To the point
Before the end of the year, check your information with Marriott Bonvoy and make arrangements to start the new year properly!
Foreword about Marriott Bonvoy
As we approach the end of the year, here are a few steps to take to get the New Year off to a good start with Marriott Bonvoy.
What to do before the end of the year
As a Marriott Bonvoy member, you have to take action regarding:
- Credit cards
- Points account
- Loyalty status
- Hotel bookings
Credit cards
Apply for credit cards
If you haven’t already, take advantage of the current promotion on the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card. These are points you can quickly earn and redeem for many free hotel nights.
And if you’re a couple, or friends travelling together, each applies for the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card: you’ll be able to pool your points into a single Marriott Bonvoy account with a simple call (more details later).
And since recently, you can even earn 12,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for free when you subscribe to the new American Express® Green Card!
What’s more, if you’re self-employed, a professional, or a business owner, I recommend that you also apply for the small business version of the card: the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card.
That way, you’ll earn more points directly on your Marriott Bonvoy account.
Spending categories
The new year is the time to make good resolutions! For example, you might decide to use the spending categories of your credit cards correctly!
If you’re interested in Marriott Bonvoy points, here’s our strategy:
- Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar for your groceries, and home food deliveries using the American Express Cobalt® Card (its points transfer into Marriott Bonvoy points at the rate of 5:6).
- Earn 5 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar for your stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels using the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.
- Earn 3.6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on purchases of office supplies or electronics using the American Express Business Edge™ Card (its points transfer to Marriott Bonvoy points at a rate of 5:6).
- Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on travel purchases (flights, car rentals, cruises) using the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card.
- Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on gas purchases using the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card.
- Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on select Plastiq bill payments using the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card.
- Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on all your purchases using the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.
Transfer your Membership Rewards points
If you’re a cardholder offering Membership Rewards points, such as the American Express Cobalt® Card, it would be worth taking stock of your needs for the coming year, particularly regarding hotel nights!
It’s a good time to transfer points to your Marriott Bonvoy account (5 membership rewards = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points).
This will allow you to earn more free nights or participate in hotel point-to-Aeroplan point conversion promotions (and thus transform your Membership Rewards points accumulated on the American Express Cobalt® Card into Aeroplan points at a great rate)!
Check your annual certificates
If you have held the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card for less than one year, you will receive an annual certificate at renewal an annual one-night free award worth 35,000 points..
If you have held the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card for more than a year (i.e. you have already renewed the annual fee), this annual certificate has been deposited in your Marriott Bonvoy account (usually 7-8 weeks after renewal).
This annual certificate is valid for 12 months from issuance. So take advantage of this end of the year to check its expiry date and apply it on a reservation!
Your points account
Pool your points
If you and your spouse/friend each hold the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card, you have earned points in your respective Marriott Bonvoy accounts.
With Marriott Bonvoy, you can transfer up to 100,000 points per year for free from one account to another. It works as a calendar year: so you have until December 31st this year to transfer up to 100,000 points to the account of the person of your choice!
This is particularly convenient when you want to take advantage of the “Stay 5 nights at the price of 4” or of the higher status of one of the Marriott Bonvoy members.
Register for promotions
To earn Marriott Bonvoy points in addition to those earned via the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card, it’s all about staying at group hotels!
You still have to stay “smartly” after registering up for the points earning promotions! If you follow milesopedia – sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss anything – you need to be up to date with the latest promotions!
Your status
Platinum Members
If you have obtained Marriott Bonvoy Platine Elite status (50 Elite Nights), Marriott Bonvoy has emailed you asking you to choose a benefit:
- Five free upgrades to a suite (Suite Night Awards™)
- Silver Elite status gift
- 40% off your favourite mattress
- five Elite Night Credits
- a $100 charity donation
If you haven’t reached 50 nights for this year, you’ll surely be useful to choose the“Five Elite Night Credits”(which are valid for the current year and not the year ahead). You have until January 07th, 2022 to make your choice (which will be retroactive).
Otherwise, the choice will be by default the“five Suite Night Awards.” Even by “negotiating” through the Marriott Bonvoy app chat (or by emailing the hotel), it is not guaranteed to get an upgrade thanks to the status.
However, by requesting an upgrade and using one of the five free upgrades in a suite, your upgrade will be guaranteed!
Titanium members
If you have obtained Marriott Bonvoy’s Titanium Elite status (75 Elite Nights), Marriott Bonvoy has emailed you asking you to make an additional choice of benefit:
- Five free upgrades to a suite (Suite Night Awards™)
- A free night
- Gold Elite status gift
- 40% off your favourite mattress
- five Elite Night Credits
- a $100 charity donation
To make your choice, check out this page.
Here, I choose the free night (worth 40,000 points) and not the five Suite Night Awards. I think it’s more valuable to me! But it’s up to you to decide!
If you don’t do anything before January 07, 2022, the next five free upgrades will be automatically applied to your account.
Your bookings
Check the off-peak and peak rates
With the introduction of peek and off-peak rates, a free night in a hotel can have three different prices. When you book, you have blocked a rate, and it will be the one you will pay in points.
But be aware that these rates change regularly! So it may be appropriate to check your booking if you have booked your night at the peak or off-peak rate! You may be able to benefit from a lower rate (standard or off-peak).
Categories changes around March/April
Each year, Marriott Bonvoy adjusts the categories of its 7,000+ hotels. This adjustment usually occurs in March.
This will be an opportunity for us to update our complete map of Marriott Bonvoy hotels!
Bottom Line
Being a member of a loyalty program means knowing the rules and learning to take advantage of them! I hope this year-end checklist will help you with your travel plans.
Don’t hesitate to come and discuss about this in our facebook group!
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
