What Are Marriott Elite Night Credits?

Elite night credits are the key to earning elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. If you earn enough credits to qualify for status, you can get perks like free room upgrades and late checkout.

While frequent hotel stays are the most common way to earn elite night credits, they're not the only path. You can also earn elite night credits by using a qualifying credit card, among other activities.

Here’s what you need to know.

An overview of Marriott elite night credits

Elite night credits qualify you to become an elite member in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program at one of the different tier levels, and can be earned by staying at participating properties. For example, if you stay one night at a participating Marriott hotel, you'll earn one elite night credit.

You become a Silver Elite member of the Bonvoy program when you earn 10 elite night credits. You can earn these credits with stays paid for with points or cash.

How many elite night credits do I need to earn status?

Marriott Bonvoy members can qualify (or requalify) for elite status by staying a certain number of nights per year (from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31) at Marriott family properties.

• Silver Elite: 10 nights per year.

• Gold Elite: 25 nights per year.

• Platinum Elite: 50 nights per year.

• Titanium Elite: 75 nights per year.

• Ambassador Elite: 100 nights per year + $23,000 in qualifying spend.

The higher your elite status, the bigger the benefits. For example, Gold Elite members get a 25% bonus on the number of Marriott Bonvoy points they earn on paid stays. But Titanium Elite members get a 75% bonus.

Elite night credits also help you qualify for Bonvoy Lifetime Elite status, which means the Bonvoy points you earn never expire and you keep your elite status forever without having to requalify every year.

Here are the milestones for reaching Lifetime Elite status:

• Lifetime Silver Elite: 250 lifetime nights + five years as Silver Elite status or higher.

• Lifetime Gold Elite: 400 lifetime nights + seven years as Gold Elite status or higher.

• Lifetime Platinum Elite: 600 lifetime nights + 10 years as Platinum Elite status or higher.

» Learn more: What is the value of Marriott Bonvoy points?

How to earn Marriott elite night credits

Besides staying at Marriott family hotels, there are several ways you can earn Marriott elite night credits.

Hold a co-branded credit card — or two

One of the easiest ways to earn Marriott elite night credits is by holding one or two of its co-branded credit cards, issued by American Express and Chase. All but two of these Marriott branded credit cards come with 15 elite night credits that are deposited to your account at the beginning of every calendar year automatically (the premium Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card card comes with 25 and the budget-friendly Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase comes with five). See below for options

Better yet, if you hold one personal credit card and one business card, you can get elite night credits from each card and earn up to 40 elite night credits total — enough to qualify outright for Marriott Gold Elite status. Terms apply.

If you have a Marriott credit card, keep an eye out for promos that award you with elite night credits based on how much you spend. If you’re a few nights away from the next tier, this is a great way to earn some elite night credits.

* Rewards earned by using one of these cards at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels come on top of the points you earn for being a member of the Bonvoy loyalty program. Taken together, paying with a Bonvoy card at a Bonvoy location can earn up to 17 points per dollar spent.

** There are two Marriott Bonvoy cards with substantially the same benefits but they come from different issuers. The Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card, described above, is from Chase. Its near-twin is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card, which you can read about here.

» Learn more: The best hotel credit cards right now

Stay during promotions

Another great way to earn Marriott elite nights is by enrolling in the loyalty program’s promotions. Occasionally, promotions offer bonus points or double elite night credits.

So if you stayed five nights at a Marriott property during the promotion period, you earned 10 elite night credits — five elite night credits from the stay and another five from the promo.

Booking stays strategically during these promotions can get you to the next elite status tier much quicker.

Plan group events or meetings

Marriott guests who plan corporate meetings or family reunions can earn one elite night credit for every 20 room nights booked for an event at a Marriott property (limited to 20 elite night credits per event).

To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, see this page.