The BEST Strategy for Marriott Elite Status (Using Credit Cards)

[@GIbiapina]

Fantastic hack for who have Brilliant and want titanium elite!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Wow, thanks so much for the Super! Glad you found the info helpful!

[@travelpointsfamily]

I have the Bonvoy Brilliant, and I don't need to stay that many nights at a Marriott to get exceptional value from the card. As long as you use the dining credits and are selective with your FNA, you'll reap positive value each year.

[@TheCreditFrog]

I agree! Definitely a keeper card if you use both of those benefits! Happy to hear you’re getting a lot of value from the card, even if you don’t stay at Marriotts that often!

[@randytirado5373]

Question. I watched your other video on free night award strategy. Boundless - brilliant - business than product change boundless to ritz than boundless again in 2 years. Considering the information in THIS video, do I get platinum status in year 2 when I get the brilliant? Thanks man!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Yes, you'll get the Platinum status when you get the Brilliant! 👍

[@ItsMeCJ]

These deep dive videos are awesome Stan! This was very clearly laid out, and although I’m not a Marriott loyalist by any means, I can say that I appreciate the amount of brain work you put into this. This video exemplifies someone with a true understanding of how a status system works and how you can strategically use credit cards as a “cheat code”. Excellent!…..and yes I’m still first.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks CJ! Yeah, I thought it would be helpful since I'm pretty familiar with the Marriott ecosystem, except for Ambassador status, but I think it's really cool to see how the Bonvoy cards work in unison, and how we can use that to our advantage. I will give you an honorary first for your comment. 🙌 🥇

[@MrLeoAndres]

Hey Stan, great video. After my Brilliant’s anniversary card date and receiving the FNC, I plan to downgrade to Amex Bonvoy $95 card. Will the 25 elite nights still be in my account or will it drop to 15?

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks! The 25 Elite nights should come up at your cardmember anniversary, so if they're already populated, they should stay in your account after you downgrade to the Bonvoy card.

[@Leoprieto74]

I have Platinum Elite status because of my beautiful Amex Marriott Brilliant,…I just came back from a Europe trip and stayed in two separate Marriott properties with both having M Club Lounge that included open bar (free alcohol). Plus amazing free breakfast on both properties. Your boy Leo got drunk every night at the M Club Lounge 🤓. I love Marriott properties!!! 💕 oh, and I have two more months to go to product change to the beautiful Chase Ritz Carlton card 🥂

[@TheCreditFrog]

Very nice!! I'm happy to hear that you put that M club to good use haha! Also good to know that the properties you went to have free breakfast at both properties! Strong work and you definitely picked those properties well. Soon, you will have the RC card and get another 85k FNC every year in addition to your beautiful Bonvoy Brilliant card!

[@Leoprieto74]

@@TheCreditFrog Yeap!! I am very much looking forward for the Chase Ritz Carlton card. This is the only premium card that I am missing in my premium travel card setup!!! Btw, I think I am the highest annual fees person in all the credit card community that I am aware. Mark Reese used to be over me with $6,200 AFs on his 42 cards. I am currently sitting at $6,450 with 16 cards and soon to be $6,800 when I product change to the beautiful Chase Ritz Carlton card. 😂

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@Leoprieto74 Gotta catch em all my friend!!

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@Leoprieto74 oh man, you are a trendsetter for luxury credit cards!

[@Leoprieto74]

@@TheCreditFrog 😂, once I get my Ritz Carlton card I may do a video showing my beautiful premium travel cards setup. Although I am not a KZbinr 🤓

[@TheRatatar]

When booking a Marriot hotel room do you primarily use the Business card with the 7% discount?

[@TheCreditFrog]

Yes, when I book for cash stays, I use this feature on the Bonvoy Business!

[@nickknight1058]

Ok the biggest question I can’t seem to find a good answer to is this: with a two player system with myself and my spouse, is it better to refer each other to cards one of us has to double up on each card or to have each of us have different cards? I started with the Chase Sapphire Preferred and then got the Freedom Unlimited and she just got the Chase Freedom Flex. Should we next refer each other to this cards and get SUBs and referral bonuses but have duplicate of two cards with obviously the same multipliers or should we continue getting different cards to more quickly cover all our categories and get cards from different banks like AMEX, CapitalOne, Citi?

[@TheCreditFrog]

It really depends on what you're looking to do. If you wan to maximize a certain points ecosystem, then doubling up on each card makes sense. For example, if both you and P2 want to get a lot of Chase URs, then referring back and forth would be good so you can double up on welcome offers. However, if you want to spread out benefits among different programs such as you get Marriotts and P2 gets Hiltons, then that's another great strategy to cover ground quicker, but you may not be able to take advantage of referral bonuses this way.

[@nickknight1058]

@@TheCreditFrog thank you so much I appreciate the reply and answer! Thank you for your time!

[@stoneymoore463]

I’m at 4/24 right now. I know business cards usually don’t count towards 5/24 but does that require using an LLC name or can I apply with my name to stay at 4/24?

[@TheCreditFrog]

You could apply as a sole prop, and that should be fine!

[@stoneymoore463]

@@TheCreditFrog thank you! One more question. If my wife gets to 5/24 only because of being my authorized user. Does chase remove her and take away her card or do they just remove the inquiry on her credit report?

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@stoneymoore463 If you're wife is an AU, it will count towards 5/24. If you take her off as an AU, then her card will drop off her credit report and she will be 4/24 at the next billing cycle.

[@ryanshannon6963]

@@TheCreditFrog That's good information. Thank you, OP, for asking!

[@xianpark]

Great video! What status can I get if I have the Marriott Brilliant, bonvoy business, and a Marriott bonvoy bevy? Thanks!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks! You'll be able to get Platinum Elite status with 40 Elite Nights. The Bevy will not add extra elite nights because you already have a Brilliant. If you want to go for Titanium Elite, follow the steps outlined in the video!

[@stephansandoval5409]

Great video! I’m stacking the business AMEX and Brilliant for 40 ENC. I’m also a dual Mexican citizen and Marriott offers a Bonvoy Mastercard silver with 10ENC/year for ~$70. Is having a foreign card a loophole to help stack and get 50 ENC/year? That would qualify me for the Annual Choice Benefit and get an extra 5 ENC or guarantee upgrade.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Stephan! You know, I just read on one of the comments here that it may be possible to stack international Marriott cards on top of these other two cards to get more than 40ENC - so possibly getting that extra 10 could work with the Mexico Marriott cards! Not sure though, but that would be a nice way to get to the 50 night annual award.

[@docsays]

Very Informative video Stan! To novice these status tiers, ENCs, & FNAs can be confusing! As i mentioned on your community post i really having Gold status from my AmEx business bonvoy. I went in with you expectations & was pleasantly surprised!!!! In the future i want to go for platinum status!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Doc! Yeah, Marriott has a lot of tiers so breaking them down should make things easier! You already have the first step in the process, which is to get the Business card so if you ever want to go Platinum (with the possibility of Titanium), the Brilliant would be the next step. It's got a high annual fee and an annoying monthly credit, but if you tend to stay at Marriotts, I would say it's worth it overall. Plus you get that 85k FNC (in addition to the 35k FNC you get from the Bonvoy Business) so you can start to create a system that generates FNCs every year for you too!

[@JimDoullSr]

Stan. thanks for the advice. I have a Bold card and with the expiration of the elite credits this year I called Chase and they would not product change to the Ritz card. I tried to push for the boundless card with a $95 annual, but they said no also. I can open a boundless personal card independently now, but it would not be eligible for the 125,000 bonus because my bold card has only been open for 18 months. I want the 15 nights next year, should I wait until 24 months to open the boundless to get the 15 nights? Can I also stack the AMEX Business card for another 15 nights? Thanks for the help.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Yeah, so the business stacks for 15 nights with the personal. I would certainly wait until you qualify for the offer on the Boundless before getting the card. That’s weird that they wouldn’t let you PC to the Boundless or the Ritz when your card is 18 months old. Did they give a reason? There shouldn’t be any pushback when you request to PC whether it be up or down.

[@donjuan7193]

When do the Elite Night credits post to the accounts-at the time of annual fee renewal? If this is the case, then it would be optimal to get these cards in January of a calendar year in order to capitalize on the potential 2x Elite Nights from Feb-April so that you can enjoy Titanium Elite for the majority of the year, right?

[@TheCreditFrog]

They post at the beginning of the year, except for when you apply for the card, when they post pretty quickly like a week or so after you get approved. So it doesn’t really matter when you get the card, but it’s certainly easier to get Titanium if you start your stays in January

[@donjuan7193]

Wonderful information--thank you so much!

[@nubianpwr]

I've been waiting on you to do this one Stan!👍🏾 I'm slated to achieve Titanium by the end of next week! One reason I wanted it is the Ritz Carlton, which (I think) offers upgrades with this status. The other is United Silver, which I learned about from your previous Live. My question are... if/when I achieve Titanium this yr, will I have it thru the end of 2025? Also, do you think the 5 Nightly Upgrade Choice award rivals the 5 elite night credits? I currently have Platinum and have found it to be hit-or-miss.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Nkosi! Ooh, that's so exciting! Yes, you'll be able to get Titanium for the next 18 months - very cool! I got mine in September of last year so didn't have as much time to use it. When you achieve Titanium this year (75 nights), the best option IMO is the 40k FNC! But when considering the 50 night annual choice award, the NUA or the Elite nights are the best ones, depending on if you're shooting for Titanium Elite or not. NUAs are certainly hit or miss, but I was able to use all of them within 1 year, so take that for what it's worth!

[@nubianpwr]

@@TheCreditFrog Haha - 4got about the 40k FNC - so cool😁

[@LalitDevraj]

Stan the Man!! I have a Marriott Premier Business by Chase (discontinued) and get the same 15 Elite night credits! Love the stacking logic ans supremely clear and concise explanation - absolute Legend 😊 Dont be surprised if you see a Marriott video from me soon because this video was a definite inspiration for it :)

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Lalit! Great to hear from you!! That's awesome that you've grandfathered in to the Chase Marriott Business card. I would love to have one of those since Amex limits my number of credit cards, and so having two Marriott cards takes up those coveted slots! I appreciate your feedback and glad to hear that explanation was clear and concise! Looking forward to your video! I know you travel often so it'll be great to hear your perspective on this!

[@gearhead1308]

Thanks for the video, great explanation. I wanted to ask that Platinum elite has something called points savers and wanted to ask if you have used it or know how it works as brilliant card is very appealing to me with high points multiplier and if it actually saves points, I might pull the trigger once I finish my platinum spend. Thanks

[@TheCreditFrog]

Hi, no problem! I’ve never actually used Point Savers so I’d have to look into it. The Brilliant card is a great one to have regardless!

[@shawn4384]

Stan, amazing, amazing content as usual. I just love how strategic and in the weeds you get with these hotel cards. Truly a master. I was wondering, what are your recommendations and thoughts about buying Marriott points on sale? I had heard that they go on sale for 50% off, every once in a while.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Hey! Thanks so much - I really appreciate the support and happy to hear you're enjoying the videos. When it comes to Marriott, I don't recommend buying points, even when they are on sale. Buying points are really best for programs like Hilton and IHG. Buying points/transferring point to Marriott is ok in situations when you're a couple thousand short to need a redemption, but otherwise, I would stick to getting Marriott credit cards for welcome offers and free night rewards as the main way of getting value out of that ecosystem.

[@Airport_Dad]

Plan to do a World of Hyatt strategy video anytime soon?

[@TheCreditFrog]

Maybe in the future, but not anytime soon. I'm not much of a Hyatt guy so I don't have a lot of personal experience.

[@DC_Consulting_DC]

Lifetime Platinum here. Park Tower Buenos Aires and Panamericano Bariloche gave awesome full breakfasts in June. European and North American propertues are hit or miss, even with my non-lifetime Titanium status. Lisbon Moxy was terrible. Ritz-Carlton Maui was amazing...benefits vary by brand, location, season, day, etc.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks for the data points! Yeah it just goes to show that there’s very wide variability among properties so some will have great benefits, where others will fall short. Pretty cool that you’re lifetime Platinum though. Definitely takes a while to get there!

[@alexosmond1616]

Hey Stan, I think you linked to the wrong video at the end. Great video though! I had been doing the Titanium math just yesterday, so great timing.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Oh haha! Thank you for pointing that out. Don't know what happened there. I appreciate your support, and yeah, I hope this video helps you get to Titanium Elite in the fastest way possible!

[@02Hrothgar]

You da man Stan! Keep it coming! 💪

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks! You got it! 👊

[@brianbender1438]

Room up grades as a tititum are hit and miss in the US. Prior to Covid19, it was much better . Of course, there are now offering 5 Room upgrades at 50 and 75 nights. For a total of 10. However, once again, trying to get an up grade is hit and miss, so you're better off using the five and/ or 10 nights added to your stays to reach your 75 nights.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Yeah I agree. If there’s any chance to make Titanium better to go with the 5 elite nights. Otherwise NUAs could be good but it’s not a guaranteed upgrade which kind of sucks.

[@jimmyjames6492]

Thanks for the great info + video!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Of course Jimmy James! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@heyitsyeh]

Got the Bonvoy Business first because of the elevated SUB, hoping for an elevated Brilliant SUB in the near future!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Definitely worth it to get this elevated offer right now! The Brilliant will have an elevated welcome offer soon, I'm sure. These offers always come in waves!

[@heyitsyeh]

Just got the Brilliant as well, here comes 5 free Platinum nights!

[@johndematatis9718]

Im have the boundless and am looking to get the business card next year to get 2 free nighta a year. Thats all the marriott cards I want though. Being able to take a weekend trip every year sounds great to me

[@TheCreditFrog]

Great! Hopefully you got the Boundless a while ago since there's that 24 months rule between Chase and Marriott Bonvoy cards. The Bonvoy Business has great welcome offers occasionally like the one right now for 5 free nights!

[@MattWelterOfficial]

I'm sitting on Marriott Gold Elite through my Bonvoy Business right now but as I benefit more from Marriott with their global presence I could see myself trying to move up, getting a card like the Bonvoy Brilliant to unlock Plat Status. Especially with more work trips on the horizon and the ability to stay at Marriott's for those trips, free breakfast (sometimes lounge access like you mentioned) would make a big difference. Good point about the fast-track to Titanium Status as well and the 50 night benefit. Great video Stan!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Bonvoy Platinum status is definitely the one that I'd recommend for most people, if they were going for any status at all. The only issue with Platinum is that it doesn't always guarantee free breakfast, whereas with Hilton Gold, you're always going to get that F&B credit in some way. It's definitely cool to fast-track to Titanium Elite though because United Premier Silver has been so worth it so far! I appreciate it Matt!

[@KevinYang]

Honestly completely overlooked the United Silver status! Wonder if that's match-able across other programs even though it's not "earned"... Also I wonder if anyone plans to hold both cards for at least 40 nights a year in order to help them reach those lifetime statuses 👀

[@TheCreditFrog]

Dude, UA Premier Silver is legit. And yeah, you can status match to other airlines if you want because you do have true UA Premier Silver! While the statuses do count for lifetime status, I don't think the elite nights do. The nights only count as elite nights and the nights to qualify for lifetime status are the ones you are actual hotel stays. Still helpful though!

[@kevingonzalez9592]

Way that worked for me to get titanium was, Amex Brilliant, Amex business bonvoy, and Mexican Banorte bonvoy inspire thats another 15 elite nights for a total of 55 elite nights plus getting the extra 5 nights, thats 60, So there was only 15 nights left which is pretty easy to achive on the promotional season. Interesting enough the mexican bonvoy card doesnt even have to be open by you it can be a relative they just need to be sure to use your marriott bonvoy number.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Pretty awesome that you can use elite night credits from that Mexican Bonvoy card! If you have that option, then great! That makes Titanium Elite status even easier to get. Thanks for the tip!

[@Ernie831]

If I apply for Marriott brilliant, will I get the 25 elite nights automatically? I already have 35 elite nights and if I get the additional 25 I would need 15 elite nights to get to titanium.

[@TheCreditFrog]

You will get them automatically as long as the other elite nights are not from another personal credit card. These 25 elite nights stack with actual nights stayed and elite nights from the Bonvoy Business card

[@andrewg993]

My only wish....is that they would let us do low point reward night bookings and not mark it as a "no show" if we don't check in in person. Would be a great help on the platinum to titanium journey with some of those sub 7k redemption properties to get the elite nights. (mixed reviews online about digital check-in being sufficient for this)

[@TheCreditFrog]

Yeah, that would be helpful if we wanted to do a digital mattress run, but I can see where the hotel is coming from. If you book a hotel, checking in .. in person .. should be the bare minimum since the whole point is to stay at the hotel. But certainly, those cheaper hotels would get a lot more bookings if we could check-in digitally and get those nights to count - and it wouldn't really make their jobs any more difficult!

[@ConstantPoints]

Stan holy shit brother your channel exploded! Well deserved sir!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Kostas! Glad to see you back and making content again!

[@ConstantPoints]

@@TheCreditFrog believe me I missed it! Took forever but now I’m back!

[@MontyTheCardNerd]

Super helpful video Stan! I always thought the 35 nights for Titanium (minus the 25 from the Brilliant and 15 from the Business) was insurmountable, but it just might be doable next year with those tips that you provided.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Monty! Yeah, with a little bit of strategy (and luck), getting Titanium Elite status may be more attainable than you think! Of course, having the Business and Brilliant is core to this strategy... but it's super cool to think that you can get TE in as little as 15 days!

[@hzrnbugsie]

I need $8K more to spend on my Marriott stays before hitting Ambassador this year. I have 110 nights already for the year. If you hit 75+ nights, Marriott gives you a selection of "bonus" and I always select the Award Night certificate for 40K points. Hitting 50+ nights, Marriott also has another set of bonuses but mostly something I don't need so I just select the $100 donation to a charity.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Very nice! Yeah the 50 annual choice benefit isn't nearly as good as the one at 75. For 50, I recommend either the NUAs if that's it, or 5 ENCs, to help get to Titanium. Clearly the 5 ENCs wouldn't matter to you, being how much you stay at Marriotts. I'm curious though if Ambassador is worth it? Some say yes, some say no. I don't think I'll ever stay at enough Marriotts to experience it myself. It's nice that you donate to your 50 ACB to charity though!

[@hzrnbugsie]

Ambassador gets you on a "first-name basis" with the people at the hotel. Other than that, there is not much different with Titanium. The Your24 benefit does not matter to me since my check-out time is usually dictated by my flight time. Maybe you get a cake and a balloon in your room when you happen to be staying at a Marriott property on your birthday. I honestly think the executive lounge access and free breakfast are the biggest perks for the higher Marriott tiers, especially on the nicer properties like the JW, Ritz, St Regis, etc.

[@SuperMrgentleman]

I almost regret not pushing to Lifetime Titanium by doing so under SPG prior to the merger. Almost, seeing how much elites keep getting shafted.

[@TheCreditFrog]

At least you have the fabled Lifetime Titanium! The rest of us have to earn it every year with these 2 cards + 30 nights.

[@SuperMrgentleman]

@TheCreditFrog to be clear I never did it! I got pitched this Marriott vacation club deal where I got 3 nights at the Mayflower in DC for $200 in exchange for attending a presentation. Deal was not good, but buying the higher level package in the program could get you lifetime Titanium.

[@paulfelkner6749]

Titanium right now with 67 nights all on pleasure: 25 paid 1 redeemed 11 2x 1Q promo 15 chase personal card 15 amex business card. Almost all of those stays were $92-$149 at mostly Marriotts, Westons and Sheratons for one night stay so just say $100 a night. 100 x . 175 = 1750 points + Lifetime Plat. 1000 points + Bountiful Card 1000 points Credit card 700 points Total 4450 points

[@TheCreditFrog]

Wow! Nice to meet another Marriott loyalist - but I will say that you've staid many more nights that myself. With all those stays, it's nice to be Titanium Elite so you can get those extra points and (hopefully) get some nice perks and benefits as well! Thanks for sharing your data points, and bravo for getting some nights in during the 2-for-1 elite night promo!

[@paulfelkner6749]

@@TheCreditFrog Just moved up to the Hilton $150 card for. my trip to Morocco that get's you gold. IHG is no help in Morocco and Marriott is not everywhere, so I think gold in Hilton will do me well overseas. There's a new hotel in Casablanca for 6K a night. Don't tell anybody.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Haha ok, no worries. You're secret is safe with me!

[@randomjoker21]

I signed up for my Bonvoy Boundless at the end of July 2022. However, my Marriott account says I didn't receive my sign-up bonus (3 FNAs) until early September 2022. Does that mean I have to wait all the way until late September 2024 before applying for a Bonvoy Business/Bonvoy Brilliant to be eligible for their signup bonuses?

[@TheCreditFrog]

Yes, you'll have to wait until 9/2024 to be eligible for the Amex Bonvoy card welcome offers since it's 24 months after the last welcome offer was received from Chase.

[@W0ngwaytravels]

Really enjoyed this, i am pivoting away as a hyatt globalist into ihg (P2) and possibly marriott for 2025

[@TheCreditFrog]

Very cool! It's always cool to try out new hotel programs and see if they fit your travel patterns!

[@Frederico.Huguenin]

IPlatinum and Titanium are basically the same. The only difference is United silver status that's given to Titanium and 25% more points.

[@TheCreditFrog]

I agree. The United Premier Silver status has been so worth it though!

[@MsAkuBetul]

I got denied for Amex Business twice!!!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Oh no! Sorry to hear about that! Third time’s a charm?

[@JuanGarcia-hr1wf]

Nice video Stan. IMO although has the most properties, I find Marriott recognition as well as individual property service is inconsistent at best, and therefore not worth chasing elite status. I have the Ritz card, but really only use for annual $300 travel credit and unlimited guest access to both Sapphire and PP lounges.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Juan! Yeah, Marriotts are hit or miss when it comes to benefits, but certainly Platinum status is better than no status at all, which is what I would shoot for if you stay at Marriotts with any regular frequency. And yes, that's exactly how I use my RC card as well! It's nice that it (almost) has the most powerful PP benefits, except for the restaurants, but the free AU and unlimited free guests is a pretty nice bonus!

[@TheUsflow]

My last stay at the AC Hotel in Scottsdale I wish I didn't have Platinum because nothing was honored and had to waste time trying to get elite benefits and could have stayed at a cheaper better hotel. Hotels aren't owned by Marriott in their asset light strategy and they have no incentive to honor elite benefits. So the moral is to stay at whatever hotel has the best value. Not getting elite status honored is worse than not having it at all because of the aggravation and injustice and time wasted. Even 4pm late checkout supposed to be "guaranteed" not honored (until 3:45pm when they decided to honor it but then I had already checked out). And any elite status benefit subject to availability means it won't be available.

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@TheUsflow For sure, it’s going to depend on the property whether or not those status tiers are honored. Marriott is pretty good about it, but the perks are typically underwhelming at best.

[@BrianFace-t4w]

What easy ways are you using the 300 travel credit, seems harder than the amex travel credit.

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@BrianFace-t4w It's actually prette easy, except you have to call in to get the credits. The things that work on the Amex travel credit is the same on the RC card.

[@TheArtistFKApingaso3687]

First

[@TheCreditFrog]

Congrats! You are FIRST today TheArtist! 🥇🏆