What number do I call?

Guest services.

Same happened to me with first rep saying everything is set for cat 1-5. Saw on my account only cat 1-4. I called back, first rep said nothing can be done and I don't qualify for the cat 1-5 promo. HUCA 2nd rep made notes in my account and said to call back after the promo is over and they will manually change the certificates to cat 1-5. This seems to be what they normally do if your account cannot be changed to the correct promo in their system.

I just cannot imagine on what planet someone at Marriott thought it would be a good idea to give some people 2 Cat 1-4 certs and other people 2 cat 1-5 certs, FOR THE EXACT SAME NUMBER of stays.

Dear MR,

It is 2014. People can go online and see what other people got. This patent unfairness WILL piss them off. It will piss them off far more than the measley amount of $$ you will save by limiting some people by one category on 2 certs.

Thank you,

Enlightened consumer

We're only Silver and we were changed easily to the 1-5. Of course, it has to be done manually after the fact so not really sure...

I just said "last time we got 1-5, and we also get 1-5 through our Marriott credit card, and we were hoping to use them on a consecutive Cat. 5 stay" and he came back and said they'd be happy to do it. I was nice, he was nice, I didn't "demand" just asked if there was anything they could do.

Yes, most of the agents will change if you request it, but what was the point of doing this in the first place? It benefits noone and to my knowledge has never been done before. (In the past some people would get up to three 1-4's and others up to two 1-5's, but noone got 1-5 while others got 1-4 for exact same number of certs and nights.

i have successfully registered for both promotions by calling and speaking with a customer service agent. after I complete one of the registered promotions, i will change my earning preference and start earning for the other promotion

High number of change requests
 

I just got off the phone with MR to change from 50k points offer to Cat 1-5. He said "due to high number of requests to change promos, they won't actually change until 4/30/14" and they will post the certs. after the end of the promo.

When I asked if I could use the first cert after my first paid stay, he instructed me to call 48 hrs after my second stay and a MR agent could add the cert to my account.

I thought it was kind of strange that he started out saying no certs will be posted until after the promo is over, but when I pressed him, he admitted to being able to make exceptions to that rule. I also thought it was interesting that MR has noticed the "high number of requests to change"...

SEMI-RELATED TIP: Phone agent told me to tell the automated system "I need to combine two MR accounts" to by pass the computer filter and get on hold for an agent immediately. Worked for me this AM.

Same experience
 

Thank you for the tip. I got an agent immediately. I requested to change from the points bonus to up to 2 Cat 1-5 Certs. I was polite, and the rep. was polite. I was placed on hold for about 2 min. Then she came back and said it has been entered into the system. She will go back in on May 10 and add the 2 Certs to my account (if I have 4 paid stays). Along the way I can call and get the Certs applied immediately upon qualifying if I didn't want to wait until May 10.

I successfully changed from 20 nights (35,000) + 5 nights (15,000) to 15 nights (25,000) + 5 nights (15,000)

Due to my stay patterns, I think I'll only get 15 nights...

Thanks for tips :)

Still no offer for me. Looks like a phone call today.

Does anybody know if the miles will post after the 2nd stay or not until the full promotion is finished?

The MegaMiles promo for those who have chosen to earn miles rather than points would seem to have different rules. IIRC there was a dedicated thread for it in this forum.

I also called in and asked to switch from the Category 1-4 to Cat 1-5 promotion. Simply said that I got the higher 1-5 offer before (true) and she said that after the promo ended, they'd manually key in the higher offer. I guess other data points say the same thing which makes me worry less.

Question for all you Marriott experts: What are some of the most highly recommended Category 4's and Category 5's? I know that this can be construed as an over-broad question, but to narrow it down, I live in LA and travel to Chicago, NYC and ATL quite often. I'm also in Korea, Singapore and Japan a lot, but I didn't see any good redemptions for those countries in Cat 4 and 5. Thanks!

How long does it take for the free nights certs to post? Are they immediate?
Can I stay in a hotel for 3 nights, in which the first is a paid stay, the second is a points stay (already in my account) and the third a reservation to which I'd add the cert once the e-cert posts after the first night?

The FAQ say 3-5 days. Is that what it really takes or is it normally quicker? Thanks.