Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to post a Rewards recommendation. For the past 5-10 years, I have been a faithful Marriott customer. I travel about 75%+ of the year as part of my consultant role. For me, usage of Rewards points typically falls into one of 2 categories: vacations and household/family. From a 'vacation' perspective, I'd use points for extra hotel nights (You know, take the kids to Disney, etc.), but more often than not, the points would be used for 'household/family' items (Water heater goes out, garage door breaks, unexpected bills, Christmas presents, etc.). In these scenarios, I'd exchange points for an AMEX GC. I didn't mind the additional point cost, as I liked having the flexibility. They really came in handy. Since the Skymall partnership ended, I've noticed there is really no "universal/flexible" GC options through the Populr vendor. They're all for specialty vendors. In the end, for me (And I'm sure there are many others like me out there), the Rewards points are all about taking care of family. Think about it Marriot Marketing Team, you could develop a whole campaign around this concept! I would just ask that Marriott consider using their influence to get Populr to carry a more flexible GC option. Thanks.
Matt