I don't know of a specific ruling, but the California statute that says gift cards can't expire (Cal Civ Code Section 1749.5 et seq.) applies only to gift cards that are sold, and specifically excludes gift certificates "that are distributed by the issuer to a consumer pursuant to an awards, loyalty, or promotional program without any money or thing of value being given in exchange...."

Please note: I am not expressing a legal opinion. Please consult an attorney of your choosing to confirm or disconfirm what is written here.

HSIA and Bonus Bucks
 

I did the European Hotel Sampler with four nights in London and Three night in Amsterdam and am looking for a way to get my internet costs down as I will be using a soft phone for communication back home.

I was thinking of purchasing some Bonus Bucks or Premium pounds on ebay and using these for internety fees. Will that work and has anyone successfully done it?

I've used Bonus Bucks to offset incidentals (but never specifically HSI) at London hotels. It should work. Just don't expect any refunds.

Premium Pounds say they are to be used with a paid stay. You run the risk of buying them and actually increasing your cost if you are unable to use them.

Not a huge risk because I can always use them on my normal work-related stays. I guess I will give it a shot and if it doesnt work I will just pay for it. Thanks.

Adam

I've just obtained a £100 Premium Pounds coupon and, having read this entire thread, am going to try and use it for my 3 day stay at the Marriott New York Financial Center in October. I booked the reservation online via THIS page which despite being advertised as being for MR members, doesn't require the entering of a MR number when booking so for me, this is a publicly available rate. I marked in the comments box that a Premium Pounds coupon is to be used. Can anyone see any major flaws in this plan or have any experience of this property in relation to Bonus Bucks / Premium Pounds usage? Thanks to anyone who can help.

While not exactly adhering to the letter of the law, you certainly are within its spirit. Technically, the rate is restricted to Reward Members, but becoming a Rewards Member is “publicly available.”

Just be prepared for a somewhat lower than market exchange rate on the PP. You'll probably get around $168. Other may advise you to take a stand with a manager to get a higher rate. To me, it's not worth it. It’s fair for the hotel to use its own rate.

It actually reads on the back of the PP that the hotel may use their published exchange rate or so.

That has not stopped some of this board from complaining that they are getting ripped off.

While sometimes exchange rates are low, today I got $189 credit for PP
 

While sometimes hotel exchange rates are low, today I got $189 credit for PP at Renaissance Dallas

The hotel is allowed to use its exchange rate, but it doesn't hurt to guide them in the right direction. I've actually printed the currency conversion from the Marriott site and handed that in with my premium pounds certificate.

That works best if the hotel doesn't have published exchange rate in public view.

While using PP to save >130 US$, who needs $100 BB?
 

While I feel if using PP can save >130 US$ (after the cost), can't figure out who needs $100 BB?

Thanks for the info, everyone ^

can ebreak (MEB) rate use BB or PP?
 

can ebreak (MEB) rate use BB or PP? any success? thanks