Marriott to discontinue Points Advance at the end of March, will honor existing bookings

Marriott Bonvoy is retiring Points Advance, its customer-friendly booking option that allows you to reserve a room when you don't have enough points. Historically, this has been a great way to lock in rooms at high-demand properties.

Marriott's website states, "Due to varying factors such as low demand, we are no longer offering Points Advance Reservations."

Over the last couple of years, Marriott devalued this booking option. Bonvoy members used to be able to select Points Advance if they had enough points for the stay but simply wanted to pay later — that loophole ended in 2019.

Later that year, Marriott launched peak and off-peak pricing, meaning Points Advance reservations only locked in the room instead of the room and the rate.

And in 2021, Marriott added another requirement — you must earn the required points within 60 days of making a Points Advance reservation or 14 days before arrival, whichever comes first.

Starting March 28, the Bethesda-based megachain is doing away with Points Advance completely. Here's what you need to know.

You can book a Points Advance reservation until March 27

Points Advance is going away on March 28. Marriott will honor all existing Points Advance reservations, and you can still book Points Advance reservations until March 27. A member can hold a maximum of three Points Advance reservations simultaneously. Reservations must be made at least 30 days before arrival, and Marriott will hold rooms for up to 60 days from booking or 14 days before arrival, whichever comes first.

The Marriott website gives two examples of what this could mean in practice:

Example 1: You make a Points Advance Reservation on February 15, 2023 with an arrival date of July 15, 2023. If there are insufficient Marriott Bonvoy® Points in the Account for the Stay on April 15, 2023, the Reservation will be cancelled at that time.

Example 2: You make a Points Advance Reservation on February 15, 2023 with an arrival date of April 1, 2023. If there are insufficient Marriott Bonvoy® Points in the Account for the Stay on March 18, 2023, the Reservation will be cancelled at that time.

Note, with Points Advance, the number of points can fluctuate between the time you make your reservation and redeem points. You won't know exactly how many points your reservation will cost until you pay.

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Related: What is Marriott Bonvoy elite status worth in 2023?

Bottom line

By cracking down on Points Advance reservations in the last couple of years, it's no surprise that Marriott saw a decrease in customer demand. After March 28, you'll need to have enough points in your account to book an award stay.

Remember, you have until March 27 to make a Points Advance reservation.