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How to earn Marriott elite status with credit cards

  • Joseph Hostetler

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    There are six Marriott Bonvoy elite status levels. You start off at the Member level when you sign up, which gets you access to member-only rates, mobile check-in and free Wi-Fi.

    To earn higher elite status you’ll need to meet the following requirements in a calendar year:

    Some of these look downright unattainable if you’re not traveling for work every other week. They can, however, become dramatically easier to achieve by opening a credit card or two. For example, with the right cards, you can reduce your stay requirement by 30 nights!

    I’ll show you how to easily earn Marriott elite status with credit cards.

    Marriott elite status provided 5 days of free breakfast for my wife and me at the St. Regis Maldives — a $700 value! (Photo by Joseph Hostetler/Million Mile Secrets)

    Automatic elite status

    Most Marriott credit cards offer some form of Marriott elite status, meager as the status level might be. You can earn Marriott Silver status just by owning either of the following cards:

    Silver elite status comes with:

    You can earn Marriott Gold elite status with the following cards:

    Gold elite status comes with:

    Spending requirements

    If you’re not satisfied with the complimentary elite status your Marriott credit card affords, most cards offer a status boost incentive for spending a certain amount on your card each year. You can earn Marriott Gold elite status after spending $35,000+ on eligible purchases in a calendar year with:

    You’ll earn complimentary Marriott Platinum elite status with: Platinum status is the real deal. It comes with:

    Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card – Offer ends 1/13/2021

    Elite night credits

    All Marriott credit cards come with 15 elite night credits every year you hold the card. This means, for example, that if you hold the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, you’d only need to stay 10 nights with Marriott hotel to earn Gold elite status (earned after 25 nights in a calendar year) or 35 nights with Marriott to earn Platinum elite status (earned after 50 nights in a calendar year).

    The elite nights earned from Marriott personal credit cards do not “stack.” In other words, if you have two Marriott personal credit cards, you won’t receive 30 elite nights, but instead just 15.

    HOWEVER, if you’ve got a Marriott personal card and the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, you will receive the 15 nights from your personal card and the 15 nights from the business card, for a total of 30 nights! This automatically qualifies you for Gold elite status, and puts you just 20 nights away from earning Platinum elite status!

    Once you’ve earned 50 elite night credits in a calendar year, in addition to the Platinum elite status benefits listed previously, you’ll receive an annual gift of one of the following:

    Your results may vary, but Platinum status can be a big deal. I’ve got Platinum status, and I’m given complimentary upgrades quite often when checking into Marriott hotels.

    Welcome bonuses

    When you spend an award night at a Marriott hotel, you earn an elite night credit. In other words, if you have enough points, you could earn Marriott elite status for free just by booking award nights.

    Here’s an example. Currently, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card comes with a welcome bonus of up to 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Plus, earn up to $200 in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. Restaurants within the first six months of card membership.

    The lowest category hotels on the Marriott award chart (Category 1) cost:

    4,000 Marriott points per night is unbelievable — but it gets better. With Marriott, you’ll receive the fifth award night free when you book five consecutive award nights. That means you can effectively book a stay at Marriott for as little as 3,200 points per night. If the stars align, you could potentially book 33 nights with Marriott for 110,000 points.

    And remember, Marriott cards also provide 15 elite night credits each year. That brings your total up to 47 nights — just three nights away from Platinum status.

    Plus, the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant also comes with a $300 annual Marriott credit, which can be redeemed toward room rate. Reserve a few nights with that credit, and you’ve achieved Platinum status!

    Let me explicitly state two things:

    If you do happen upon a slew of off-peak PointSavers near you, and if you value Platinum status over 110,000 points, go for it!

    Bottom line

    There are a few different ways to achieve the varying levels of Marriott status via credit cards. Some are no-brainers for big spenders. Some are earned simply by holding a credit card. Some can be earned (or nearly earned) by stacking elite night credits with a strategic credit card combo.

    I’ve got Platinum status and I have to say I love it. I get free upgrades quite often, I earn loads of bonus points for my stays, and I even saved $700 on breakfast when staying in the Maldives. If you’ve got plans to stay at Marriott’s aspirational properties, elite status is worth the investment.

    Let us know your secrets to achieving Marriott status — and subscribe to our newsletter for more credit card strategies to upgrade your travels.

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)