Marriott Bonvoy Guide

8/13/2024

When it comes to loyalty programs, Marriott Bonvoy stands out for its extensive hotel portfolio, with over 7,000 hotels spanning 139 countries. Marriott gives its members the widest range of options, for every budget and location. We'll help you understand the status levels, maximize the perks, and provide some hacks for gaining both status and rewards points.

The first two levels of Marriott Bonvoy are easy to achieve but aren't very useful, besides maybe a dedicated check-in line and free enhanced internet. You'll see the main benefits at Platinum Elite and higher, where you unlock free breakfast, lounge access, and room upgrades. Status especially shines in hotels outside of the US, where there are fewer Bonvoy members with status. Here's a summary of the status levels:

Status Level	Benefits	How to Achieve
Silver Elite	- 10% bonus points on stays	10 nights or co-branded credit card
Gold Elite	- 25% bonus points on stays - Room Upgrades (excluding suites) - Enhanced Internet Access - 2 PM Late Checkout	25 nights or co-branded credit card
Platinum Elite	- 50% bonus points on stays - Room Upgrades (including suites) - Access to Lounges (select hotels) - 4 PM Late Checkout (excluding resorts)	50 nights or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant credit card
Titanium Elite	- 75% bonus points on stays - United Silver Status	75 nights
Ambassador Elite	- 75% bonus points on stays - Ambassador Service	100 nights and $23,000 qualifying spend

Status Shortcuts

There are a plethora of credit cards with Chase and American Express that give you status just for holding the card. American Express Platinum card holders, for example, all get Gold Elite status. These cards all come with their own set of bonuses and perks.

The highest status you can achieve with a co-branded card is Platinum Elite with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. This card has a 95k point sign up bonus and annual benefits, including $300 in dining credit, 1 free night award (up to 85k points), and $100 in property credit at St. Regis and Ritz Carlton hotels.

Road to Titanium Elite

If you're set on maximizing your benefits with Titanium Elite, you can get there with a combination of credit cards and stays.

Most of the co-branded credit cards come with elite credit nights that count towards status. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant gives you 25 Elite Night Credits. Unfortunately, these credits won't stack between personal credit cards. However, you are able to stack the nights of one personal and one business credit card. The 25 nights from the personal Bonvoy Brilliant card are stackable with the 15 nights from the Marriott Bonvoy Business card. This gives you 40 nights towards Titanium Elite.

To get the rest of the nights to Titanium, you'll be able to take advantage of your Platinum Elite Status during your travels. Marriott regularly runs promotions that allow you to get additional Elite Night Credits.

If you'd like to get the status without ever setting foot in a hotel, then the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card allows you to get 1 Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 spent on the card.

Card Combo

Breakfast and Lounge Access

Once you get to Platinum Elite, you unlock breakfast, welcome gifts, and lounge access. However, these benefits are notoriously overcomplicated. Some hotels don't have lounges. Some hotels don't offer free breakfast. Different brands and even resort hotels within brands or in different countries may have different benefits. Here's a table to try and make it simpler:

Brand	Breakfast Benefit	Welcome Gift	Lounge Access
AC Hotels	Food and beverage credit as a welcome amenity option.	$10 daily F&B credit for member and a companion.
Aloft	Breakfast as a welcome amenity option.
Autograph Collection	Varies by hotel.	1,000 points per stay or $10 F&B credit per stay (US, Canada, Europe)	Yes, excluding resorts. If closed, continental breakfast or 750 points/night is offered.
Courtyard	Varies by hotel.	500 points per stay or daily $10 F&B credit for member and a companion (US, Canada, Europe)	Outside US and Canada. If closed, restaurant breakfast for member and companion is offered.
Delta Hotels	Varies by hotel.	1,000 points per stay or F&B amenity per stay (US, Canada, Europe)	Yes, excluding resorts. If closed, continental breakfast or 750 points/night is offered.
Design Hotels	None.
Edition	None.
Element	Included for all guests.	500 points per stay or amenity.	$25.
Fairfield	Included for all guests (except in Asia Pacific).	500 points per stay or F&B amenity.
Four Points	Breakfast as a welcome amenity option.	500 points per stay, amenity or daily restaurant breakfast for the member and a companion.	$50 at Four Points.
Gaylord	Food and beverage credit as a welcome amenity option.	1,000 points per stay or $10 F&B credit per stay.	$100.
JW Marriott	Varies by hotel.	1,000 points per stay or $10 F&B credit per stay (US, Canada, Europe)	Yes, excluding resorts. If closed, continental breakfast or 750 points/night is offered.
Le Meridien	Breakfast as a welcome amenity option.	1,000 points per stay, amenity or daily restaurant breakfast for member and one companion (including at resorts).	Yes. If closed, no alternative is offered.
Luxury Collection	Breakfast as a welcome amenity option.	1,000 points per stay, amenity or daily restaurant breakfast for member and one companion (including at resorts).	$100.
Marriott	Varies by hotel.	1,000 points per stay or F&B amenity per stay (US, Canada, Europe)	Yes, excluding resorts. If closed, continental breakfast or 750 points/night is offered.
Marriott Vacation Club	None.
Marriott Grand Residence Club	None.
Moxy	Food and beverage credit as a welcome amenity option.	500 points per stay, F&B amenity per stay or daily $10 F&B credit.	$50 at Moxy hotels.
Protea	Breakfast as a welcome amenity option.	500 points per stay or daily restaurant breakfast for the member and a companion.	$50.
Renaissance	Varies by hotel.	1,000 points per stay or F&B amenity per stay.	Yes, excluding resorts. If closed, continental breakfast or 750 points/night is offered.
Residence Inn	Included for all.	500 points per stay or F&B amenity.
Ritz-Carlton	None.
Sheraton	Breakfast as a welcome amenity option.	1,000 points per stay, amenity or daily restaurant breakfast for member and one companion (including at resorts).	Yes. If closed, no alternative is offered.
SpringHill Suites	Included for all guests.	500 points per stay or amenity.
St. Regis	None.
TownPlace Suites	Included for all guests.	500 points per stay or amenity.
Tribute Portfolio	Varies by hotel.	1,000 points per stay or F&B amenity per stay.	Yes, excluding resorts. If closed, continental breakfast or 750 points/night is offered.
Westin	Breakfast as a welcome amenity option.	1,000 points per stay, amenity or daily restaurant breakfast for member and one companion (including at resorts).	Yes. If closed, no alternative is offered.
W	Breakfast as a welcome amenity option.	500 points per stay, F&B amenity per stay or daily $10 F&B credit.	Yes. If closed, no alternative is offered.

Earning Points

Travel

With your Marriott status, you'll get anywhere between 10x and 17.5x points per dollar spent at Marriott properties. If you use a Marriott credit card, you can add up to another 6x points. With each point worth about 0.8 cents on average, you're looking at a return of 8% to 18% on your spending.

Marriott has its own set of travel websites beyond hotels. These include Marriott Vacations where you can earn points on vacation packages, Marriott Homes and Villas where you can earn points on vacation rentals, and Marriott Tour and Activities where you can earn ~5x points on tours, activities, and rentals.

Dining

You can also gain points through Marriott's Eat Around Town program, where you can earn 6x points per dollar spent at participating restaurants as an elite member. It is 4x for non-elite members.

Points

Marriott Bonvoy has a large network of airline partners. You can transfer your points both to and from airlines partners - usually at a 3:1 ratio when transferring to an airline and a 1:1 ratio when transferring to Marriott. United Airlines has a bonus of 10,000 miles for every 60,000 points transferred from Marriott.

While Marriott does not have a shopping extension like airlines typically do, you are able to use Rakuten to earn American Express MR points, which can be transferred to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio. There are often points transfer bonuses to improve the transfer ratio.

Finally, there are a plethora of credit cards that either earn Marriott points or can transfer points to Marriott. See our credit cards page for more:

See Offers

Other Tips

Get the 5th Night Free

Booking stays of 5 nights or longer gives you the best value for your points. The 5th night of your stay is automatically free, even if you're only redeeming points. If you are staying for longer, it is often better to break up your booking into 5-night increments to take advantage of this offer.

Avoid Peak Travel Dates

Because of the new dynamic pricing, booking a Marriott stay during peak season can dramatically reduce the value of your points. If your plans are flexible, try to find dates that are during the offseason. You can often book the same hotel for fewer points and get better service.

Look for Points + Cash Deals

You can sometimes find better value in the Points + Cash deals on Marriott's website. These deals allow you to book a room for fewer points by paying a small amount of cash. If you want to stretch your points, this can be a good option.

Using Free Night Awards

If you've signed up for any of the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, you probably have some free night awards in your account. These are certificates for a free stay in any hotel that charges up to a certain number of points. Marriott offers these free nights to entice customers, but it can be tricky to get the best value. Here are a few tips:

1. Check Point Redemption Rates Regularly: Marriott's dynamic pricing means the point redemption rate changes often. Even if you don't plan to book right away, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the rates. You might find a good deal when the rate drops.

2. Use Them During Peak Travel: Free Night Awards don't change with Marriott's dynamic pricing. During peak seasons, the rate of points to dollars is often not worth it, and you get better value from using a Free Night Award.

3. Book Internationally: The free night certificates have a point cap, so staying at hotels in cheaper markets can stretch the value of your award. For example, you could book a stay in Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe for a higher-end hotel that would normally cost a lot more in points.

4. Combine Free Night Awards with Points: You can top off a Free Night Award with points if the hotel charges more than the certificate's value. This can make your stay even cheaper.

5. Remember Expiration Dates: Free Night Awards usually expire one year after issuance. You can request an extension, but Marriott is not obligated to grant it.