Select Your 2020 Marriott Choice Benefits | One Mile at a Time

One of the positive aspects of the Starwood Preferred Guest program that Marriott Bonvoy adopted is Choice Benefits. Now that some Bonvoy members have a lot of elite nights in spite of lack of travel this year, I wanted to recap how this benefit works.

What are Marriott Choice Benefits?

In addition to the standard published program benefits that apply with every stay, elite members are able to select additional perks for passing certain milestones.

Elite members - in this case Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador members - can select Choice Benefits when they pass 50 and 75 elite qualifying nights in a calendar year.

Even the up to 30 elite nights earned through select co-branded Marriott credit cards, as well as the 50% bonus elite nights offered to members this year, count towards this total. For example, as a Titanium member I'm at 77 elite nights this year, despite having only stayed at Marriott properties for nine actual nights.

Marriott's 50 night Platinum Choice Benefits

With Marriott Choice Benefits, those who pass 50 elite qualifying nights in a year can choose from the following rewards:

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• 5 Suite Night Awards
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• 5 Elite Night Credits
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• The ability to gift Silver Elite status
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• 40% off a hotel bed
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• A $100 WE donation

Marriott's 75 night Titanium Choice Benefits

Then those who pass 75 elite qualifying nights in a year can choose from the following rewards:

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• 5 Suite Night Awards
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• 5 Elite Night Credits
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• A free night award (valid at a hotel costing up to 40,000 points)
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• The ability to gift Gold Elite status
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• 40% off a hotel bed
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• A $100 WE donation

How to select your Marriott Choice Benefits

Marriott Bonvoy typically emails members to prompt them to select Choice Benefits, though if you don't want to wait for that email, you can follow this link. Once you're logged in you'll be shown your options.

Note that:

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• Once you select your rewards you can't change them
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• You need to make your selection by January 8, 2021
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• It can sometimes make sense to wait to make your selection if you don't have an immediate use for it, since you might change your mind on what makes more sense in several months

Selecting my Marriott Choice Benefits

For a bit of background on my situation:

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• I had Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status in 2019
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• I was downgraded to Marriott Bonvoy Titanium in 2020 (Marriott was doing "soft landings," as I would have otherwise just fallen down to my lifetime Platinum status)
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• I'm at 77 elite nights because I received 30 through Marriott's co-branded credit cards, and 38 from the 50% bonus elite nights that were credited this year

How am I approaching my selection of Choice Benefits, since I can select them for both 50 and 75 nights?

First and foremost, I'm not making any decisions now. I don't have any immediate use for any of these perks, and since I have until January to select, I'll wait. After all, what's most valuable to me now might not be most valuable to me in a few months.

Generally the way I think of these choices:

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• There's no value in adding five elite nights to my total for 2020, since I already requalified for Titanium status
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• I don't need 40% off a hotel bed, but if I did, that could be potentially valuable
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• Gifting Silver Elite isn't worth much, as the status doesn't offer many benefits
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• While a donation is a nice thing to do, realistically I value some of the other options at more than $100, so that wouldn't be a good way to maximize value
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• Historically I've selected the five suite night awards as my benefit, and that's likely what I'll choose again this year

For the additional options at 75 nights:

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• Being able to gift Gold Elite still isn't a great option, since the perks of the status aren't that great, and there are other ways to earn it
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• Selecting a free night worth up to 40,000 points could be a solid option, especially if you don't otherwise get value out of the suite night awards

Bottom line

Choice Benefits is one of the nice perks offered to Marriott Bonvoy Platinum and Titanium members. Fortunately Marriott is making these easier to earn in 2020 than we may have initially expected, based on the 50% bonus elite nights that have been deposited into members' accounts.