Do you have status in the Marriott Bonvoy program? It's time to choose your annual gift

The Marriott Annual Choice Benefit is a benefit that is triggered when Platinum status is achieved and "doubles" with Titanium level in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, that is, for those who stay 50 and 75 nights per year, respectively.

With this article I try to summarize the options, features, and my opinions on the different Choice Benefits.

You have reached the Platinum level

The first benefit is triggered upon check-out after the 50th night over the course of the calendar year. Once the night is accounted for you will reach the Platinum Elite level. A few days later you will receive an email certifying your achievement and will then have access to your choice of Choice Benefits related to this level. Here are the various options

#1 Five Nightly Upgrade

Until last year they were called Suite Night Awards (SNA). have now changed their name to Five Nightly Upgrade (FNU), these credits allow the user to request a guaranteed room upgrade, up to the Suite, each voucher is valid for one night, not for one stay, this means that if you stay 3 nights you will have to use 3 FNUs. They can be used individually or merged and must be used by 12/31 of the year following the year in which they were accrued, otherwise they will be lost.

#2 Gifting Marriott Silver Elite Status

You have the opportunity to share some of the Marriott Bonvoy benefits with your friends or family members by giving away Silver Elite status. Marriott Bonvoy Silver status benefits include: Bonus points of 10% on stays, Priority Late Check-out, And Free Wifi.

#3 Donate 100$ to charity

You can choose to make a donation of $ 100 to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) or the Arne M. Sorenson Hospitality Fund.

#4 $ 1,000 off the purchase of a mattress

If like me you have fallen in love with the quality of the "custom-made" beds at Marriott hotels, you should know that they are on sale. From toppers to mattresses, pillows to sheets you can buy them on the dedicated ecommerce. A thousand dollars might seem like a rich discount, but we are talking about products that cost well over 2500$ between purchase and shipping.

#5 Five Elite Nights Qualifying

If you choose this option you will go from 50 to 55 qualifying nights in the current year, this option is perfect if you get close to the 75-nights mark, or if you are not interested in the other prizes to accumulate 5 nights toward lifetime status.

You have achieved Titanium status

Once 75 Elite nights have been reached., you become a Titanium Elite member and receive a second Annual Choice Benefit. You will then have the opportunity to choose a second gift, additional to the previous ones. The choice will be on the previous options with two new possibilities:

#1 Giving the state Elite Gold Marriott Bonvoy

If with the 50th night you can gift the Silver level, when you reach 75 nights you have the opportunity to gift a much better status, namely the Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite card, to a family member or friend.

#2 Free prize night worth up to 40,000 points

If you choose this benefit you will have a voucher to redeem a free award night. Unfortunately, it is not an "unlimited" night, but the room may cost a maximum of 40 thousand Bonvoy points. If you choose this award you can use it to cover the cost of a room for one night by adding a maximum of 15 thousand points, thus coming to cover a cost of 55k points for one night.

Nor will it be possible to use the 40k points to cover, for example, two nights at a cost of 20k points per night.

Modalities and rules

1. To make the choice simply follow the link that you receive in the email
2. Once you have made your selection you will not be able to change your choice
3. The deadline for choosing is Jan. 7, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time
4. If you do not choose you will automatically be awarded 5 Nightly Upgrade awards for each Choice Benefit available

My choice for this 2023

I had doubts about my performance, but in the end I managed to cross the finish line on the 75th night. I then decided how I will use my year-end gifts.

For the 50 nights I will opt for the 5 Nightly Upgrades., it is the novelty of the program, and especially I want to try to use them in a Ritz Carlton, which was not possible until this year. Among the choices I would absolutely advise against the status option and the mattress discount. Charity can be done differently, without wasting this achievement in this way.

I will make a different choice this year with the benefits associated with the 75th night. The reason is that I don't do anything with 10 upgrades, demonstration is that this year I was able to use only half of them and will end the year with 5 unused SNAs.

So I decided to apply for the certificate for a free night, of course 40k points will not allow me to sleep for free in a Ritz Carlton Reserve, but with a little "top up" I will be able to afford a completely free 5-star facility almost anywhere in the world.

• Bonvoy