Marriott Bonvoy Year-end checklist

As a Marriott Bonvoy member, you have to take action regarding:

• Credit cards
• Points account
• Loyalty status
• Hotel bookings

If you haven’t already, take advantage of the current promotion on the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Card. These are points you can quickly earn and redeem for many free hotel nights.

And if you’re a couple, or friends traveling together, each sign up for the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Card: you’ll be able to combine your points into a single Marriott Bonvoy account with a single call (more details below).

And more recently, you can even get 12,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for free by subscribing to the new Choice Card from American Express™!

In addition, if you are a self-employed person, a professional, or a business owner, I recommend that you also subscribe to the SME version of the card, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express^® Card.

That way, you’ll earn more points directly on your Marriott Bonvoy account.

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 groceries, home food deliveries using the American Express Cobalt? Card (points transfer to Marriott Bonvoy points at a 5:6 rate)
• Earn 5 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar for stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels using the Marriott Bonvoy? American Express^MD Card.
• Earn 3.6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar for your office supplies or electronics purchases using the American Express Business Edge™ Card (you can transfer its points into Marriott Bonvoy points at a 5:6 rate)
• Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar for travel purchases (airfare, car rental, cruises) using the Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express^® Card
• Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar for your gas purchases using the Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express^® Card
• Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar for certain bill payments on Plastiq 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^MD Card.

If you have a Membership Rewards card, such as the American Express CobaltTM Card, you may want to take stock of your needs for the coming year, especially in terms of 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 points-to-Aeroplan promotions (and therefore convert your American Express CobaltTM Card Membership Rewards points into Aeroplan points at a great rate)!

If you have been a Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Cardholder or Marriott Bonvoyᵐᶜ Corporate American Express^MD Cardholder for less than one year, you will earn at renewal a Annual certificate for a free night valued at 35,000 points..

If you have held the American Express^MD Marriott BonvoyTM Card or the Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express^® Card for over a year (i.e. you have already renewed your annual membership fee), this annual certificate has been deposited into your Marriott Bonvoy account (typically 7-8 weeks after membership 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!

If you and your spouse/friend each hold theMarriott Bonvoy^MD American Expressᵐᶜ Corporate American Express^MD 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.

To earn Marriott Bonvoy points in addition to those earned via the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Card or the Marriott Bonvoyᵐᶜ Corporate American Express^MD Card, it’s all about stays 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!

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!

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.

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).

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!

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!