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Marriott Bonvoy® will be ending its Points Advance option next month. Points Advance allowed Bonvoy members to book an award reservation when they didn’t have enough points in their accounts. Here is the reason given on Marriott’s site:
Due to varying factors such as low demand, we are no longer offering Points Advance Reservations. You may still purchase Points or use Cash + Points to complete a Redemption booking should you have insufficient Marriott Bonvoy® Points in your Account.”
I’ve never taken advantage of this option, but know it used to be popular for people redeeming at expensive properties or for longer stays where they wanted to lock in the room and earn the points in the interim. The program officially allows reservations using Points Advance to be booked through March 27th. Here are some of the FAQs Marriott provided:
Can I still book a reservation using Points Advance?
Points Advance Reservations can be booked through March 27, 2023. Points Advance Reservations must be made at least 30 days prior to arrival date and will be held for up to 60 days from time of booking or no later than 14 days prior to the arrival date (whichever occurs first).
What happens to the Points Advance Reservation I have already booked?
Reservations booked using Points Advance prior to March 28th will be honored (but the requirements above will need to be met).
What happens if I need to modify or cancel my Points Advance Reservation between now and March 28th?
Prior to March 28th, you may cancel or modify your Points Advance Reservations.
What happens if I need to modify or cancel my Points Advance reservation after March 28, 2023?
The cancellation of a Points Advance Reservation is allowed, but subject to the reservation’s cancellation policy. If you are modifying the reservation after March 28th, it cannot rebooked as a Points Advance Reservation.
What happens if I don’t have enough Marriott Bonvoy® Points to cover my Points Advance Reservation after March 28th?
As long as you have the Marriott Bonvoy® points in your account 60 days from the time of booking or 14 days prior to arrival (whichever comes first), your reservation will be honored. Marriott gives two scenarios here:
Example 1: You make a Points Advance Reservation on February 15, 2023 with an arrival date of July 15, 2023. If there are insufficient Marriott Bonvoy® Points in the Account for the Stay on April 15, 2023, the Reservation will be cancelled at that time.
Example 2: You make a Points Advance Reservation on February 15, 2023 with an arrival date of April 1, 2023. If there are insufficient Marriott Bonvoy® Points in the Account for the Stay on March 18, 2023, the Reservation will be cancelled at that time.”
Anthony’s Take: I never used this feature, so I’m not concerned personally. I know it was popular with a lot of Marriott guests and any time something is taken away it’s a loss.
Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a must for frequent Marriott guests. Its annual fee is $650, but I have found that the dining credits, free night, 25 Elite Qualifying Nights, and other benefits easily make this up. An excellent welcome bonus makes it even better. It will always have a place in my wallet. Learn more about the card. Rates & Fees.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
