Should You Pursue Marriott Elite Status in 2024?
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Marriott Bonvoy has breadth in its brands. With 30 hotel brands in its portfolio, including Homes & Villas by Marriott International (a home-sharing platform), you can earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy® points at properties that fit nearly every style, budget, travel purpose and interest.
Hotel elite status can pay dividends when you earn it with the program that best fits your travel needs. But, should you pursue elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program? Sure. It comes with perks like late checkout, bonus points on eligible stays and maybe even free breakfast if you play your cards right.
But Marriott Bonvoy is making major changes this year that could sideline your redemption plans. While the program retains strong value, don’t get caught off guard with these mega changes.
Here’s what you should consider when deciding whether to pursue Marriott elite status this year.
» Learn more: The complete guide to Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy vs. competitors
Marriott is the largest hotel program in the world by most metrics, so if you travel regularly, it’s likely you’ll find yourself staying in a Marriott at some point.
And the good news is that Marriott is consistently a solid pick. Relative to other hotel loyalty programs, Marriott Bonvoy ranks just about exactly in the middle.
In NerdWallet’s annual rankings of best hotels and best hotel loyalty programs, Marriott ranked fourth in the best overall hotels category and tied with IHG for fourth place in the best loyalty program category among seven total hotel brands analyzed.
Out of seven hotel brands analyzed, here's a closer look at how Marriott competed across sub-categories:
Tied for fourth in effective rewards rate.
Fourth in terms of elite status program.
Fourth in terms of fewest fees (though best for resort fees specifically).
Third in terms of pet-friendly policies.
» Learn more: Marriott versus Hyatt
Elite status program value
In NerdWallet’s annual analysis of the best hotel elite status programs, we sought to determine how much value the major U.S. hotel loyalty programs deliver to guests. Here's how Marriott Bonvoy did.
Value of benefits | Cost to earn | Elite earning rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
Silver | $12. | $1,460. | 0.8%. |
Gold | $136. | $3,650. | 4%. |
Platinum | $3,350. | $7,300. | 46%. |
Titanium | $5,315. | $10,950. | 49%. |
Ambassador | $7,317. | $20,000. | 37%. |
» Learn more: The best hotel elite status this year
Marriott Bonvoy status levels
Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program can get you perks like free breakfast and room upgrades.
Marriott Bonvoy has five elite status tiers: Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador.
Here’s a summary of the nights and spending requirements for each elite status tier in 2024.
Elite status level | Elite night credits required to earn |
|---|---|
Silver Elite | 10 elite qualifying nights. |
Gold Elite | 25 elite qualifying nights. |
Platinum Elite | 50 elite qualifying nights. |
Titanium Elite | 75 elite qualifying nights. |
Ambassador Elite | 100 elite qualifying nights (plus $23,000 in spend per year). |
» Learn more: The complete guide to Marriott Bonvoy elite levels
Top perks of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program
Enormous global footprint
Marriott is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, with 30 brands and more than 7,000 properties in 131 countries and territories.
Transferable points
With flexible credit card points through programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards® and American Express Membership Rewards, you can turn other points currencies into Marriott points. This can help you meet the points requirements of just about any high-value Bonvoy redemption you have in mind.
Ample opportunity to stretch your points
Marriott Bonvoy runs promotions throughout the year to help members earn points or elite nights more quickly. One of its best ongoing deals, however, is its Stay 5, Pay for 4 offer.
When members redeem points for five consecutive nights, they’ll get the lowest point-value night for free. This can represent substantial points savings and make redemptions cheaper on longer stays.
The Stay 5, Pay for 4 offers even work on stays of 10 nights or 15 nights (any increment of five). For every five nights, you’ll receive the lowest point-value night for free.
Status match with United
Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus have a reciprocal status agreement through a program called RewardsPlus. If you have status in United, Marriott will also award you elite status, or vice versa. This is a great perk for United frequent fliers since they can take advantage of automatic status benefits by linking their accounts. Marriott elite status members can also potentially benefit from automatic United status.
United MileagePlus members receive:
Complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy for MileagePlus Premier Gold members and above. Registration required.
Silver members and above can convert MileagePlus award miles into Marriott Bonvoy points at a 1:1 ratio.
Get a bonus of 10,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points converted into MileagePlus miles.
Marriott Bonvoy members receive:
Complimentary Premier Silver status with United MileagePlus. (Open to Marriott Titanium elite members and above). Registration required.
Get a bonus of 10,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points converted into MileagePlus miles.
» Learn more: The best hotel credit cards right now
Earning Marriott elite status with a credit card
Several Marriott co-branded cards and premium cards provide complimentary Marriott elite status. Terms apply.
Here’s a breakdown of the status that comes with each card:
SILVER STATUS
GOLD STATUS
The Platinum Card® from American Express. Enrollment required.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Enrollment required.
PLATINUM STATUS
Terms apply.
Additionally, it’s possible for cardholders to achieve a higher tier of elite status upon meeting a spending requirement with their card. For example, with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, they'll earn Gold Elite status when they spend $35,000 on purchases each account year.
That’s a hefty spending requirement, so it’s worth thinking about whether you’ll make the most of the elite status benefits before directing all of your spending to the card.
Are Marriott Bonvoy elite status perks worth it?
The higher your elite status tier, the more benefits you earn with Marriott Bonvoy. Still, the value of elite status is different for every traveler. For example, the free breakfast you get with Platinum elite status and higher can be significantly more valuable for a family than for a solo traveler. Even if you travel alone, the free breakfast benefit is worth more if you stay at full-service hotels than if you stay at hotels that already offer free breakfast.
Similarly, the Gold status benefit of 2 p.m. late checkout, or 4 p.m. checkout for Platinum and higher status, is valuable if you tend to stay longer before checking out.
The pandemic has meant that certain elite status benefits have been scaled back or eliminated, but other benefits are slowly returning as many hotels see higher occupancy. This means that more club lounges might be opening, and food and beverage options might be more plentiful. You can check what each hotel currently offers on the Marriott website.
Room upgrades can be subject to availability and occupancy, and Marriott Bonvoy only upgrades guests to select suite categories. To avoid disappointment, ask the specific hotel about your options before booking.
Keep in mind redemption rates are set through dynamic pricing, which means that the number of points you need to book a room will be based on time of year and occupancy.
» Learn more: The best hotel elite status programs
The bottom line
It’s worth it to pursue elite status with Marriott Bonvoy in 2024 by booking hotel stays that help you meet the requirements for each tier. For example, you have to stay 50 qualifying nights to earn Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite status.
Signing up for a hotel credit card could make it easier to unlock elite status if you're starting from scratch. If you travel a lot, it always makes sense to be loyal to one hotel brand so that you achieve the highest elite status possible.
Even though Marriott Bonvoy is eliminating award charts, there is no competing with its sheer size and variety. Having elite status can make your hotel stays that much more enjoyable.
To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page. To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, see this page.
Information related to the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
