Marriott Rewards Fall Megabonus with VISA Card Payment

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Promotional Period: September 15, 2008 – January 15, 2009

FrequentFlyerBonuses.com reports six variations of Marriott Rewards Fall Megabonus for 25,000 to 50,000 points depending on the specific offer targeted to your member account.

My offer was for 5,000 bonus points after every 3^rd stay, up to 25,000 bonus points. Assuming one-night stays I could earn 25,000 points for 15 hotel nights. I currently have no Marriott Rewards elite membership status and I haven’t stayed at a Marriott brand hotel in 2008.

The bonus is a nice addition to regular points earning for Marriott Rewards, but the offer is not enough of an enticement for me to deliberately steer hotel nights to Marriott when there are other options for my hotel loyalty.

By the numbers:

Assume an $80 per night room rate at a Marriott hotel brand and one-night stays.

$240 in base spending (excluding hotel taxes) for 3 stays could earn 10 points per dollar for 2,400 points. (Only 5 points per $1 earned with Residence Inn or TownePlace Suites brands.)

2,400 points + 5,000 bonus points = 7,400 points after first 3-stay bonus.

I could have 22,200 points after 9 stays. This would be sufficient for a 1-night Pointsavers hotel award for the New York JFK Airport Marriott Courtyard (20,000 points over November and December holidays). I kind of favor this hotel option after spending 3 hours to commute to Newark, New Jersey for a reasonably priced hotel last year. But 9 stays is quite a commitment to Marriott when there are so many hotel chains offering hotel stay incentives this fall.

A free hotel night systemwide with Kimpton Hotels is awarded after 7 stays. Hyatt Gold Passport is rumored to be starting Faster Free Nights in September and this promotion awards a free hotel night in the Hyatt system after two stays. Starwood Preferred Guest is launching their Fall 2008 promotion in September and details will be released September 16. In the meantime, I can earn combined Starwood bonuses using the Summer Stay 1,000 points bonus and the FlyerTalk 500 points bonus per night for stays through September 30. And Hilton just seems out to lunch in trying to promote hotel activity through promotions. I feel like I neglect Hilton HHonors, but honestly, I rarely see a competitive promotion from them and I feel they neglect me as a hotel consumer.

Marriott Rewards is a great program for road warriors on the business circuit or for a leisure traveler just seeking a good quality hotel every once in a while. The high threshold for elite status with Marriott Rewards keeps me staying with other chains where frequent guest loyalty is rewarded at a lower cost and free hotel nights are easier to obtain.

Other Variations of the Marriott Rewards Fall MegaBonus Targeted Offers:

· 50,000 points: Earn 35,000 points after 20 nights paid with VISA and an additional 15,000 points after a total of 25 nights.

· 35,000 points after 20 nights paid with VISA.

· 25,000 points after 15 nights paid with VISA, and an additional 10,000 points after 20 nights.

· 25,000 points after 15 nights paid with VISA.

· 2,500 points after every VISA-paid stay, up to 25,000 points. (This is the best option for the basic Marriott member in my opinion and the offer I would have preferred. I do like my offer better than the ones which require the member to complete either 15 or 20 nights to receive any bonus points.)