For Cruise purchases - appears Marriott better than Chase UR points earning

[mdurette]

Since many of you on this forum have both Marriott Reward and Chase Ultimate Rewards cards I thought I would share a find I made today.

My initial thought was to use the Chase for 3x
But, found out that Marriott offers 6x for inside and ocean view and 9x for balcony and suites.

The price and on board credit were both the same.

So for me at least, I know I need to get another 80,000 points over to Marriott before August to upgrade the cert from a travel package. So, this is better than accumulating via UR and then moving over.

 

[GrayFal]

Since many of you on this forum have both Marriott Reward and Chase Ultimate Rewards cards I thought I would share a find I made today.

My initial thought was to use the Chase for 3x
But, found out that Marriott offers 6x for inside and ocean view and 9x for balcony and suites.

The price and on board credit were both the same.

So for me at least, I know I need to get another 80,000 points over to Marriott before August to upgrade the cert from a travel package. So, this is better than accumulating via UR and then moving over.

Is that for all cruise lines?
And do you have to book thru some kind of Marriott portal to get that earn????

I have two cruises coming up and would love to earn 9 points per $1.

 

[VacationForever]

http://mr.cruisesonly.com/
All cruise lines

 

[VacationForever]

I have done all sorts of price comparison. mr.cruisesonly.com and costco.com cruises are comparable in terms of value. It is a matter of whether you want MRPs or onboard credit/Costco cash card.

 

[mdurette]

For the particular short sailing I am doing - the onboard credit is the same with all the outlets.
Bjs Wholesale - gives and extra $25 gift card for BJs....for me, the MRPs are of more value since I need to upgrade that cert anyway.

 

[GetawaysRus]

If I understand, you are booking on this Cruises Only web page and you are then paying with your Marriott Rewards credit card. Is that right?

The Cruises Only web page seems to show 6 Marriott Reward points per dollar when booking a balcony cabin. I'm confused about how you get to 9 MR points per dollar. I don't think that the Marriott Rewards credit card pay 3x for travel.

What if you book through the Cruises Only web page to get the MR points but then pay with a Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. Would you get both the MR points from Cruises Only plus 3x for the travel charge on the Sapphire Reserve? Or is that not possible?

One downside to this approach: I will sometimes use the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel agency when booking cruises. By doing that, I can use some of my Chase Ultimate Reward points to "pay down" the cost of my cruise. If UR points are transferred to the Sapphire Reserve, they are worth 1.5 cents each when used this way. But if I were to book through Cruises Only, I would not be able to do this.

 

[dioxide45]

The Cruises Only web page seems to show 6 Marriott Reward points per dollar when booking a balcony cabin. I'm confused about how you get to 9 MR points per dollar. I don't think that the Marriott Rewards credit card pay 3x for travel.

I don't understand this either. Looking at the link, it looks like it is 3 points per $ for most cabins, book a suite or balcony and you get double, or 6 points per dollar.

Though for a limited time, you can get bonus points depending on the cruise line you book.

 

[VacationForever]

I don't understand this either. Looking at the link, it looks like it is 3 points per $ for most cabins, book a suite or balcony and you get double, or 6 points per dollar.

Though for a limited time, you can get bonus points depending on the cruise line you book.

It is always for "limited" time. The limited time is unlimited... Here is an example: 6x + 3x.

http://mr.cruisesonly.com/promotion/regent-cruises.do?c=41

 

[mdurette]

I'm looking at Royal Carribean -

when you click on the Earn Double Points - 6 points per dollar this is what pops up:

EARN DOUBLE POINTS - 6 points per dollar spent!
Book a balcony or suite stateroom on any sailing departing before 12/31/2017 and earn double the Marriott Rewards Points 6 points per dollar spent plus as a Marriott Rewards Visa card member this offer increases your earning to a total of 9 points per dollar spent. New Bookings Only. Hurry offer ends June 2nd!

I did notice in the fine print $24.99 non refundable processing fee.

 

[GrayFal]

I'm looking at Royal Carribean -

when you click on the Earn Double Points - 6 points per dollar this is what pops up:

EARN DOUBLE POINTS - 6 points per dollar spent!
Book a balcony or suite stateroom on any sailing departing before 12/31/2017 and earn double the Marriott Rewards Points 6 points per dollar spent plus as a Marriott Rewards Visa card member this offer increases your earning to a total of 9 points per dollar spent. New Bookings Only. Hurry offer ends June 2nd!

I did notice in the fine print $24.99 non refundable processing fee.

Thx

I was not aware of this site.

 

[mdurette]

I just went through process and booked via phone as I was trying to get two cabins close together.

Rep confirmed 9 points. AND I even get the 9 points for the other cabin I secured for my parents. Hopefully this is true, kinda falls under the to good to be true category for me! points to post 4-6 weeks after cruise

Phone rep found a cheaper option when searching than their online engine was pulling, saved my parents $200 on their cabin - so worth the phone call.

If all goes well....this is 25,000 points towards that 80,000 I need to upgrade my cert. Not bad at all

 

[dioxide45]

Do you also get 1 per dollar if you pay for it on the Marriott Rewards credit card, or are they calculating this in to the 3x for using your card and you only get an additional 2 points from the actual booking. We did a booking through UnitedCruises a couple years ago for a similar offer. It is important to note that you don't get the points until after sailing.

 

[VacationForever]

Do you also get 1 per dollar if you pay for it on the Marriott Rewards credit card, or are they calculating this in to the 3x for using your card and you only get an additional 2 points from the actual booking. We did a booking through UnitedCruises a couple years ago for a similar offer. It is important to note that you don't get the points until after sailing.

The 1 per dollar is part of the 3X.

 

[mdurette]

Correct - part of the 3 times. The rep told me a few times - 8 pts from us and 1 from Chase. I suspect the chase will come on the credit card statement as usual and the other 8 4-6 weeks after.

I did look at both my parents invoice and mine - all showing the points total of 9 and both have my MR number. So far so good.

 

[mdurette]

Quick follow up: Our cruise was for 3/16-3/21. Points appeared in my MR account this morning. Although their terms stated 4-6 weeks after cruise, it was more like 2 weeks.

Also, I received the points not only for my booking, but also my parents booking. Easy 25K points for something I was going to buy anyway!

 

[mdurette]

FYI - looks like another promotion for cruise bookings via Marriott. Balcony or Suite up to 9 pts per dollar. http://mr.cruisesonly.com/promotion...371&ecid=59397&telemid=46&linknum=5&segid=371


Also, looks like no booking fee for a little while