Question
What are the differences between the two cards they offer? I couldn't tell if one offered a better sign-up bonus and free night, and whether both waived the annual fee.
I've seen 15,000 sign-up points -- is that the best offer currently out there?
Also, I'm not a frequent hotel guest -- I'd mostly be getting it for the points and the few times I may stay at their properties.
Answer
These two links seem to summarize each well enough to understand the differences...
Marriott Rewards® Premier Visa Signature® card
http://firstusa.com/cgi-bin/webcgi/webserve.cgi?partner_dir_name=marriott_premier
Marriott Rewards® Visa Signature® card.
http://firstusa.com/cgi-bin/webcgi/webserve.cgi?partner_dir_name=marriott_rewards_15k _certificate
Answer
Read more here http://www.freefrequentflyermiles.com/index.htm Lots of other great offers too.
www.cardoffers.com is also a site I use sometimes. They give cash rewards on some cards plus miles/points. Be careful though because sometimes the bonus points/miles are not as great here as you can find elsewhere (like here or Gary's site above :)).
Answer
The regular Marriott personal and business cards give you 15,000 bonus points and a free cat 1-4 voucher that MUST be used in 6 months. The premier gives you that PLUS a cat 1-5 voucher (good for 6 months) every anniversary (for a $65 fee).
My husband and I both have Marriott cards and got, in essence, 4 free nights at the Pattaya Thailand Marriott in Feb. We are considering upgrading to the premier, which will give us a cat 1-5 voucher to use Oct-March. We will use it at a cat 5 hotel in Feb, where rates are well over the $65. We will also apply for a business card each, giving us 30,000 bonus points.
If you are traveling with someone, Marriott's program allows "interspousal" (need same address in profile) transfers of points and also allows you to buy additional points at $10 per 1,000. They also reduce the amount of points for a multi-night stay (ie 1 night-15,000, 2 nights-28,000, etc...) so, for a multi-night stay, it is in your benefit to use 1 free voucher for 1 reservation and then combine the 2nd voucher and the combined points for the rest of the stay. In Dec, they offer 12 points per dollar spent on gift cards. That's a great deal, since you can get points for your stay and use the gift card for meals, spa, etc...