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Marriott is once again offering a discount on gift cards for those members in the US and Canada: get 15% off when you purchase Marriott Bonvoy gift cards from 7/20/20-7/24/20. While not quite as generous as the last sale they offered (which was good for 20% off back in May), this can nonetheless be a good deal for those with Marriott travel plans.
The Deal
- Marriott.com is offering 15% off on eGift Cards from July 20-25, 2020 issued in the following denominations:
- Buy a $50 gift card for $42.5
- Buy a $100 gift card for $85
- Buy a $250 gift card for $212.5
- Buy a $500 gift card for $425
- Buy a $1,000 gift card for $850
- Direct link to this promotion
Key Terms
- Valid on eGift cards purchased via Marriott.com only (not at properties)
- eGift Cards are all in U.S. Dollars and can be purchased by residents of USA/Canada only.
- Valid July 20-24, 2020
- Gift cards do not expire and can be used worldwide except at Bulgari and Design Hotels and The Ritz-Carlton Residences and Homes and Villas by Marriott International
- Gift cards can’t be used to pay for advance purchase rates
- Max purchase of $5,000 worth of gift cards per person per credit card per day
Quick Thoughts
As I noted the last time Marriott gift cards were on sale, obviously gift cards carry some risk. You can misplace your gift card, it can get hacked (though I’ve not heard of any widespread issue with Marriott GCs), or if Marriott went bankrupt, your gift card could become worthless. Is the discount worth the risk? Personally, I doubt Marriott will go out of business entirely and I know that I’ll stay somewhere when I eventually travel again (and given that my Titanium status is locked up until February 2022, there’s a good chance I’ll travel to a Marriott property). I think if you know you’ll stay at a Marriott in the future, it could make sense to lock in a discount.
Personally, I like the ability to stack gift cards with shopping portals and promotions. Now that Marriott is back on shopping portals, it should once again be possible to stack a shopping portal with a good rate and a discounted gift card. Keep in mind that you can not use a gift card to book an advance purchase rate, so that is a drawback for some travelers. Also note that these gift cards can not be used to pay for the Marriott Homes & Villas that Greg wrote about last week.
Since these gift cards are sold directly by Marriott, you’ll earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on the purchase if using a Bonvoy credit card. Using a card like the Bonvoy Brilliant might be a good idea (I’ve successfully gotten the $300 in Marriott hotel credits from that card by purchasing gift cards from Marriott.com in the past even though it “shouldn’t” work).
Overall, it’s great to see a gift card promotion return. This might make a difference for some considering mattress runs for Platinum or those who are starting to consider travel again this year or whoa re making plans for 2021.