Amex Taj vouchers

[Vish]

I got my Amex platinum travel card in 2020. And have reached the 4L milestone in 2020, 21 and 22. In between Amex had some monthly spend based offers on my wife's Gold charge card which we scrubbed. So I've 50k worth of Taj vouchers. I've not used the vouchers before so wanted to ask if there were any hidden terms and conditions and how I can go about the booking?

For example, if I want to use the vouchers for a 3 night stay in Taj Mahal Palace, New Delhi

1. Can I use multiple vouchers for stay of multiple nights?
2. Few vouchers on my card and few on my wife's card. Is that fine?
3. Anything apart from stay is covered with these vouchers?
4. Are there any minimum charges we need to bear like GST etc we need to bear?
5. Should I inform the hotel that I'll pay using vouchers upfront?
6. Anything else I should know of based on your experiences.

Please share your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

 

[TechnoFino]

1. Yes, you can use multiple GVs
2. Yes - should not be an issue
3. Anything that can be posted to room can be paid using those GVs
4. No
5. Yes
6. Enjoy

 

[Vish]

1. Yes, you can use multiple GVs
2. Yes - should not be an issue
3. Anything that can be posted to room can be paid using those GVs
4. No
5. Yes
6. Enjoy

Thanks Sumanta ji

 

[gauravbaha]

you need to book best available rate on Taj site, AFAIK discounted price is not allowed with Amex vouchers

 

[theglobalinvestor]

Thanks for posting this. I was about to start a similar discussion. Planning to utilise my 45k platinum vouchers soon.

From what I understand....
1. Book best available rate on taj website.
2. Inform voucher usage at checkin
3. Pay using vouchers at checkout

 

[anirban.choudhury]

Just for information

Are this vouchers only redeemable in Taj hotels in India ?

 

[theglobalinvestor]

Yes according to the terms only in India.

 

[bulldozer]

I had similar queries. So, how should one book? online or over the phone? If online, I assume there should be a way available to pay by multiple vouchers

 

[kkk]

I had similar queries. So, how should one book? online or over the phone? If online, I assume there should be a way available to pay by multiple vouchers

Following. I too have to redeem 40k Taj voucher.

 

[yashbhavnani]

I got my Amex platinum travel card in 2020. And have reached the 4L milestone in 2020, 21 and 22. In between Amex had some monthly spend based offers on my wife's Gold charge card which we scrubbed. So I've 50k worth of Taj vouchers. I've not used the vouchers before so wanted to ask if there were any hidden terms and conditions and how I can go about the booking?

For example, if I want to use the vouchers for a 3 night stay in Taj Mahal Palace, New Delhi

1. Can I use multiple vouchers for stay of multiple nights?
2. Few vouchers on my card and few on my wife's card. Is that fine?
3. Anything apart from stay is covered with these vouchers?
4. Are there any minimum charges we need to bear like GST etc we need to bear?
5. Should I inform the hotel that I'll pay using vouchers upfront?
6. Anything else I should know of based on your experiences.

Please share your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

Hi,
As someone who has redeemed a lot of taj vouchers.
I can answer this for you point by point :
1) Yes, you can use n number of vouchers to settle your bill. For instance I had used around (20 vouchers) vouchers at Taj exotica Goa in one invoice.
2) That won’t be a problem.
3) You can settle the final invoice by the vouchers ie Room rent plus All F & B, spa and miscellaneous charges can be settled via vouchers.
4) No, these are no nonsense vouchers. Just keep in mind that you have to stay at a taj property to redeem them ie you can’t go and redeem them for just a dinner or a spa. Else these vouchers work like a charm. So, if your invoice is say 50k and you have 45k vouchers then you have to pay 5k out of your pocket through your preferred method.
5) Optional, you can inform or ignore. It’s better to inform while making a reservation.
6) Yes, Some pro tips are as follows:
1) These vouchers are redeemable against all public rates only. So, when informing the Taj hotels about the vouchers at the time of reserving a discounted price, you will be told that the Amex vouchers won’t be accepted but don’t be disheartened. I for one have redeemed vouchers even when the reservation was made at a flat 50%off for gold and platinum taj members. It varies from property to property some will say no to vouchers at the time of check out some will accept it without even flinching. Like taj lake palace Udaipur didn’t accept the vouchers but Rambagh palace Jaipur did. Taj SeleQtions Chikmagalur didn’t accept the vouchers but Umaid Bhawan palace did. Most of the taj properties are very welcoming and accept the vouchers but some are very strict (these that don’t are usually the ones where the property owners have a seat at the table ie the owner of the property is a part of the management)
2) Also, a tip to save some time at checkout, I usually call the front desk an hour before the check out and ask them for their email. I then forward the vouchers to them and ask them to keep the invoice ready. That way the billing usually takes 10 mins max instead of a good 30-40 mins which could become an issue if you have a flight to catch.

Hope this helps

 

[yashbhavnani]

Just for information

Are this vouchers only redeemable in Taj hotels in India ?

Yes

 

[theglobalinvestor]

Hi,
As someone who has redeemed close to a lot of taj vouchers (4L+).
I can answer this for you point by point :
1) Yes, you can use n number of vouchers to settle your bill. For instance I had used around 2L (20 vouchers) vouchers at Taj exotica Goa in one invoice.
2) That won’t be a problem.
3) You can settle the final invoice by the vouchers ie Room rent plus All F & B, spa and miscellaneous charges can be settled via vouchers.
4) No, these are no nonsense vouchers. Just keep in mind that you have to stay at a taj property to redeem them ie you can’t go and redeem them for just a dinner or a spa. Else these vouchers work like a charm. So, if your invoice is say 50k and you have 45k vouchers then you have to pay 5k out of your pocket through your preferred method.
5) Optional, you can inform or ignore. It’s better to inform while making a reservation.
6) Yes, Some pro tips are as follows:
1) These vouchers are redeemable against all public rates only. So, when informing the Taj hotels about the vouchers at the time of reserving a discounted price, you will be told that the Amex vouchers won’t be accepted but don’t be disheartened. I for one have redeemed vouchers even when the reservation was made at a flat 50%off for gold and platinum taj members. It varies from property to property some will say no to vouchers at the time of check out some will accept it without even flinching. Like taj lake palace Udaipur didn’t accept the vouchers but Rambagh palace Jaipur did. Taj SeleQtions Chikmagalur didn’t accept the vouchers but Umaid Bhawan palace did. Most of the taj properties are very welcoming and accept the vouchers but some are very strict (these that don’t are usually the ones where the property owners have a seat at the table ie the owner of the property is a part of the management)
2) Also, a tip to save some time at checkout, I usually call the front desk an hour before the check out and ask them for their email. I then forward the vouchers to them and ask them to keep the invoice ready. That way the billing usually takes 10 mins max instead of a good 30-40 mins which could become an issue if you have a flight to catch.

Hope this helps

Thank you for the detailed information. One additional clarification, can they be used for multiple rooms? If you're traveling with family and have 2-4 rooms booked?

 

[yashbhavnani]

Thank you for the detailed information. One additional clarification, can they be used for multiple rooms? If you're traveling with family and have 2-4 rooms booked?

Yes, the invoice should be in one person’s name.

 

[loveshah]

Hi,
As someone who has redeemed close to a lot of taj vouchers (4L+).
I can answer this for you point by point :
1) Yes, you can use n number of vouchers to settle your bill. For instance I had used around 2L (20 vouchers) vouchers at Taj exotica Goa in one invoice.
2) That won’t be a problem.
3) You can settle the final invoice by the vouchers ie Room rent plus All F & B, spa and miscellaneous charges can be settled via vouchers.
4) No, these are no nonsense vouchers. Just keep in mind that you have to stay at a taj property to redeem them ie you can’t go and redeem them for just a dinner or a spa. Else these vouchers work like a charm. So, if your invoice is say 50k and you have 45k vouchers then you have to pay 5k out of your pocket through your preferred method.
5) Optional, you can inform or ignore. It’s better to inform while making a reservation.
6) Yes, Some pro tips are as follows:
1) These vouchers are redeemable against all public rates only. So, when informing the Taj hotels about the vouchers at the time of reserving a discounted price, you will be told that the Amex vouchers won’t be accepted but don’t be disheartened. I for one have redeemed vouchers even when the reservation was made at a flat 50%off for gold and platinum taj members. It varies from property to property some will say no to vouchers at the time of check out some will accept it without even flinching. Like taj lake palace Udaipur didn’t accept the vouchers but Rambagh palace Jaipur did. Taj SeleQtions Chikmagalur didn’t accept the vouchers but Umaid Bhawan palace did. Most of the taj properties are very welcoming and accept the vouchers but some are very strict (these that don’t are usually the ones where the property owners have a seat at the table ie the owner of the property is a part of the management)
2) Also, a tip to save some time at checkout, I usually call the front desk an hour before the check out and ask them for their email. I then forward the vouchers to them and ask them to keep the invoice ready. That way the billing usually takes 10 mins max instead of a good 30-40 mins which could become an issue if you have a flight to catch.

Hope this helps

Good Information Yash. One another thing, can Amex vouchers be used in conjunction with Taj Epicure vouchers?

 

[yashbhavnani]

Good Information Yash. One another thing, can Amex vouchers be used in conjunction with Taj Epicure vouchers?

Glad you brought this up. I have actually maximised my experience at many Taj properties by combining benefits of taj epicure, taj gold membership, Neu coins and Amex vouchers and sometimes even through Amex platinum travel and lifestyle concierge. So yes go ahead and try to extract maximum value of the benefits available to pay as little as you can for a grand experience.

I think I ll write a separate post soon on how I had minimised the invoice value at Umaid Bhawan palace Jodhpur for a 3 nights stay from 1.54 lacs to just 24k using a combination of Amex vouchers, platinum travel and lifestyle concierge and taj gold membership.

 

[yashbhavnani]

So

Glad you brought this up. I have actually maximised my experience at many Taj properties by combining benefits of taj epicure, taj gold membership, Neu coins and Amex vouchers and sometimes even through Amex platinum travel and lifestyle concierge. So yes go ahead and try to extract maximum value of the benefits available to pay as little as you can for a grand experience.

I think I ll write separate post soon on how I had minimised the invoice value at Umaid Bhawan palace Jodhpur for a 3 nights stay from 1.54 lacs to just 24k using a combination of Amex vouchers, platinum travel and lifestyle concierge and taj gold membership.

Good Information Yash. One another thing, can Amex vouchers be used in conjunction with Taj Epicure vouchers?

So, specific to epicure, what I personally do is this; at check in I give them my epicure card and tell them to apply the respective discounts. They take a picture of the card and make a note on their system for discounting all the future invoices be it room service, restaurant or bar charges and spa services without having to provide the epicure number on each occasion. So you can try this to save some time at the final invoicing during checkout.

 

[thedator]

Glad you brought this up. I have actually maximised my experience at many Taj properties by combining benefits of taj epicure, taj gold membership, Neu coins and Amex vouchers and sometimes even through Amex platinum travel and lifestyle concierge. So yes go ahead and try to extract maximum value of the benefits available to pay as little as you can for a grand experience.

I think I ll write a separate post soon on how I had minimised the invoice value at Umaid Bhawan palace Jodhpur for a 3 nights stay from 1.54 lacs to just 24k using a combination of Amex vouchers, platinum travel and lifestyle concierge and taj gold membership.

Please do tag me if you end up writing this!

 

[theglobalinvestor]

Had a follow up...are these vouchers valid at all Taj properties in India? Or any exclusions like their palace properties or newly opened resorts, etc? And any blackout dates etc?

 

[yashbhavnani]

Had a follow up...are these vouchers valid at all Taj properties in India? Or any exclusions like their palace properties or newly opened resorts, etc? And any blackout dates etc?

Yes valid across all Taj properties. No exclusions. No blackout dates - please treat these vouchers as currency. Basically, you are just making a payment through these vouchers.

 

[theglobalinvestor]

Can you book the taj innercircle member rate if you are a member and use these vouchers?