Is it me or is anyone else bothered by the point ratio for redeeming points for Marriott Gift Cards? We're staying at a Marriott property for 2 weeks, so I was looking to redeem some points for a Marriott Gift card to be used during my stay to help cover the cost of lunches and beverages. The conversion rate is outrageous compared to what I get for a hotel stay. For example a $200 gift card is 60,000 points. Does anyone know of any promotions or ways to get a better return for my points?
Hi and Welcome to Insiders. As you have discovered using points for Gift Cards is a terrible redemption ratio. Can you use points to cover one or more nights of your stay? That would definitely be a better value of your points. If that is not an option you could look into the "Instant Redemption" option. You maybe able to save a few points that way (e.g. 59,000 points =$200 credit). Keep in mind that Instant Redemption is not available at some Marriott properties.
http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/use/instant.mi