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I maintain Marriott Bonvoy® Titanium Elite Status, and I’m always looking for ways to maximize my status. Luckily, a new perk has just made top-tier Bonvoy elite status much more rewarding.
Marriott Bonvoy and Japan Airlines have enhanced their preferred partnership, giving select elites the opportunity to register for Fly ON Points — how JAL determines elite status. And since JAL is a member of the Oneworld alliance, JAL status comes with Oneworld benefits.
Here's exactly how Marriott elites can leverage their hotel status into Oneworld elite status.
How To Earn Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status
Before you can earn Oneworld elite status through this partnership, you need Marriott Bonvoy elite status. Here's how many elite night credits you'll need to reach each tier:
- Marriott Bonvoy® Silver Elite Status: 10 nights
- Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite Status: 25 nights
- Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status: 50 nights
- Marriott Bonvoy® Titanium Elite Status: 75 nights
- Marriott Bonvoy® Ambassador Elite Status: 100 nights and $23,000 in spending
One way to reduce the number of nights you need to spend at a hotel is by combining Marriott personal and business
Similarly, select cards come with complimentary elite status. Although you can't receive Titanium or Ambassador elite status as a complimentary card benefit, you can earn up to Platinum status:
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card: Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card: Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status.
- American Express Platinum Card®: Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
$650
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- 6X points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®
- 3X points for every $1 spent on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases annually on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
$895
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
Related: Current Marriott Credit Card Offers
How To Leverage Marriott Status Into Complimentary Oneworld Status
Thanks to this new partnership, Marriott elites receive JAL Fly ON points — how JAL determines elite status — each year after linking their Marriott Bonvoy and Japan Airlines Mileage Bank accounts.
Here's how many points you'll earn based on your Marriott status:
| Marriott Bonvoy membership tier | JAL Mileage Bank Benefit |
|---|---|
| Member | 2,000 FLY ON Points each year |
| Silver Elite | 5,000 FLY ON Points each year |
| Gold Elite | 10,000 FLY ON Points each year |
| Platinum Elite | 20,000 FLY ON Points each year |
| Titanium Elite | 30,000 FLY ON Points each year |
| Ambassador Elite | 40,000 FLY ON Points each year |
And here's how many Fly ON points you need to reach each tier of JAL elite status:
- JMB Crystal (Oneworld Ruby): 30,000 Fly ON points
- JMB Sapphire (Oneworld Sapphire): 50,000 Fly ON points
- JGC Premier (Oneworld Emerald): 80,000 Fly ON points
- JMB Diamond (Oneworld Emerald): 100,000 Fly ON points
- JMB Diamond Metal (Oneworld Emerald): 150,000 Fly ON points
As you can see, Titanium and Ambassador elites earn enough Fly ON points each year for entry-level JAL Crystal status. This level of status will provide modest perks like priority check-in and equates to Oneworld Ruby status.
With Oneworld Ruby, you'll receive perks like priority check-in and priority waitlists. However, it does not include lounge access, which is reserved for Oneworld Sapphire members and above. Oneworld Ruby status is modest, but I’ll never turn down a complimentary airline status.
Since Marriott Titanium and Ambassador members receive 30,000 and 40,000 FLY ON points, respectively, you'll need additional qualifying activity to reach JMB Sapphire and above (and Oneworld Sapphire and above). However, this partnership gets you much closer to Oneworld Emerald. If you fly Japan Airlines a few times each year, you could easily earn the remaining points necessary.
JAL joins several other airlines, including Air Canada and United, that offer top Marriott Bonvoy elites an opportunity to receive airline elite status.
How to link your Marriott and JAL accounts
Linking your Marriott and JAL accounts is easy.
First, create a JAL Mileage account. Once you have an account, go to the Marriott and JAL landing page. There, select “Link Accounts” and sign in to your Marriott Bonvoy and JAL Mileage Bank accounts to link them.
Once your accounts are linked, it can take up to 6 weeks for the status change to appear on JAL. However, my status was updated in less than 24 hours.
Bottom Line
If you're a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium or Ambassador elite, you can snag complimentary Oneworld status by linking your Bonvoy account with your JAL Mileage Bank account. And if you are a Marriott Bonvoy Silver, Gold, or Platinum elite, you can earn some status qualifying points without ever stepping on a Japan Airlines plane.
While JAL status is likely something I won't use much, the complimentary Oneworld Ruby status is a nice perk for top-tier Bonvoy elites that will get me some modest benefits when I'm flying on Oneworld airlines.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
