From Nightly Upgrade Awards to Annual Choice Benefits: 6 Changes to Marriott Bonvoy Terms

More than any other loyalty program we track, Marriott constantly changes its Bonvoy loyalty program terms and conditions. Some of these changes are minor tweaks. Other times, Marriott makes more substantial changes to its over 34,000-word terms and conditions. Today is one of those days.

Here's a recap of what you need to know about this week's changes to the Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions.

Expanded Nightly Upgrade Award Timing

At the beginning of 2024, Marriott revamped its Suite Night Awards as Nightly Upgrade Awards. Changes were generally positive, with the key negative being a reduced upgrade window. Instead of clearing these upgrades as many as five days before check-in, Marriott reduced the upgrade window to just three days before check-in.

Now, Marriott is reverting this decision. Marriott Nightly Upgrade Awards will now clear as far as five days in advance — at least at most brands. In true Marriott style, this expanded upgrade window will exclude three luxury brands: EDITION, Ritz-Carlton, and St. Regis.

Here are the updated terms and conditions:

(5) Nightly Upgrade Award use is based upon availability of the requested suite or Premium Room. Checking for availability begins as early as five (5) days before arrival (effective December 2024, for all brands except for EDITION, the Ritz-Carlton, and the St. Regis where fulfillment will begin at three (3) days prior to arrival).

Longer Annual Choice Benefits Selection Window

Marriott rewards guests with a choice of benefits when they earn 50 Elite Night Credits and 75 Night Credits. For as long as we can remember, these Marriott Annual Choice Benefits needed to be selected by January 7 of the year after hitting the threshold. So, if you earned at least 50 Elite Night Credits in 2024, you'd need to select your benefit by January 7, 2025.

Now, Marriott is giving members a bit longer to make a decision. Instead of having to pick during the first week of the year (or end up with the default choice), eligible members will have until “11:59 p.m. Eastern US Time on February 1 of the year following the applicable Qualifying Period” to make a choice.

That's a welcome relief for travelers who may want to take a break from looking at their Bonvoy accounts over the holidays.

Changes to Marriott Point Transfers at Divorce

Getting a bit into the weeds, Marriott has changed how point transfers work in the case of a divorce. Formerly, Marriott would allow point transfers “in its sole discretion” upon getting divorce settlement documentation directing such a transfer. The former 83-word section was fairly straightforward:

iii. Divorce. In the event of a Member’s adjudicated divorce settlement, the Company may, in its sole discretion, allow unredeemed Points to be transferred from one Member’s Account to another Member’s Account upon the Company’s receipt and review of all requested documentation and communications including, without limitation, legal documents directing such a transfer of Points. Awards, hotel stays, Elite Membership Status, Lifetime Membership Status, and the related benefits, including, without limitation, Elite Night Credit, will not transfer to the recipient of the Points.

Now, Marriott has expanded this section to spell out — in excruciating detail — exactly what it now requires to transfer points. I'll spare you a copy-paste of the 233-word section. But you can find the whole terms under section 1.6.c.iii of the Ts&Cs if you're going through this painful situation.

Really Minor Changes

1,000-point minimum earnings for Point Multiplier

Marriott lets Bonvoy members Multiply Points earned on recent stays. Now, a minor update has been added: You need to have earned at least 1,000 points from the stay to qualify. Here's the segment added to the T&C:

The minimum number of points earned per qualifying stay to be eligible for this Offer is 1,000 points.

Guaranteed lounge access doesn't apply if the property doesn't have a lounge

Marriott offers Bonvoy elites guaranteed compensation if certain properties don't provide certain benefits. One of these is the Guaranteed Lounge Access policy. For Sheraton, Le Méridien, and Westin properties, the chart formerly stated that:

No alternative offered when Lounge is closed

This section has now been clarified to state that there's no compensation if a property doesn't have a lounge:

No alternative offered when Lounge is closed or property does not have a lounge

Clarification about W Hotels that are part of the MGM Collection

Another minor clarification comes in the lengthy section regarding which hotel brands do and don't participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program. A clarification has been added that W Hotels that are part of the MGM Collection participate “in a unique capacity”:

B. W Hotels that are part of MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy (see 1.2.a.xxxvii) participate in the Loyalty Program in a unique capacity as expressly identified in their separate terms of service (“MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy Terms”).

Note that the MGM Collection terms are yet another lengthy (5,300+ words) document that lays out all the nuances of what Marriott guests can expect at those properties.

Bottom Line

Marriott's terms and conditions are an extremely lengthy and ever-evolving document. Marriott doesn't provide recaps of what it changes. Instead, it simply updates the top of the page to reflect that the terms are “Updated December 2024.” These uncommunicated changes can leave travelers in the dark about key changes to benefits — even mostly positive changes like these.

AwardWallet will continue to carefully track these and other program changes to keep you informed about the ever-changing nature of the Marriott Bonvoy program.

AwardWallet Tip of The Day

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