From zero to Platinum Elite Bonvoy with only 16 stays: here's the challenge for Marriott status
Yesterday, a user in our secret "point-sick" Facebook group recalled a fast track opportunity [...]
Marriott
Yesterday a user of our Secret group of "stitch sufferers" on Facebook recalled a fast track opportunity in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program that I had not remembered in recent months. The Marriott Bonvoy Status Challenge.
In this article:
Unlike a status match, where an elite level is offered that equals that possessed in a competing loyalty program, a status challenge, on the other hand, challenges the user to achieve a certain result to obtain status more easily than the normal requirements.
From zero to platinum elite in 3 months
Thanks to this fast track you can Obtain Gold status after only 8 nights within three months, or with 16 nights (instead of 50) it is possible to climb up to Platinum Elite level.
Therefore, it is not necessary to possess status; the big difference, however, is that is not given in advance the level so you have to stay until the target to get the status.
Did you get your flight cancelled, miss your connection, land late?
You could get up to 600€ compensation per person
Given that gold status has little value in Marriott, Than the card of the same color in Hilton Honors and that both of these levels are included with the American Express Platinum annual fee, I would only recommend this challenge to Who wants to aim for the Platinum Elite level, which I recall is not the highest being under Ambassador and Titanium.
The challenge
You have three months, not 90 days, but 3 months beyond the month in which you register. This means that it doesn't matter if you register on the first of January or the 31st, the deadline will always be April 30. So my advice is to calculate well the stays you have planned and register at the beginning of the month. As mentioned the goals are 2:
- 8 nights (instead of 25) = Gold
- 16 nights (instead of 50) = Platinum Elite
Nothing prohibits you from making a single stay of 8 or 16 consecutive nights and then obtaining Gold or Platinum status within 24 hours. What matters is not the booking date but the check-out date. If you successfully complete the challenge you will get the card for the remainder of the current year and all of the following year. This means that if you get the level in June 2023 you will have the level until January 2025.
Requirements
There is no public page of the offer, one has to contact Marriott Bonvoy (via email, chat, twitter...) and request a status check, it is not certain that all members have access to this challenge.
Eligible nights are assigned only for stays fully booked and paid directly to the Marriott. Award nights or nights paid with points and money do not count toward the challenge!
You must be enrolled in Bonvoy and have made at least one qualifying stay in the past 24 months and you must not have already applied for this challenge since January 2021, and you will not be able to participate in similar initiatives in the next 36 months, then, Apply only if you are sure to reach the required nights in the quarter.
If you want to know the benefits that the status brings Platinum I recommend you read here, in short, however, they are:
- Bonus points or free breakfast
- Lounge access
- Check-out at 4 p.m. guaranteed
- Upgrade to the Suite, if available
- Choice annual benefits
In conclusion
Thanks to Francis for reminding me to talk about this fast track, Hilton also has something similar always available for users who want to try the run for status.
