Marriott Bonvoy Choice Benefits. Which to pick? (Pick by 1/7/24)

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If you have earned 50 elite qualifying nights with Marriott Bonvoy within a calendar year, then you are eligible to pick a “Choice Benefit”.  A second Choice Benefit is available for those who complete 75 nights.  The question then, of course, is which benefit to pick.  You’ll find my recommendations below.

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Note that if you acquired Platinum status through a status challenge, having the Bonvoy Brilliant card, Ritz credit card spend, etc., you won’t get to pick a Choice Benefit unless you also complete 50 nights within a calendar year.  Nights given automatically or through spend from Bonvoy credit cards do count towards Choice Benefits.  For example, most Bonvoy cards automatically give you 15 elite nights each year (and the Brilliant card gives you 25).  If you pair a consumer Bonvoy card with a business Bonvoy card, you’ll automatically get 30 nights (or 40 with the Brilliant card) towards Choice Benefits each year.

Selection Deadline: Early January, 2025

If you don’t make a choice by the selection deadline (11:59 p.m. ET on January 7, 2025), you’ll get the “5 Nightly Upgrade Awards” choice automatically.

Here’s the website for selecting your benefit: choice-benefit.marriott.com/en-us/marriott-rewards/benefits.

50 Night Choices

  • 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards (Previously known as Suite Night Awards): Each Nightly Upgrade Award is a one-night confirmable upgrade to a standard suite or select premium room, depending on the hotel’s availability of those rooms. The number of Nightly Upgrade Awards used must match the entire length of stay; it cannot be used for part of a stay (e.g., the first two nights of a five-night stay). Once Nightly Upgrade Awards are requested to be applied to a stay, Marriott will begin checking upgrade availability 3 days in advance of your stay, up until 2pm on the day of your arrival. If your Nightly Upgrade Award request doesn’t clear, you’ll get the awards back to be used later. Caution: some Marriott brands and many individual Marriott hotels do not allow you to use Nightly Upgrade Awards and so these can be frustratingly difficult to use.
  • 5 Elite Night Credits: If you earn a Choice Benefit selection in 2022, then this choice adds 5 elite nights to your 2022 total even if you wait until January 2023 to make the selection.  The only good reason to select this choice is to get to the next level of status (75 night or 100 night, but 100 night status also requires $20K Marriott spend).  For example, if you earned 70 elite nights in 2022, this selection would bring you to 75 nights and you’d get Titanium status plus the opportunity to get another Choice Benefit.  Unless you are trying to earn lifetime status, there’s no other reason that I can think of to make this choice.
  • $1,000 off a Marriott bed: Get $1,000 off retail prices for any Marriott retail brand (Westin Heavenly Beds, St. Regis beds, etc.)
  • Gift Silver Elite Status
  • $100 Charity Donation: Make a $100 (USD) donation to UNICEF, the Arne M Sorenson Hospitality Fund, or the World Wildlife Fund.

75 Night Choices

  • 1 Free Night Award (Up to 40K Points): Wait until early January to select this one!  Certificate is valid through December 31st of the year after this award is selected. For example, by picking this Choice Benefit in December 2024, the certificate would be valid through the end of 2025, but if you wait until early January 2025 to make your 75 night selection, the certificate will be good through the end of 2026.
  • Gift Gold Elite Status

The rest are the same as the 50 night choices:

  • 5 Elite Night Credits
  • 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards
  • $100 Charity Donation
  • $1,000 off a Marriott bed

Which Marriott Choice Benefits are Best?

50 Night Choice: Elite Nights or Nightly Upgrade Awards

In my opinion, the two most valuable 50 night choices are 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards and 5 Elite Night Credits.  If you are close to 75 Night Titanium Elite status and if picking the 5 Elite Night Credits would get you there, then that is the better choice.  Once you get to 75 nights, you’ll get another Choice Benefit selection plus you’ll have a higher level of elite status which includes (among other things) free United Premier Silver elite status.

If the elite night credits won’t make the difference in getting you to 75 night status, then choose 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards.  Yes, these can be frustratingly difficult to use, but when they work out, they can be extremely valuable.

75 Night Choice: 40K Night or Nightly Upgrade Awards

The best 75 night choice, in my opinion, is the 40K Free Night Award.  That has tangible value and can often be used at a hotel that would have cost more than $300 for the night.  The Nightly Upgrade Awards, meanwhile, are a gamble.  If you value suites or preferred rooms, the potential upside of getting upgraded for a 5 night stay (or multiple shorter stays) can be much more than getting a free 40K night. However, there’s a very real possibility that you won’t be able to use the upgrades at all before they expire.

More About Nightly Upgrade Awards

a room with a staircase and a bed
Sometimes Nightly Upgrade Awards can be extremely valuable.  Nick scored this amazing suite at the St Pancras hotel in London by using a Nightly Upgrade Award.
5 Nightly Upgrade Awards (Previously known as Suite Night Awards) are available as a Choice Benefit when a member earns 50 or 75 elite qualifying nights within a calendar year. These have the potential to be extremely valuable because they allow the possibility of upgrading to an expensive suite or a preferred room (such as an ocean view) on a stay booked with points or cash at base-room rates. Before selecting this benefit, though, it's important to understand their limitations:
  • A number of Marriott brands do not allow the use of Nightly Upgrade Awards: The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, Design Hotels™, all-Suite Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club properties and Vistana properties.
  • A frustratingly large number of individual hotels within participating brands do not allow the use of Nightly Upgrade Awards. The only way to find out for sure is to call and ask Marriott Member Services or to book a stay and try to apply your upgrades (but even that approach isn't foolproof).
  • You must use a Nightly Upgrade Award for every night of your reservation.  If you have 5 awards, for example, you cannot apply them to a 6 night reservation.
  • Once you've applied your Nightly Upgrade Awards to a reservation, Marriott begins checking for suite upgrade availability 3 days before your stay.  If you are not upgraded 3 days beforehand, Marriott will check again each day up until the day before your stay.  If the upgrade isn't successful, the Nightly Upgrade Awards will be credited back to your account.

FAQ

I have the Bonvoy Brilliant card which gives me Platinum Elite status, do I get to pick a Choice Benefit?

Not automatically.  Platinum status alone doesn’t qualify you for a Choice Benefit.  In order to earn a Choice Benefit, you have to acquire 50 elite qualifying nights within a calendar year.  The Brilliant card automatically gives you 25 elite qualifying nights but you’ll still have to get 25 more nights to get a Choice Benefit.  You can get 15 more nights automatically every year by signing up for the Bonvoy Business card and then you’ll only need to stay 10 nights each year at Marriott hotels in order to get a Choice Benefit each year.

I have Lifetime Platinum Elite status, do I get to pick a Choice Benefit?

Not automatically.  Platinum status alone doesn’t qualify you for a Choice Benefit.  In order to earn a Choice Benefit, you have to acquire 50 elite qualifying nights within a calendar year.

I earned Platinum Elite status from a status match, do I get to pick a Choice Benefit?

Not automatically.  Platinum status alone doesn’t qualify you for a Choice Benefit.  In order to earn a Choice Benefit, you have to acquire 50 elite qualifying nights within a calendar year.

Why don’t you recommend gifting Silver or Gold elite status?

With Marriott, only Platinum status and above offers meaningful benefits, in my opinion.  Plus, it’s easy to get Silver or Gold status simply by having a Marriott card or an Amex Platinum card.

Here’s a summary of elite benefits by elite level:

Elite Status Level Requirements Per Year Key Benefits
Silver Elite 10 Nights Late checkout, 10% point bonus
Gold Elite 25 Nights 2PM late checkout; 25% point bonus; welcome gift (points only); room upgrade; enhanced internet
Platinum Elite 50 Nights 4PM late checkout; 50% point bonus; welcome gift w/ breakfast option; room upgrade includes suites; lounge access; Choice benefit (such as 5 nightly upgrade awards) when you achieve 50 nights.
Titanium Elite 75 Nights All of the above, plus: 75% point bonus; United Silver Premier status via RewardsPlus; Ritz-Carlton suite upgrades; Additional Choice Benefit (such as 40K free night certificate) when you achieve 75 nights.
Ambassador Elite 100 Nights + $23K Spend All of the above, plus: Ambassador Service (dedicated Marriott agent); Your24 (Choose the 24 hours of your stay. For example, choose to check in at 9am after an overnight flight).
 
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