Marriott free-night certificate PointSavers glitch soon to be fixed
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With the introduction of Marriott’s peak and off-peak pricing in September, we’ve seen a variety of changes. While most of them don’t seem great, these new rates have opened up some really interesting redemptions with PointSavers hotels. Why? Take a look at Marriott’s award chart:
Off-peak rates occur during the low season, as determined by Marriott’s newest algorithm. PointSavers rates discount the points required for a free night even further. Take, for example, the Marriott Grand Cayman Beach Resort, a Category 6 hotel which would normally cost 50,000 points per night. During off-peak times the rate drops to just 40,000 points per night.
With PointSavers, the total amount needed for a single night is a stunning 35,000 points, which puts this Category 6 hotel firmly within reach of the annual free night certificate offered by the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card.
Related: Which Marriott Bonvoy credit card is right for you?
However, something interesting happens when you actually go to redeem your free night certificates on Marriott’s website.
Note how the option to redeem your free night certificate doesn’t appear, unlike when you try to book a Category 5 hotel, like at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & the Royal Beach Casino:
Unfortunately, when TPG editor Jasmin Baron tried to take advantage of one of these off-peak PointSavers rates and called to apply her certificate to her reservation, she was told by two separate Marriott representatives that her booking was considered a promotional rate and thus not eligible for the free-night certificate. When a detailed investigation of Marriott’s terms and conditions failed to yield further information, we reached out to Marriott for comment.
Related: How to use a Marriott 35,000-point certificate
Luckily for cardholders everywhere, Marriott has confirmed that free-night certificates are usable with PointSavers hotels, and that they’re actively working to correct these issues with booking. This opens up some phenomenal uses of the 35k Marriott certificate, letting members redeem their free nights for hotels up to Category 6 when they’re priced off-peak combined with PointSavers. While we’ve written about Marriott PointSavers discounts, keep in mind that Marriott’s published list isn’t comprehensive — you can find deals on tons of different destinations simply by searching. In the meantime, let’s hope that Marriott is quick to fix this glitch.
Featured photo courtesy of Marriott.
WELCOME OFFER: 60,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,200
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022. That’s 3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel.
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