Marriott Bonvoy has announced additional elite benefits for 2021. This elite benefit continues the annual rollout of perks for Marriott elite members. I am a huge Marriott loyalist, if you did not know, so this makes me giddy. I sometimes visit other properties and Airbnb when they make the most sense. Receiving the email announcing the benefits gave me a bit of excitement for the coming year.
Here are the details of the benefits –
50% Elite Night Credit. Starting in February, Marriott will deposit 50% Elite Night Credits (ENCs) into members’ accounts. The deposited ENCs are based on the member’s 2020 earned elite status. The ENCs will put members halfway to renewing their current status. Here is the current list of Marriott Bonvoy elite requirements:
- Silver. 10 nights per year
- Gold. 25 nights per year.
- Platinum. 50 nights per year.
- Titanium. 75 nights per year.
- Ambassador. 100 nights per year + $20,000 USD. The $20,000 requirement has been reduced to $14,000 for 2021.
This is a cool perk to jump start travel. I was already looking forward to more travel this year. The benefit reduces the amount of stays I need to maintain Titanium status. One small issue I see with the 50% deposit is Gold and Titanium requirements are not round numbers. Will Marriott round up or round down the nights after dividing by 50%? My hope is they will round up to 13 and 38 nights, respectively.
If members currently have the Marriott Bonvoy credit card, the ENCs awarded will be in addition to those offered by the card. The Marriott Bonvoy credit card awards 15 ENCs per calendar year. I received my 15 ENCs last week. This means I should have 42 or 43 “free” ENCs in my Bonvoy account next month.
Double Points/ENCs. Marriott Bonvoy will be launching a promotion titled “Better Two-gether soon. Once registered, members will earn double the points and ENCs on stays of two nights or more. The stays that will count towards this promotion will need to occur between February 16 and April 27, 2021. Ironically, April 27 is the day I graduated United States Air Force Basic Training. This has to be a sign, LMAO.
Reduced standard redemptions. Members can save up to 40% on standard redemptions by booking off peak rates. These rates have to be booked by February 21, 2021.
Final Word
I get excited, maybe more than I should, when I receive any travel benefit. The Marriott Bonvoy benefits for 2021 are a great touch, but I wish they would have been offered in 2020 as I am sure this would have boosted travel. Either way, 2020 was stressful for all of us, I will gladly receive any glimmer of travel hope for the new year.
