave customer!

I, too, called the customer service number that is printed on the billing statement. They professed to have never heard of the 5/3 deal. Then I called the "888" number posted above. This appears to be a general sign-up number for all the various cards offered by First USA; and the person there couldn't find any Marriott card other than the one offering 3/1 points.

I plan to call back, but if anyone were to post more details it would be wonderful. For example, is this higher points card still one that is offered by First USA? Do they extract additional "annual" fees?

In sum--all help appreciated.

TravelDave

The phone number is 888 259 4131 the promotion code is 1JNY Funny the application says 5 points all else is 1 point but when you call them it is now 3 points for all other purchases I bet because Hilton Optima is like that.

The phone number is 888 259 4131 the promotion code is 1JNY Funny the application says 5 points all else is 1 point but when you call them it is now 3 points for all other purchases I bet because Hilton Optima is like that.

I'm still having a lot of trouble getting anyone at 1st USA or the application line to
agree that 1JNY exists. So... I recommend
if you see the application someplace, make
sure you grab a copy.

After having to reduce my credit line on my other Marriott Visa,and my United card I received yesterday the new 5 to 1 card for using at Marriott properties what a deal. 3 to 1 at all other establishments. This is really good if traveling Internationly, as I get a lot of cash advances through the front desk and then will get the 5 to 1 deal.

Finally!! Now, they can compete with the HHonors AMEX!

Thanx for the post!!

Okay, HELP! We received this information in the mail about 3 months ago. At the time, I did not respond and have since lost the letter. I called the 888 number and the number on the back of our 3/1 Marriott card. None of the 3 people (including a supervisor) knew what I was talking about. They said that they don't have a code like this. Those of you who actually got somewhere, can you help? Other than the code is there anything else that I can say to these people? Thanks.

M

I have the application here,
It says call 1-888-259-4131
(Bonus Code: 1JNY)

but on the application itself code is 1JNX.

Print date of the application is 08/00
and the other code is TAK25178_A.

I found mine in a hotel, so check next time you stay.

I called to find out about this deal too. I was told the following:

3 points per dollar spent at Marriott
2 additional points -awarded from Marriott because you become a silver elite member
1 point for all other purchases on the card

So, depending on how you look at it you are getting 5 points for each dollar IF you were a basic member like me. If you are platinum you get a bigger bonus from Marriott so I guess you get more points.

When I received my card they are now saying it is 3 points, but since I have the original app I believe I will prevail. They have asked me to send a copy if anybody needs a copy I will fax it to you. This is typical First USA (Bank One) and they wonder why they have been in so much trouble. Worst case senario I run the bill up to a couple of grand and refuse to pay unless they post the correct amount. I did this once and it worked. They really are a sham!

Actually, while it doesn't make me happy, the response posted by Luv2travel makes a lot of sense. I found one of the 5 point brochures recently and it used the term "up to 5 points" or something like that. When I called they said it was 3. The bonuse for Silver makes sense as "up to".

Upon receiving the "Plat card," YOU ARE a Silver Elite member... it's automatic.

Does that mean that you get the 5/3 deal automatically since you are Silver Elite by having the card?

This is even more circular than one of Doc's smilies http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Is there any annual fee for this card?

I have been a Marriott Visa cardholder for over two years, and would like to "upgrade" my 1-3 account to a 3-5 one. I called First USA, who said they have nothing to do with the awarding of points. Each month, they simply send data to Marriott saying how much you spent on "regular" purchases and how much on Marriott purchases. It is then Mrriott's job to post the points accordingly to your account. Despite the knocks on First USA's service reps, this makes sense to me. So I called Marriott and three different people knew nothing about it. Each of the three codes posted above did nothing in their computers, so I'm stuck. Could someone either post here or e-mail me what this "application" looks like? Perhaps a fax copy of it? I'd really appreciate some help, since our Marriott Visa balance this month is huge!

I will fax it to you if you like or copy it and mail it to you and then you can scan it or whatever. I am glad to see somebody is getting proactive about this. I disagree with FirstUSA answer to you. They send the points to Marriott and Marriott post them. Examples being when I stay abroad and hotel's all the time overseas get credited as purchases instead of Marriott stays. That means I get 1 point instead of the three I always have to call First USA they apologize and it get's done. Now First USA has also asked me about this 5-1 application. I plan to fight them again on this. The are by far the worst most dishonest group of thieves.

Milesrus,

Thanx for the fax!
It does say up to 5 points/$.

This application really does exist!
Thanks, Joe.

Luv2travel probably had this right. The reason it says "up to 5" is because you get 3 (as we have all been getting for years) plus 2 if the card "makes" you silver.

I don't see what Silver has anything to do with this. The reason it says up to five is because it's one for purchases and five for Marriott stays. When staying at Marriott properties you get ten points per dollar and then whatever bonuses. I am Platinum, but the credit card bonuses have nothing to do with your Marriott Status. I assure you I have read this application correctly would you also like a fax? An example being if I spend $200 at a hotel I get 2,000 Marriott points plus another 1,000 Platinum points(50% bonus) and if I use my new card, I get the $200x5 which is another 1,000 points. Next month I will have a $10,000 Marriott stay so with this card I will get another 50,000 points. Believe me I have over 2 million Marriott points and over 2.3 million Hilton points I know how to play these little games pretty well.

Are you saying that you are getting the 5 points a dollar?
From what I understand from rereadin is that you get 3 point for the card plus 2 point for being silver (20% bonus per $ * 10 = 2).

I have never seen anyone who was actually getting 5 points a dollar

I received an application for the alleged 5 points/$ card.

The application is deceptive at first glance, but if you read it carefully, it is clear that it is 3 points/$ at Marriott, and an additional 2 points/$ because of your "elevation" to Silver Elite.

Plain and simple: I have yet to see documentation for any card that offers 5 points /$ in addition to points earned for staying at the hotel.

Let's do this anyone wanting a FAX copy or a copy mailed to them I will gladly do so. Maybe somebody can then scan it and put it here. Send me an email and I'll comply as I did for two others here.

I have the application and it says in two places "UP TO 5 points per $".

I think they are playing fast and loose with the facts.

Has anyone ever been able to actually get 5 points a dollar?

Well then, it still appears that the Hilton NO FEE AMEX is the only one that legitimately awards 5 points/$. However, those of you who are disenchanted with Marriott and who do not want to park yourselves at Hiltons, etc, might want to log onto the Starwood site. There is much talk about the soon to be released Starwood card, and it appears that if you are Platinum status in Starwood, or can obtain same via your similar status in Marriott, the new card may be of interest to you, as it might very well award you 4 Starpoints/$ for your charges. It is unclear if this is only related to hotel charges or any, but I think it is worthwhile for you to be aware of it.

Now we're talkin'....those 4 Starpoints are worth way more that either 5 Hilton or 3 Marriott points...are there any "catches?"

I think somewhere in the fine print it says something like:

5 points at Marriott Hotels = 3 points per dollar + 2 points as Silver (since the card gives you Silver status). 1 point everywhere else.

IMHO, this is very sneaky, if not misleading. I think it is stupid for them to do something like this - it will only cause customer dissatisfaction when the customer figures out the truth.

To me, this card only makes sense when you use it at a Marriott.

Steven




[This message has been edited by username (edited 06-09-2001).]

milesrus,

Is the 5 for 1 only for new card members? I've had my Marriott visa for a few years now and have always received 3 for 1. If I can now get 5 for 1 I would be a happy camper.
Also, does owning the card automatically give you Siver staus with Marriott Rewards? I've been a Platinum member since '94, but will finally lose that next year. I'd love to be able to at least stay a Silver if this is true.
Finally, has anyone ever been able to sweet-talk Marriott in letting them stay at a certain status (like Platinum) even if you haven't been able to re-qualify with the needed number of nights?

Entirely agree with your assumption of how they get to the 5 points at Marriott hotels, and this would explain why it is only 1 point elsewhere. In addition, I am in agreement that this is an underhanded, sneaky way to do things.

At least Hilton is upfront with their point earning schedule. Shame on you Marriott!

I received a photocopy of the application from milesrus, and I agree with the comments above. The wording is unclear and confusing, but the part about only one point per dollar spent on non-Marriott purchases is quite clear. I remain confused about how you earn five points per dollar on Marriott purchases, and the application did not make this clear. While I will monitor this situation in the future, I'm not going to spend any more time or energy on it. For now, I will only use the card for Marriott stays, and stick with the Hilton Amex card for "regular" purchases.

And, of course, for stays at Hilton family hotels! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Concerning the card I stand by what I've said, if Marriott is letting FirstUSA play another scam of wording on the card well I'll go to bat again. Concerning the silver status to get two points if we are already silver,gold or platinum then we would already be getting this bonus. Concerning will Marriott let you stay Platinum here is what I believe happens if your Platinum and at least stay 50 the Black Level now Gold you'll stay Platinum. They tend to only drop you a level a year. Also considering the huge bonus promotions this summer, I don't think they will drop people so easy and then have to go and fight so hard to get you back, when one day you travel again. If I were dropped to Silver I might expirement with other programs thereby moving my business. Not likely as I 'm Platinum Marriott, Diamond Hilton and Platinum Starwood.