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You can now earn up to 30 elite nights per year with Marriott credit cards

March 31, 2020
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5 min read
Westin Maldives
You can now earn up to 30 elite nights per year with Marriott credit cards
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Editor's Note

Some Marriott credit cards were overhauled in 2022, so you can now earn up to 40 elite nights per year. Please visit <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/heres-why-you-need-both-a-personal-and-business-marriott-bonvoy-credit-card/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this link</a> for more details.

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

One of the hallmarks of Marriott's cobranded credit cards is the set of 15 elite night credits you'd earn every year you have one of the cards. This can provide a large boost toward Bonvoy elite status qualification, essentially lowering the requirements for Platinum status to just 35 actual nights. In recent history, this has been limited to 15 elite nights per member, regardless of how many Marriott cards you have. However, it appears that this has now changed.

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This morning, I logged into my Marriott account and was surprised to see my elite-night balance had jumped significantly overnight. It was at 21 nights earned for the year as of yesterday, but now the total stands at 36 nights. Intrigued, I dove into my account details and noticed that I now had 30 elite nights from credit cards.

When I dug a bit deeper to try and ascertain whether this was an error or a legitimate positive change, I stumbled upon some interesting language on the application pages for Marriott cards.

Here's the verbiage from the benefit details section for the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (emphasis mine):



15 Elite Night Credits

The 15 Elite Night Credits will be credited to your Marriott Bonvoy™ Member Account within 60 days upon opening your Card Account. On or before March 1 of each subsequent calendar year, the 15 Elite Night Credits will be credited to your Marriott Bonvoy Member Account operated by Marriott International, Inc., in accordance with Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions, as long as your Card Account is open as of December 31 of the prior calendar year.
To be eligible to receive the 15 Elite Night Credits with this Card, you must be the Basic Card Member, and you must have an active Marriott Bonvoy Member Account linked to your Card Account. A maximum of 15 Elite Night Credits will be provided per Marriott Bonvoy Member Account, unless you have both a small business Marriott Bonvoy Card account and a consumer Marriott Bonvoy Card account; then, you may receive a combined maximum of 30 Elite Night Credits (15 per Card account). This benefit is not exclusive to Credit Cards offered by American Express. (Terms apply)

Since I currently have both the Bonvoy Business Amex and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, I clearly fall into this category of having one small business and one consumer Marriott card.

Related: Which Marriott credit card is right for you

A quick survey of TPG colleagues indicates that I'm not the only one to now have 30 elite nights; Editor-at-Large Zach Honig saw the same thing in his account, as did Senior Contributor Ethan Steinberg. However, it appears that it's specific to holding a business and personal card (as opposed to two or more Marriott cards). TPG Director of Travel Content Summer Hull has two Marriott small business credit cards (one from Chase and one from Amex) and reports that she's still at 15 elite nights from credit cards.

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I reached out to Marriott, and a spokesperson confirmed that this is a new policy as of today:



Starting today, anyone who has a Marriott Bonvoy small business credit card, and a Marriott Bonvoy consumer credit card is eligible to receive a maximum of 30 elite night credits per year. That means that if someone has [for example] the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Amex business card they will get 30 elite night credits and only need twenty more nights to achieve Platinum for the following year.

This is a terrific change and makes it a lot easier to justify keeping both a personal and business card since you'll then just be 20 nights away from the 50 required annually to unlock valuable Platinum Marriott status which can convey Suite Night Awards, breakfast benefits and more. The annual 35k or 50k free-night certificates provided with the various co-branded Marriott cards offer solid value each year, but being able to snag a total of 30 elite night credits is a great new perk.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.