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

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Күн бұрын

💠 My Top Credit Cards: cfrog.co/top-picks
👉 Learn more about the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: cfrog.co/amex-bonvoy-brilliant
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The Marriott Bonvoy program can offer a lot of benefits but may not be the strongest when compared to statuses from other hotel chains.
In this video, I want to go over the methods to get the most value out of the Marriott Bonvoy program.
There’s the typical way of doing things through stays, but by using Marriott Bonvoy credit cards in a strategic way, getting to those higher elite statuses can actually be quite easy to do.
So in this video, I’ll go over the Marriott Bonvoy Elite statuses as well as the credit card strategies to help you achieve the one that’s the best for you so you can elevate your Marriott stays and have the best possible experience.
Here are the best credit cards for each status. For Silver Elite, I recommend the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. For Gold Elite, I recommend the Amex Bonvoy Business card.
For Platinum Elite, I recommend the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant card, and I say it’s a recommendation, but this card is actually the only option. And for Titanium Elite, I recommend both the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant and Bonvoy Business cards since there isn't a single credit card to get this status automatically, and you can combine the elite night credits from both cards to get you Titanium Elite status faster
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📚 Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:43 Marriott Bonvoy Basics
03:57 Marriott Bonvoy Statuses Explained
12:39 Best Credit Cards for Marriott Bonvoy Status
14:14 Outro
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I am not a financial advisor, accountant, or lawyer and do not provide financial, tax, or legal advice. This video and any ideas presented in it are my opinions and are provided for entertainment purposes only. Please do your own research and consult your own financial, tax, or legal professional for specific advice.
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Пікірлер: 92

@travelpointsfamily 11 күн бұрын

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 11 күн бұрын

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!

@Leoprieto74 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

@@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 14 күн бұрын

@@Leoprieto74 Gotta catch em all my friend!!

@TheCreditFrog 14 күн бұрын

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

@Leoprieto74 14 күн бұрын

@@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 KZfaqr 🤓

@GIbiapina 13 күн бұрын

Fantastic hack for who have Brilliant and want titanium elite!

@TheCreditFrog 13 күн бұрын

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

@ItsMeCJ 13 күн бұрын

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 13 күн бұрын

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. 🙌 🥇

@jimmyjames6492 14 күн бұрын

Thanks for the great info + video!

@TheCreditFrog 14 күн бұрын

Of course Jimmy James! Glad you enjoyed it!

@02Hrothgar 14 күн бұрын

You da man Stan! Keep it coming! 💪

@TheCreditFrog 14 күн бұрын

Thanks! You got it! 👊

@LalitDevraj 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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!

@docsays 14 күн бұрын

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 13 күн бұрын

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!

@shawn4384 6 күн бұрын

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 6 күн бұрын

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.

@MattWelterOfficial 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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!

@MontyTheCardNerd 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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!

@KonstantinosPoints 9 күн бұрын

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

@TheCreditFrog 9 күн бұрын

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

@KonstantinosPoints 9 күн бұрын

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

@jw0ng23 5 күн бұрын

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

@TheCreditFrog 5 күн бұрын

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

@heyitsyeh 14 күн бұрын

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

@TheCreditFrog 14 күн бұрын

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!

@De_Guatemala 14 күн бұрын

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 13 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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!

@paulfelkner6749 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

@@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 14 күн бұрын

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

@xianpark 13 күн бұрын

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

@TheCreditFrog 13 күн бұрын

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!

@HersonBagay 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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!

@HersonBagay 14 күн бұрын

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.

@johndematatis9718 12 күн бұрын

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 12 күн бұрын

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!

@andrewg993 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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!

@nubianpwr 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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

@stephansandoval5409 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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.

@JuanGarcia-hr1wf 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

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 14 күн бұрын

@@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.

@TheRatatar 14 күн бұрын

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

@TheCreditFrog 14 күн бұрын

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

@nickknight1058 10 күн бұрын

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 10 күн бұрын

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 10 күн бұрын

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

@randomjoker21 5 күн бұрын

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 5 күн бұрын

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.

@KevinYang 14 күн бұрын

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 13 күн бұрын

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!

@stoneymoore463 9 күн бұрын

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 9 күн бұрын

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

@stoneymoore463 9 күн бұрын

@@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 9 күн бұрын

@@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.