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The Marriott MegaBonus was simple, stay twice and get a free night. And ‘unlock more‘ upon completion of the two stays. Well, I unlocked my Marriott MegaBonus and its a lump of coal – almost.
Marriott Megabonus – Unlocked
The first step was easy. At a recent conference, I completed 2 one-night stays and achieved my first goal – a free night a Cat 1-5 property.
My account was updated with the reward certificate the same day the second stay posted. Then this..
My unlocked MegaBonus: Between now and January 15, 2018;
- 10,000 bonus points after five stays
- Plus 1,000 bonus points for every stay after that
Lump.of.Coal.
Ideally, one can expect for a tiered promotion to get better with each stay. Not the case with Marriortt MegaBonus it seems, its a downward spiral. I value 10K Marriott points at ~$90, so I am expected to stay 5 times in order to earn $90, hard pass.
An alternate to Marriott MegaBonus
Use other family members’ Marriott account to earn a free night. The ‘two stays for one free night’ offer is valid for stays until Jan 15th, 2018. As with any promotion, I register for promotions on all accounts I manage. For next couple of stays this month, I will be using my spouce’s account to book my stays and achieve the free night – which is obviously more valuable than getting 10K for five stays. Not traveling together? There are easy ways around it..I will leave it at that 😉
Take Away
I am dissapointed. A free night after 2 stays was a fantastic way to alter the behaviour of even non-marriott members. However, the unlocked bonuses are just not up to the mark. I realize something is better than nothing and the MegaBonus may not be a total waste for some. But to go from a free night for 2 stays to 10K for 5 stays, is a major slide, to say the least. I do not have 5 stays booked with Marriott between now and January 15th and struggle to see members going out of their way to achieve the ‘MegaBonus – unlock more’ portion of the promotion.
Did you unlock your Marriott Megabonus promotion? Would you go out of your way to get the 10K and subsequent bonuses? Please leave your thoughts in a comment below.
2 comments
Two for one stays valid through 11/30/17 is not accurate. 11/30/17 is the deadline to register for the promotion. Stays can be completed through 1/15/18.
My bad. Thanks for the heads up Mike – updated. Cheers!