Loyalty programs understand that customers have come to crave flexibility and some are rising to the occasion. Marriott Bonvoy offers members the ability to add extra points to the value of its annual Free Night Award (FNA) certificate. With the FNA plus points benefit, you can combine up to 15,000 Bonvoy points with a free night award to book a higher-category hotel. This is likely a result of Marriott removing its award chart and adopting a dynamic-pricing structure. With award redemptions becoming more unpredictable, the FNA plus points benefit gives members more options to redeem their free night certificates.
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What Is Marriott’s Free Night Award Reservation + Points?
Marriott’s Free Night Award plus points expands the use of annual free night certificates. FNAs from the Marriott credit cards and Annual Choice Benefit are valid at hotels requiring 35,000 to 85,000 points per night depending on the certificate. With FNA plus points, you can redeem up to 15,000 points per night for a hotel exceeding the value of your free night certificate.
In light of Marriott’s dynamic pricing model, topping off certificates can reap tremendous value. You won’t have to let your free night expire just because you can’t find a desirable hotel at the maximum certificate point value. For example, award nights at the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach range from 50,000 to 61,000 points per night during the December holiday period. With FNA plus points, this property is attainable for those with a 35,000, 50,000 or 85,000-point night FNA.
Which Cards Offer a Marriott Free Night Award?
Marriott FNAs are issued to select Marriott credit card holders annually. Depending on the card, these free nights are valid at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program and going for 35,000, 50,000 or 85,000 points per night. With the free night top off, you can now redeem free night certificates at hotels requiring 50,000, 65,000 and 100,000 points, respectively. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card*: Up to 35,000 points
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: Up to 50,000 points after spending $15,000 on the card in a year (Terms apply)
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card*: Up to 50,000 points after spending $15,000 on the card in a year
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Up to 35,000 points, plus a second free night after you spend $60,000 in a calendar year (Terms apply)
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Up to 85,000 points (Terms apply)
- The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card (no longer open to new applicants): Up to 85,000 points
In addition to co-branded credit cards, you can earn a free night through the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. Members who complete at least 75 nights a year can select a Marriott award night as an Annual Choice Benefit. This award is valid for a free night of up to 40,000 points per night. With the top off, you can book a room requiring 55,000 points with the extra 15,000 points.
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How To Book a Marriott Free Night Top-Off Award
Booking with Marriott FNA plus points is simple. All you need is a Free Night Award and up to 15,000 Marriott points to complete your booking. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Log in to Your Marriott Rewards account
Your Marriott Free Night Award is stored in your Marriott account, so you’ll need to log in before you do anything else. You can check how many free night certificates you have available by navigating to the “Earned Awards” section of your account summary page. You’ll see the type of certificate available and the expiration date.
Step 2: Enter Your Travel Dates and Destination
Once you’re ready to book, head to the homepage and enter your city and travel date. Be sure to check off “Use Points/Awards” in the search field. Hit “Search” to see a list of available hotels and their nightly rates.
Step 3: Choose the Property and Room Type
Review your options and select your preferred hotel. Keep in mind that the free night top off lets you redeem up to 15,000 points in addition to your free night award. So if you have a free night from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card** or Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, you can only book hotels going for 50,000 points per night or less.
In addition, you can only use Free Night Awards and Free Night Awards plus points on standard rooms. So if the room is designated as a premium room, you won’t be able to apply this benefit.
Free nights from the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card or Ritz-Carlton card allow you to book a free night up to 100,000 points with points top off. If you’re redeeming an Annual Choice Benefit free night, you’ll need to look for hotels requiring 55,000 points per night or less.
Step 4: Finalize Your Booking
Select your room type and proceed to the confirmation page to finalize your booking.
That’s it—you just booked using Marriott Free Award Night plus points.
How To Get More Marriott Bonvoy Points
Suppose you need extra points for a Marriott Free Award Night plus points. In that case, you can transfer them at a 1:1 ratio from Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards®. United Airlines elite status holders can also convert their United Mileage Plus miles to Marriott points at a 1:1 ratio through Marriott Rewards Plus.
Remember that transferable rewards from Chase and Amex are often more valuable when redeemed for flights. You can possibly get two or more cents per point out of these currencies. So be sure to compare the cash rates of a Marriott stay before transferring points to book a Marriott award night. If you’re redeeming an extra 15,000 points for a Free Night Award plus points award, you could be trading in points valued at $300 or more—make sure the room you’re booking is worth the extra cost.
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Bottom Line
Marriott’s Free Award Night plus points benefit is an excellent addition to a loyalty program that hasn’t always made customer-friendly moves. Members will have a much easier time redeeming their annual FNAs if they can upgrade to more expensive hotels using points. While the 15,000-point top off is still limiting, it’s a definite improvement and makes Free Night Awards much more valuable and easier to use.
To view rates and fees for Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card please visit this page.
