Marriott Bonvoy members just got a little more flexibility when redeeming their free night award certificates from credit cards.
Effective today – Thursday, March 12 – Marriott has increased the number of points travelers can kick in to “top off” a free night award to 25,000 points – up from 15,000 points previously. So with a 35,000-point free night certificate, for example, you could now book properties that cost up to 60,000.
That's a positive change that allows travelers to stretch those certificates further and unlock more hotel options when booking an award stay. Marriott has long allowed travelers to “top off” a free night certificate with additional points if the hotel costs more than the certificate itself covers … but a 15,000-point limit left many of Marriott’s most desirable hotels still out of reach.
This expansion means travelers can book even more properties. Yes, it requires kicking in more points … but it also means more options (and potentially better stays) when it comes time to redeem.
Here's what you need to know about this change, Marriott's free night awards, and some of our favorite ways to use them.
Related reading: A Complete Guide to Marriott Bonvoy – Free Nights, Credit Cards & More
A Quick Primer on Marriott Free Night Awards
Each of the major hotel chains, like IHG, Hyatt, and Hilton, offers free night certificates that you can earn with the right co-branded credit card. Marriott Bonvoy is no different … and thanks to its relationships with both Chase and American Express, there are a lot of cards to choose from.
That also means there are several different types of free night awards floating around.
Depending on the card, these certificates can cover hotels costing anywhere from 35,000 points per night (or even 20,000 points with some older cards) all the way up to 85,000 points per night with Marriott’s most premium cards. Exactly how valuable your certificate is depends on which card you hold.
Some cards hand you a free night automatically every year when you renew, while others require a certain amount of spending to unlock the award. Either way, these certificates are one of the most valuable perks of carrying a Marriott credit card.
Just keep one important detail in mind: You won’t receive the free night certificate right away when you open a card (unless it's part of the welcome bonus). Instead, it typically shows up starting in year two and each year after. Once it lands in your account, you’ll have 12 months to use it before it expires.
Here’s a quick look at the Marriott cards that include a free night award:
- *bonvoy brilliant*: Receive a free night award worth up to 85,000 points per night each year upon renewal.
- *bonvoy bevy*: Earn a free night award worth up to 50,000 points per night when you spend $15,000 or more in a calendar year.
- *bonvoy business*: Receive a free night award worth up to 35,000 points per night each year upon renewal.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card: Earn a free night award worth up to 50,000 points per night when you spend $15,000 or more in a calendar year.
- *bonvoy boundless*: Earn a free night award worth up to 35,000 points per night each year upon renewal
There are also a couple of legacy cards still floating around that are only available through product changes:
- Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card: Receive a free night award worth up to 35,000 points per night each year upon renewal.
- The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card: Receive a free night award worth up to 85,000 points per night each year upon renewal.
You can also select a 40,000-point free night award as an annual choice benefit upon reaching Titanium elite status and through various promotions (exact values vary).
Under the previous rules, adding 15,000 points meant you could book hotels costing up to 50,000 points per night with the annual 35,000-point certificate you get with the Bonvoy Boundless. Now, with the new 25,000-point limit, that same certificate can cover hotels that cost up to 60,000 points per night.
This change also improves the value of Marriott’s higher-end credit card perks. Take the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, for example: It includes an 85,000-point free night award each year. With this change, travelers can now book properties that cost up to 110,000 points per night with that certificate.
Some ultra-premium properties will still be out of reach. But the extra flexibility gives travelers more breathing room when searching for award space, especially during peak travel dates when prices climb.
What’s Possible With This Change
By increasing the number of points travelers can add to these free night awards, Marriott has effectively expanded the list of hotels eligible to use them at.
In some cases, that might mean upgrading from a basic airport hotel to a nicer property downtown. In others, it could mean finally booking that resort or luxury hotel that previously cost just a little too much – likely by design.
Lets say you're heading to Hawaii and want to book a stay at the newly-renovated Moana Surfrider of Waikiki Beach. Finding award nights for under 50,000 points per night is typically a tall task. But with this change, you can now add up to 25,000 points to a 35,000-point free night award, making a stay here far more attainable.
By kicking in an extra 22,000 points, you could use a free night from the Bonvoy Boundless Card to cover a night that would otherwise cost $574 if paying cash.
Or maybe you've got the Bonvoy Brilliant Card and an 85,000-point certificate burning a hole in your pocket. You could instead opt for something a little more luxe and book The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay, by topping off your free night award with an additional 21,000 Bonvoy points.
If you were planning to pay cash for a night here, you'd be on the hook for nearly $1,400 per night, making that card's free night award a no-brainer.
You can get even better value by using it at the St. Regis New York instead. This hotel is one of the most iconic properties in all of Manhattan – unsurprisingly, award nights here aren't cheap. With the new option to add up to 25,000 points to free night awards, you could use the Bonvoy Brilliant's 85,000-point certificate – and an additional 21,000 points – to stay here for next to nothing.
The cash cost for the same exact night? A whopping $1,776. If you're looking for the best bang for your free night award bucks, you'll be hard-pressed to do any better than that.
Finally, Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, has been high on my list of hotels to check out for many years now. Situated in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, this hotel offers dramatic views of the Andes Mountains and is situated along the Incan Path, the perfect gateway to the royal city of Machu Picchu.
While it's not impossible to find award nights here for under 50,000 points, this update provides a lot more flexibility for travelers hoping to use a 35,000-point certificate to stay for next to nothing.
By kicking in an extra 24,000 points, you could use an annual free night from the Bonvoy Boundless Card … and save yourself nearly $700 in the process.
Thrifty Tip: Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa property, has a private train station for anyone starting the journey between Urubamba and Machu Picchu.
What remains to be seen is if any of these properties that were previously unavailable when using a free night award will suddenly increase their prices to keep them out of reach. The optimist in me says it won't happen – at least not overnight – but the realist knows that's a likely possibility.
Here's to hoping many of you can take advantage of this enhancement before the other shoe inevitably drops.
Bottom Line
Marriott has made a small but meaningful improvement, allowing travelers to now add up to 25,000 Bonvoy points to a free night award – up from the previous 15,000-point limit. That change immediately makes Marriott’s free night certificates more flexible and more valuable, particularly for travelers who earn them through Marriott co-branded credit cards.
It may require using a few more points. But it also means more hotels are within reach, making it easier to turn those annual free nights into a memorable stay.
Featured image courtesy of Marriott
