Recall that both the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card and the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Business Credit Card offer 1 free night with a redemption level of up to 35,000 Marriott/SPG points.
I recently went to book a room using points at a 12,500 level property. When I was finished booking my stay at the property, I realized that the 12,500 points were not deducted from my account. Strange. It then occurred to me that maybe Marriott automatically used the free night certificate to book this stay. Confirming my suspicion, I no longer saw the free night award in my account. I called Marriott and they confirmed that taking the free night certificate for this stay was the default. The Marriott rep changed it all for me over the phone and now the reservation stands as it should be. However, this is an annoying default and many of you who are not as savvy may fall victim to this. (Hopefully not though after reading this post).
Just an FYI as to why it mattered to me so much……using the free night for this stay was definitely not an option for me as I would never try to use it on a stay costing only 12,500 points. I would always try to use it on a stay at the maximum level of 35,000 points. Remember, you should always try to maximize your free night certificate if possible.
