Marriott Bonvoy – Off-Peak Rates, 50% Extra Credit and More!
Marriott Bonvoy is offering several initiatives to get its business going. If you are a fan of Marriott of have an upcoming stay with them, you may want to check out what additional options you have. Below are some exciting offers to watch for!
Off-Peak Rates
Marriott Bonvoy is offering a promotion for off-peak rates for bookings made before June 15, 2020 and June 30, 2020 for stays through July 31, 2020 at approximately 5,500 of their hotels. The idea is that during the stay period when the booking window is open, no hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy will be priced at peak pricing.
Elite Members – 50% Extra Elite Night Credits
Elite members can fast track their accounts to achieve a higher level of status this year. Marriott will be depositing Elite Night Credits (ENC) into accounts amounting to 50% of the nights required for the status earned in 2019. These will be added to accounts in late July, 2020, so watch for it!
Keep in mind that statuses earned in 2019 have already been renewed through February 2022. Therefore, the 50% bonus ENCs are to help speed up moving to the next elite tier. Below is a table describing what you can expect:
| ELITE STATUS TIER EARNED IN 2019 | ANNUAL TIER REQUIREMENTS | 50% ELITE NIGHT CREDITS (ENC) DEPOSIT |
| Ambassador Elite | 100 Qualifying Nights AND US$20,000 stay spend | 50 Elite Night Credits |
| Titanium Elite | 75 Qualifying Nights | 38 Elite Night Credits |
| Platinum Elite | 50 Qualifying Nights | 25 Elite Night Credits |
| Gold Elite | 25 Qualifying Nights | 13 Elite Night Credits |
| Silver Elite | 10 Qualifying Nights | 5 Elite Night Credits |
| Member | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
*Note that the above credits are earned in addition of what are earned by Canada and US co-branded credit card holders.
Other Noteworthy Initiatives
Below are some other noteworthy initiatives that Marriott is currently offering to watch for.
Gift Platinum Elite: Ambassador Elite status members can gift platinum Elite status to one individual if their choice.
Pause Points Expiry: The expiration of points will be paused until February 2021.
Suite Night Awards: The expiration of suite nights has been extended by one year through to December 31, 2021.
Free Night Award: Eligible Free Night Awards have been extended to January 31, 2021.
I’ma big fan of this program (Bonvoy), have been for years, but I won’t be renewing my card this year. Unlike airlines, who can cancel flights and routes during slow times so they can maintain their prices, hotels have a fixed capacity of rooms. So with that in mind, I’m wagering that for the next few years, hotel prices will be low, and if you are willing to do a bit of work and call the small list of hotels in the city you are going to visit, you could negotiate a good price.
Furthermore, the 35,000 free night award now has less value. Before, there was a decent range of hotels in that category, but many have been bumped up into a higher category so you can’t book them with that annual perk. Also, the peak season variable has hit the 35,000 point range hard, so there is much less selection.
I saying that the time to EARN is over, and the time to BURN has begun with this product.
Cash-back is the way to go for the next few years. In my opinion, the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card is the best core card to hold and rotate another promotional cash-back card annually as a compliment.
Until the cc industry comes back with some sweet, sweet offers for points-based cards, I think we should all just collect cash and wait on the sidelines until they come to us.
Thanks for sharing such a variety of thoughts Christopher!
There probably will be some sort of shift in the industry at some point, as it usually does, due to all the changes happening. Will be watching closely, it’s part of the game!