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Offers for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card, Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Plus Business Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Premier Credit Card are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
Marriott Free Night Award certificates are one of the best perks you can earn from Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and elite status. But since Marriott moved to dynamic pricing in 2022, these certificates became harder to redeem — often falling short of covering a full night's stay. Fortunately, Marriott now allows you to “top off” your certificate with up to 15,000 points, giving you far more flexibility.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to earn Marriott Free Night Award certificates, how to use the top-off feature, and how to get the most value when booking.
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How to Earn Marriott Free Night Award Certificates
The simplest way to earn a Free Night Award is to hold a co-branded Marriott Bonvoy credit card. American Express and Chase offer a handful of co-branded Marriott cards with an anniversary Free Night Award.
Chase-issued Marriott credit cards
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Receive a Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points on each account anniversary.
- The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card (no longer open to new applicants, but available via product change): Receive a Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 points on each account anniversary.
- Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Plus Business Credit Card (no longer open to new applicants): Receive a Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points on each account anniversary. Earn an additional Free Night Award (also worth up to 35,000 points) after spending $60,000 on purchases in a calendar year.
- Earn 6X Bonvoy points per $1 spent participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining, and 2X points per $1 on all other purchases
- Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy® points for every $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on gas stations, grocery stores, and dining
- Earn 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Amex-issued Marriott credit cards
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Receive a Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 points.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Receive a Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points. Earn an additional Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points after spending $60,000 in a calendar year.
- Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card (no longer open to new applicants): Receive a Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points.
- Earn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when the stay is booked with a Qualifying Rate at hotels that participate in Marriott Bonvoy, subject to availability upon check-in.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Brilliant Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy® Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- Enroll in Priority Pass Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection*, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. *Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 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
Additionally, cardholders of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees) and Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card will receive a Free Night Award worth up to 50,000 points when they spend $15,000 in a calendar year.
Finally, Marriott Titanium Elite members can choose a Free Night Award as their annual choice benefit. This certificate is worth up to 40,000 points.
Related: Credit Cards That Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points
How to Top Off a Marriott Free Night Certificate With Points
Using your certificate and topping it off with points is pretty straightforward. First, log in to your Marriott account. Next, search for a hotel stay on Marriott's website. Be sure to select the “Use Points/Certificates” option before you search.
When looking at your options, it is essential to pay attention to the points required per night. They must be no more than 15,000 points above your certificate amount. For example, if you have a certificate worth up to 35,000 points, you can look at properties that cost up to 50,000 points per night but no more.
Next, choose the property you'd like to stay at, select the room type, and select the “Redemption” option when choosing a rate.
When it's time to pay, you can check the box to redeem your certificate. The system will automatically show the points needed to top off the award.
Related: How To Use Marriott Boundless Free Night Certificates
Marriott Free Night Award and Top-Off Limitations
Redeeming a Marriott Free Night Award is easy enough, but there are some limitations.
Top-off limited to 15,000 points
First, as we've already discussed, you can use up to 15,000 points to top off an award. While it's great that Marriott allows this, it's still more restrictive than other programs.
For example, Hilton's Free Night Rewards have no maximum value, making it possible to book ultra-luxury properties using a certificate. Similarly, IHG offers Free Night Certificates worth 40,000 points and allows unlimited topping off, meaning you can use a combination of certificates and points to book incredible properties.
Related: Best Marriott Points Redemptions for Luxury Stays
Certificates expire in one year
Marriott Free Night Award certificates expire one year from the date they're issued. Unfortunately, you must book and check in for your stay by the certificate's expiration date.
It's important to have a plan for your certificate so it doesn't expire before you redeem it. Need help keeping track of expiration dates? AwardWallet can track your free nights and warn you when the expiry date is approaching.
Related: Do Marriott Points Expire?
Not combinable with the fifth night free perk
You cannot combine a Free Night Award with the Marriott fifth night free perk. However, you can add a sixth night to your stay and use your Free Night Award for that night. Thus, you'd pay points for four nights while staying six nights (after the free night and applying your certificate).
Using more than one Free Night Award
Bookings can be tricky if you have more than one Free Night Award in your account and want to book a one-night stay. Marriott will default to the Free Night Award expiring soonest. However, this may not be the certificate you want to use.
For example, if you have an 85,000-point certificate and a 35,000-point certificate, you may want to use the 35,000-point certificate plus top-off points for a property that costs 50,000 points or less. It would be a waste to use the 85,000 certificate. In this scenario, you must call Marriott and book with a representative who can override the 85,000-point certificate.
However, if you're using more than one Free Night Award for a booking, you can select which certificates you'd like to use. In the example below, we could choose two 35k certificates and uncheck the 85k certificate. We'd rather save the 85k certificate to redeem at a more expensive property.
Best Ways to Maximize Marriott Free Night Award Certificates
When Marriott scrapped its award charts and changed to dynamic pricing, the price in points became more closely linked to the cash price of bookings. To make the most of your certificate, it's best to target times when the property you want to visit is less busy. In many cases, this should be reflected in a lower cash and points price.
You can also use Marriott's flexible booking policy with Free Night Award certificates. If you find your desired property at a great price but your plans are not 100% fixed, you can still book it and lock in the price point. If you cancel your stay, Marriott will reimburse your Free Night Award certificates and points in full. Just be sure to check the property's cancellation policy when booking.
Related: Top Hotels for Using Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card Free Nights
Bottom Line
Marriott Free Night Award certificates aren't quite as generous as they once were — especially with dynamic pricing and expiration rules in play. But if you’re strategic about how and when you redeem them, these awards can still unlock excellent value. The top-off option adds a much-needed dose of flexibility, allowing you to stretch a 35k certificate to cover a 50k room or elevate an 85k certificate into luxury territory. Just be sure to plan ahead, track your expiration dates, and compare cash prices to make sure you’re getting a good deal.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
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