Marriott Fall 2017 MegaBonus Promotion
Marriott released their Fall 2017 MegaBonus promotion and it is quite intriguing. Let’s take a look.
The Offer
Earn a free night at a Category 1-5 Marriott after 2 stays. You may also unlock an additional offer on your account 2-3 days after the second stay has completed.
Key Terms
- You must register for this promo by November 30, 2017
- Stays between September 12th, 2017 and January 15, 2018 count toward the promotion
- Only paid stays count towards the promo
- Up to two additional offers may be unlocked on your account 2-3 days after your second completed stay and you may not receive notice of these except in your online account.
- You must separately register for any unlocked offers
- You will receive a Free Night Award on your account for a Category 1-5 hotel and this award expires within 6 months.
- Only 1 Free Night Award may be earned
You can find the full terms and register on the MegaBonus promo page.
Analysis
This is a great deal for anyone who occasionally stays at Marriott and it’s very easy to complete. The 4 month time frame is generous and there is no minimum number of nights. You could potentially do two separate one night stays at very inexpensive Marriott locations to earn the Free Night Award and then use it at a much more expensive Category 5. If you can find the right cheap properties, this could definitely be worth a mattress run.
Also, make sure you book your qualifying stays directly through Marriott. In previous years, the promotion allowed members to earn up to 2 Free Night Awards, this year it’s capped at 1.
Conclusion
I am certainly not blown away by this promotion, as we have seen it before, BUT I am really excited about what the second (or possibly third) unlocked offer(s) could be. I’m sure many people will complete this promo quickly and we’ll have plenty of information on the unlocked offers in just a few weeks.
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If you live in Atlanta, there are a couple of Marriott’s that charge just $51 per night. If I were there I would jump all over this.
I am 20 nights short of lifetime Platinum. Platinum offers very little in the US over Gold, but in Europe it carries alot more weight it seems. I may do a couple of those runs up to Atlanta to pick up some more nights.
This 2 stay is a no brainer.
A very poor promotion considering Fall and Spring MEGABONUS promos were always good for 50,000 points each – making an almost instant 100,000 points per year for frequent travelers. The category 1-5 free night expires in 6 months (remember when category 5 used to be a full-service Marriott? now it’s a Fairfield at the airport). The last time I did one of those ‘Unlock more rewards’ promos I ended up with a total of 10,000 points.
Hilton is giving double points for the rest of the year. Time to switch!
It’s been a week already, any news on what the second / third offer is?
I’ll complete my 2 stays this week so should receive lvl 2 by next week (helpful to plan if I know in advance 🙂 ).
I’ll ask around and get back to you shortly 🙂
OK, I did a little bit of digging and it looks like people have not gotten the 2nd offer unlocked yet because it said in the terms it comes 2-3 days after the second stay has posted to the account. I will check back daily and let you know if anything has changed.
I have completed my second 2 night stay (total of 4 nights) and have yet to receive a magical unlocked prize
This seems to be the general consensus. However, I just saw that one of the community managers for Marriott’s Insider Rewards Website posted this
“We’ve tailored additional offers based on your activity with Marriott Rewards. You could have the opportunity to unlock up to two more points-based offers, and the earning opportunity is unlimited. We’ll notify you by email next week if you’re eligible to unlock another offer. Or go to Promo Central next week to find out right away. If you’ve already made more than two stays, don’t worry, those stays will count towards your unlock offer.”
It’s really annoying to me that they keep using conditional words like “could” and “may.” BUT, at least we have some more information on timing…. I guess?
I promised you an update, it’s not much but it’s something :). I just saw that one of the community managers for Marriott’s Insider Rewards Website posted this
“We’ve tailored additional offers based on your activity with Marriott Rewards. You could have the opportunity to unlock up to two more points-based offers, and the earning opportunity is unlimited. We’ll notify you by email next week if you’re eligible to unlock another offer. Or go to Promo Central next week to find out right away. If you’ve already made more than two stays, don’t worry, those stays will count towards your unlock offer.”
It’s really annoying to me that they keep using conditional words like “could” and “may.” BUT, at least we have some more information on timing…. I guess?
Ok thanks for getting back to me. Based on the digging I did on my own, it seems that the offers will be mainly STAY based and not NIGHT based. The next thing to know will be to what extend the # of stays count and what are the threshold to rack in the largest # of points !
Will complete my second stay by tomorrow and let you know if I receive any update.
Thanks!
Am I reading this wrong but does it say we have to stay 2 consecutive nights spent at the same hotel to be defined… (see * below)
Get a free night after two stays* with MegaBonus®—and unlock more. Register from September 6 to November 30, 2017.
See Details
• Register by November 30, 2017
• Stay at any of our participating hotels and resorts worldwide between September 12 and January 15, 2018
• Earn a free night after two paid stays*.
Book direct to get our lowest rates worldwide. When you’re ready, redeem points for free nights, flights, exclusive experiences and so much more.
Earn a free night – and more bonus points for your stays through January 15, 2018.
*A ‘stay’ is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.
I believe one night counts as a stay. I think what they’re trying to say with that line is that you can’t get credit for 2 stays just for checking out after your first night
Category 1-5 lol. I live in Hawaii. No category 1-5. Even after they incorporate all Starwood properties I doubt they’ll place any of them in a cat 5 or below.
Well, that’s a bummer!
Boy you ARE very good Bethany. Thanks
Gee, Thanks, John!! (Said with the biggest smile ever.)
It’s worth it if you take advantage of the Marriott status challenge (I was gonna do it anyways)
I agree, it’s a no-brainer at that point.