Has your Marriott Bonvoy status surprisingly dropped?

If you have Marriott Bonvoy status, you should take a quick look online and see what it shows.

During Sunday, Marriott Bonvoy dropped the status of a lot of people – including myself – who thought that they had been rolled over.

More annoyingly, Marriott did NOT impose a soft landing despite giving the impression on social media and elsewhere that they would.

In my case, this means that I have dropped from Titanium Elite to Gold Elite, which doesn’t get you too far.

I had received various emails from Marriott saying that I was still Titanium Elite and the Bonvoy website was saying ‘Congratulations on remaining Titanium Elite.  You need xx more nights to retain this for 2021’.

For total clarity, I should have been downgraded – I am not saying otherwise – but the hotel chains will often keep you at your previous status as a goodwill gesture.

It is also fair to say that the Marriott Bonvoy rules do not promise a soft landing.  However, Marriott Rewards did offer this and many people thought that the old Marriott Rewards policy would continue.  An official Marriott spokesperson on Flyertalk had posted various times that he expected soft landings to occur.

In the old days (ie 2017 and prior) Marriott Rewards went one step further and let you pay to keep your old status via a programme called Elite Buy Back:

• 7,500 Marriott Rewards points let you keep Silver Elite status for another year
• 25,000 Marriott Rewards points let you keep Gold Elite status for another year
• 40,000 Marriott Rewards points let you keep Platinum Elite status for another year

I accept that Marriott Rewards was a far weaker programme than Marriott Bonvoy, so you can’t make a direct comparison about the buy-back pricing.   If it still existed, I’m sure it would be a lot more expensive.

It does seem like terrible timing to drop many customers from the top tiers to virtually nothing, with no soft landing and no way to buy back their status.  It puts Marriott Bonvoy in a difficult position when travel does start to pick up.

Even without coronavirus, this would not have been a smart move.  22nd March – with a quarter of the year gone – is not the best time to tell someone that, erm, they have not actually retained their status after all and need to start from scratch.  Even if we are back to some sort of normality in September it will be too late to requalify.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (January 2025)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)