Which Marriott Annual Choice Benefit 2022 Is Best?

Believe it or not, I have been a Marriott Platinum Elite status member for quite some time throughout my years of traveling. However, I never had the opportunity to receive the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit after 50 eligible qualifying night stays. The reason is that my Marriott Platinum Elite status has always been earned through shortcuts or promotions that the nights are not qualifying nights for the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit. 

 

Thanks to complimentary automatic 40 elite nights earned from both Marriott personal and business credit cards and multiple Marriott stays this year, I have over 50 elite night credits for the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit. 

The Ritz-Carlton Maui Kapalua

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What is Marriott Annual Choice Benefit?

Marriott Annual Choice Benefit is part of the benefits that Marriott offers to Marriott Bonvoy elite status members such as Marriott Platinum Elite and Marriot Titanium Elite. To qualify for the Annual Choice Benefit:

• Platinum: Marriott Bonvoy members with 50 qualifying nights in one calendar year can choose an Annual Choice Benefit. 
• Titanium: Marriott Bonvoy members who earn 75 qualifying nights in one calendar year can choose a second Annual Choice Benefit.

What are the Marriott Annual Gift Choices?

Currently, once your Marriott account is eligible for the annual benefit, you have the following choices to select:

Stay at least 50 Qualifying Nights: 

• Earn Five (5) Suite Night Awards (SNAs)
• Save 40% on beds from Shop Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton Shops, Westin Store, and more.
• Gift Marriott Silver Elite status to another Marriott Bonvoy member
• Donate $100 to UNICEF
• Donate $100 to Arne M. Sorenson Hopspitality Fund
• Donate $100 to World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
• Add Five (5) Elite Night Credits to your Marriott Bonvoy account for 2022

Stay at least 75 Qualifying Nights, and earn a second Marriott Annual Choice Benefit. You can choose from the option above plus the following:

• Earn One (1) Marriott Free Night Certificate with a redemption value of up to 40,000 points.
• Gift Marriott Gold Elite status to another Marriott Bonvoy member.

Deadline to Make Marriott Annual Choice Benefit 2022

You must select a Marriott Annual Choice Benefit by January 7, 2023. If you do not make a selection by then, Marriott will automatically deposit Five (5) Marriott Suite Night Awards into your account as your Annual Choice Benefit for that year. 

It is also important to note that once you confirm your selection, it is final and cannot be changed. You still have time before January 7, 2023, for the Annual Choice Benefit 2022 this year, so there's no need to rush if you do not have immediate use. 

When Can You Select Marriott Annual Choice Benefit?

After you determine you have stayed enough qualifying nights for Marriott Platinum Elite and Marriott Titanium Elite to earn the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit, you must wait for the selection to become available. Unfortunately, the process is not immediate. 

Here are my sample timelines for your reference:

• September 22: Earned 50 elite night credits for Marriott Platinum Elite status.
• September 23: Attempted to select an Annual Choice via the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit website but received the "Apologies, as of now, you're not eligible for an Annual Choice Benefit" message. 
• September 25: I received an email from Marriott Bonvoy congratulating me for unlocking an Annual Choice Benefit. 

Therefore, the option to select a Marriott Annual Choice Benefit is not available immediately after you've reached the eligible elite status. You must wait a few days; in my case, it's three (3) days after I earned Marriott Platinum Elite status from qualifying 50-night stays for the email to arrive and ask me to make a selection. If you have yet to receive the email, you can always check yourself at the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit link.

How To Select Your Marriott Annual Choice Benefit

Suppose your Marriott Bonvoy account qualifies for the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit. In that case, Marriott will let you know via email and prompt you to select your Annual Choice Benefit with a link inside the email. However, if for some reason you do not receive the email or want to check whether your account is eligible for the Annual Choice Benefit right away to make a selection, you can do the following:

• Go to the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit website. 
• Click the SIGN IN button to sign into your Marriott account. 
• If your Marriott account is eligible for the Annual Choice Benefit, you should see the selection page (see the screenshot below). 
• Note that once a selection is made, it is final. You have up to January 7, 2023, to select the Annual Choice Benefit. 
• If you do not make a selection by then, Marriott will automatically deposit Five (5) Marriott Suite Night Awards into your account as your Annual Choice Benefit for that year. 
• If your Marriott account is not eligible for the Annual Choice Benefit yet, you'll receive the following message:
• Apologies. As of now, you're not eligible for an Annual Choice Benefit. Earn at least 50 Elite Night Credits this year to select one of these exclusive benefits. 

Marriott Annual Choice Benefit Selections

Marriott Annual Choice Benefit Website Link

• Marriott Annual Choice Benefit

Remember that your Marriott account must be eligible for an Annual Choice Benefit to make a selection. The benefit selection page is not live immediately after you've earned at least 50 elite night credits to unlock the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit. See the above section: When Can You Select Marriott Annual Choice Benefit?

How Each Choice Benefit Works & My Two Cents

Gifting Elite Status

Platinum members can gift Marriott Silver Elite Status. This benefit is worthless to me to gift to my friend or a family member because Marriott Silver Elite status does not mean much in terms of benefits. 

Titanium members can gift Marriott Gold Elite Status. Again, Marriott Gold Elite in the Marriott Bonvoy program offers very few benefits to make this selection worthwhile. 

Crediting Five (5) Elite Nights

The Five (5) Elite Night Credits are counted for the year in which the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit was earned. 

For example, you earned the Annual Choice Benefit in 2022 and selected 5 elite night credits as your Marriott Annual Choice Benefit. Those 5 elite night credits will be credited to your Marriott Bonvoy account and get you closer to higher elite status in 2022, not 2023. 

This choice is useful only if you need 5 elite night credits to reach a special status, for example, Marriott Titanium Elite which offers automatic United Premier Silver Elite status and One (1) Marriott Free Night Certificate with a redemption value of up to 40,000 points. 

Marriott Platinum Elite status is already good enough for me; thus, I prefer to look into selecting another choice benefit instead. Furthermore, there are more ways to earn elite night credits as well. 

Donating $100 to Charity

There are three (3) charities for 2022 Annual Choice Benefits:

• UNICEF
• Arne M. Sorenson Hopspitality Fund
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Donating money to charity is definitely a nice thing to do. I want to maximize the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit because I value it much more than just $100 US dollars. In the end, this selection really depends on your personal decision. 

Receiving 40% off your favorite hotel bed

If you have your favorite Marriott hotel bed, you can receive 40% off, which is a pretty good discount. Once you select the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit, the 40% off promotional code is displayed on the confirmation page. You can also view the promotional code at the Marriott Annual Choice Benefit website and go to the benefit history page. 

You can receive 40% off your favorite hotel bed at the following stores:

• Curated by JW
• Gaylord Hotels Store
• Shop Courtyard
• Collect Renaissance
• Shop Marriott
• Fairfield Store
• The Ritz-Carlton Shops
• Sheraton Store
• St. Regis Boutique
• Westin Store
• W Hotels Store
• Luxury Collection Store

Earning 5 Suite Night Awards

Once you confirm your selection of Five (5) Marriott Suite Night Awards as the Annual Choice Benefit, those suite night awards will be deposited into your Marriott account. Marriott Suite Night Awards expire on December 31, 2023, for the Annual Choice Benefit 2022. 

I'll likely select the Marriott Suite Night Awards as my 2022 Annual Choice Benefit because these Marriott Suite Night Awards can be valuable. 

It is also worth noting that if a Marriott Annual Choice Benefit is not selected by January 7, 2023, Marriott will automatically deposit these Five (5) Marriott Suite Night Awards into your Marriott account. 

Earning One Free Night Award worth up to 40,000 points

Once you stay at least 75 qualifying nights and earn Marriott Titanium Elite status, you receive a second Marriott Annual Choice Benefit plus this Marriott Free Night Certificate benefit. 

The Marriott Free Night Certificate will be deposited into your Marriott account. It can be used for an award night stay with a redemption value of up to 40,000 points per night, with the ability to top it off with up to 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. 

The Marriott Free Night Certificate benefit can offer a great value in return because 40k points can be used for a free night stay at a Marriott property worldwide. See this page for some best uses of the Marriott Free Night Awards. 

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