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AmEx Marriott Bonvoy Personal / Business cards ($120 / $150 AF), 50k pts, Annual Free Night Award

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  • Mar 28th, 2024 9:40 am
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Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2018
1488 posts
1269 upvotes
can you stack up those free night on the same reservation if you have personal and business spg? i.e. use 50k+50k of bonus points, plus those 2x 35k free night, then get the 5th night free?
Member
Jan 17, 2018
294 posts
215 upvotes
terracotta92 wrote: can you stack up those free night on the same reservation if you have personal and business spg? i.e. use 50k+50k of bonus points, plus those 2x 35k free night, then get the 5th night free?
Yes you can. You might have to call them to have them do it. I did something similar back in October 2018.
Deal Addict
Aug 18, 2004
1220 posts
119 upvotes
Toronto
Handcake wrote: I think for people who are only staying a few nights a year in a Marriott hotel, the SPG card really isn't THAT great. If you are staying 35+ nights a year, it is great as the 15 night credit will push you to platinum status which gives lounge access. If you are staying 50+ nights and need that push for Titanium, again, it is great. I have the AMEX Plat and gold was great for the 18 months we got lounge access with it. Now gold is pretty useless, as there are a ton of plats, titaniums and ambassadors out there getting the upgrades.

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Is the 15 night credit a for sure thing? I can't find this on the card details ANYWHERE. This would be a huge benefit for me as I have gold now with my amex biz plat but i'd get to Marriott platinum a little faster. Most hotels have been cool with giving me lounge anyway but to get it guaranteed would be nice.
Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2018
1488 posts
1269 upvotes
Handcake wrote: Yes you can. You might have to call them to have them do it. I did something similar back in October 2018.
and you get the free night immediately after approval right? or do you have to wait for the AF to post?
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Apr 24, 2017
7313 posts
6264 upvotes
terracotta92 wrote: and you get the free night immediately after approval right? or do you have to wait for the AF to post?
Free night will show up after a month you pay the AF (2nd year and going forward).

You won’t get free night in the first year, instead, you will get welcome bonus if you meet MSR.
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Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2018
1488 posts
1269 upvotes
EdisonL299 wrote: Free night will show up after a month you pay the AF (2nd year and going forward).

You won’t get free night in the first year, instead, you will get welcome bonus if you meet MSR.
+1
Deal Addict
Sep 25, 2004
1163 posts
791 upvotes
Handcake wrote: Yes you can. You might have to call them to have them do it. I did something similar back in October 2018.
Interesting, as far as I understood you could not use the free night certificates to stack for the free 5th night, although you could stack them for multiple nights by calling in.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Dec 11, 2005
9870 posts
1914 upvotes
TO
thefusio15 wrote: Oh I totally agree on this. However, I still appreciate late checkout, room upgrade, "welcome bonus", and the 25% bonus points on hotel bookings, so I still see value in the program. Not as much, no doubt, but having a 25 nights per year head-start for Gold Elite + Lifetime status down the road is not a bad thing!
I'm with you on the above. I just got back from LA and we got upgraded on our entire 5 nights from a 2 double bed to a villa/penthouse. They give out 250 points upon reception, and late checkout as you mentioned. There were some hotels in Santa Monica which were going for 250-400 a night and 35K would cover each night CAT5 I think.
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Member
Jan 17, 2018
294 posts
215 upvotes
joeags wrote: Interesting, as far as I understood you could not use the free night certificates to stack for the free 5th night, although you could stack them for multiple nights by calling in.
So what you are doing is booking 5 nights with points. Those certificates are in the same category as points, so you use 2 certs and points for the other 2 nights and the 5th is free. The 5th is always free on award bookings.

The new web system will most likely take the certs automatically now. When I do bookings on points it asks about using my certs first, there are usually 3 things I can click, and I have been clicking points only. I don't have 2 certs in my account atm or I would try a booking and see. Maybe someone who has 2 can try it and see? If not, I expect my 2nd cert to post within a month, so I'll do a booking and check :)
Member
Jan 17, 2018
294 posts
215 upvotes
thefusio15 wrote: Oh I totally agree on this. However, I still appreciate late checkout, room upgrade, "welcome bonus", and the 25% bonus points on hotel bookings, so I still see value in the program. Not as much, no doubt, but having a 25 nights per year head-start for Gold Elite + Lifetime status down the road is not a bad thing!
The gold status you get with your AMEX Plat or with the SPG spend bonus doesn't give you any nights credited. You are still starting at 0 nights that year as you work your way towards Platinum, you still have to get 50 nights. I read your reply as implying that one might start at 25 nights and that these nights might apply to lifetime status, so I wanted to clarify. Yes, it does help you on the road to lifetime gold that you had xx years as a gold, however, you still have to get those nights. With the change, it is a lot of years and nights to get those lifetime status now (10 years of plat for lifetime plat now).

Gold will get you the 25% point bonus like you stated which is better than silver's 15%, as well you can get 2pm late checkout and sometimes an upgrade. If you dine at Marriott restaurants that do the fine dining, it gives you 15% off the price of the food not including tax/tip/service fees, which isn't a bad perk either. And like you stated the welcome bonus at some hotels of 250 points isn't bad either.
Jay-c wrote: Is the 15 night credit a for sure thing? I can't find this on the card details ANYWHERE. This would be a huge benefit for me as I have gold now with my amex biz plat but i'd get to Marriott platinum a little faster. Most hotels have been cool with giving me lounge anyway but to get it guaranteed would be nice.
AMEX emailed card holders with the SPG card about the 15 nights coming in early 2019. ALL the American Marriott cards offer 15 nights, and the Canadian Chase used to offer 15 night credit, so it makes sense that the Canadian Marriott card with AMEX would start to do that as well.

If you read other forums about Marriott, you will know they have all kinds of IT issues as well the changes to their status/rebranding makes sense they would tell credit cards to wait a month after the rebranding to add 15 elite nights. I can foresee it being a nightmare and a lot of customers having to call AMEX/Marriott about where those nights are.
Member
Mar 12, 2008
442 posts
168 upvotes
Richmond Hill
I had a 3 night point booking with 1night being a free cert. when I changed to 5 nights it kicked the free night certificate out and took 4 nights worth of points. I had to call Marriott who had to call the hotel to give back the free night cert. I’m currently using it for a Kingston stay. It’s only a 25,000 point stay but $425 if I were to pay. Nice value
Deal Addict
Sep 25, 2004
1163 posts
791 upvotes
Handcake wrote: So what you are doing is booking 5 nights with points. Those certificates are in the same category as points, so you use 2 certs and points for the other 2 nights and the 5th is free. The 5th is always free on award bookings.

The new web system will most likely take the certs automatically now. When I do bookings on points it asks about using my certs first, there are usually 3 things I can click, and I have been clicking points only. I don't have 2 certs in my account atm or I would try a booking and see. Maybe someone who has 2 can try it and see? If not, I expect my 2nd cert to post within a month, so I'll do a booking and check :)
It'snot been allowed in the past to utilize a certificate or more in order to receive the 5th night free. I'm not saying that it can't be done, as I've heard about agents giving back points for a 25K certificate that people weren't able to utilize towards a higher category stay, but have only seen that once or twice in 10 years of Marriott stays. Possibly somebody can make it work, but I wouldn't count on it.

Since you asked, here's a 5 night reservation at the JW Marriott in Khao Lak, Thailand. If you pay with points, it's 4 nights paid with the 5th night free, or 140K points. If you use 2 certs, it's 2 certificates and 105K points. If you use 1 cert, it's 1 certificate and 140K points. Basically the system does not allow the free night while using the certificates. You could possibly get an agent to override it, but I haven't had luck the couple times I've tried in the past.

KhaoLak.jpg
Member
Jan 17, 2018
294 posts
215 upvotes
That's interesting they don't give the free night. I got the free night using 1 cert and points last year but I had to call Marriott to get it done.

Thanks for the update though. With the new system, I sometimes wonder if it is just luck rather than policy that things can happen.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Mar 14, 2018
868 posts
1101 upvotes
Ottawa, ON
Handcake wrote: The gold status you get with your AMEX Plat or with the SPG spend bonus doesn't give you any nights credited.
My bad, wasn't aware of that: updating my initial comment so that it doesn't mislead someone. Either way, even without this, I still find some value in the program, so I am not gonna stop choosing Bonvoy hotels over Hilton or Radisson (which also offers Gold Status to Platinum Cardholder). I'm still thinking of adding the SPG to my wallet for the signup bonus, but waiting for the Bonvoy branding (and maybe new signup bonus) to be offered before doing the request
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Member
Sep 12, 2013
326 posts
192 upvotes
Mississauga
Handcake wrote:
AMEX emailed card holders with the SPG card about the 15 nights coming in early 2019. ALL the American Marriott cards offer 15 nights, and the Canadian Chase used to offer 15 night credit, so it makes sense that the Canadian Marriott card with AMEX would start to do that as well.

If you read other forums about Marriott, you will know they have all kinds of IT issues as well the changes to their status/rebranding makes sense they would tell credit cards to wait a month after the rebranding to add 15 elite nights. I can foresee it being a nightmare and a lot of customers having to call AMEX/Marriott about where those nights are.
i cant find any reference to the 15nights credit. That would be a nice bonus towards Platinum status.
Member
Jan 10, 2018
344 posts
198 upvotes
Logged into my App and it now shows a picture of the Bonvoy card and refers to my card as the Bonvoy Amex
Member
Sep 2, 2013
357 posts
398 upvotes
Ontario
Tommycoupons wrote: Logged into my App and it now shows a picture of the Bonvoy card and refers to my card as the Bonvoy Amex
They must be rolling out gradually. Mine still shows SPG in the app, online and Apple Pay.
Member
Oct 26, 2016
278 posts
162 upvotes
marty3d wrote: They must be rolling out gradually. Mine still shows SPG in the app, online and Apple Pay.
Website shows both my personal and business as Bonvoy cards now, name and graphics.
Jr. Member
May 23, 2018
102 posts
67 upvotes
Montreal
Mine shows the Bonvoy name but still the old SPG card pic.
Jr. Member
May 23, 2018
102 posts
67 upvotes
Montreal
Amex website is updated and raised the welcome bonus to 60k Bonvoy points when spending $1500!
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