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Marriott Just Randomly Emailed Gift Cards to Elites. Here's How to Check if You Got One Too

May 29, 2019
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3 min read
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Marriott Just Randomly Emailed Gift Cards to Elites. Here's How to Check if You Got One Too
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Things haven't gone smoothly for Marriott travelers since Marriott merged with Starwood Preferred Guest and relaunched its loyalty program as Marriott Bonvoy.

As a Platinum Elite with 35 elite nights so far in 2019, I've had plenty of frustrations with Marriott -- from two-night stays at a 35,000-point property pricing at 140,000 points to conducting an audit that revealed Marriott owed me 183,980 points.

Now, with issues continuing more than nine months into the new program, Marriott seems to be trying to earn back some goodwill with its elites. On Wednesday morning, Marriott sent out an email with a "gift from Marriott Bonvoy." The email thanks you for being an elite member and follows up that thanks with a $50 Marriott GiftCard. Here's the text that I received:

Hello John,
On behalf of the Marriott Bonvoy™ team, I'd like to take a moment to thank you for being a Marriott Bonvoy Elite member. Your loyalty means the world to us.
We are delighted to give you a small gift. Below is a $50 USD Marriott® GiftCard that may be used at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and at participating hotel outlets for retail, spa, golf, and food and beverage.
Print this page for your records and present this email at the hotel to redeem the Marriott® GiftCard.
We are truly grateful that you choose to travel with us. It's our privilege to host you.

Multiple TPG readers have posted in the TPG Lounge and emailed in to say that they've received similar gifts. If you want to check your inbox to see if you also received one, the email subject is fittingly "Your Gift from Marriott Bonvoy."

Interestingly, Marriott didn't require that marketing emails to be turned on for members to have received this gift -- although it's generally a good idea to do so. Marriott considers this email to be a "transactional email regarding your Marriott Bonvoy program membership."

Now, I just hope that Marriott properties are ready for travelers looking to redeem these gift cards. I received a number of physical Marriott gift cards as gifts this past Christmas, and it's been a huge pain to try to redeem them. Knowing better than to try to redeem them at overseas properties, it'd often be at least a 10-minute process when I tried to redeem them at US properties. I'm really hoping that Marriott has already sent out an explainer to properties on how to redeem gift cards before sending out these electronic gift cards.

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Note that the following Marriott brands do not accept Marriott GiftCards: Bvlgari, Design Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Marriott Executive Apartments, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, The Ritz-Carlton Partner hotels. Here's the full Frequently Asked Questions about the Marriott GiftCard.

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.