The Best Ways to Earn Marriott Platinum Elite Status

Marriott Bonvoy is the one of the most popular hotel loyalty programs in the world, and its elite status program can deliver tremendous benefits once you reach the higher status tiers.

Earning Platinum Elite status at 50 qualifying nights per year is widely considered to be the most significant threshold, as this is where the best elite benefits come into play.

In this article, let’s take a look at a few of the best ways you can earn Platinum Elite status, including how to get there without necessarily having to spend 50 nights in hotels each year.

In This Post

Why Is Platinum Elite Status So Valuable?

In Marriott Bonvoy’s status ranks, the Platinum Elite level is where the loyalty benefits truly start to do their work for you.

Perhaps the most significant benefit is the free breakfast offering, which can provide you with a fulsome meal to start your day off right. This benefit is the most enjoyable at higher-end properties, which offer elevated breakfast menus.

St. Regis Bali – Lobster omelette

You’re also eligible for upgrades to higher room classes, including suites, which can really make your trip a memorable one. You can up your odds of scoring a great upgrade if you get in the habit of asking the front desk for a suite upgrade proactively.

Moreover, 4pm late check-out is an invaluable benefit that allows you to make the most of your time at the hotel when you plan to depart later in the day. It’s a great option to have if you’re flying out on an evening flight, but need to work at the hotel during the day or just wish to enjoy the hotel’s facilities for a few more hours before leaving.

Plus, some hotels offer exclusive lounges to guests with elite status. These intimate spaces provide the perfect place to meet a friend, catch up on some work, or just unwind at the end of the day.

JW Marriott Singapore South Beach – Executive Lounge

The evening cocktail spread at lounges can often serve as a dinner replacement, which can save you money if you’re travelling on a budget. It’s usually advertised as “evening canapés” or “light bites”, but you can always keep going back for more portions.

So, what are the best ways to achieve Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status? While the traditional way is to spend 50 nights in Marriott hotels, there are quite a few shortcuts and workarounds to “finesse” your way to that target.

Instant Platinum Elite Status: American Express US Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card

The American Express US Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card automatically grants Platinum Elite status for as long as you’re a cardholder.

This is by far the most straightforward way to earn Platinum Elite status, since you don’t even have to set foot in a single hotel room.

The card has an annual fee of $650 (USD), although it’s offset by a $25 (USD) monthly worldwide dining credit, which brings the effective annual fee down to $350 (USD) if you can maximize this credit each month.

Beyond the instant Platinum Elite status, the Bonvoy Brilliant also offers plenty of other benefits to justify the annual fee, such as:

  • An anniversary Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 Bonvoy points
  • 25 elite qualifying night credits
  • Priority Pass membership with unlimited visits for cardholder and two guests
  • Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck

In addition, the card comes with a separate Earned Choice Award if you spend $60,000 (USD) on the card in a year, which offers you the following choices:

  • One extra Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 Bonvoy points
  • Five extra Suite Night Awards
  • $1,000 off a bed from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques

It bears repeating that the Earned Choice Award is separate from the base benefits of the card, as well as the Choice Benefits you’ll receive upon reaching higher status with Marriott Bonvoy.

15 Elite Nights: The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cards

If you don’t want to get the Bonvoy Brilliant Card, you’ll have to work your way up to Platinum Elite status the traditional way, by earning a total of 50 elite qualifying nights in a calendar year.

Right off the bat, however, you can earn 15 of those by holding either one of the Canadian-issued Amex Bonvoy cards: the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card.

New cardholders will see 15 elite qualifying nights posted to their accounts shortly after opening the credit card. Meanwhile, if you’re a current cardholder, you’ll see 15 elite nights credited at the start of every year.

Indeed, if you have any interest in maximizing the Marriott Bonvoy program, then having one of these credit cards for its 15-night boost is basically a prerequisite.

Credit Cards
Credit Card Best Offer Value
90,000 Bonvoy points $750 Apply Now
85,000 Bonvoy points $642 Apply Now

15 or 25 More Elite Nights: Holding a Personal and Business US-Issued Bonvoy Card

The US-issued Marriott Bonvoy credit cards allow you to earn two sets of elite nights from credit cards, for up to 40 elite nights in total, if you hold both a personal and a business card issued in the US.

Personal Bonvoy cards in the US include:

There are also the Amex US Bonvoy Card and Chase Ritz-Carlton Card, which are legacy personal products that are no longer available to new applicants and are only available by product-switching from a different card.

All of these personal cards, except the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant Card, earn you 15 elite qualifying nights. The Bonvoy Brilliant Card, meanwhile, earns you 25 elite qualifying nights.

However, if you hold the Bonvoy Brilliant card, you’ll already have instant Platinum Elite status as outlined above, so the extra elite nights are only useful for earning an Annual Choice Benefit at 50 nights or reaching Titanium Elite status at 75 nights.

Meanwhile, the only small business Bonvoy card in the US is the Amex US Bonvoy Business Card, although there’s also the legacy Chase Bonvoy Business, which has been discontinued for new applicants. This card gives you 15 elite qualifying nights.

If you happen to hold both a US-issued personal and business Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit card, the elite qualifying nights stack. Therefore, you can earn 30 elite qualifying nights by holding most personal cards and the Amex US Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, or 40 if you hold the Bonvoy Brilliant and the Amex US Bonvoy Business Card. 

For Canadians, out of all the possible combinations of personal and business cards, it’s probably easiest to apply for two American Express products (i.e., either the Bonvoy Brilliant or the Bonvoy Bevy, plus the Bonvoy Business). Compared to Chase, Amex US cards are more easily accessible during the early stages of getting into US credit cards.

Again, if you choose the Bonvoy Brilliant, you’ll already be a newly-minted Platinum Elite member as an automatic cardholder benefit.

But if you choose the Bonvoy Bevy and the Bonvoy Business, then that’s 30 down, 20 to go. What’s next?

Earning More Elite Qualifying Nights

If you’re looking to hit Platinum the traditional way by earning 50 elite qualifying nights, then the shortcuts come to an end with the 15 elite nights (if you limit yourself to Canadian-issued credit cards) or 30 elite nights (if you dabble in US credit cards, but don’t get the Bonvoy Brilliant).

The remaining elite nights will have to be earned via Marriott hotel stays.

Regular Hotel Stays

The ideal scenario is that you stay with Marriott enough as a result of your natural travel patterns to attain 50 elite qualifying nights.

You can, for example, book a paid stay through a preferred partner program, such as Marriott STARS or Marriott Luminous, to enhance your stay with Platinum Elite-like benefits, while you’re still trying to achieve status. Booking a preferred partner rate still earns you elite qualifying nights.

Alternatively, stays booked with points will count towards elite night qualification, so you can get closer towards Platinum Elite status while still redeeming Bonvoy points for hotel stays without paying anything out-of-pocket.

Indeed, if you’re redeeming Bonvoy points, one sweet spot that you’ll definitely want to take advantage of is the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” benefit. Not only do you get the fifth night free, but that’s one extra elite qualifying night closer to the 50 nights needed for Platinum Elite status, too.

Plus, even if you’re staying at a hotel for only four nights, redeem for a five-night stay anyway, as long as it doesn’t cost you anything extra. Check out only after the fifth night using the mobile app, and you’ll have earned an extra elite qualifying night for no additional expense.

Double Elite Night Promotions

Marriott Bonvoy has historically offered public and targeted Double Elite Nights promotions on a fairly consistent basis at least once per year.

Under these promotions, members can typically earn two elite qualifying nights for every paid night that they stay with Marriott.

It’s obviously very lucrative to plan your Marriott stays during these periods, so you’d be well-advised to shift as much of your paid stays to Marriott during a Double Elite Night promotion as possible – and potentially even book a few mattress runs at cheap cash rates.

“Mattress Running”

If you still have a shortfall to make up after your organic hotel stays, then here’s where you can start getting a little creative.

The term “mattress running” refers to the practice of checking into hotels solely for the purpose of earning points or elite credits – especially hotels that are extremely cheap on cash or on points.

For example, some hotels can be booked for as few as 6,000 points per night. Combine that with the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” benefit, and you’re looking at potentially spending as little as 24,000 Bonvoy points to earn five elite qualifying nights.

If you live in a city with higher nightly rates, but happen to pass through a city with lower costs along your travels, it could be worth checking in at the hotel for a five-night mattress run if you anticipate that those five elite qualifying nights will come in handy for Platinum qualification this year.

Note that you must physically check-in to the hotel in order for the stay to count. If you simply make a booking but don’t show up, your booking will be forfeited, and you may even lose your points or face a no-show penalty.

However, there’s no real requirement that you remain in the room at all times. The generally advised approach is to throw up the Do Not Disturb sign and complete your check-out on the mobile app on the final day of the stay.

Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton South

Of course, you have to decide whether the five elite nights are worth the points you spend, since those points could also be used towards a free night that you’ll actually need on one of your trips.

All things considered, the “mattress running” strategy only really comes into the equation if you anticipate that you’ll be within touching distance of Platinum Elite, and only need those extra few nights to bring you over the edge.

The “Second Guest Trick”

The other angle, which should only be done at one’s own comfort with the practice, is to make hotel bookings for others.

Position yourself as the “go-to” person within your circle of friends and family for all their hotel needs – offer them your elite benefits in exchange for their elite night credits. If you pull it off, it’s a win-win situation.

Again, though, you’ll have to have some finesse about how you approach this, because Marriott and other hotel loyalty programs technically don’t grant elite benefits nor qualifying nights when the member isn’t physically staying at the hotel.

The workaround is known as the “second guest trick”, where you make the reservation, then contact the hotel to add your friend or family member as the second guest, and say that they’ll be arriving first. 

When your friend or family member arrives, they can provide a credit card of their own to secure the reservation and access the room.

Otherwise, it’ll all be much ado about nothing, because no one gets the elite benefits and no one gets the elite qualifying nights. Needless to say, trust is paramount when doing this, and you should also be prepared not to receive the elite nights and benefits that you aren’t technically entitled to.

In theory, you could even combine the above two creative approaches: make cheap five-night bookings at cheaper hotels, and then find a local friend to check-in on your behalf as your second guest to complete your mattress run.

Chase Bonvoy Boundless Card: Spend $5,000 (USD) for 1 Elite Night

Lastly, with the US-issued Chase Bonvoy Boundless Card, you can earn one elite qualifying night for every $5,000 (USD) spent on the card. 

That’s a fairly high amount of money to spend for only one elite night in return, so I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on this method of racking up elite nights. 

If you’re sitting at at, say, 48 or 49 elite qualifying nights at the end of a year and just need one last push to get you over the edge, you might want to spend your way up to the last few nights. Even then, however, it’s probably still better to just book a cheap night at a local hotel to get you over the edge.

Alternate Pathways to Marriott Platinum Elite Status

Besides trying to reach Platinum Elite status by earning 50 elite qualifying nights the traditional way, there are also a few other pathways to reach this target.  

Platinum Challenge

Marriott sometimes offers a status challenge known as the Platinum Challenge, which will grant you instant Platinum status if you stay 16 paid nights within a 90-day period. 

You can contact Marriott to request the Platinum Challenge, as it’s no longer available publicly.

The Bodrum EDITION

With the requirement for paid stays, the Challenge isn’t necessarily too useful for those looking to achieve Platinum Elite status on the cheap. However, if you’ve got a busy period of travel coming up and will need to book lots of hotel stays, then the Platinum Challenge can help you unlock better benefits along your hotel stays with fewer nights than what’s normally required.

Keep in mind that accomplishing the 16-night requirement for the Platinum Challenge doesn’t push you to 50 nights, as does someone who achieved Platinum Elite the regular way, for higher-tier qualification. As well, in future years, you wouldn’t be able to retain Platinum Elite status with the Platinum Challenge’s criteria, but you’d at least be able to enjoy your benefits while you work towards requalification the regular way. 

Spend $75,000 (USD) on the Chase Ritz-Carlton Card

Another alternate way of earning Platinum Elite status is by reaching a spending threshold of $75,000 (USD) on the Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card during a calendar year. 

However, this threshold is most likely prohibitively high for most cardholders, so it isn’t necessarily a viable method of achieving and retaining Platinum Elite status year after year.

Even if you have no trouble spending $75,000 (USD), the opportunity cost of doing so on a Marriott co-branded credit cards is quite high, as you could unlock much more valuable bonuses by completing minimum spending requirements on new cards instead. You could even just spend on, say, a card that earns more powerful Amex Membership Rewards points rather than Bonvoy points.

Given the high opportunity cost, it’s much better to pursue Platinum Elite status the regular way rather than contemplating this $75,000 (USD) spending threshold.

Conclusion

Platinum Elite status within the Marriott Bonvoy program is certainly a status worth having, and the more you stay with Marriott, the more worthwhile it becomes.

By holding a Canadian-issued Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card, you’ll already earn 15 elite qualifying nights towards the 50-night threshold. And if you can get both a personal and business US-issued Bonvoy credit card, then you’ll be more than halfway to that 50-night mark year after year.

Should you successfully scrape together the remaining 20 nights via a combination of your organic paid or award stays, mattress running, and booking hotels for friends and family, then you’ll soon be enjoying the fruits of your labour along your travels as you savour a delightful breakfast buffet or Club Lounge cocktail.

76 Comments
  1. GL

    I just called Marriott and asked why I couldn’t find any information on the Platinum Challenge. They said that is strictly through word of mouth and is NOT a promotion or privilege of the elite program. Unfortunately I am half-way through my travel for the summer and would have qualified by next month. At least upcoming stays that have already been booked are still eligible once one registers in the program. It would be nice if one could at least apply for platinum status based on their last 90d of stays.

  2. Hoinam

    After applying for One US Amex card using the Canadian credit history, Amex now requires you to have an ITIN or SSN to apply for a second credit card so there a lot more work involved if you want both the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Card and the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business Card.

    1. Ricky YVR

      You can still apply on the basis of your existing Amex relationship using a foreign passport.

      1. Hoinam

        Is that a different process than applying on the AMEX US site with your Canadian credit history? Because I tried that and they automatically send it for review and the representative says it only works on the first card.

        1. Eric

          Does it work with calling in ? I’m also interested applying as well. Thanks 🙏

        2. Ricky YVR

          Yes – you would apply over the phone and tell them you are applying on the basis of your existing Amex relationship and using a foreign passport as your ID.

  3. Kenxiong

    Hi Ricky, how about the term in “Chase Marriott Boundless card”, 1 Elite Credit for Every $5,000 Spent. Isn’t that another way to earn fast elite night, if someone just a few elite nights away and has some spending power.
    The only thing is in term also said “foreign currency” won’t earn points, for Canadian dollar spending , not sure how restrict is that? What is your experience?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Good point! I’ll add that to the article. The “foreign currency” refers to buying foreign currency itself being ineligible, not making purchases in a foreign currency.

  4. Harvey

    Hi Ricky, I am stuck on the opening US domicile bank account step. When using TD’s cross border TD convenience checking account (saw your recommendation), it asks for SSN and US ID (driver’s license, passport). How were you able to bypass this step in opening an US bank account?

    1. Harvey

      Oops posted on the wrong blog, should be under the US credit card one

  5. Dan

    Do Marriott Free Night Certificates earn a elite night when used ?

    1. Jay*

      Yes.

  6. Christian

    Hey there, I’ve tried reading the terms and conditions and I don’t understand why this wouldn’t get me 30 nights. Could you help shed some light on it?

    I want to apply for the Canadian Bonvoy Business card and then the US Bonvoy Brilliant card. Would this not get me 15 + 15 nights?

    Thanks

    1. Ricky YVR

      You can only get 30 nights if you have both a US-issued personal card and a US-issued business card. Any other combination only results in 15 nights.

      1. Christian

        Thanks for the quick response Ricky! So as a Canadian with no US credit history would you recommend that I apply for the US personal card first and then wait for 6 months to apply for the US business card?

        1. Ricky YVR

          Yes, exactly.

          1. Andy YYZ

            I’m in the same boat & recently received my Bonvoy Brilliant card myself. Wouldn’t you have to own or work for a US-based business to get the business card, or am I missing something?

            1. Ricky YVR

              You could own a US-based sole proprietorship (which is when you simply do business in your own name, without the need for any business documents) to qualify.

              1. Andy YYZ

                Interesting… do you need an ITIN for that, or would a Global Card Transfer suffice?

  7. Helpful Fox

    Another great article!

  8. Chris

    In the US if you have the Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card you get a $300 Marriott credit and a free 50k point room stay each year. Add the Bonvoy Business American Express and get a free room up to 35k points. Together theses benefits add up to another 3-4 free nights per year but the cart do you have yearly fees.

  9. Alex

    Hey Ricky,
    If I apply for a personal Bonvoy in Canada and also in the US, and I also apply for the business Bonvoy in the US – will I get 15+30 nights (45 nights)?
    Also, if I hold a Canadian personal Bonvoy – why wouldn’t I get 15 nights for opening a US personal Bonvoy (without opting into the business).
    Also – are the elite nights awarded upon being approved for the card – or upon completing the minimum spend?
    And lastly – is the Platinum status received now (July 2020-August 2020) will remain till 2022 because of COVID?
    Thanks!

    1. Ricky YVR

      Nope, the maximum you can get is 30 nights from the US personal and US business.

      They’re usually awarded within a few weeks of being approved. And yes, it will remain valid until February 2022 due to COVID.

      1. Alex

        Thanks Ricky.
        Bottom line: if I hold 2 US cards + 1 Canadian card – I will get 30 Elite nigths only (not 45)?
        Just curious: if a US dude opts into both personal and business US cards, gets his 30 nights, and later opts into a Canadian personal card – he wouldn’t get 15 nights for being approved in Canada?

        1. Ricky YVR

          Correct. US personal + US business gives 30 nights. Any other combination (or single card) gives only 15 nights. There is no other possible outcome.

          1. Rocky

            Any advice on how long to wait between applying and getting approval for the US personal Bonvoy Amex and then the US business Bonvoy Amex? Also, for the second application, is an ITIN required and if not, is it preferable?

  10. Jeff H TOR

    Been platinum elite since Jan 2018 after a bonvoy hotel (error) credited us 52 nights (for a 5 night stay). Sadly; downgraded to gold elite finally in late march 2020 but already have 32 elite nights for the year. If travel opens up again in summer; I look forward to regaining platinum elite status where my family and I have been granted amazing upgrades, impressive rooms, suites and service all over the world.

    1. Ricky YVR

      That’s definitely one of the more fortuitous ways to earn Platinum!

  11. Jones

    Is it possible to do a Canadian Personal, and US Biz Amex for the 30? Thanks!

    1. Ricky YVR

      Nope, as I mentioned in the article, it’ll have to be a US personal card and a US business card. The good news is that only ~6 months of US credit history is required to get your first two Amex US products, so it’s still pretty accessible to Canadians.

  12. JL

    Hopefully getting 30 elite qualifying nights by having both the personal and business bonvoy american express cards will happen in Canada as well soon.
    Fingers crossed !

    1. Ricky YVR

      Hear hear!

  13. Lisa

    I was under the impression that the free night (birthday certificate) was given only after the anniversary date of getting the card and had nothing to do with my own birthday see https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/redeem/free-night-award-redemption.mi). My birthday is coming soon, should I try to get the certificate for an upcoming trip in September then?
    Thanks!

    1. Lia

      You have no clue about the difference of a free night certificate and an Elite qualifying night.

  14. Michael

    If I reserved two rooms for 7 days how many nights will it give me?
    Thank you.

    1. Ricky YVR

      Still 7 nights, since Marriott only grants the elite qualifying nights on one booking under a person’s name even if you make simultaneous ones.

  15. Jason

    Have you tried using Cancelon to outsource your mattress running?

  16. Timbo2

    I believe that if one completed sufficient stays to achiever platinum status in a previous year that one of your platinum reward options for the next year is a credit for 5 Elite stays. I am assuming that this would stack with your 15 Elite night credit for Amex Bonvoy cards.

    1. Ricky YVR

      Those 5 extra elite nights are only applied in the same year that you earn Platinum status, so they can only be used to get closer to Titanium or Ambassador during the same year, rather than re-qualifying for Platinum the next year.

  17. Steven Sheret

    If any one is looking to book Cat 1’s in YYC I can help out ; ) Hit me up on the Prince of travel elite facebook group

    1. TJ

      You are awesome for this.

  18. yyc

    As of Nov 2019, you can now earn elite nights using an employee rate. If you know someone who works at Marriott, you can book a discounted room instead of paying the standard rate, and sometimes even cheaper than prevailing prepaid rates.

  19. John Bucher

    Does anyone know how long it takes for the conference meeting 10 elite nights to post?
    If there is a problem, where do you go on the site to get the missing nights?
    My meeting was on Dec2. Is it too soon to get concerned?

  20. Jeff H TOR

    also… additional meetings .. do they get us any elite night credits?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Nope. 1 meeting and 10 elite nights per calendar year.

        1. Ricky YVR

          Correct. These comments would have been from 2019 and before.

  21. Jeff H TOR

    Okay the ‘book a meeting’ (for 10 elite nights)… Does that work across All Marriott properties; including the courtyard, residence inn and cheaper properties in smaller towns like Barrie ontario?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Yes!

  22. Sash - YOW ✈ YOW

    Living in Ontario, I used the second guest trick with my friend who lives in Calgary to do a mattress run for me at a category 1.

  23. Martin

    Re: the "Second Guest Trick," are there any potential issues your guests should look out for regarding maximum occupancy? I booked a stay for my (2) parents through my Marriott account (Platinum). I wonder if they’ll have any issue since the rooms are usually for two people, but they’ll also be "expecting" me to arrive later, adding a third.

    1. Andrew

      Are you planning on staying with them at all? If not, I’d contact the property to arrange that you made the booking for your parents (as a gift), but you won’t be coming.

      In my experience, the hotel has been great and allowed me to take care of all the payment arrangements while still receiving EQNs + points. I don’t normally bring up the topic of EQNs + points to the property in hopes they’ll post it as usual.

  24. Joe Blow

    It’s really disappointing because these benefits used to be at the gold level under the old program.. and a Platinum Amex would get you there automatically.

    Makes the card less valuable

    1. Ricky YVR

      That was only a temporary situation as a result of the SPG/Marriott merger, it was never meant to be that generous.

      Think about it, if a single credit card granted you so many nice benefits, the benefits would be diluted and become less meaningful.

  25. Bob

    Hey Ricky, do you know what language we should be looking for in our “meeting” to get the 10 qualifying nights? Thanks!

  26. Sammy

    Hi Rick,

    For "Mattress Running". Let’s say if you book the hotel for 15 nights. If you only physically check in on the 5th night but do pay all 15 nights (with points), they will not give you 15 elite nights? they will only give you 10 instead?

    I recently just booked Courtyard Calgary South for 15 nights. The best part is there’s no additional fee/tax. So even for 2 adults / 2 children, it only cost 90,000 points. Also I can cancel the booking 2 days before the check in date.

  27. brendan

    How long does status last? So basically I take all year to acquire platinum status and get the 50 nights in November 2019. How long after that, if I didn’t get platinum status again in 2020, would it last?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Until February 2021. You basically get status for the rest of the calendar year in which you earned it, plus 14 months after that.

  28. jovin

    Do we know if the new 15 elite night credits count towards lifetime status? I believe they did on the old Marriott cards

    1. Ricky YVR

      Yes, my understanding is that they count.

  29. Paul

    Should I get the current American Express SPG or wait for the new Marriott Bonvoy? Afraid new card require min spending will go in line with other Amex products.

    1. Ricky YVR

      I don’t think we’ll see $5k or $7k spends on the Bonvoy products – they’re really meant to be mid-tier credit cards similar to the Gold or Cobalt rather than high-end premium ones. I’d wager $3k spend, max, if there are indeed any changes.

      To answer your question, though, I’d anticipate the new Bonvoy cards coming out relatively soon, so if you don’t urgently need the points, I’d say wait a bit and see how it plays out.

  30. Harley

    Ricky do you know if having the Canadian SPG Amex and the US SPG Amex means you get 15 qualifying nights each? I know that they changed it from the US side so that you only get 15 nights regardless of how many credit cards you hold on the other side of the border. Thanks!

    1. Jerry

      Read the article

      1. Harley

        In the time you took to write that you could have just written down the answer. I’m sure it’s not the first time you missed something in an article

        1. Jerry

          With this elite night bonus benefit being pretty much uniform across all Canadian and US co-branded credit cards (including all of the Amex-issued SPG cards and the Chase-issued Marriott cards in the US), it was made very clear that the 15-night credit would not stack between multiple credit cards – you can only earn a maximum of 15 elite nights no matter how many of the co-branded credit cards you hold.

  31. Alec

    What about Hilton. In the US they have a new Amex which gives you diamond status plus 150,000 points, plus lounge access. I’m looking into this as Marriott is getting harder to get status and maintain it!

  32. Alec

    Hi Ricky, what if get the Amex plat biz or Amex plat- does that give you 25 nites and gold elite?

    1. Ricky YVR

      You get automatic Gold Elite, but you don’t get 25 nights. You still have to earn those nights on your way to Platinum Elite the usual way.

  33. Steve

    Thanks for this! Just want to confirm – both the free night certificate (from the SPG/Marriott Amex card) and the 7 night travel package count as stays toward status?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Yes!

  34. Ana

    Do you know if you can complete the Platinum Challenge multiple years in a row? Thanks!

    1. Ricky YVR

      You can do it once every three years. So if you completed it for 2019 (thus earning status through to early 2021), you wouldn’t be able to sign up again until 2022.

  35. Peter

    I faintly remember transferring Marriott points across accounts had a fee attached to it once – is this still the case?

    1. Ricky YVR

      I think it used to be a $10 fee that was waived for Gold members and above, but I don’t believe that it’s charged anymore. Even if it were, it’s a relatively small price to pay.

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