Marriott Hotels Marriott Rewards (replaced by Marriott Bonvoy)

Marriott Rewards Changes Make 2011 Elite and Lifetime Elite Easier

Marriott Rewards has extended its 2009 elite rollover nights offer for the current year. This means nights earned in 2010 above your elite qualification threshold will rollover to 2011. The total points threshold for Marriott Rewards lifetime elite status has also been reduced. Lifetime elite is an exclusive feature to Marriott Rewards as far as I know. Readers please inform me if this privilege is offered by any other hotel loyalty programs.

Elite Rollover Nights from 2010 to 2011

Standard qualification for Marriott Rewards elite membership:

  • Silver = 10 nights in the calendar year, Jan 1 – Dec 31.
  • Gold = 50 nights in the calendar year
  • Platinum = 75 nights in the calendar year

Elite rollover nights for 2011 means a member who earns 67 nights in 2010 earns Marriott Rewards Gold status for all of 2011. The 17 nights over the 50 night Gold membership threshold are rolled over for 2011 credit. The Marriott Rewards Gold elite member starts 2011 with 17 elite qualifying nights.

Rollover nights only apply to the subsequent year.  FlyerTalk member Schuepbach stayed 226 nights in 2009. His rollover of 151 nights to 2010 already qualifies him for Platinum elite for the 2011 membership year. The 151 nights rolled over from 2009 to 2010 are still 76 nights over the Platinum threshold, but unfortunately the rollover nights from 2009 can’t be rolled over again to 2011 for Platinum elite membership in 2012.  Confused yet? It really isn’t that complicated for most Marriott Rewards members who actually stay most of their nights at home.

Marriott Rewards Reduces Points Threshold for Lifetime Elite Membership

Marriott Rewards offers lifetime elite status to their longtime loyal frequent guests who meet three criteria for years of Marriott Rewards membership, total nights earned, and total points earned. Members have the opportunity to earn lifetime Silver, Gold, or Platinum membership after 12 years of Marriott Rewards membership. All three criteria must be met to earn the corresponding lifetime elite membership level. The lifetime points threshold has just been reduced from 3,000,000 to 2,000,000 points for Lifetime Platinum elite. The information was posted on the MarriottRewardsInsiders forum. You must sign in to the community forum using your Marriott Rewards membership account to access the link. MarriottRewardsInsiders.com link

Marriott Rewards Lifetime Elite Qualification Criteria

1.       12 or more years as a Marriott Rewards member and at least one year of earned membership at the corresponding lifetime level. (20 years as a Gold member, but never having achieved a year as Platinum elite means you can only earn Lifetime Gold, even if the nights and points thresholds for lifetime Platinum are met.)

2.       Lifetime Silver requires 600 nights. Lifetime Gold = 800 nights. Lifetime Platinum = 1,000 nights.

All qualified nights count towards lifetime status including credit card nights, rollover nights, and Nights Count Double promotion nights.

3.       Lifetime Silver requires 1,200,000 points. Lifetime Gold = 1,600,000 points. Lifetime Platinum = 2,000,000 points. (These levels were reduced in 2010 from 1.5M Silver, 2.0M Gold, and 3.0M Platinum. Hotel stay points, promotion bonuses, credit card points, partner activity points all count.)

For Marriott Rewards Lifetime Platinum status a member must have 12 years membership with at least one membership year as a Marriott Rewards Platinum elite; 1,000+ qualified hotel nights; and earned 2,000,000 points.

Lifetime Gold requires 12 years membership with at least one year of earned Gold elite; 800 hotel nights; and 1,600,000 points.

Lifetime Silver requires 12 years membership with at least one year earned Silver elite; 600 hotel nights; and 1,200,000 lifetime earned points.

The reduction in points from 3,000,000 to 2,000,000 for Platinum elites is a fair move in my opinion for members who rely primarily on hotel stays for earning points and not associated Marriott Rewards cobranded credit card spending.

21 Comments

  • Carol January 10, 2010

    Hyatt offers lifetime diamond. It requires 10 years at the diamond level, plus 1,000,000 base points. Here’s a thread discussing it, along with one member having just learned he earned the status:

    http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyatt-gold-passport/135169-hyatt-lifetime-diamond-merged-thread-2.html

  • Ric Garrido January 11, 2010

    Thanks Carol,

    1 million base points is a high threshold. That is $200,000 spending. Since I am already 50, I think I can maintain lifetime diamond status one year at a time for well under that level of spending. And Hyatt does not have a co-branded credit card to assist in points earning the way Marriott does.

  • Oliver January 11, 2010

    Since I pay for virtually all my travel myself, I have not come across a “life time status” program that I think is worth aiming for. I have about 400k life-time miles on United, and at my current pace it would take another 10+ years to reach million miler status. I might actually hit that, but I am not going to change my spending pattern because of that — who knows if there is a United Airlines in 10 years?

  • Ric Garrido January 11, 2010

    Back in 2003 I thought I would have United Million miler status in 2010. I have around 600,000 lifetime miles, but I have earned fewer than 50,000 elite miles since 2007.

    In 2007 I really started feeling guilty about flying just for miles and status when I started reading more analyses on the pollution effects of jet travel.

    Lifetime status is a great reward for hard core business travelers, but probably not a socially conscientious goal just for the sake of trophy travel.

  • Roger Denk January 12, 2011

    Thanks Ric for the very clear explanation of the Marriott Rewards Elite Rollover Program. It makes sense(to me at least) that this would be a year to year program, like AT&Ts rollover minutes was and is.

    One other point: for those Platinum Premier Elite members (generally the top 2 or 3 percent of all Marriott Rewards members, the rollover threshold appears to be 100 nights. That means that a guest ho is a Platinum Premier and stays 150 nights would rollover 50 nights. A Platinum member with the same 150 nights would rollover 75 nights into the new year.

  • Ric Garrido January 12, 2011

    Roger – Thanks for the info on Platinum Premier 100 nights. That is a good point to know for the hard-core Marriott Rewards loyalists.

  • Bob January 12, 2011

    If you meet the requirerments for Life Platinum Elite what do you need to do to be Recognized [get a card with ‘Life’ on it]?

  • Will January 14, 2011

    After meeting the threshold for Lifetime Platinum about six months ago, I simply received a new card in the mail along with a letter. I didn’t even know it existed before that. I haven’t seen much of a change since then. The Marriott Rewards website now shows my level as “Platinum Premier.”

  • Ed H January 14, 2011

    I had the exact same experience as Will above. I received a “Platinum Elite Lifetime” card in the mail this past year. i have been using Marriott hotels for 14 years now.

  • Dr Harvey February 4, 2011

    Hello Marriott
    I have a lifetime platinum card and have spent 1377 nights at Marriott hotels worldwide. How come the profile only shows Plat and not LIFETIME
    Thanks

  • Marriott May 24, 2011

    @Dr Harvey

    you’re an idiot, seriously.

  • Dr. J Johnson September 21, 2011

    @ Marriott for his assessment of Dr. Harvey

    Still laughing and amused.

  • ali October 13, 2011

    Where can I find my lifetime nights, points, etc.. I don’t see the info anywhere on my Marriott online account

  • Andy December 2, 2011

    To find out your lifetime nights, points, etc. you’ll need to call customer service. I just earned my Silver elite for life. I have 2,800,000 points and 600 nights so the next goal is Gold Lifetime Elite by 45. (2 1/2 years)

  • Andy December 2, 2011

    @Dr Harvey- maybe you don’t have enough points to qualify for a lifetime member. Call customer service to find out how far you. Marriott is excellent about keeping track of the levels, points, etc. Never had a problem with them knowing the answer. Good Luck

  • Marriott December 3, 2011

    @Dr Harvey – this is Marriott speaking, Andy is correct.

  • Dr. Dre December 20, 2011

    Having 1’000 nights and having 11 years of gold and one year of platinum is possible to make, sure.

    What is the cheapest way to get 2m points? Buying them comes to 12’500 USD. Do such points count for lifetime Platinum status?

  • […] and Marriott Rewards also offer lifetime elite status. Here is a Loyalty Traveler post discussing Marriott Lifetime Elite Qualifications and FlyerTalk thread on Hyatt Gold Passport Lifetime Diamond […]

  • Pat Jones March 4, 2012

    I question the comments about the 100 night qualification to Platinum Premier. I have exceeded 100 nights a few times (last year being the most recent), and never received Platinum Premier status. I am 12 nights from Lifetime Platinum, however.

  • Sparty Dave September 28, 2012

    100 nights at a Marriott property will not necessarily get you PP status. I have hit that amount 2 seperate times and never got it. Last year I stayed over 200 nights and finally got it. So what do you get?

    – a special card
    – a special phone number to call
    – you are at the top of the room upgrade list wherever you stay (so you would get a nicer room before someone else)

    and that is about it. I have gotten nice arrival gifts at some locations like a friut basket that was in addition to the normal “thank you” offer of points or snacks.

    Do I wish there were more perks for being PP? Sure. But overall I just like that I get recognized by Marriott for living someplace besides home. 😀

  • […] qualification requirements for earning lifetime elite membership as of January 1, 2013. This is the second time since 2009 Marriott Rewards has reduced the qualification requirements for lifetime elite. The changes were posted on Marriott Rewards […]

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