Marriott Platinum Challenge – Earn Status Quickly

Normally to obtain Marriott Platinum status you’d need to stay 50 nights in a year. Yikes! For anyone who doesn’t spend over an 1/8th of their year in a Marriott there is another way… The Marriott Platinum Challenge.

What is the Marriott Platinum Challenge?

The Marriott Platinum Challenge allows any Marriott member to fast track themselves to Platinum Status with Marriott. All you need to do is contact Marriott Bonvoy directly to enrol. You will get 3 months (you get all of the current month PLUS the following three months.) to complete 16 PAID nights. Within 48 hours of completing you will get Marriott Platinum Status.

It includes benefits such as:

Room upgrades (including select suites)

Welcome gift (including breakfast)

Lounge Access

Guaranteed 4 pm late checkout

Read more here – https://www.marriott.co.uk/loyalty/member-benefits/platinum.mi

Nice right? Obviously to keep it after your status from the challenge expires you will need to complete 50 nights a year. So if that isn’t something you’d likely achieve think when the status will most come in handy? A period of travelling perhaps? Or a honeymoon? And time your challenge appropriately. You can request a Platinum Challenge once every 3 years.

If you complete the challenge you will get the status for all of the current year plus all of the following year and for January in the year after.

For example if I completed the challenge in March 2020, I would have status until the end of January 2022.

Alternatively there is the Gold challenge (you enrol in the same way.) To get gold status you need to complete 8 PAID nights within 3 months (you get all of the current month PLUS the following three months.)

Is the gold challenge worthwhile?

In all honestly no, Gold benefits aren’t anything to write home about! There is no free breakfast, no lounge access and no guaranteed late checkout. (2pm is available at hotels discretion.) The latest I’ve ever managed to secure is an extra hour as a Gold member… and that was hard work!

If you are an American Express Platinum card holder you get Gold status for free. Or if you hold the revamped Marriott Bonvoy card (previously the SPG card) you’ll need to stay 10 nights as it comes with 15 elite night credits. (25 nights are needed for Gold status.)

Have you completed a Marriott status challenge recently or will you be signing up this year?