Last edit by: rrgg
If you need to cancel a reservation booked using a free night certificate, follow the process in this post before cancelling to avoid potentially losing your certificate. If the certificate is lost it should be re-enstatable by Marriott customer service, but it may take a while and require some extra work on your part.
Certificate “top-off” is available as of April 30th: and discussed in a separate thread. Marriott has announced that starting “in early 2022,” members will be able to combine free-night certs with up to 15,000 points when making redemptions. See the FT thread discussing the 10/26/21 announcements and Marriott’s FAQ for current info.
EXTENDING AN EXPIRING CERTIFICATE:
Before 18 Aug 2018, Chase issued certificates good for specific categories of hotels. Post 18 Aug 2018, all certificates have been converted or will be issued at a specific level of points. SPG AMEX and Ritz Carlton credit cards have also begun to issue certs.
25K points - lower level certificates
35K points - higher level certificates
50K points - luxury level certificates
Marriott will introduce peak and non peak levels for hotels after 1 Jan 2019. Certificates will be capped at the points level where they can be redeemed rather than for a specific category of hotel. Thus, if a hotel is 25K at the non peak level and the peak level is higher, it cannot be booked in the peak level window.
Nine co-branded credit cards offer an annual free night worth up to 85,000 points:
NEW EXTENSION OF CERTIFICATES announced in October 2021:
The expiration date on certificates this year is pushed to 1/31/21.
Certificate “top-off” is available as of April 30th: and discussed in a separate thread. Marriott has announced that starting “in early 2022,” members will be able to combine free-night certs with up to 15,000 points when making redemptions. See the FT thread discussing the 10/26/21 announcements and Marriott’s FAQ for current info.
EXTENDING AN EXPIRING CERTIFICATE:
- A blogger reported that as of 12/7/2023 Marriott removed the internal tool to extend an FNA, so it may or may not still be possible.
- Your best chance for an extension is to call Marriott within 1 month of the expiration and consider having a specific property and date in mind to book. It's not necessary but even without one in mind, pick something you might use and change it later. 1-800-MARRIOT
- Most importantly, have a good reason for needing the extension, like illness or injury.
- If granted, the new expiration date is 1 year from the date of the request. You cannot get a 2nd extension on the same certificate, meaning the maximum life of a certificate is 2 years.
- If not granted, some have luck by calling later a few times.
- In 2022, Marriott seemed to deny all extension requests except a few exceptions such as here, here, and here. They may be allowing some again in 2023.
Before 18 Aug 2018, Chase issued certificates good for specific categories of hotels. Post 18 Aug 2018, all certificates have been converted or will be issued at a specific level of points. SPG AMEX and Ritz Carlton credit cards have also begun to issue certs.
25K points - lower level certificates
35K points - higher level certificates
50K points - luxury level certificates
Marriott will introduce peak and non peak levels for hotels after 1 Jan 2019. Certificates will be capped at the points level where they can be redeemed rather than for a specific category of hotel. Thus, if a hotel is 25K at the non peak level and the peak level is higher, it cannot be booked in the peak level window.
Nine co-branded credit cards offer an annual free night worth up to 85,000 points:
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card (formerly Starwood Preferred Guest Luxury Credit Card from American Express) - up to 85K (Second with $60k spend)
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (formerly Rewards Premier Plus) Credit Card - up to 35K
- Marriott Bonvoy Premier (formerly Rewards Premier) - up to 25K
- Marriott Bonvoy from American Express (formerly Preferred Guest) - up to 35K
- Marriott Bonvoy Business from American Express (formerly Preferred Guest Business) - up to 35K
- Marriott Rewards Business Premier Plus Credit Card - up to 35K
- Ritz Carlton Rewards - up to 85K
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy - up to 50k (with $15k spend)
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful - up to 50k (with $15k spend)
- Amex credit card free night certificates are issued 2 months after the anniversary date of the credit card. For example if the Brilliant fee posts 7/1, the certificate is available in your Marriott account on 9/1. Chase FNA certificates can appear much sooner, within 1 week.
- The certificate expires one year after it is issued. You must complete your stay by the expiration date.
- Can NOT be combined with a 3-night award to get a "Stay for 5, Pay for 4" award.
- Can be used for a standard room only
- Cannot be used for "redemption with cash upgrade" or any points and cash combination
- According to Marriott's terms, points reservations can be gifted to another person but certificates earned from a credit card cannot. This means the certificate owner (cardholder) must check-in even if someone else is listed as a guest on the reservation. In some cases a property has given leeway and allowed just the guest to check-in anyway without the certificate owner present, but it is risky to depend on this.
- If you use "top-off" with a certificate and the room price later decreases, you can modify the reservation to rebook the same date and recover the difference in top-off points.
- If you made a reservation with a FNA and want to know its expiration date, you can find it by editing the reservation as described at this link.
- If you downgrade the Amex Brilliant to the $95 Amex Bonvoy card, you can still get your anniversary FNA.
- Search for a points booking at an eligible hotel and the option to use the certificate a replacement for some of the required points should appear during the booking process
- Some have had trouble booking certificates from the 2020 credit card offer to get 5 free nights. In that case, try this website for booking: https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/red...free-nights.mi
- Officially Marriott allows gifting of points awards but not gifting of free night certificates from credit cards. For the latter, your name will still need to be the reservation. Whether the property requires you to be present for check-in may depend on the hotel.
- If you have 2 certificates of different value and try to redeem one, the Marriott website offers the one expiring first. If that's not what you want, work around this issue by making a dummy booking with that certificate. Then book the real reservation with the desired certificate. Then cancel the dummy. Be sure to pay attention to any cancellation terms since a few properties are more strict than others.
NEW EXTENSION OF CERTIFICATES announced in October 2021:
- Free night awards, Suite night awards, and travel certificates will be given a new expiration date of June 30, 2022
- The Marriott Bonvoy app shows the original issue date of your free night certificates. Go to Account -> Free Night Certificates to find the issue date in small print above each certificate. It's unlikely you have a certificate that won't be extended. If you don't see the issue date in the app, you'll have to wait for the actual extension to happen to check the new expiration.
- Expiration of points is paused through December 31, 2022. At that time, your points will only expire if your account has been inactive for at least 24 months
- In March 2022, Marriott will eliminate hotel categories and use variable point pricing for awards. Only a small number will be affected at first, so you won't see an immediate sweep of all properties at once.
- "Starting May 6, members who had a FNA with an original expiration date in 2020, or which will expire before January 2, 2022, as part of their Cobrand Credit Card Benefit, Annual Choice Benefit, promotions or travel package will be able to redeem it through January 3, 2022.
- Please note that FNAs with an original expiration date before 2020 will not be eligible for the additional extension. Members do not need to take any action because the system will automatically update their account with these extensions on May 6, 2021."
The expiration date on certificates this year is pushed to 1/31/21.
- “...Members who currently have an active Free Night Award (FNA) expiring in 2020 as part of their credit card benefit, annual choice benefit, promotions or travel package will be able to use it through January 31, 2021.”
- Expiration dates will be updated by the end of April, giving priority to those expiring soonest.
- If yours will expire within just a couple days, contact a Marriott representative here by private message.
Marriott Branded Credit Cards Free Night Certificate FNA Discussion Thread
#1546
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
So all of my FNA just expired at midnight. FML. I was in the process of booking.
The reps on the phone say they can apply one of my "expired credits on 6/30" for today's booking. I have 4 that expired today, and so I am requesting 4 separate hotel room bookings. They stated that they could not do that, although it does not reference it in their policies.
I am actually interested in visiting and checking in at these different hotels to understand and learn more about what they are able to offer. If they are free...why not?
Any DPs out there?
The reps on the phone say they can apply one of my "expired credits on 6/30" for today's booking. I have 4 that expired today, and so I am requesting 4 separate hotel room bookings. They stated that they could not do that, although it does not reference it in their policies.
I am actually interested in visiting and checking in at these different hotels to understand and learn more about what they are able to offer. If they are free...why not?
Any DPs out there?
#1547
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: Delta Diamond 1MM, Marriott Plat
Posts: 503
So apparently, even though you are supposed to be able to still use the cert for a stay TONIGHT (June 30, 2022) - the Marriott system seems to have already expired them.
I'm guessing there is some flaw in their code where the certs are already filtered out from the usable list at 12:00am on the expiration date instead of 11:59pm.
Called, on hold forever, not sure how this will end but beware if you are trying to book a last minute same day reservation today with your cert.
I'm guessing there is some flaw in their code where the certs are already filtered out from the usable list at 12:00am on the expiration date instead of 11:59pm.
Called, on hold forever, not sure how this will end but beware if you are trying to book a last minute same day reservation today with your cert.
#1548
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,221
I think someone asked upstream how soon after paying the AF do you get the cert? I pay my AF in March, usually get the 35K cert in August (which I could never understand, even after Chase "explained" it to me, but I've come to accept it). Well this year I just got my cert yesterday, 2 months "early"...and I've already booked a night in October that would have been 25K/$250.
#1549
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: None - previously UA
Posts: 4,867
#1550
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Colorado
Posts: 67
Hmm, Last night, I made a reservation using 2 expiring certs for 6/29&30 at a local hotel. Reservation processed successfully, and indicated that my 2 expiring certs would be used. I dropped by the hotel to present a credit card for incidentals and left. My plan was to "check out" tomorrow. Should I "check out" tonight instead?
#1551
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Cockeysville, MD
Programs: Marriott Rewards Lifetime Titanium, Amex Plat, Hertz Gold 5*, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 9,468
#1552
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Cockeysville, MD
Programs: Marriott Rewards Lifetime Titanium, Amex Plat, Hertz Gold 5*, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 9,468
Hmm, Last night, I made a reservation using 2 expiring certs for 6/29&30 at a local hotel. Reservation processed successfully, and indicated that my 2 expiring certs would be used. I dropped by the hotel to present a credit card for incidentals and left. My plan was to "check out" tomorrow. Should I "check out" tonight instead?
The Marriott website conflicts with your statement:
- A Free Night Award must be redeemed for the Stay by its expiration date.
- If your Free Night Award expires on December 31, 2022, your Check-In date can be December 31, 2022 and Check-Out date is January 1, 2023.
https://help.marriott.com/s/article/Article-33743
#1554
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
So apparently, even though you are supposed to be able to still use the cert for a stay TONIGHT (June 30, 2022) - the Marriott system seems to have already expired them.
I'm guessing there is some flaw in their code where the certs are already filtered out from the usable list at 12:00am on the expiration date instead of 11:59pm.
Called, on hold forever, not sure how this will end but beware if you are trying to book a last minute same day reservation today with your cert.
I'm guessing there is some flaw in their code where the certs are already filtered out from the usable list at 12:00am on the expiration date instead of 11:59pm.
Called, on hold forever, not sure how this will end but beware if you are trying to book a last minute same day reservation today with your cert.
#1555
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 2,263
My wife took advantage of the 5 free night offer and opened up an account with me as a secondary cardholder. Now that the cards have arrived I plan on canceling my account and opening a new one in 31 days to also get the 5 free nights, or possibly wait a few months so that we can spread the free nights out a bit. A couple of questions:
1) How often do they run the 5 free night promo, and any idea how long it runs?
2) Is there anything to be aware of in terms of time of year to apply with some of the benefits coming on anniversary date?
3) Any reason why I shouldn't do this? I've already received my 15 qualifying nights for this year, and if I apply for a new card I'll get them for next year (I think?)
1) How often do they run the 5 free night promo, and any idea how long it runs?
2) Is there anything to be aware of in terms of time of year to apply with some of the benefits coming on anniversary date?
3) Any reason why I shouldn't do this? I've already received my 15 qualifying nights for this year, and if I apply for a new card I'll get them for next year (I think?)
2 - Expect your annual FNC to come 14 months after you sign up, so if you sign up now, you will get it after the summer, but it will be good the following
3 - How many credit cards do you have or opened recently. You dont want to be rejected for the new card
#1557
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: DAY
Programs: Rapid Rewards, Skymiles, Hilton HHonors, SPG/Marriott Rewards
Posts: 4,953
#1558
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Radisson Gold, Hyatt Globalist, M life Gold, IHG Spire
Posts: 918
Yes, I contacted the Bonvoy twitter account last night. Not that I had 4 certs, I just had one, I'm in Calif. so this was only 9 PM Calif time, I was in the middle of booking it and the cert disappeared.
Get this, I immediately contacted the Bonvoy twitter team and they told me those certs did NOT have a 6/30 expiration, they had a 6/29 expiration. Why even bother to hire employees so lazy they will just lie to keep from doing work?
Get this, I immediately contacted the Bonvoy twitter team and they told me those certs did NOT have a 6/30 expiration, they had a 6/29 expiration. Why even bother to hire employees so lazy they will just lie to keep from doing work?
#1559
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Bay Area, California
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold (ex-75K), Bonvoy Titanium, Recovering United 1K
Posts: 339
#1560
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Radisson Gold, Hyatt Globalist, M life Gold, IHG Spire
Posts: 918