Marriott appears to continue its “tradition” of sending gift cards to select Bonvoy members with birthdays in 2026.

A LoyaltyLobby reader forwarded us the email they had received from Marriott with the eGift Card, and there appear to be some changes rolled out now, when you can add these to your Bonvoy app (read more here and here).

You can access Marriott here.

READ MORE: Marriott Bonvoy Rate & Bonus Points Offers

Here’s the Latest Marriott Birthday Email:

There is now a note in the email that this gift card should already be in your Bonvoy app.

You cannot redeem it in the app, instead, you must show the gift card number and PIN to the front desk personnel, who then use another system to process the payment.

Marriott Gift Card Issues

You can use these gift cards to settle balances at all Marriott-affiliated hotels. The employees, however, must be familiar with the gift card process, which can be a challenge at times, as we have previously covered:

Reader Email: Marriott Hotel Won’t Accept Marriott Gift Card?

Reader Email: Marriott eGiftCards Compromised & Balance Used?

Whine Wednesdays: Marriott Gift Cards

Whine Wednesdays Take Two: Marriott Gift Cards

Marriott E-Gift Card Purchase Issues This Time?

More Trouble With Marriott Gift Cards: Order Cancelled Without Reasons Given (Likely IP Address Related)

You cannot use gift cards to prepay or guarantee stays.

I would stop by the front desk the night before you leave to let them know you plan to pay for your stay partially or fully with a gift card. They can then withdraw the payment from the card and post it to your folio.

These gift cards are issued in USD but can be used in most other currencies. The conversion from USD to other currencies is done using a real rate (read, not inflated) by Givex (the platform that Marriott uses to issue and administer them).

Conclusion

These gift cards have sometimes been on sale, and, if I recall correctly, the most recent one was only available to Marriott co-branded cardholders.

Theoretically, these gift cards are great, especially if you use them in countries with credit card swipe fees, as they don’t apply to these, but they are often a major PITA to use.

Hotels need to use a separate Givex platform to withdraw the balance. Usually, only one person at the front desk has access to it, as it requires a separate set of usernames and passwords, so you need patience.

And yes, I have experienced this by myself, already a few times this year. I have always been able to use them, but you need to “babysit” the process to ensure that everything goes according to plan.

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