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
#196
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: UA1KMM SPGPLAT
Posts: 480
Extra Free Nights?
Is there any ability to earn additional free nights by a certain level of credit card spend on any of the cards? I thought I remember hearing about such promotion but can't find anything.
#197
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: SJC
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, Bonvoyed Lifetime Gold
Posts: 117
YES, Sorry I was originally wrong but Amex Marriott Biz gives you a free night 35k cert for $60k in spend.
Last edited by JfromTheBay; May 19, 2019 at 5:08 am
#198
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 95
Not sure if this has been discussed but a hypothetical question...let's say I only want to keep my Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX for one year since I got the 100k signup bonus, but the reward night is only issued 4-6 weeks after your signup anniversary. I've paid the first year's $450 annual fee, do I have to pay the second year's annual fee in order to get this reward night since it's 4-6 weeks into my second year?
#199
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: SJC
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, Bonvoyed Lifetime Gold
Posts: 117
Not sure if this has been discussed but a hypothetical question...let's say I only want to keep my Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX for one year since I got the 100k signup bonus, but the reward night is only issued 4-6 weeks after your signup anniversary. I've paid the first year's $450 annual fee, do I have to pay the second year's annual fee in order to get this reward night since it's 4-6 weeks into my second year?
Yes
#201
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: GEG
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Lifetime SkyClub, AS MVP
Posts: 2,410
If you still hold the card my experience has been that they will grant a one-time extension to use the free night certificate. I just call in and ask.
#202
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 705
Using a Bonvoy free night certificate for a friend
I have booked one of my free night certificates for a friend who is attending a wedding. I will not be attending. His name is on the reservation along with mine. I have told Marriott that he will be "arriving first" so that he can check in.
Should he check in by himself with his + 1 nowhere in sight lest they think she's me? 😀 Will the hotel expect me to check in at some point or will they not care? Should I call the actual hotel to make sure he can check in?
Should he check in by himself with his + 1 nowhere in sight lest they think she's me? 😀 Will the hotel expect me to check in at some point or will they not care? Should I call the actual hotel to make sure he can check in?
#203
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 41
Question that I haven't seen asked in here yet:
- I booked a free night at a property that was category 5 prior to the category changes (35k points)
- The property is now category 6
- I have received a credit card certificate good up to category 5
- Am I able to call and have them use the certificate to refund my 35k points, or is that not possible since they expect 50k points at the time of payment now?
- I booked a free night at a property that was category 5 prior to the category changes (35k points)
- The property is now category 6
- I have received a credit card certificate good up to category 5
- Am I able to call and have them use the certificate to refund my 35k points, or is that not possible since they expect 50k points at the time of payment now?
#204
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: IND
Programs: LT Marriott Uber Titanium; From US CP to dirt (Its been a while)
Posts: 292
I have booked one of my free night certificates for a friend who is attending a wedding. I will not be attending. His name is on the reservation along with mine. I have told Marriott that he will be "arriving first" so that he can check in.
Should he check in by himself with his + 1 nowhere in sight lest they think she's me? 😀 Will the hotel expect me to check in at some point or will they not care? Should I call the actual hotel to make sure he can check in?
Should he check in by himself with his + 1 nowhere in sight lest they think she's me? 😀 Will the hotel expect me to check in at some point or will they not care? Should I call the actual hotel to make sure he can check in?
I've done similar for my sister and suggested she just go up to check-in by herself (to keep it as simple as possible) and if there are questions say I'll arrive later.
Added names no longer seem to appear in confirmation emails. My fear in these situations is having the added name mysteriously disappear or never stick.
So I usually do call Rez line or hotel near the travel date to make sure everything is in order. Doing so saved me much sisterly wrath recently.
#206
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Canada
Programs: AC E50k, A3*G, UA*S, MR Titanium, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold, NEXUS
Posts: 3,669
Does anyone know if the 35k certificate can be converted to points? Alternatively, if there's a Luxury Collection hotel I want to stay at that's 55k points, can I use this to cover 35k of that and cover the rest from my points balance (or do this with the 40k cert for 75 nighters)? I don't really stay at lower point places enough for these certs to be as valuable to me as I'd thought they would...
#207
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 41
Does anyone know if the 35k certificate can be converted to points? Alternatively, if there's a Luxury Collection hotel I want to stay at that's 55k points, can I use this to cover 35k of that and cover the rest from my points balance (or do this with the 40k cert for 75 nighters)? I don't really stay at lower point places enough for these certs to be as valuable to me as I'd thought they would...
#208
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: WN F9 HA UA AA IHG HH MR
Posts: 3,305
#209
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Charleston, SC, USA
Programs: Avis Pref+, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Life Gold, Honors Silver, IHG Plat via MC.
Posts: 6,786
Tanic, that used to be true about Chase, but many FTers have reported that Chase has changed the issuance dates of the cert.s for the same reason as Amex. I view the old Chase way as giving the cert as a thank-you for having kept the card for the past year (whether they intended this or not) and the Amex/ new way as a thank-you for keeping the card & paying the fee for the new year!
#210
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: Hilton Gold, SPG Gold, CC Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 434
Did anyone has a free night cert disappear from their account. I had an old Marriott Visa Cert that was given pre merger and didn't expire until Aug 2019 and it is not in my account now. This happened on both my account and my wife's. Going to call Marriott to find out.