Marriott Bonvoy Raises Free Night Top-Up Cap to 25,000
Marriott Bonvoy appears to have made a meaningful improvement to one of its most useful redemption features. As of March 12, 2026, Marriott’s program terms now state that members can “redeem or purchase up to 25,000 Points” to increase the value of a Free Night Award, up from the previous 15,000-point cap. The updated language appears directly in Marriott Bonvoy’s loyalty terms, which is the clearest confirmation available so far.
For members sitting on certificates that have become harder to use as award pricing has crept upward, this is a practical change. It increases the effective ceiling of a 35,000-point certificate to 60,000 points, a 50,000-point certificate to 75,000 points, an 85,000-point certificate to 110,000 points, and a 40,000-point Annual Choice Benefit certificate to 65,000 points.
For Canadians, this matters most because the annual free night attached to the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card remains capped at 35,000 points after your card anniversary, and the same is true for the business version in Canada. Until now, topping up by only 15,000 points often still left many better city and resort properties out of reach on the dates people actually wanted.
What exactly changed
The important wording sits in Section 3.3.c of Marriott Bonvoy’s terms and conditions. It now says that when applying a Free Night Award to a reservation night, members can redeem or purchase up to 25,000 points to expand the value of that award. Marriott also uses the same 25,000-point language elsewhere in the terms when describing the 40,000-point Annual Choice Benefit free night.
That matters because the previous public guidance around Free Night Awards widely referenced a 15,000-point top-up limit. In fact, American Express Canada’s Marriott Bonvoy card page still showed 15,000 points in its FAQ at the time of writing, even while Marriott’s own program terms had been updated to 25,000. That suggests the operational change may be live before all partner pages and help content have fully caught up.
Why this is a big deal
Marriott certificates have become less flexible over time because award pricing is no longer tied to a fixed category chart. Many hotels that once sat comfortably within a 35,000-point or 50,000-point range now regularly price above those thresholds, especially on weekends, during peak seasons, and in major gateway cities. The top-up feature helped, but a 15,000-point cushion was often not enough.
Raising the cap to 25,000 points does not reverse broader award inflation, but it does give members more room to bridge the gap. A 35,000-point free night can now realistically cover nights pricing at 45,000 to 60,000 points. That opens more options in downtown Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, New York, London, Tokyo, and other markets where prices often drift just beyond the old limit.
The same logic applies even more strongly to higher-value certificates. A 50,000-point certificate now reaches 75,000 points, which can make a notable difference for premium urban hotels and better seasonal resort redemptions. An 85,000-point certificate reaching 110,000 points gives U.S. cardholders and some promotion winners much more flexibility at aspirational properties.
What Canadian travelers should focus on
For Canadians, the most relevant use case is still the 35,000-point anniversary certificate earned on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. American Express Canada says this annual free night is issued each year after your first card anniversary, typically 8 to 10 weeks after the annual reset date, and it is valid for one year from issue.
That means the new top-up cap materially improves the card’s ongoing value proposition. Instead of targeting only lower-priced suburban or off-peak properties, cardholders can be more ambitious with redemptions if they are willing to add points from their balance. A certificate that was previously awkward to use in expensive markets may now work for a one-night weekend stay, airport hotel before a long-haul trip, or a short city break during shoulder season.
It also makes Marriott points earned from paid stays and welcome bonuses more useful in smaller amounts. Rather than saving a large balance for a pure points booking, members can use 10,000 to 25,000 points strategically to rescue a certificate booking that would otherwise go unused.
If you are new to the program, it is worth understanding how Marriott points fit into a broader travel strategy. Hotel certificates are less glamorous than flight sweet spots, but they can deliver real value when paired with expensive cash rates.
Important limitations that still apply
This is a useful improvement, but it does not change the basic restrictions on Free Night Awards. Marriott’s terms still say certificates apply only to standard rooms, cannot be used for premium rooms, cannot be combined with cash or other award redemption types, are not eligible for Stay for 5, Pay for 4, and cannot be used at Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy or The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
There is also still the usual issue of dynamic award pricing. Just because a hotel is theoretically reachable with a certificate plus 25,000 points does not mean every night at that property will price that way. One Friday may come in at 58,000 points while the Saturday jumps to 78,000 points. Flexibility with dates remains important.
Another point worth remembering: if your certificate value is higher than the award rate for the night you book, you do not get the difference back in points. Marriott’s terms explicitly say that the excess value is forfeited. So while the new top-up cap is useful, you still want to redeem as close to the certificate’s full value as practical.
How to use this change well
The best approach is to treat certificates as a discount voucher with a hard ceiling rather than as a free night that should only be used at or below face value. If you have a 35,000-point certificate, your new real booking range is anything up to 60,000 points. That is the number to keep in mind when searching.
A few practical strategies for Canadians:
1. Search expensive cities in shoulder season
Cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Boston, Chicago, and many European gateways often have point rates that move around significantly. A hotel that feels out of reach in peak summer may become bookable with a certificate plus a modest top-up in late fall or winter.
2. Use certificates for one-night gaps
Free Night Awards are especially useful for the first or last night of a trip, when cash rates can be disproportionately high. That can work well if you are flying out early and want an airport hotel, or if you are breaking up a longer award trip.
3. Compare points cost against cash rate
A top-up does not automatically mean good value. If a hotel costs 58,000 points but only sells for a relatively modest cash rate, saving the certificate for another trip may make more sense. This is where a calm, math-first approach helps.
4. Book before expiry, not at the last minute
Amex Canada says the annual 35,000-point award must be both booked and stayed within one year of issuance. That makes planning important, especially if you want to use the certificate during busy summer or holiday periods.
5. Keep a small Bonvoy balance available
The new cap is most useful if you already have points ready to deploy. Even a balance of 20,000 to 30,000 Bonvoy points can dramatically improve your options for certificate redemptions.
For travelers building a hotel strategy, it is also worth comparing Marriott’s certificate value against flexible points ecosystems such as American Express Membership Rewards. Flexible points usually offer more options, but an anniversary hotel certificate can still deliver a solid annual return if you use it carefully.
Should you change how you value Marriott free night certificates?
For cardholders who found Marriott anniversary nights increasingly frustrating, this update improves the picture. It will not fix the broader issue of rising redemption costs, but it does reduce the odds that a certificate expires unused or gets burned on a poor-value stay simply to avoid losing it.
That, in turn, makes the annual free night benefit on our compare cards page more relevant in real-world trip planning. A benefit is only as good as its usability, and this change clearly improves usability.
Practical takeaway
Marriott Bonvoy’s updated terms now show a 25,000-point top-up limit for Free Night Awards, replacing the old 15,000-point cap. For Canadians, the biggest effect is on the 35,000-point anniversary certificate from the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card, which can now reach nights pricing up to 60,000 points.
The key next step is simple: check your Marriott account and search with the new higher ceiling in mind. If you have been ignoring your certificate because most useful hotels were pricing just above the old limit, March 12, 2026 may be the date that changes that calculation.
