Marriott Bonvoy just made its free night certificates more flexible, putting hundreds more properties within reach for those booking with a certificate and points.
The added flexibility could also make it easier to use the certificates before they expire, which is generally one year after issuance.
If you’re thinking about getting a Marriott card, now could be a good time to apply. As these changes were announced, multiple Marriott cards added boosted limited-time welcome offers.
If the cost of a hotel in points is more than your certificate’s value, Marriott used to let you add up to 15,000 points from your account to cover the difference. Now, you can add up to 25,000 points.
|
Free night award value |
Old maximum redemption with 15k-point top-off (in points) |
New maximum redemption with 25k-point top-off (in points) |
Number of new properties unlocked with change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Up to 35,000 points. |
50,000. |
60,000. |
471. |
|
Up to 50,000 points. |
65,000. |
75,000. |
206. |
|
Up to 85,000 points. |
100,000. |
110,000. |
56. |
Just remember that the extra points still have to come from your existing stash of Marriott Bonvoy points (or from buying them). If you add 25,000 points to make your Marriott hotel booking work, your “free” night is really just a discounted night funded in part by your own points.
For Marriott Bonvoy members, more options
This change offers more flexibility for Marriott Bonvoy members. One of the frustrations of Marriott’s dynamic pricing model is that award nights often price just above common certificate thresholds.
For example, the property you might want could cost 52,000 points. Under the previous 15,000-point top-off limit, a 35,000-point certificate could only stretch to a 50,000-point redemption. Now, it can reach 60,000. This change would make your certificates easier to redeem at the hotel you actually want — not just the one that happens to price neatly at or below the cap.
Bonvoy members with 35,000-point free night certificates stand to benefit the most from this change, gaining access to an additional 471 properties priced between 50,001 and 60,000 points per night on average, according to Gondola’s data. That includes:
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46 additional properties in California. One such property is The Westin Long Beach, which is centrally located near the city’s convention center and costs an average of about 51,000 points per night.
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38 additional properties in Florida. The Cadillac Hotel Miami Beach, located steps from the boardwalk, is on that list; it costs an average of about 59,000 points per night.
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31 additional properties in New York, including Moxy New York City Times Square, which costs about 59,000 points per night on average and is located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.
Keep in mind that average point costs will be lower than peak pricing, though. High-demand days could come with much higher rates.
Members with 50,000-point certificates gain access to an additional 206 properties priced between 65,001 and 75,000 points per night on average. Those with 85,000-point certificates gain access to an additional 56 properties, priced between 100,001 and 110,000 points per night on average.
Because Marriott uses dynamic pricing rather than a fixed award chart, there’s always the chance that award rates will continue to rise. The higher top-off limit makes certificates more usable, but increases in point prices could reduce the number of properties available to book.
Still, Marriott’s decision to increase the top-off limit from 15,000 to 25,000 points is a practical improvement that should help more travelers get greater value from their free night certificates. And for Marriott cardholders who receive annual free nights, this change could make those cards’ annual fees easier to justify.