Want to start your day in Europe off with a free breakfast? Marriott and Visa have you covered. Over 250 hotels in Europe are participating in the promotion, which gives you free breakfast for two when you pay with your Visa card. Marriott’s site indicates that it has 341 hotels in Europe, so a high percentage are available.

Terms Of The Offer

For the most part, limited T&C. It’s good for stays through September 11 and applies seven days per week. You’ll get two free breakfasts per room, so plan to pay for the kids if they also want to eat (Hint: They do.). And you must use the promo code C9E when you make the reservation. You can even use the Marriott Rewards Exclusive Member Rates for the promotion. Seems like a great way to take advantage of a strong exchange rate, right?

The Catch

There’s always at least one catch and, in the case of this promotion, it’s a pretty big one. Look at that third bullet point. Bookings are not changeable and not refundable after 24 hours. That, at least to me, is a non-starter. If I’m going to be traveling, I want as much flexibility with my hotel as possible. Forcing me to prepay the stay just to save on breakfast is not worth it to me and, I would imagine, not worth it to most readers. And if your elite status entitles you to lounge access, you may not even need this promotion.

The Bottom Line

More promotions, rather than fewer promotions, is a good thing. But if you are going to take advantage of an offer, be sure to read the entire list of terms and conditions, because they may sneak in something that is a deal killer.

On the other hand, if you know that you must have a hotel on a certain date and are willing to prepay, this promotion takes care of one of your meals each day.