An Intriguing Reason to Get and Keep the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card

by Miguel R. Quinones

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The Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 80,000 Marriott Rewards points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. We have occasionally seen temporary offers for this card as high, but never anything higher.

I have had the Marriott Rewards card for over six years now. One of the reasons I have kept the card for so long despite its $85 annual is the Free Night Certificate at a Category 1-5 property earned every year after your account anniversary. As a result of the numerous recent Marriott Rewards devaluations, I have considered cancelling it but a letter recently received from Marriott have put these considerations to rest.

Back in 2010, I reached Marriott Platinum Elite status. I kept said status for a couple of years, but was eventually soft-landed to Gold status. Last year I received a letter from Marriott saying they were going to renew my Gold status “in appreciation to [my] loyalty” even though I did not reach the required 50 nights. In 2015, I again fell short of the 50 required nights, but Marriott again decided to renew my Gold status, albeit for different reasons. The letter received this year, signed my J.W. Marriott Jr., Marriott’s Executive Chairman of the Board, stated as follows in its pertinent part:

In thanks for your loyalty as a Marriott Rewards Credit Card member, I am delighted to renew your Marriott Rewards Gold Elite status for another year.

As you can see, Marriott directly cited my Marriott Rewards credit card membership as the reason they decided to renew my Gold status. Taking them at their word, if I had cancelled my Marriott Rewards credit card I would have likely lost my Marriott Gold Elite status. I am sure glad I kept the card and will most likely keep it in the future in order to increase the chances of Marriott continuing to renew my Gold status even if I fall short of the required 50 nights.

Check out this special limited-time offer for the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card as well as other hotel credit cards here.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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3 comments

02nz March 21, 2016 - 10:19 pm

It does sound like they’re willing to cite almost any reason to keep giving you gold status. I have it via the United-Marriott partnership. Across many of the hotel programs it seems quite easy to get mid-level status. Given how easy it is, and that top-level status often doesn’t get you much more (on a guaranteed basis anyway, since often many of the benefits are “subject to availability” or “at the discretion of the hotel”) mid-level status is often the sweet stop, IMHO.

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Miguel R. Quinones March 22, 2016 - 9:06 am

O2nz, I agree that mid-level hotel status is not a big deal. However, Gold with Marriott gets you free breakfast which is, IMO, the most important hotel elite benefit. The is not something you get with SPG Gold, Club Carlson Gold or Hyatt Platinum. You can also get upgrades with Marriott Gold. Therefore, I consider Marriott Gold more high-level than mid-level.

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Marriott Downgrades My Elite Status For No Apparent Reason - Point Me to the Plane May 3, 2016 - 2:32 pm

[…] in March I wrote about how Marriott had decided to renew my Gold Elite status “[i]n thanks for [my] loyalty as a Marriott Rewards Credit Card member.” I’ve had […]

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