Marriott Bonvoy extends expiration of free-night certificates and points through Aug. 1, 2021
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
With the coronavirus pandemic lasting longer than expected, airlines and hotels have begun announcing second rounds of extensions to loyalty benefits.
Earlier this month, Hyatt became the first major hotel chain to extend loyalty perks again.
And now, Marriott's following suit with a second round of extensions. Here's everything you need to know.
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Marriott extending free night awards
At the onset of the pandemic, Marriott announced that it would be extending any free-night certificates originally set to expire in 2020 through Jan. 31, 2021. That's now been extended through Aug. 1, 2021. Additionally, more recently-issued certificates set to expire before July 31, 2021 will be extended through that date as well. However, certificates with an original expiration date prior to 2020 are not eligible for the additional extension.
This extension applies to certificates earned through Marriott's cobranded cards, annual choice benefits and other promotions. For a limited time, you can earn five free nights (up to 50,000 points per night) by signing up for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and spending $5,000 in the first three months.
Keep in mind, Aug. 1 is your travel-by date, not your book by date. In addition, this change is effective Dec. 11, 2020 — meaning that it'll be several weeks until you see these new expiration dates reflected in your Bonvoy account.
If you're a Platinum or Titanium elite, remember that Marriott previously also extended Suite Night Awards through Dec. 31, 2021.
Related: 5 ways to maximize free hotel night rewards in the new era of COVID-19
Marriott extending point expiration
Marriott has previously announced that point expiration had been paused through Feb. 2021. That window has now been extended until Aug. 1 as well. This is great news for those with inactive accounts and no plans to earn or redeem points to extend their validity in the near future. Marriott points normally expire after 24 months of inactivity.
Related: How to keep your points and miles from expiring
Bottom line
It's nice to see that a second wave of extensions to loyalty benefits has begun while coronavirus remains a threat. While any current Marriott elite status has been extended through Feb. 2022, like Hyatt, Marriott hasn't announced any changes to earning status in 2021 for the 2022 program year yet.
And with cases still on the rise in many countries around the world, it's likely that this isn't the last update we'll see in the weeks and months to come.