What to consider when using your hotel travel voucher

If you’ve been given a gift card for a hotel and are keen to start booking your next trip away, make sure you are aware of the voucher’s policy. 53% of the hotels in the world are run by big-name brands, most of which offer vouchers and gift certificates with their own rules and terms of use. Whilst hotel gift cards are a great present for travellers, if you don’t know their terms and conditions, you could end up stuck with a voucher that’s about to expire and lose out on your money. Individual locations and providers have different policies, so it’s always best to contact their customer service team if you’re unsure.

 

So what are the terms of use for a hotel voucher?

There are two things you need to consider before you even begin the booking process: expiration date and booking restrictions.

First of all, most hotel gift cards won’t have an expiry date that you have to spend the voucher before, however, it is definitely worth your time to find out if you need to use yours within a specific time frame.

Secondly, your booking might be restricted to a certain hotel type, for instance, the Marriott Hotel gift card is only accepted at some participating outlets.

When it comes to selling or transferring your gift card to someone else, the policy is that if it has your name printed on the voucher or it is registered with an account, then you are the only person who can use it. 

 

Hotelgift

If you’ve received a Hotelgift voucher, you are probably wondering where you can spend it. Lots of hotels don’t have their own branded gift card, like Travelodge and Premier Inn, but will be affiliated with Hotelgift. You have lots of choices when it comes to booking a hotel room with your voucher as you can pick from any of the companies listed. What this also means is that you have to book your room through Hotelgift.com rather than the hotel’s individual website, even if there’s a better deal elsewhere. You have two years to use your card before it is deactivated. For more information, check out Hotelgift’s voucher FAQ.

 

Secret Escapes

If someone has bought you a voucher for Secret Escapes, you need to sign up to use it. Instead of just adding the gift card at the checkout, Secret Escapes require you to make a profile before you can use your gift card, which is then turned into credit. The expiry date is after one year and can’t be transferred once it’s registered with your account.

 

Fairmont Hotel

Fairmont gift cards are very flexible, which is unusual for a travel voucher. You don’t have to just spend it on a booking for one of the Fairmont Hotels or Resorts worldwide: choose to use it for spa services, dining, golf, tennis and plenty more leisure activities, as well as in a Fairmont Store or as part of your hotel folio. Fairmont gift cards also don’t expire giving you ample time to redeem it. Also, whilst some gift cards are treated as cash and can’t be replaced if they’ve been lost, stolen or damaged, Fairmont Hotel’s terms and conditions say that if their gift card was registered online, then the value of the card can be transferred to a new one. T&Cs for Fairmont Hotel gift cards are on their website.

 

Marriott

If you have a Marriott gift card, it works in a similar way to the Fairmont voucher as it can be used for retail, spas, golfing and dining at specific outlets. Make sure to check the Marriott gift card terms and conditions for a full list of hotels where you can spend your voucher. They also have no expiration date and if they’re registered on gifts.marriott.com, they can be replaced if your card was to go missing

 

Ritz-Carlton

When you are booking a room at the Ritz-Carlton, there are some hotel outlets which are excluded (you can find all the details for the Ritz-Carlton gift card on their website). However, your Ritz-Carlton gift card can be used at Marriott hotels, including the extra services like golf and dining, which means you have plenty of locations to choose from. There is no expiration date and cards must be registered online to get a refund.

 

Hilton

Your Hilton gift card’s policy will depend on where you bought it from and where you plan on using it. In the US, Hilton gift certificates never expire. Not only can you spend it in any Hilton hotel, including ones outside the US, you can use it in the hotel’s restaurants, shops, golf courses and spas. Read the Hilton's US gift card’s terms of use for more information. If you have a UK or European Hilton voucher, you can also use this globally in any Hilton hotel. Dining and spa treatments can be covered using your voucher, but it must be used within one year. Find out how to redeem your UK or European gift card at the hotel in the terms and conditions.

 

Four Seasons

If you have a Four Seasons gift card, it will either be tied to a specific location or redeemable at all Four Seasons hotels and resorts worldwide. The former will have the name of the hotel on the gift certificate so you must spend it on accommodation at that property. The second gift voucher, which you can redeem anywhere across the globe, comes in both a physical and a digital gift card, but whichever format you have doesn’t change the terms of use. The Worldwide gift card is much more flexible, giving you the option to use it wherever you choose. What’s even better is that it can be used for a range of services and facilities on-site, whatever you fancy spending it on. All the information you need is in the FAQ section of their website.

 

Hotels.com

Your Hotels.com voucher must be used to book accommodation online, so you can’t redeem it at the hotel itself or use it for their other services. Whilst it limits you to spending during the booking process, it does mean you can choose from a wide variety of chains rather than being stuck to one company’s locations. The card won’t expire but they do transfer the balance to a new card after 3 years if you haven’t used it. For more information, head over to the Hotels.com gift card terms and conditions page.

 

Best Western Travel Card

Best Western gift cards are called Travel Cards which comes as either a plastic card, an electronic card or a digital print-out. These cards don’t expire and Best Western’s policy says they can be transferred to someone else if you can’t use them. This is simple and easy to do through the TransferTravel.com marketplace if you want to sell it online. However, it isn’t replaceable if it gets lost or stolen. If you need more information, check out the Best Western terms of use page.

 

Airbnb

Have you received an Airbnb gift voucher? These gift cards don’t expire but if you’ve recently received one, make sure you download it within 90 days otherwise the person who bought it for you will be refunded and the card will be cancelled. At the moment, they’re only available in US dollars so only US citizens can purchase or redeem them. If you can’t use your gift voucher, Airbnb’s terms of use don’t allow you to transfer or resell it. More details on how to use your gift card can be found on their website.

 

Selling or transferring your gift certificate is possible as long as you get in touch with your travel provider and ensure that you are able to. If you want more advice on what to do with an unwanted voucher, check out our guide to selling your gift card.