How United and Marriott Elites Can Status Match

Those who have elite status with either Marriott or United can benefit from the RewardsPlus program. RewardsPlus is a partnership between the Marriott and United loyalty programs that give elites reciprocal elite status in the other program.

Here’s what you need to know to maximize the RewardsPlus partnership and capitalize on the Marriott-United status match program.

Marriott elites become United elites and vice versa

If you have Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, you can claim Premier Silver status in United’s MileagePlus loyalty program.

On the flip side, if you have Premier Gold status with United, you can claim Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.

What you'll get with the Marriott and United status match

If you match from Marriott to United: You’ll get Premier Silver elite status in the airline loyalty program, which includes perks like:

• Complimentary access to preferred seating at booking and economy plus seats at check-in for you and a companion.

• Complimentary day-of-departure upgrades.

• One free checked bag up to 70 pounds (32 kilograms) on United economy flights or three free checked bags when flying in a premium cabin.

• Group 2 priority boarding.

• 7x award miles when flying on United.

• 25% bonus United miles when flying on Star Alliance partners.

• Expanded award availability.

• Other perks like a discount for Clear, Hertz Five Star elite status and reduced fees.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

If you match from United to Marriott: You’ll get Gold Elite status, Marriott’s second tier in the hotel loyalty program. Getting Marriott elite status with United comes with perks like:

• 25% bonus points on stays.

• Room upgrades, based on availability.

• 2 p.m. late checkout, based on availability.

• Bonus points at check-in.

• Enhanced internet access.

How to qualify for the necessary Marriott and United elite tiers

Here are the requirements for earning the status level needed to qualify for the reciprocal status match in both programs.

Marriott

To reach Titanium Elite, stay at least 75 nights at a participating Marriott property in one calendar year. If you have a Marriott-branded credit card, qualifying is a little easier because card perks include a 15-25 elite night credit bonus towards your status. If you have a personal and business credit card from Marriott, you can get a total of 30-40 elite night credits, putting you only 3545 elite nights away from Titanium status.

Here are some Marriott cards along with the status they offer:

If you're looking to maximize credit cards on your path to Titanium status, the best way to do that is to get the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (grants 25 elite night credits) and the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (grants 15 elite night credits) and you'll end up with 40 elite night credits. You will then only need to earn 35 more elite nights to achieve Titanium status.

Ambassador Elite has even steeper requirements: Spend at least 100 nights a year at Marriott properties and over $20,000 in qualifying expenses at hotels.

United

Premier Gold on United requires completing four segments on United/United Express and amassing either: 8,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) and 24 Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) or 10,000 PQP. 1 PQP = $1 dollar spent on flights and other purchases (i.e. economy seats, upgrade copays and more but taxes are excluded).

You can also earn PQP from holding United’s credit cards, which can make it easier to reach Gold status.

» Learn more: Earning United Premier Qualifying Points on flights

How Marriott elites get access to United Silver status

Marriott Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members can request their complimentary United Silver elite status by going to Marriott's RewardsPlus portal. Click the “Join RewardsPlus” link to begin the process.

You’ll be prompted to log in to your Marriott Bonvoy account. Then enter your United MileagePlus account number to link your accounts.

The confirmation page says it will take seven to 10 days for your elite benefits to be effective. However, you may see your status updated as quickly as the next day.

» Learn more: The 5 best ways to rack up Marriott Bonvoy points

How United elites get access to Marriott status

United Premier Gold, Platinum and 1K elite members can get Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status by going to United's MileagePlus portal.

Enter your MileagePlus number, password and email address, accept the terms and conditions, and click “Register for status.” Follow the instructions to link your accounts.

Get bonus United miles when you transfer Marriott points

All Marriott Bonvoy members can transfer points to more than 40 different airlines including United, usually at a 3:1 ratio. However, members transferring Marriott points to United miles can get what amounts to a 2:1 ratio when transferring in blocks of 60,000 points.

For every 60,000 Marriott points transferred to United (at the base ratio of 3:1), Marriott adds on another 10,000 bonus miles for a total of 30,000 United miles (or a transfer ratio of 2:1). For transfers to most of Marriott's airline partners, you’ll only get a 5,000-point bonus for transferring 60,000 points.

Note that this transfer bonus does not apply to American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Avianca or Korean Air.

It's important to keep in mind what each program’s rewards are worth. Marriott Bonvoy points are worth 0.8 cent each, while United MileagePlus miles are worth 1.2 cents each.

How to transfer Marriott points to United miles

Start on Marriott’s Transfer Points to Miles webpage, then click “Transfer Points.”

In the window that pops up, select the frequent flyer program you want to transfer to and enter your membership number. Enter the number of Marriott points you wish to transfer.

The transfer tool will calculate the number of airline miles you’ll receive at the standard transfer ratio. This calculation won’t reflect the 10,000-mile bonus for transferring at least 60,000 points. So, you’ll need to mentally factor in both when transferring Marriott points to United miles.

Top off your Marriott Bonvoy account with United miles

What if you need some Marriott Bonvoy points? The good news is that United MileagePlus Premier members can transfer miles to Marriott Bonvoy. The bad news? The transfer rate is only 1:1.

United miles are generally more valuable than Marriott Bonvoy points. That’s why it can be a good deal to transfer Marriott points to United at a 3:1 transfer ratio (or 2:1 if transferring in blocks of 60,000). However, transferring points from United to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio is harder to justify.

So convert your United miles to Marriott points only when you’re within striking distance of a Marriott hotel stay. You’re limited to transferring 100,000 United miles to Marriott points each calendar year. There’s a minimum transfer of 500 miles.

How to transfer United miles to Marriott points

To transfer United miles to Marriott Bonvoy points, start on this United webpage.

Enter your MileagePlus number and password, then agree to the terms and conditions. Next, you’ll be prompted to enter your Marriott Bonvoy account number. Then enter the number of miles you want to transfer.

Final thoughts on the United-Marriott status match

Reciprocal elite status and earning bonus points on transfers are nice perks of the RewardsPlus partnership. If you’re eligible, go ahead and enroll. It’s free. Then you can enjoy status in both programs instead of just one. And keep the point-transfer options in mind for the next time you need to top off your United MileagePlus or Marriott Bonvoy account.

The information related to Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card credit card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.

The information related to United Club℠ Business Card credit card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.