Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates are literally one of the best credit card benefits in Canada! Nothing less. As the name implies, it gives you a free night. It’s worth ≈ $315 at our Flytrippers Valuation, but that’s conservative (as always for rewards programs of the more lucrative type) and it can even get you an overwater villa worth $2000+!
Here’s what you need to know about the wonderful Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates in 2024.
Overview of Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates
I’ll explain everything that’s important in this overview, with more details to come in the next few weeks in the ultimate guide!
How to get Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates
Every Canadian traveler without exception should have these amazing certificates! They’re so good that even Americans (like Flytrippers’ other co-founder Kevin’s girlfriend) make sure they get these Canadian certificates!
The Marriott Bonvoy free night certificate is a credit card benefit offered by 2 Canadian cards.
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| Rewards: ≈ $477 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Card fee: $120 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marriott points: 53,000 pts after welcome bonus |
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| Rewards: ≈ $630 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Card fee: $150 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marriott points: 70,000 pts after welcome bonus |
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| Best credit cards for Marriott points |
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Marriott points |
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Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1.5k in 3 mos.
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Rewards: ≈ $477
Card fee: $120
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53,000 pts
after welcome bonus
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Card: no business required
Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 3 mos.
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Rewards: ≈ $630
Card fee: $150
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70,000 pts
after welcome bonus
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Flytrippers always repeats that the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is the only one that’s for all travelers without exception… but in fact the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card is also (it does NOT require you to have an incorporated business at all, but it does require you to follow special instructions during the application)!
The 2 cards give you a great certificate every year starting on your first card renewal, so NEVER close these cards! It just makes absolutely no sense at all, unlike with many cards.
How Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates work
Essentially, the Marriott Bonvoy free night certificate is a benefit that gives you 35,000 Marriott points for a free night at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel.
So it works exactly like Marriott Bonvoy points, with the following differences:
- You have to use the certificate for a single free night (not divisible)
- While 35,000 points can get you 5 free nights in many countries
- You have to use the certificate within 1 year (because you get 1 every year)
- While points have no time limit for redemptions
- You have to use the certificate for nights costing 50,000 points (or less)
- While points can be used at all 8,000+ Marriott hotels
Yes, the Marriott Bonvoy free night certificate is worth 35,000 points, but you still have some flexibility.
You can use the certificate for:
- A night worth up to 50,000 points
- By paying up to 15,000 points from your points stash to top up your booking
- This gives you even more hotel choices (thousands in total)
- This also allows you to book more ultra-luxury hotels
- A night worth less than 35,000 points
- But we certainly don’t recommend doing this
- You’ve got the whole year to maximize it, we’ll help you
So the best thing to do is to combine your 2 certificates (everyone can get 2 by having the 2 cards) for a nice free 3-day, 2-night stay at a superb hotel every year!
Or even better: combine your 2 certificates with your travel buddy’s 2 certificates for an even better 5-day, 4-night stay in a superb hotel every year! Or book 4 separate nights… you do what you want, it’s totally flexible!
How much Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates are worth
As mentioned, it’s ≈ $315 at our Flytrippers Valuation, but the value is actually unlimited since it’s like points. What’s certain is that the certificate is always worth more than the cards’ fee, so it’s 100% certain that it’s worth always keeping them.
Just like Marriott points:
- The certificate has a variable value that can vary enormously
- Depending on how you use it
- Depending on the hotel, date of stay, and date of booking
- Because they’re rewards of the more lucrative type
- The price in points is NOT tied to the price in cash
- So some redemptions are much better than others
That is what’s amazing for those who, like us, love to maximize and get good deals. There’s the potential for outsized value with Marriott certificates!
Each certificate can be worth $2000+! You can read the basics of how Marriott points work.
Where to use Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates
You have thousands of hotel options around the world where you can get a free night worth hundreds of dollars with certificates, including many very luxurious hotels.
The Marriott hotel chain is the world’s largest and has:
- 8000+ participating hotels
- 30+ different hotel brands
- Hotels from midscale to ultra-luxurious
- A website that lets you see all the see all the hotels and their prices easily
- The best hotel rewards program for Canadians
There are hotels that are expensive in cash where you can use the certificates well in North America, but if you want more luxury (and want everything to be better for everything), get out of North America!!! It’s the most basic tip with Marriott (or always really).
We’ve already done a post with 31 great real-world examples of hotels where to use the certificate well (including the $2000 one), and we’ll have many more in the coming weeks with our newly expanded Flytrippers team.
How to maximize Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates
There aren’t as many tips for maximizing the certificates as there are with Marriott points per se, but the key really is to choose the right hotels. Reaching a higher elite status helps improve the experience. And getting out of North America as I just said, because everything in the world of travel and hospitality is always infinitely better elsewhere.
There are always 3 things you can choose to maximize with rewards:
- The quantity of your trips
- The value of your trips
- The flexibility of your trips
The quantity of trips can’t be maximized here, because the certificate can never give more than one night. The only tip is to combine multiple certificates, as mentioned.
So the value of trips is the priority. Use certificates for hotels that cost closest to 35,000 points AND are expensive in cash. It’s rare that we say this, but it’s a case where it can be worth going over 35,000 points when the hotels are very luxurious or worth a lot of money!
How to use Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates
Like everything else in the world of travel rewards in 2024 (or almost), everything is doable online so easily. We’ll have more basic posts on the logistics soon, but Marriott certificates are very easy to use online.
You need to follow these simple steps to use the certificates:
- Log in to your Marriott Bonvoy account
- Click on “Use Points/Awards” before searching for a hotel
- Select the certificates on the payment page
I’ll even do a step-by-step guide soon, but the logistics are really as simple as booking any hotel.
How to view Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates
That’s easy too:
- Log in to your Marriott Bonvoy account
- Click on your name in the top right corner
- Click on “Activity”
You’ll see your certificates (officially called “Free Night Awards”) and their expiration date.
Details of Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates
Coming soon, including videos.
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Summary
Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates are one of the best credit card benefits in Canada! The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card give you one every year starting at your first card renewal, and it’ll give you hundreds of dollars in value!
What would you like to know about Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Maldives (photo credit: Marriott)
