Business Platinum Card from American Express
130,000 MR points
Marriott Bonvoy Eliminates the Meetings Trick for 2020
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Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
- Earn 65,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
- Earn an additional 30,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $20,000 in the first 12 months
- Plus, earn 15,000 Bonvoy points when you make a purchase between 15 and 17 months of Cardmembership.
- Also, receive an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 Bonvoy points starting in your second year with the card
- Also, receive 15 elite-qualifying nights every year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
- Bonus Bonvoy points for referring family and friends
- Annual fee: $120
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@Alex: While it is true that most of my stays are for business, my company like many others, doesn’t have a policy about which hotel chains to stay at. Rather, the policy is a dollar limit based on geography. So it is always MY choice to stay at a particular hotel chain and it is in Marriott’s interest to treat me as a valued Elite member or I’ll take my business elsewhere. Compare the revenue I bring to Marriott that to someone who manufactures Platinum status by having a Bonvoy CC (15 nights), booking 3 meetings (30 nights), and booking a few Cat. 1 stays (5 nights) who is now eligible for the same suite night upgrades as Titanium or Ambassador Elite members. So, good riddance to the meetings tricks and people gaming the system.
Jules – your words just emphasize what I said – you didn’t pay out of pocket. You got your status paid for by your boss.
This is not loyalty, but opportunism.
Don’t get me wrong – I would do the same thing. I am just saying that I am not sure who is more loyal to Marriott – the occasional dude that stayed 16 night a year and paid out of pocket – or a business traveler who paid zero out of pocket.
As I said – clearly Marriott puts its efforts and perks to attract a business traveler such as yourself, rather than the occasional traveler.
IMHO.
Jules – I respect your view as a frequent guest with Marriott and share it to some extent as a fellow Titanium. It’s worth noting though that the meetings trick could only be done once per year for 10 nights, so people still had to stay at least 25 nights to earn Platinum.
Now the people who booked multiple meetings for lifetime status in the old Marriott Rewards program, when you’d earn 10 nights per meeting – that’s a different story…
I, for one, am happy this loophole is being closed. Too many people were gaming this and it wasn’t fair for those of us that earn elite nights through actual stays.
I’m at 108 nights this year, with only 15 coming from an AMEX Bonvoy CC.
Hopefully less competition for suite upgrades in 2020…
Jules – I bet you have NOT stayed those 108 nights with your family and you have NOT paid for these stays out of your pocket.
Business trips paid by the boss / papa / mama are not really making you "elite" member.
If your company tomorrow changes policy and asks you to stay at other chains – will you still remain "loyal" to Marriott??
In saying that – I assume that the casual traveler wouldn’t stay even 25 nights in a year at a hotel (50 – 15 for amex – 10 for the meeting RIP). So, I guess this "loyalty" thing is meant only for business oriented travelers – since businesses pay cold cash and not using points / tricks / hacks.
Marriott doesn’t want to see us plebeians at their lux hotels – in the same way as airlines don’t want us in buz / first on points…
And yet you are reading and commenting on this? And it’s hardly ‘the masses’.
I agree that travel blogs sure don’t help in maintaining the value of award programs. And they are way too many. However, didn’t we all started in this game by reading one of them ?
I have a feeling one day these programs will disappear or their structure will completely change once the companies get tired of people abusing the system.
Maybe if blogs like this stop over-publicizing these tricks to the masses, they’ll last a bit longer. But anything for the hits, eh Ricky?
As Linda said, shouldn’t you be avoiding “blogs like this” so that you don’t learn the tricks and contribute to their demise then?
Well now you’re just attacking this man’s livelihood. IMO this one wasn’t even that big of a secret given that it’s public knowledge. There are so many other miles and points secrets that would have a way bigger impact if found out.
If by hits you mean helping people enjoy the perks of Platinum status when they otherwise wouldn’t have, then absolutely yes.
Thanks Ricky for all your help in getting to Platinum status so I can immerse myself in a vat of double cream and scones at top London hotels 😉
Thank you Ricky, If it weren’t for your excellent blogs and insights I wouldn’t have reached Platinum this year! Keep up the good work.
I have a meeting booked the first week of the New Year, with the 10 elite nights written into the contract. Any chance you see Marriott honouring signed contracts?
If it’s in the contract, I’d say it’s worth pursuing, but do be prepared for an uphill battle.