Back in December 2023, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Marriott Bonvoy launched a two-way status match and accelerator offer for elite members in either programme. This offers Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status with just 10 nights (instead of 50 nights), or KrisFlyer Elite Gold with just four flights (instead of 50,000 Elite miles).
There was a lot of interest in both, naturally, but over the past few weeks Iโve received reports from some members who completed the Marriott Bonvoy Platinum challenge in early 2024 and were downgraded in 2025, contrary to information that Marriott previously provided.
Iโve been following up on this matter with Marriott, so read on if youโve been affected.
How long is Marriott Bonvoy elite status valid for?
The general rule governing Marriott Bonvoy elite status is that itโs valid for:
- The rest of the year of qualification (Year X)
- One year after qualification (Year X+1)
- January and February of the year after the year after qualification (Year X+2)
However, thereโs a further complication for members who qualify for status in January or February, as flagged in this FlyerTalk thread. Apparently:
- If a member qualifies for status in January or February in Year X, their status will only be valid till end February of Year X+1
- If a member qualifies for status in March to December in Year X, their status will be valid till end February of Year X+2
This probably has something to do with how Marriottโs IT systems work, since status downgrades take place at the end of February, rather than the end of December.
| โ Why is status downgraded at the end of February instead of December? |
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While elite member qualification is based on the number of nights stayed in a given calendar year, status downgrades with Marriott (and several other loyalty programmes) only take place at the end of February the following year. This concession is so that members whose stays overlap two calendar years can have their nights properly credited. For example, a member who stays at a hotel from 30 December 2024 to 5 January 2025 would clock a total of six elite nights for the 2024 membership year. However, his account might show a shortfall of nights as of 1 January 2025 (as nights are only posted on check-out), so to avoid complications, downgrades are only processed later. |
To clarify the matter, I reached out to Marriottโs PR team, who told me the following:
Anyone who achieves a status (through earning based on program guidelines) this year, will keep that status through February 2026
-Marriott PR
That seems pretty unambiguous: qualify anytime in 2024, enjoy status till February 2026, simple as that.
Some members have been downgraded for 2026
However, over the past couple of weeks, Iโve read reports from readers who completed their status accelerator challenge in January or February 2024, only to be downgraded at the end of February 2025.
When one reader reached out to customer service, he received the following message:
Our team has reviewed your account and the KrisFlyer preferred Partnership Program. We upgraded your account to Platinum level on January 18, 2024, and maintained this status after you completed the 10-night challenge.
Since you were upgraded in January 2024, you only received that year of Platinum status. The renewal and downgrade process runs once a year, and your account was downgraded on March 5, 2025, after a full year at the Platinum level
-Marriott customer service
This obviously contradicts the information supplied by Marriottโs PR team, so I reached out to them, and theyโve now come back with the following response.
Following internal checks, youโre right that members who met the qualifying nights in 2024 should get their corresponding status from the time they qualified, up to Feb 2026. The scenario you described should not happen.
Weโd like to investigate this further, and the best way to do so would be for the affected member(s) to contact my operational colleagues https://www.marriott.com/help/loyalty-customer-support.mi.
They should call the respective number listed depending on which country theyโre from. This will allow the customer support team to personally verify the memberโs identity on the call before they can proceed with investigations and troubleshoot each individual case
-Marriott PR
So tl;dr: if you qualified for elite status in 2024 and got downgraded in 2025, do reach out to customer service to open a case. One reader has already done so, and received this reply:
Based on the Marriott Bonvoy & KrisFlyer Preferred Partnership Programme, achieving Platinum Elite status through the accelerator challenge by staying ten (10) qualifying nights should indeed extend your status until February 2026.
I will escalate this matter to our customer service team to recheck your Platinum status and ensure it is correctly reflected in your account. We will provide you with an update as soon as possible.
-Marriott customer service
The context of my discussions with Marriott was the KrisFlyer x Bonvoy status accelerator, but I see no reason why the same rule wouldnโt apply to other scenarios where elite status was attained in the first two months of the calendar year.
Recap: Marriott status match & challenge for KrisFlyer elites
| KrisFlyer Tier | Instant Match Toโฆ | Status Accelerator Challenge |
 Solitaire PPS Club & PPS Club |
 Gold |
Platinum (10 nights in 6 months) |
 KrisFlyer Elite Gold |
||
 KrisFlyer Elite Silver |
N/A | Silver (3 nights in 6 months) |
Solitaire PPS Club, PPS Club, and KrisFlyer Elite Gold members:
- Can register to receive an instant status match to Marriott Bonvoy Gold (usual requirement: 25 qualifying nights per calendar year)
- Will be upgraded to Marriott Bonvoy Platinum should they subsequently stay at least 10 qualifying nights in a six-month period (usual requirement: 50 qualifying nights per calendar year)
KrisFlyer Elite Silver members:
- Do not receive any instant status
- Can register and earn Marriott Bonvoy Silver when they stay at least 3 qualifying nights in a six-month period (usual requirement: 10 qualifying nights per calendar year)
Thereโs also a status match and challenge in the opposite direction from Marriott Bonvoy to KrisFlyer, which I wonโt address here. You can read the post below for the full details of the Singapore Airlines x Marriott partnership.
KrisFlyer and Marriott Bonvoy offering two-way status match and accelerator
Conclusion
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members who earned status in 2024 should retain that status till February 2026 at least. If your experience shows otherwise, you should reach out to Marriott customer service and open a case for investigation (and please post your data points in the comments as well).
Of course, this would be equally applicable to those who earn status in 2025 and subsequent years, in case youโre reading this at some point in the future.
To requalify for Platinum in 2026, it would be 50 nights right? Iโm assuming the 10 nights requirement is a one time concession?
I obtained my Platinum Elite status in January 2024 through the โMarriott Bonvoy Platinum Challenge.โ I just called customer service, and the representative insisted that since I didnโt complete 50 nights within the year 2024, my membership was downgraded to Gold Elite. I requested her to open a case for further investigation, and I will be notified if any outcome.
I get the response from Marriott : Thank you for contacting Marriott Bonvoyยฎ Customer Care. We welcome the opportunity to assist you. According to the terms of our program, if a Member completes their Challenge and is upgraded between February and December, that Member will get the upgrade year plus an additional year. If a Member completes their Challenge and is upgraded in January of a given year, that Member only gets that year; the renew and downgrade process only runs once a year. We value your loyalty towards Marriott Bonvoyยฎ and thank you for being a Gold Elite Marriottโฆ Read more ยป
drop me a message via the contact us- iโd like to forward this correspondence to marriott PR
thank you so much. this is so helpful. I was one of them who got downgraded in February this year.
I just call Customer service and they said it is only valid for 12 months. I got upgraded in Jan 2024 and they already โextended 2 more monthsโ to February 2025 for me. May I know who in Mariott PR should I contact ?
Can I please check if anyone knows if the Marriott Bonvoy to KrisFlyer Status Match a โonce per accountโ thing? i.e. If I availed last year and successfully matched with my KF Gold expiring by end September 2025 and assuming the program is still active in say, October 2025, can I re-apply again since I still have maintained my Marriott Platinum status?
I tried reading the T&C but it does not specifically say. Also tried customer support but no response yet. So trying my luck here! Thank you in advance!
Most, if not all, status match programmes are once in a lifetime only. You cannot extend your KF Gold status next year just by holding Marriot Platinum and re-apply the status match again.
The only way you can maintain your KF Gold status for the next year is by normal qualification (ie. flying 50,000 miles per year in SQ).
Likewise, I got bumped to Platinum last year Jan due to a fast track challenge and i called the bonvoy hotline but was told thereโs a particular line in the T&C that those who got their upgraded status in January will only have their status valid for a year.