Marriott Surprise Gift Card Problems – Customer Care Tells The Email Is Spam?

Marriott sent surprise eGift Cards to select Bonvoy members yesterday (read more here), which will expire on December 31, 2024 (very short expiry).

The problems started when Bonvoy members tried to add these to their gift card accounts, which claimed that the card was not valid.

You can access Marriott here.

Reader’s Message to Marriott:

I received an email from Marriott with the subject “Enjoy an exclusive thank you gift from Marriott Bonvoy” that contained a Promotion $50 eGift card for being a Titanium Elite member.

The email states “Protect your Marriott Bonvoy Promotional eGift Card. Click here to register your Promotional eGift Card.”

However when I try to register the eGift card I am getting an error message saying that it is invalid.

Would you be able to fix this or send a replacement gift card?

Thank-you

Reply From Marriott:

From: noreplyempowersf@marriott.com
Date: November 23, 2024 at 5:25:37 AM ICT
Subject: RE: A u t o Thank you for your request to Marriott Bonvoy® your case number

Hello Mr.

Thank you for contacting Marriott Bonvoy^® about eGift Card. My name is Joetta from Marriott Bonvoy®. I am happy to have the opportunity to assist you.

Follow the tips below to keep your Marriott Bonvoy^® Account safe.

Maintain a Strong Password:
Change your Password here: https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/myAccount/force-change-password.mi

For steps on resetting your password, please visit here.

Keep your Marriott Bonvoy^® Account Information Current (Email Address, etc.)
How Do I Update My Account Profile?

Set/Update Your 4-Digit PIN and Security question which will be used to authenticate when calling Member Support.

I did some checking around and found that it is spam. I am sorry that I was not able to find any other information on who sent it. Please change your password to your email so that no one can get into your email account.

If you require Marriott Bonvoy^® Loyalty Care Associate assistance in the United States (US) and Canada, please call: 1(800) 627-7468, or for Global Customer Support: www.marriott.com/help/loyalty-customer-support.mi

Thank you for being a Marriott Bonvoy® Titanium Elite Member, we appreciate your loyalty. If you require any further assistance, please kindly let me know. I would be delighted to hear from you.

Best regards,

Joetta M.
Marriott Bonvoy^® Customer Care

It seems that the Marriott Bonvoy Customer Care associate didn’t know what was happening here.

Reader’s Comment to Me:

This just shows how rock bottom their customer service is.

It’s one thing they open and close tickets with hotels and do nothing. But this is total nonsense!

How can they turn something positive like sending a 30 day expiry gift card into such a negative experience.

And he is correct. I thought about how lovely it was for Marriott to send these to some members.

When the reader went to take screenshots of how these could not be added to their gift card account, it had been activated.

Conclusion

It was very unfortunate that Marriott sent out these gift cards before they had been activated, and then when customer service claimed that these emails were fraudulent.

The email requested members to add these to their gift card accounts for tracking purposes. If their website returns an error message, there is an issue.

I am glad, however, that these have now finally been activated so that members can test how easy it is to use them at Marriott-affiliated hotels worldwide (not).

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