Your 2021 Marriott Bonvoy bonus elite nights have posted – check your account

In early January, we outlined Marriott Bonvoy’s plans to help you retain or gain elite status in 2021 despite reduced travelling.

There are two elements to this. One is an interesting new promotion for double points and double elite night credits, which we will cover tomorrow. If you want to register now, you can do so here.

The second part is giving you elite night credits equivalent to 50% of the status you earned in 2020.

These elite nights have now posted if you look at your Marriott Bonvoy account.

What should you have received?

Based on your Marriott Bonvoy status for last year, this is what you will have received:

• Ambassador Elite – 50 elite night credits
• Titanium Elite – 38 elite night credits
• Platinum Elite – 25 elite night credits
• Gold Elite – 13 elite night credits
• Silver Elite – 5 elite night credits

If you received Gold Elite status because you have an American Express Platinum card, it seems that you will not receive an elite night credit.

For me, as a Platinum Elite member, my account looks like this:

Why do I have 40 elite nights?

As you can see from the screenshot above, I have 40 elite nights.

This is 80% of the nights I need towards Platinum Elite renewal!

I have 40 nights because I have the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. If you get the Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card (apply here), you will receive 15 elite night credits. They have been posting within a couple of weeks of application.

It is unlikely that you will qualify for the sign up bonus on the Marriott Amex, as anyone with an existing personal Amex card (or who has had one in the previous 24 months) is disqualified.

However, paying the £75 annual fee for 15 elite night credits is still a very good deal. You also receive 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent on the card, or 6 per £1 spent at Marriott Bonvoy hotels. In the rare chance that you stay at a Bonvoy hotel before 31st March, you will receive 10 points per £1 spent.

I will do a full article on new promotion tomorrow. You can register for the new promotion here.

PS. The bonus night credits you have received also seem to count for Lifetime Elite status. Amusingly – since I have always written that I never expected to earn any sort of lifetime status – I am now Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Silver with 270 elite nights across Marriott and Starwood. Not that Marriott Bonvoy Silver is hugely useful …..

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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.

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.

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 (40,000 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.)