Achieving Lifetime Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status

Marriott's elite status comes with benefits like complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, and late checkouts. These perks vary by Marriott elite status tier and can differ across brands.

You don't need to travel constantly to reach higher Marriott Bonvoy tiers. By being the primary cardholder of certain credit cards, you can earn up to 40 elite night credits annually. These credits can help even occasional travelers achieve Platinum Elite or Titanium Elite status.

Wouldn't it be great to have lifetime Marriott elite status so you wouldn't have to qualify every year? It’s achievable. Here’s what you should know about securing lifetime Marriott status.

Requirements for Marriott Lifetime Status

Members can achieve the following three levels of lifetime Marriott status:

• Lifetime Silver Elite: 250 lifetime nights and five years as a Silver Elite or higher
• Lifetime Gold Elite: 400 lifetime nights and seven years as a Gold Elite or higher
• Lifetime Platinum Elite: 600 lifetime nights and 10 years as a Platinum Elite or higher

As of now, there is no way to achieve the two highest Marriott elite status levels — Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite — for life. However, during the merger of Starwood and Marriott, some members were awarded lifetime Titanium Elite status.

While it may seem that achieving Marriott's lifetime status tiers is difficult, both credit card and promotional elite night credits contribute to lifetime status. Thus, you might find it relatively straightforward to obtain lifetime status, especially if you hold one or more Marriott Bonvoy credit cards that offer annual elite night credits.

For instance, TPG Senior Writer Katie Genter holds lifetime Silver Elite status. With eight years as a Gold Elite or higher and 353 lifetime nights, she will reach lifetime Gold Elite status after just 47 more nights. Thanks to her Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, she receives 30 elite night credits each year. Consequently, she should achieve lifetime Gold Elite status in 2025 after an additional 17 nights with Marriott.

Benefits of Lifetime Marriott Elite Status

Once you attain lifetime Marriott status, you'll enjoy the benefits of that tier for life. Here are some key highlights at each of the three tiers currently available for lifetime status:

• Silver Elite: 10% bonus on points and priority for late checkout
• Gold Elite: 25% bonus on points and non-suite room upgrades (at select brands)
• Platinum Elite: 50% bonus on points, room upgrades (including suites at most brands), and a welcome gift choice (with breakfast available at some brands)

If you possess Marriott lifetime status, your points will never expire. In late 2022, Marriott also enabled lifetime Platinum Elite members to view their lifetime journey online and request complimentary luggage tags.

Typically, Platinum Elite members can choose an annual Marriott Choice Benefit. However, lifetime Platinum Elite members can only select an annual Choice Benefit if they meet the standard elite night criteria for Platinum Elite status that year.

How to Track Your Progress Toward Marriott Lifetime Status

The easiest way to check your progress toward Marriott lifetime status is through the Marriott app. Simply open the app and follow these steps:

1. Choose "Account" located in the bottom right corner
2. Tap on "Nights this year"
3. Select "View lifetime status progress"

The page that opens should display your current lifetime Marriott status (if applicable) and your advancement toward the next lifetime tier.

If you scroll down, you will find your lifetime statistics.

As illustrated in the screenshots from Katie's account, she is on track to achieve lifetime Gold Elite status by 2025. However, she won't qualify for lifetime Platinum Elite status until 2029 at the earliest, as she currently has only five years as a Platinum Elite member. If she earns 50 elite night credits each year, she will be set to reach lifetime Platinum Elite status by late 2029.

Key Takeaway

Achieving Marriott lifetime status is a long-term commitment rather than a quick win — the lifetime status program was modified in 2018 during the merger with Starwood. Keep in mind that Marriott may alter the requirements for lifetime status before you reach your target tier.

Apart from the lifetime Platinum Elite dashboard, lifetime members don't receive extra benefits compared to those who earn status annually by collecting elite night credits. Additionally, they forfeit Marriott Choice Benefits, which are accessible only after accumulating at least 50 elite night credits in a calendar year.

We advise against actively pursuing lifetime Marriott status, but it could occur if you frequently stay with Marriott. Consider Marriott lifetime status a reward for years of loyalty to Marriott brands.