Marriott Increases Free Night Award Top-Up to 25K Points (Up From 15K)

Marriott Bonvoy has increased the Marriott Free Night Award top-up limit to 25,000 points, effective immediately! With the previous cap set at just 15,000 points, this significantly expands the value of Free Night Award certificates. Colour me surprised, this is a very welcome change.

A Necessary Move

The truth is, Marriott Bonvoy redemptions have steadily become more expensive. The Muir, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Halifax, used to be one of my favourite 35K Free Night Award (FNA) redemptions. In the summer, it now costs 80,000+ points per night. As redemption rates rise, Free Night Awards naturally become less useful because fewer hotels fall within the eligible range.

In our recent article on the best uses of a 35K Free Night Award, we noted that topping up to 50,000 points is one of the best ways to extract value. With the top-up limit now increased to 25,000 points, redeeming FNAs during peak season or at higher-end hotels will be easier. This expands the pool of bookable properties while also improving availability at many of the same hotels during peak travel periods.

Now you can book Kananaskis Mountain Lodge during peak season, with a redemption value of 1.45 CPP

How Far Can Free Night Awards Stretch Now?

The maximum redemption value depends on your FNA’s base value, and there’s a surprising number of different ones available.

• 35K FNA ⮕ up to 60K points — Amex Bonvoy Personal / Business (Canada), $95 Amex Bonvoy & Bonvoy Business (U.S.)
• 40K FNA ⮕ up to 65K points — Titanium Elite annual choice benefit
• 50K FNA ⮕ up to 75K points — Chase Bonvoy Boundless U.S.
• 85K FNA ⮕ up to 110K points — Amex Bonvoy Brilliant U.S.

This significantly increases the value of Free Night Awards. I’ve already switched my Tokyo stay from the Courtyard Ginza to the AC Ginza. The AC is priced at 60K points, so the new 25K top-up allowance made the redemption possible.

Long Term: I’m Still Skeptical

Back in 2022, Marriott first introduced the top-up feature as a result of removing the award chart and moving to fully dynamic pricing. What really happened was that hotel nights that could previously be booked with a 35K FNA now cost just a little bit more, so you have to top it up.

My concern is that the same dynamic could repeat itself. Hotels that previously required a 15,000-point top-up may gradually increase in price until they require the full 25,000-point top-up instead.

Granted, that hasn’t happened yet, as Marriott just announced the new top-up today. For now, this may be a sweet spot in terms of timing: if you have FNAs available, it’s worth considering locking in a redemption soon while prices remain unchanged, but the higher 25,000-point top-up is already allowed.

I’ve booked a few nights at the Moxy Banff

All that said, the value of the Amex Bonvoy credit cards remains high: the Canadian cards earn a 35K FNA in exchange for an annual fee of $120 (personal) or $150 (business). Redeeming the certificate for a night worth more than the annual fee is easy, especially now that you can top it up by 25,000 points. In my view, this change actually makes the cards an even bigger no-brainer.

The welcome bonus on both the personal and business versions is currently elevated to 110,000 points, making it one of the best times to sign up

Takeaway

Increasing the top-up limit for the Free Night Award to 25,000 points significantly improves the usefulness of Marriott certificates. A 35K certificate can now stretch to 60,000 points, allowing you to book more properties or redeem during peak-season pricing that would previously have been out of reach.

While Marriott’s dynamic pricing means redemption costs may continue to creep upward over time, this change meaningfully expands what you can book with your Free Night Awards as of now.