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Annual Choice Benefits are granted to Marriott Bonvoy® members who stay 50 nights and then again at 75 nights. These offer a range of choices from upgrades to free nights and other less popular items like charitable donations, discounts on beds, and the ability to grant status to other members. The deadline for choosing benefits is tomorrow, February 1st. Here is what I selected.
Annual Choice Benefits (50 Nights)
After staying 50 mights in Marriott hotels (across the portfolio), members are allowed to choose one Annual Choice Benefit. The selections at this milestone include:
- Select Nightly Upgrade Awards (five) to redeem for upgrades to select Premium Rooms or Standard Suites on your next adventure
- Choose Your Favorite Mattress and save $1,000 USD on your purchase of a bed from any Marriott Bonvoy® retail brands
- Gift Marriott Bonvoy® Silver Elite Status to a family member or friend
- Support Arne M. Sorenson Hospitality Fund by donating $100 USD to champion the next generation of diverse leaders in hospitality
- Support United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) by donating $100 USD for children’s aid worldwide.
- Support World Wildlife Fund (WWF) by donating $100 USD to their global conservation work.
- Add Elite Night Credits (five) to get you closer to higher Elite Status and enhanced benefits in 2024
What Did I Choose?
The 50-night selection was what I always pick: Nightly Upgrade Awards (five). Each one is valid for a single-night upgrade. If you have a three-night stay, you need to use three. These are not easy to use, but I have had success in years past. In 2024, three expired. But, this was partially my fault as I bought suites or did not try to use them on every stay. This year I will be more vigilant. I wish that these were confirmable at booking and valid for seven nights like with World of Hyatt®, but they are what they are. If you make no selections, this will be automatically selected for you at both 50 and 75 nights.
Annual Choice Benefits (75 Nights)
After staying 75 nights and reaching Titanium status, members are allowed to select from any of the options above or choose one of the following:
- Redeem one Free Night Award with a redemption value up to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Points
- Gift Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite Status to a family member or friend.
What Did I Choose?
After passing 75 nights stayed, I went with the Free Night Award. None of the other choices were appealing and I know I would not use 10 Nightly Upgrade Awards.
Qualified members can make their selections on the Annual Choice Benefit website, which is found here.
Anthony’s Take: I’m loving that Marriott has a new promo and the nights I earn just from holding credit cards. I could see Ambassador again this year (sadly, Marriott offers no additional Annual Choice Benefits at that level). Did you stay 50 or 75 nights last year? What did you choose?
Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: When I’m staying at a Marriott hotel, I want to maximize my points earned. My card of choice is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. With it, I earn six Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. It also includes up to $300 statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month ) for dining in restaurants worldwide. Plus, a free night award every year after my card renewal month that I can redeem at any Marriott hotel with a redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points. Learn more. For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, please visit here. Terms apply.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
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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.
