Hotel chains have been making special accommodations for their elite members, in recognition of the fact that it’s virtually impossible to travel right now.
- Hilton has extended elite status for all members worldwide
- Hyatt has extended elite status for all members worldwide
- Shangri-La has extended elite status for all members worldwide
- IHG has extended elite status for members in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, whileย reducing the elite qualification criteriaย by 25-30% for 2020
- Accor has extended elite status for members in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, whileย reducing its elite requalification thresholdย by 50% for 2020
That left Marriott Bonvoy as the odd man out, with virtual radio silence regarding elite status extensions since the start of the outbreak.
Thankfully, that’s now changed.
Marriott Bonvoy is extending elite status by a year
Marriott Bonvoy is extending the validity of status earned in 2019 by a further 12 months. Instead of status expiring on 28 February 2021, it will now expire on 28 February 2022.ย This is regardless of member activity in 2020.
The extension applies across all tiers worldwide, and as an added bonus, the extended year will count towards lifetime status.ย However, you’ll still need to hit the usual 50 or 75 elite nights if you want to get your additional Choice Benefit Selections.
Points will not expire until February 2021
Marriott Bonvoy points normally expire after 24 months of inactivity. However, Marriott will extend the window until February 2021, which means that no points will expire until then.
Suite Night Awards are extended till 31 December 2021
Marriott elite members can select Suite Night Awards (SNAs) as their Choice Benefit when they pass 50 and 75 elite nights in a calendar year. Any SNAs due to expire on 31 December 2020 will be extended by a further 12 months
Flexible cancellation policy continues
This one isn’t strictly related to the Marriott Bonvoy program, but good to reiterate nonetheless.
- Guests with reservations made until 12 March 2020 for any future arrival date will be allowed to cancel without penalty up to 24 hours prior to arrival, or by 30 June 2020, whichever is earlier
- Guests with reservations made from 13 March to 30 June 2020 for any future arrival date will be allowed to cancel without penalty up to 24 hours prior to arrival
Conclusion
It’s great that Marriott has finally matched the rest of the major hotel chains in extending status throughout 2021. Unfortunately, I already lost my status earlier this year, but I’m sure there are many of you who will find it useful.
Marriott has not announced whether it will be lowering the elite status qualification thresholds for those who wish to earn status this year, so that’s the next thing to look out for.
I did Platinum challenge last year. Now I can enjoy my Platinum almost 3 years now, depending on when we can resume normal travel.
My alaska MVPG(thanks to Cathay error fare) is extended for another year, too. Wonder what tier I can get for oneworld next summer.