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IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW REWARD BOOKINGS WORK BEFORE YOU TRANSACT.

1.   Marriott certificates can be used for any reservation that can be booked with points. To search for reward availability simply go to marriott.com and check the box to search "using points".
Marriott hotels are divided into categories. (Cheapest being category one)

What room types can you book?
You can book any STANDARD room that's available at marriott.com using reward points with no cap on the number of points. (standard room means it not an upgraded room. Every hotel lists their rooms differently, In some hotels, the standard room may even include suites)
To check, go to marriott.com and search for rooms. Make sure to check the option "Use Points/Certificates".

If it says:
Redemption - You can book that room no matter how many points it is
Redemption with Cash Upgrade - You can book however, the cert will cover the basic portion you will need to pay the additional cash upgrade fee.
Redemption with Points Upgrade - You cannot book using a certificate

2.   There are a few different types of certificates. Seven/five night certificates are the hotel portion of "Marriott travel packages" that the owner does not want or need anymore (google Marriott packages to learn more about them). Individuals many times buy these packages just to receive the airline miles and don’t end up using the hotel portion of the package. There are also single night certs given to account holders for holding a Marriott brand credit card

3.   A 7/5night-night certificate must be used for 7 consecutive nights. The reservation cannot be split up.

4.   In order to hold the room, you need a credit card. Your card will be kept for incidentals and you won't be charged for the room.

5.   MUST be booked BOOK 30 Days in Advance. THIS IS A TECHNICAL GLITCH WHICH MARRIOTT CLAIMS TO BE FIXING, HOWEVER, ITS MORE THAN A YEAR THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE. In order to book with a certificate, reps must create the reservation as a points advance and then attach the cert. Marriott recently made a new rule that reservations made within 30 days aren’t eligible for points advance. If the account, you are booking with has enough points to cover the reservation you can book it as regular points and have the rep detach the points and attach the certificate.

6.   Travel package certs must be booked over the phone. Single night certs can be booked online

7.   The certificate sits on the account holders account and the elite night credits are officially credited to them. There is no way to transfer those stays to your account.

8.   If you are the traveler do not call Marriott reservations. This reservation is in someone else's account and calling may result in his/her account getting audited and the reservation canceled.

9.   The certificate covers the cost of the reservation including tax but does NOT include any resort fees, parking, and incidentals (for example food charged to the room)

10.   It's not possible to entirely remove the certificate owner from the reservation but your name is added as a secondary guest and a special code is added (M8 code) to inform the hotel that this reservation is in fact gifted to you. The hotels are very much aware of this.

You should be able to check-in as you would to a regular reservation with your own ID. You will need to provide a credit card to cover any incidentals, resort fees, and parking fees if there are any.

11.   You cannot add your Marriott account number to the reservation and generally, the hotel will go by the status on our account (which may be silver or gold at the time of check-in) however, it depends very much on the front desk rep at the time of check-in

12. Certs cannot be combined - e.g. you can't combine two 35k certificates to book a 60k room.

13. The "free fifth night" only applies to points bookings, not certificates.

See post #5805 for a history of bid/ask on these 1/5/7 night certificates of different levels
« Last edited by David61 on November 16, 2022, 12:09:46 PM »

Author Topic: Marriott Certs Sale  (Read 1650937 times)

Offline Alexs

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6460 on: December 14, 2020, 03:02:12 PM »
I would like to jump in this conversation and tell my personal experience with Leeboy.

I joined the forum this year, to look for guidance on buying a Marriott certificate.

As a first time buyer I was very skeptical and the many positive reviews for Leeboy reassured me.

I had several conversations with him and he clearly explained all the risks and we went through all the possible scenarios.

I must say I encountered 2 of the possible problems (my reservation being upgraded for cash plus points which would have costed me $2000 more dollars per week! and the account being put under audit for 1 of the 2 certificates I bought) and in both cases I panicked and Leeboy worked on resolving the problems, which he did. It was not a quickfix, from what I understood it is a painfully slow process for him to correct these problems. Anyways after several days of anxiety, both my bookings were corrected and ready to go.

I arrived at the most amazing and luxurious resort of the island in August (super peak season) and I was still so skeptical, even after check-in I was scared they would ask me for extra money cause the deal was just too good to be true! The cheapest room at the hotel in August is $1000 per day. At the check-in I was so scared it wouldn’t work and instead I even got upgraded to a room that would have costed $3000 per day!!

I have spent the most incredible 2 weeks in an amazing resort, treated like royalty and I still can’t believe it.

My friends that were staying in a nearby 4star hotel paying more than me, asked me if I had won the lottery!

My brother kept on teasing me that I would be presented with a $40k bill at checkout. Instead I was warmly sent off by all the amazing staff and even accompanied at the airport!

Would I book again ? Definetely.

I can’t wait for my next holiday!

Offline bigdipper8545

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6461 on: December 14, 2020, 04:28:55 PM »
What did they charge you for?
They added on an upgarde fee without me asking
The day is short but the work aplenty

Offline midnyite

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6462 on: December 14, 2020, 04:41:40 PM »
BUMP willing to negotiate

sent message

Offline midnyite

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6463 on: December 14, 2020, 04:58:04 PM »
does the 1 night 50k cert also need to be booked 30 days in advance?

Thanks!

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6464 on: December 14, 2020, 05:27:04 PM »
does the 1 night 50k cert also need to be booked 30 days in advance?

Thanks!
no

Offline igal6810

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6465 on: December 14, 2020, 06:03:00 PM »
selling 3x 35k cat 1-5 certificates from gold account.3 for $300

Offline S209

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6466 on: December 14, 2020, 08:14:59 PM »
5 50K nights available, Gold account. Exp 11/2021.

Asking $250 each OBO.
1 left
Quote from: YitzyS
Quotes in a signature is annoying, as it comes across as an independent post.

Offline g8trgr8t

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6467 on: December 14, 2020, 11:53:16 PM »
My experience with leeboy is bad, really bad. if you need, i can paste the whole emails with him or his people.
Because marriott extend all certificates at least 6 more months. my two certificate from 2019 extended again to 2021/8/1. I asked leeboy(or his people0 to change my reservation fronm this dec to next Mar. He/she refused and said the change is impossible. After i send them at least three emails and get no response. And my name is not on reservation and leeboy told me when checkin, tell hotel the account owner gifts me the certificate.

I called marriott the first time three days ago after no response from Leeboy. I retrieved the reservation detail and got the first guest name and address and email. Thw agent told me this account was under audit long time ago. They require account owner to send them ID. Now i understand the reason leeboy and his people do not want to help me to change the reservation.

Leeboy,i please give a response.

At this point I believe that the account holder of my cert must be under audit too and that is why they refused to try and cancel 7 days out with a hotel that had a 48 hour cancellation policy.

beyond frustrating

Offline leeboy

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6468 on: December 15, 2020, 10:20:55 AM »
After reading for the past couple of days I can agree with some points from buyer and seller
1) Purchasing certificates is risky no matter who your are! this is due to the terms by Marriott which explicitly bans this type of activity. That being said the type of deals being offered are amazing. It seems that his customers do have success and properties will bypass this requirement in an effort to gather more revenue. I have different experiences where I could checkin with no problems and others where it was a headache due to me not being the primary guest on reservation on someone’s else’s reservation.
2)Cancellation with certificates is very tricky because once again properties are not responding in the customers favor. Some properties have different terms on cancellation such as 30 days, 2 weeks, and even 24 hours. This is why it’s important to research and look at reviews from Expedia,Booking.com,TripAdvisor to see this trend taking place where guest who actually paid and cancelled are not receiving refunds due to Covid 19 or any reason you come up with .
3) The reason the certificates are selling for low prices is many certificates are coming close to expiration or the individual is not traveling due to reasons known. So my recommendation is too purchase these certificates if you are sure of your dates. Trying to reschedule is really tough when certificates are expiring and will result in loss value.
Lastly... it does seem leeboy has many repeat customers but it seems many buyers are unaware of terms of agreement and reason for the low prices and risk involved. That being said if you want flexibility other Hotel programs are available but the cost is significantly higher but result in more peace of mind

Thank you for your post.
The terms of our booking are clearly stated and anyone who actually called or asked me had this conversation before purchasing. We have nothing to hide and this is how we operate for many years. Once agin if you are looking for a travel agent services than I am not your guy.

I'd like to point out a few things
1. Not even one person on this thread has private messaged me with their booking info. I do not know your name or reservation from the forums
2. A number of people here are just giving their 2 cents but arent even clients
3. I can talk till I am blue in the face but the reality is that we strive to be as transparent as possible and then work our very best for every single client. I understand that even 2 clients out of a thousand clients that lose their certificates or can't change their dates are 2 people out of their money. It sucks and I am really sorry...
4. Many times I go above and beyond my agreement and I do just refund out of my own pocket as some have mentioned. For example when the hotel added an upgrade fee without permission.

I understand this isn't the answer some of you are looking for but I think it's fair to assume (besides for it clearly being written on our form) that anyone in their right mind who is purchasing a certificate on a forum to check-in under someone else's name for one third/quarter or 10% off the retail value has some risks.

We have years of good reviews and happy clients but it's unfortunate when a reservation doesn't go as planned.

Offline mockamonkey

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6469 on: December 15, 2020, 02:26:49 PM »
Looking for 2 x 50K night certificates, any expiration is OK. Will offer higher for elite status. Please PM.

Offline marble1980

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6470 on: December 15, 2020, 06:16:22 PM »
Just getting caught up on this thread since I last posted, let me answer a few questions that were posed.

I paid through paypal for the certificate and used amex on paypal. I have heard other people say amex is good with disputes even if you pay through paypal. I have never had to do such a dispute before so I cannot say, we will see what happens. Maybe if amex takes my side and refunds the money paypal will close my account for not following their dispute procedures. That is a risk I was willing to take.

There was another comment about risk information not being disclosed prior to buying. I agree with that comment. None of the information leeboy states was provided to me prior to payment. There was a google form that had some info, but I didn't see that until after I had paid him, and it had nowhere near the level of detail he posted here.

To the comment about the buyer getting a 90% discount, I would take exception to that. I paid $1100 for the certificate, had I not gone that route it would have cost me about $2100 otherwise. About a 50% discount.

The long and short of this is when Marriott terminates a certificate, no one is happy and wants to pay up. The buyer (me) doesn't want to pay for a hotel stay that did not take place, the seller doesn't want to refund the money they got for selling, and leeboy doesn't want to pay the total either.

It was never disclosed to me prior to booking that leeboy expected the buyer to bear all the risk. If it had been, I probably would not have booked. The certificate was cancelled through no fault of mine, so I think the right thing to do is for leeboy to refund the money.

Disappointed with this turn of events. I have bought and sold many things on this forum and others with minimal issues (I did once have an issue when I sold some United miles to a broker, but was able to come to an agreement with the broker to settle the issue).

« Last Edit: December 15, 2020, 06:51:41 PM by marble1980 »

Offline KSMH

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6471 on: December 15, 2020, 06:23:44 PM »
Thank you for your post.
The terms of our booking are clearly stated and anyone who actually called or asked me had this conversation before purchasing. We have nothing to hide and this is how we operate for many years. Once agin if you are looking for a travel agent services than I am not your guy.

I'd like to point out a few things
1. Not even one person on this thread has private messaged me with their booking info. I do not know your name or reservation from the forums
2. A number of people here are just giving their 2 cents but arent even clients
3. I can talk till I am blue in the face but the reality is that we strive to be as transparent as possible and then work our very best for every single client. I understand that even 2 clients out of a thousand clients that lose their certificates or can't change their dates are 2 people out of their money. It sucks and I am really sorry...
4. Many times I go above and beyond my agreement and I do just refund out of my own pocket as some have mentioned. For example when the hotel added an upgrade fee without permission.

I understand this isn't the answer some of you are looking for but I think it's fair to assume (besides for it clearly being written on our form) that anyone in their right mind who is purchasing a certificate on a forum to check-in under someone else's name for one third/quarter or 10% off the retail value has some risks.

We have years of good reviews and happy clients but it's unfortunate when a reservation doesn't go as planned.
Can you post a copy of your agreements form - personal business info?
Always praying for delayed baggage.

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6472 on: December 15, 2020, 06:32:03 PM »
Just getting caught up on this thread since I last posted, let me answer a few questions that were posed.

I paid through paypal for the certificate and used amex on paypal. I have heard other people say amex is good with disputes even if you pay through paypal. I have never had to do such a dispute before so I cannot say, we will see what happens. Maybe if amex takes my side and refunds the money paypal will close my account for not following their dispute procedures. That is a risk I was willing to take.

There was another comment about risk information not being disclosed prior to buying. I agree with that comment. None of the information leeboy states was provided to me prior to payment. There was a google form that had some info, but I didn't see that until after I had paid him, and it had nowhere near the level of detail he posted here.

To the comment about the buyer getting a 90% discount, I would take exception to that. I paid $1100 for the certificate, had I not gone that route it would have cost me about $2100 otherwise. About a 50% discount.

The long and short of this is when Marriott terminates a certificate, no one is happy and wants to pay up. The buyer (me) doesn't want to pay for a hotel stay that did not take place, the seller doesn't want to refund the money they got for selling, and leeboy doesn't want to pay the total either.

It was never disclosed to me prior to booking that leeboy expected the buyer to bear all the risk. If it had been, I probably would not have booked. The certificate was cancelled through no fault of mine, so I think the right thing to do is for leeboy the money.

Disappointed with this turn of events. I have bought and sold many things on this forum and others with minimal issues (I did once have an issue when I sold some United miles to a broker, but was able to come to an agreement with the broker to settle the issue).
I think it depends why the stay was cancelled for who is responsible. But if the account goes into audit, I don't see how that is the buyers fault and the seller should 100% stand behind that... My 2 cents

Offline David61

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6473 on: December 15, 2020, 11:10:24 PM »
I think it depends why the stay was cancelled for who is responsible. But if the account goes into audit, I don't see how that is the buyers fault and the seller should 100% stand behind that... My 2 cents

Agree, and providing it is also super clear that changes to the reservation can not be guaranteed. Very few buyers would be willing to bear the risk of an account audit on the seller, for someone they barely know. (How does the buyer know if that happens 10% of the time or 50% of the time).

Only a broker would have that info, so it's something that should go into the broker's sales price).

Offline georgew

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6474 on: December 16, 2020, 12:01:02 AM »
Selling 7 night cert Cat 1-4 gold account for $300 stay has to be in December
closed

Offline skaya

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6475 on: December 16, 2020, 02:40:40 AM »
Selling:
35K night exp Nov 2021 at 75$
plat acct
Bump this. Pls PM.

Gone

Offline leeboy

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6476 on: December 16, 2020, 09:19:07 AM »
I think it depends why the stay was cancelled for who is responsible. But if the account goes into audit, I don't see how that is the buyers fault and the seller should 100% stand behind that... My 2 cents

Accounts go into audit many times because the buyer called. When a reservation is set for 3 months and then all of the sudden it goes into audit it many times means the buyer called Marriott and the account was put into audit

Offline leeboy

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6477 on: December 16, 2020, 09:33:00 AM »
Just getting caught up on this thread since I last posted, let me answer a few questions that were posed.

I paid through paypal for the certificate and used amex on paypal. I have heard other people say amex is good with disputes even if you pay through paypal. I have never had to do such a dispute before so I cannot say, we will see what happens. Maybe if amex takes my side and refunds the money paypal will close my account for not following their dispute procedures. That is a risk I was willing to take.

There was another comment about risk information not being disclosed prior to buying. I agree with that comment. None of the information leeboy states was provided to me prior to payment. There was a google form that had some info, but I didn't see that until after I had paid him, and it had nowhere near the level of detail he posted here.

To the comment about the buyer getting a 90% discount, I would take exception to that. I paid $1100 for the certificate, had I not gone that route it would have cost me about $2100 otherwise. About a 50% discount.

The long and short of this is when Marriott terminates a certificate, no one is happy and wants to pay up. The buyer (me) doesn't want to pay for a hotel stay that did not take place, the seller doesn't want to refund the money they got for selling, and leeboy doesn't want to pay the total either.

It was never disclosed to me prior to booking that leeboy expected the buyer to bear all the risk. If it had been, I probably would not have booked. The certificate was cancelled through no fault of mine, so I think the right thing to do is for leeboy to refund the money.

Disappointed with this turn of events. I have bought and sold many things on this forum and others with minimal issues (I did once have an issue when I sold some United miles to a broker, but was able to come to an agreement with the broker to settle the issue).




@marble1980
Here is a copy of the form Submitted 6/12/20, 10:55 AM

You went ahead and disputed the charge with AMEX which essentially is just stealing from me.
I cannot take funds back from a seller 6 months after he sold me the cert because of something beyond his control. Again, I understand this isn't the answer you are looking for and I feel really sorry that the cert got messed up.
I do consult with a solid group of other brokers and mentors to make sure I am doing the honest thing in my business. If you feel it's morally ok to dispute the charge for this purchase then I guess it is what it is.


 
« Last Edit: December 16, 2020, 08:23:29 PM by 12HRS »

Offline igal6810

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6478 on: December 16, 2020, 09:39:11 AM »
selling 3x 35k cat 1-5 certificates from gold account.3 for $300

bump

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Re: Marriott Certs Sale
« Reply #6479 on: December 16, 2020, 10:19:51 AM »
Accounts go into audit many times because the buyer called. When a reservation is set for 3 months and then all of the sudden it goes into audit it many times means the buyer called Marriott and the account was put into audit
if that is the case it is clearly the buyer’s problem...