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For any Marriott Annual Choice Benefits that were earned in 2020, Bonvoy members must make their selection(s) by 11:59 p.m. ET TODAY, 8 January 2021. If no selection is made by the end of today, five Suite Night Awards will be automatically deposited in the member’s account.
In addition to the standard benefits that Marriott Bonvoy offers at each of its elite status levels, the program also offers members a benefit of their choice when they credit 50 elite nights to their accounts, and a further benefit when they credit a total of 75 elite night to their accounts. These are what Marriott calls its Annual Choice Benefits and if you haven’t yet selected your benefit, you’re almost out of time.
You’ll find a full post discussing each of Marriott’s Annual Choice Benefits HERE so I’m not going to go into detail and discuss the merits (or otherwise) of each of the options on offer but as a reminder, this is what this year’s Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefits are like:
Marriott’s 50 Elite Night Annual Choice Benefits
- Add 5 Elite Night Credits to your 2020 total
- Get five Suite Night Awards to redeem for upgrades to suites and premium rooms
- Gift Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status to a family member, friend, or colleague
- Make a US$100 Charity Donation to WE
- Save 40% on a bed from your favorite hotel brand
Marriott’s 75 Elite Night Annual Choice Benefits
- Add 5 Elite Night Credits to your 2020 total
- Five Suite Night Awards
- Make a US$100 Charity Donation to WE
- Save 40% on a bed from your favorite hotel brand
- Gift Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
- A Free Night Award worth up to 40,000 points
Link to the Annual Choice Benefits FAQ
Link to the Annual Choice Benefits Terms & Conditions
How To Select Your Annual Choice Benefits(s)
If you’re eligible for Annual Choice Benefits you should have received an email from Marriott with a link to the benefits page (the subject line will probably read “Congrats – Your Annual Choice Benefit Is Here”) but if you can’t find the email, this link should work for you.
The process to select your benefit(s) is straightforward, but keep in mind that once you’ve confirmed your selection there’s no going back so don’t make any hasty decisions. Consider each benefit’s merits and consider which benefits you’re most likely to use in the year ahead bearing in mind that the travel world is still in utter chaos – I suspect that this may be a year that sees some of the less commonly selected benefits get a lot more attention (e.g. the 40% discount on a bed).
My Choices
I earned over 75 elite night credits with Marriott in 2020 so I was given the option to select two Annual Choice Benefits. In the past, I’ve chosen the 5 Suite Night Awards for both benefits but this time around I broke with tradition and chose 5 Suite Night Awards and the free night award worth 40,000 points.
The reasoning behind my choices was simple.
I’m not going to be making a lot of hotel stays in the first half of 2021 and what stays I make this year will probably see me booking with Hyatt wherever possible. This, combined with the fact that the Suite Night Awards can be annoyingly difficult to use, means that I’m highly unlikely to be able to make use of all 10 Suite Night Awards in 2021…but I’d still like to have 5 in the bank just in case a good redemption opportunity arises.
The free night award worth 40,000 points is enough to allow me to book an off-peak night at one of my favorite Marriott properties at which I always manage to relax (the Langley) and so is worth more to me than 5 Suite Night Awards that I may not be able to use. Also, the fact that most nights at the Langley cost well over $400 (even on off-peak dates) means that I know that I’ll be getting reasonable value out of the certificate and that it won’t be going to waste.
Bottom Line
If you’ve earned enough elite night credits in 2020 to qualify for one or more of Marriott’s Annual Choice benefits and you haven’t yet made your selection(s) you have until the end of today (Eastern Time) to do. Selections need to be made by 11:59 p.m. and with what looks like another troubled year ahead of us, this would be a good time to think carefully about what Annual Choice Benefits you’re most likely to be able to use easily in the coming 12 months.