Marriott 50k Free Night Awards
I enjoy hotel free night certificates. Only a global pandemic can stop me from wanting more. In our situation, I’ve found Marriott 50k free night awards the most perplexing ones. They’ve been a nice combination of attractive, attainable, and actually useful. The last year, though, I’ve stacked up more while using them less frequently. Should I keep acquiring these certs? I’m making the case for each today.
Yes
An Outsized Deal
In 2022, I picked up the Bonvoy Bevy Amex for a signup bonus and two 50k certs via big spend bonuses while earning 4x on one annual fee. For a variety of reasons, my Bevy days are behind me. I don’t expect to return to the card. But the past few years, Amex offered a deal I couldn’t refuse on the Marriott Bonvoy Business card – a welcome offer including five 50k free certs. In my view, that sort-of-on-paper 250k point signup bonus blows the “usual” elevated offer of 125k Bonvoy points out of the water. Of course, certs come with their own deadline limitations, which can substantially lessen their value for people who don’t have immediate travel needs or wants. Even with that limitation, I’ve still more highly valued the cert offer.
I have a couple more left from the previous signup bonus, and I can’t say I’d ignore a similar future offer on existing or possibly-upcoming Bonvoy Amex cards.
Versatility
Historically, I’ve found Marriott 50k free night certs quite flexible across the vast majority of Marriott brands. The ability to top off each cert with up to 15k points per night helps even more. They’ve come in handy on remarkable stays at St. Regis properties in DC and Chicago to unique Autograph Collection and Ritz-Carlton stays. JW Marriott and Westin are few other favorite brands for my 50k awards. The vast majority of the time, I can find a desirable Marriott property compatible with these certs at my travel destinations.
Mediocre Alternatives
This may be more of an indictment of the Bonvoy program and its credit card setup than a positive of the certs. But from my perspective, Marriott’s cobranded cards reward ongoing spend at an inferior level relative to the competitors’. I can do much bigger things with Hilton cards than I can with Marriott. I know others prefer spending on Hyatt card products.
But since I still want the option of Marriott awards, I lean on card signup bonuses to efficiently earn them. That could be an elevated points offer, but more recently, it’s been with bonuses including 50k certs. If I want to maximize value with Marriott, I don’t see that changing (short of a large restructuring of how Marriott and Amex reward cardholders).
No
Tricky Marriott Pricing
I don’t think it’s just bad luck anymore. With every Marriott search, I’m less surprised to see properties starting at 66k-70k nightly. Isn’t that interesting how a 50k cert and 15k top-off are useless in these situations?
On the flip side, I’ve been in situations where I’ve found desirable properties for 35k points or below and feel less inclined to use these 50k certs. Of course, this conundrum is one of the oldest with free night certificates. We can trap ourselves in by overvaluing the certs instead of just using them. (For what it’s worth, I generally want to use these certs at properties coming in at least 40k nightly.)
Over time, I generally don’t have problems finding properties closer to the 50k neighborhood, but I can’t ignore how the games Marriott plays make these certs more challenging.
Non-Marriott Alternatives
Once again, I return to Hilton Honors. On a whole, I’m happier with this program than Marriott’s. I’ve received higher elite recognition, benefits, and awards with Hilton’s comparable-enough footprint. Just as important, I can earn larger amounts of points and certs more easily with Hilton than Marriott. To a lesser degree, I feel the same way about IHG. Heck, I even enjoy the Choice Privileges scheme more than Marriott.
Considering my other options and my moderate-at-most travel demands, running out of Marriott 50k free night awards would be inconsequential.
Amex Slots
My higher affinity for Hilton Honors also plays into this one. As a reminder, Amex generally holds individuals to a limit of five credit cards. I have done and can do more with Amex’s Hilton cobranded cards than Marriott versions. Consequently, I prioritize more Hilton cards than Marriott ones. Fewer Marriott cards means I’m less likely to pick up more 50k certs.
Marriott 50k Free Night Awards – Conclusion
Again, I still have a few 50k certs to use, but at this point, I don’t have plans to replenish. Perhaps that could change in the future, and I’d love Amex and the Bonvoy program to make substantial-enough tweaks to bring this dilemma. Indeed, changes can come fast in our points and travel hobby.
Do you value Marriott 50k free night awards? Why or why not?
My wife’s marriott biz amex only gives her a 35k certificate. I swore when we started with the card it was 50k. But now it is only 35k. She is close to getting platinum for life in a couple of years so I will keep the card until then to get the 15 nights per year elite credit. But after than I think we might dump it as well. We can’t find hotels we want to stay at less than 50k so we cant use the certificate. I am not sure it is worth the $125 AF anymore
What would be a far better spending bonus is a deposit of points rather than a certificate.