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Earning elite status within a hotel rewards program is designed to motivate loyalty to a single hotel chain. In return, the brands that fall under that loyalty umbrella reward members with elite level perks and additional bonus points on spending.
To qualify for elite status, members are issued elite night credits for qualifying stays and as a benefit of holding select co-brand credit cards. There are also a handful of premium rewards cards that offer hotel elite status simply for holding the card and paying the annual fee.
Elite night credits are tallied over a calendar year, from January 1 through to December 31. Once you’ve attained an elite status level, you get to enjoy the perks for the remainder of the year you earn the status, and for the whole of the next year.
Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status Tiers & Benefits
Marriott’s new rewards program has expanded to include five elite tiers plus a basic membership level. The required nights to achieve elite status have changed during the recent program shakeup, as have the perks received at each status level.
Notable changes to elite status include the lack of complimentary breakfast for Gold Elite members, and members no longer have the ability to qualify for elite status via stays with Marriott only nights. Neither change affects members who qualify via nights, only those that qualify on stays, acquired status as a credit card perk or gained status via a status match.
Elite Status Tiers
Basic Member: 0-9 nights/year
Benefits:
- Complimentary In-Room Internet Access
- Member Rates
- Mobile Check-In/Services
Silver Elite: 10-24 nights/year
Benefits:
Basic Member benefits plus:
- 10% Points Bonus
- Dedicated Elite Reservation Line
- Priority Late Checkout (Not Guaranteed)
- Ultimate Reservation Guarantee
Gold Elite: 25-49 nights/year
Benefits:
Silver Elite benefits plus:
- 25% Bonus Points on Stays
- 2pm Priority Late Checkout (Based on Availability)
- Enhanced In-Room Internet
- Gold Welcome Gift (Points – Varies by Brand)
- Enhanced Room Upgrade (Based on Availability)
Platinum Elite: 50-74 nights/year
Benefits:
Gold Elite benefits plus:
- 50% Bonus Points on Stays
- 4pm Priority Late Checkout
- In Hotel Welcome Gift (Choice of Points, Breakfast Offering, or Amenity – Varies by Brand)
- Enhanced Room Upgrade Including Select Suites (Based on Availability)
- Lounge Access
- Guaranteed Room Type
- Annual Choice Benefit (5x Suite Night Awards or Gift Option – Awarded with 50 qualifying nights)
Titanium Elite: 75-99 nights/year
Benefits:
Platinum Elite benefits plus:
- 75% Bonus Points on Stays
- Additional Choice Benefit (5 Suite Night Awards or Gift Option – Awarded with 75 qualifying nights)
- 48-Hour Guarantee
Ambassador Elite (100 Nights + $20K Qualifying Spend): 100+ nights/year
Benefits:
Titanium Elite benefits plus:
- Ambassador Service
- Your24™
Alongside the new elite status tiers, Marriott released a table displaying the new Platinum and above welcome gifts, broken up by brand. With so many brands represented in the table, it makes for heavy reading. Making the welcome gift so complicated is a sure-fire recipe for misunderstandings and frustrated guests in our books, and without printing the chart or keeping the link handy, I can’t see many members remembering all the different combos on this list.
Lifetime Status Requirements
Leading up to the merger with SPG, there were plenty of elite members in both Marriott and SPG waiting anxiously to hear how lifetime status was going to pan out. For those close to achieving lifetime status, would it be easier or harder to get? Would Marriott count years spent as an SPG elite in addition to years as a Marriott elite? If you had elite status in both programs, how would they calculate your lifetime status count?
The good news is that Marriott really came to the party with lifetime elite status, looking after members with elite status from both loyalty programs.
- If you previously achieved Lifetime Elite status in SPG or Rewards, you will have that Lifetime Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy
- When you combine SPG and Rewards accounts, Marriott will combine your lifetime activity across both toward Lifetime Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy
- If you’ve achieved Elite status in both Rewards and SPG in a single year, it will count as two years toward Lifetime status
- Starting January 1, 2019, Elite status will be achieved on nights not stays.
- Members who reached 750 nights and 10 years at Platinum by December 31, 2018, were grandfathered into Lifetime Titanium Elite status. In addition, members that achieved Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum under the legacy requirements by year-end were also be grandfathered into Lifetime Titanium Elite status
- Beginning in 2019, qualification into Lifetime Titanium Elite status and above will not be available
Lifetime Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy requires:
- Lifetime Silver Elite – 250 Lifetime Nights + 5 Years Elite Status
- Lifetime Gold Elite – 400 Lifetime Nights + 7 Years Gold Elite Status or Higher
- Lifetime Platinum Elite – 600 Lifetime Nights + 10 Years Platinum Elite Status
Earn Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status & Elite Night Credits via Credit Cards
An easy way of obtaining elite status, or reducing the number of nights required for elite status, is acquiring one of the Marriott Bonvoy co-brand credit cards, or a premium card like The Platinum Card® from American Express. Unlike the Marriott Rewards program of old, you can no longer stack elite night credits received with co-brand credit cards as Marriott has capped the total night credits members can receive at 15 across all your cards.
Co-brand cards:
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card – Guaranteed Silver Elite status, plus receive Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 in an account year. You'll also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
- Marriott Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card – Guaranteed Silver Elite status, plus receive Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 in an account year. You'll also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year
- The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card – Guaranteed Gold Elite status, plus receive Platinum Elite status when you spend $75,000 in an account year. You'll also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year
- Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express – Guaranteed Silver Elite status, plus receive Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 in an account year. You'll also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card – Guaranteed Silver Elite status, plus receive Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 in an account year. You'll also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. Terms Apply.
- Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card – Guaranteed Gold Elite status, plus receive Platinum Elite status when you spend $75,000 in an account year. You'll also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
Amex cards:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express – Receive complimentary Gold Elite Status. Terms Apply.
- The Business Platinum® Card from American Express – Receive complimentary Gold Elite Status. Terms Apply.
Final Thoughts
Following the merger of Marriott and SPG, earning elite status in the new Marriott Bonvoy program can gain you elite benefits and additional bonus points at over 6,700 hotels worldwide. The reshuffle of benefits for Gold and Platinum members will leave those that qualify for status via credit card without a free breakfast, and if you rely on the ability to qualify for status on stays rather than nights, the new qualification requirements will make it much harder to attain your desired status in the coming years.
The co-brand Marriott cards still offer the easiest method of qualifying for lower elite tiers, but the new 15-night-cap on elite night credits makes it harder to leverage credit cards to achieve Platinum Elite and above.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
$80,000 is quite a bit of money. How long is the time period that you based your spend on?
Just wondering. I’m already Lifetime Platinum with 3,500,00 and as of today now 1000 nights.
Does achieving 1000 nights get anything extra? Hard to believe I’ve spent nearly 3 years in a hotel room.
Nothing extra, but you’re grandfathered in at Platinum Premier, which I’m jealous of as I’ve got 880 nights + 10 years with SPG and I get Platinum — so you win!
The so-called enhanced Marriott Elite loyalty programs beginning in June 2018 may in Marriott’s mind be an improvement but removing access to the lounge and eliminating free breakfast for Elite Gold and Platinum members can only be an improvement in Marriott’s bottom line and certainly in no way an improvement for the Elite Member.
I have been a SPG member since 2003. i have had 1891 nights in 11 years as a platinum member how much money did i spent on that?
And i don’t see any advantage compared to before the merger. Maybe someone can point out something!
They promote a dedicated elite reservation line??? I called and nobody where able to give me a number for Europe. So i have to call the regular number and wait for 2-3 min before i can talk to someone…
Hi there,
i have a really stupid and easy question:
How long do you keep your status?
I started the Marriot Rewrds Programm in March 2018 and will get to 75 nights by end of November.
How long will i keep my platin status?
Couldnt find the answer to this question anywhere.
Thanks in advance
You’ll keep it through the beginning of 2020.
Hi,
I am currently a Lifetime Gold Member. To achieve Platinum I need 40 more nights. Is it worth it to chase the Lifetime Platinum status. With either staus the what happens to the lounge/breakfast access with lifetime elite status?
Thanksin advance
You’ll need Platinum for breakfast. Gold won’t get it anymore.
Personally, I’d probably push to try to get Lifetime Platinum as long as you think you’ll receive value from it in the future.
I received my e- certificate for a free night stay at a category 4 hotel. What do you need to do to qualify for a category 5 hotel?
You need a credit card that offers it as a benefit.
It seems odd that as a AMEX Platinum card holder you would not receive the 15 elite nights credit for Marriott. Already a Marriott Platinum Elite member so the Gold Elite status is not a perk. I’d have to drop down to a SPG branded card to get a perk.
Anyone seen any clarification as to if AMEX Palatinum card holders get the 15 elite nights as well?
Amex Platinum Charge Cardholders do not get 15 elite nights towards status.
I am lifetime plat and also plat premier for 2019.
Headed to Mexico city -looking at either LosAlcabos (Luxury Collection) or St. Regis.
Find I may be able to book for less at a 3rd party site.
Will my plat premier benefits be honored?
As a lifetime Plat I don’t see that I need the night credit any longer as I will likely never get to the 75 needed for the extra perk choice…and if I understand it right-that is all I lose by booking 3rd party? Well, that and the 5th night free I guess, if and when it applies.
BTW-that5th night free is not working online for paid stays-although it comes up on the point stay. Just another Marriott broken issue or is it really only good for point stays?
Howie – do you know when in January Marriott will start notifying people who made Lifetime Platinum Premier Elite? I just hit 800+ nights and 12 years Platinum on Marriott so I should qualify? Thanks –
Hey stepping in for Howie here; the only thing we know is that it should happen in January.
Hello,
I just made gold lifetime member with 659 nights / 8 years.
I’d like to get to lifetime platinum of course.
Two questions –
I had 144 nights 2018, of course none of them rolled over and was platinum premiere elite.
How long does that status last? Is it calendar year?
I would need 2 more years at platinum elite or higher. Does that mean, i have “earn” platinum status for 2 more years or however years i was a platinum status?
Hey Ethan, sorry to say I don’t know for sure. Hopefully, someone else can help out here in the comments. Otherwise, I’d recommend double checking with Marriott before planning 2019 stays.
Hi,
Can Non US resident apply for the those Marriot credit card ?
If yes, how useful do you think it will be ?
Thanks.
No, these are US issued cards.
For these credit cards, do you have to spend the dollar minimum to also get the 15 free elite nights or is that just for the automatic gold status? If I earn platinum using the 15 elite nights, would that year counts towards my lifetime years? I just need to more years to earn platinum for life since I’m already lifetime gold.
No, you get the 15 nights just for holding the card and paying the annual fee each year. And yes, if those 15 nights help you make Platinum status, that year of status will still count towards your lifetime status count.
Here is a stupid question for you guys. If I am Lifetime Gold, does that mean I just need 25 nights to get to Platinum the following years? Or would I still need to spend 75 nights per year in order to reach platinum?
Aaron – you will need the full number of nights to get to Platinum (or any level) in any one year.
Lifetime Gold does not count in your night tally for the year.
Hi everyone, so I’m about to choose my annual benefit and as I’m reading through the description, I must say I’m confused because the benefit sounds weak.
– 5 suit night award: is this just a free upgrade? Sounds weak because we’re already eligible for the free upgrade at platinum level.
– 5 Elite night Credit: I thought this was 5 FREE nights. The more I read into it I’m getting the idea that it’s not the case. So what is it?
Thanks
Hi Ginna, Sad to confirm your suspicions. The 5 suite nights are a guaranteed in advance suite upgrade (unlike the when you check in and they are hopefully available perk). But eve3n these “guaranteed” suite upgrades do not confirm until several nights before your stay.
And again, sad to confirm, the 5 night elite credit is just that – credit for staying 5 nights towards your next year total nights (without staying the 5 nights).
In my opinion, it is not worth jumping through hoops to get to 75 nights for these meager additional perks either.
Ugh!
Thanks for your feedback, Cecelia. That does sound pretty lame 😒
SPG: 975 nights; 9 years $ spent were way beyond Marriott requirement for lifetime platinum. I guess I missed being grandfathered by duration (1 year)? Thanks
Ouch! Yes, 10+ years is the benchmark to achieve lifetime Platinum status.