See How Many Points You'll Earn for Upgrading Your Marriott Credit Card
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
While existing Marriott credit cardholders may not be eligible to sign up for the new Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card, Chase is offering an incentive for current customers to upgrade to the new product, instead — in the form of a targeted bonus. My offer was for 20,000 bonus points if I upgrade and make a purchase by December 31, 2018 — you can check your own bonus here.
Chase outlines the advantages of upgrading — for most cardholders, the benefits are clear.
However, there is one notable legacy perk that existing cardholders are eligible for now — the ability to earn 1 credit toward elite status after every $3,000 in spend. You'll lose that benefit if you upgrade to the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card.
Bottom Line
Assuming you haven't been taking advantage of the bonus spend-based elite credits, there's not much reason not to pull the trigger on an upgrade, aside from the $10 jump in annual fee. You'll still earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, plus you'll start off with Silver elite status right off the bat — normally earned only after staying 10 eligible nights at Marriott and/or SPG hotels.
That's not to mention the upgrade incentive — 20,000 points was enough for me, but there's always a chance you've been targeted for even more. You can check your offer here, or sign up for a new Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card account if you don't already have the old card now, and haven't earned a new cardmember bonus for Chase's consumer Marriott card within the past 24 months.
For a look at Marriott cobranded credit cards check here for insights from The Points Guy.