Marriott Bonvoy has long operated with a “soft landing” policy for members who do not requalify for status. As in years past, Marriott will offer elite members a soft landing in 2025, meaning that if they do not requalify for status, they will not drop more than one level in the Elite status hierarchy.
The Deal
- In January 2025, Members who achieved their existing Elite Status again in 2024 will have their current status renewed through February 2026.
- In early March 2025, Members who did not re-achieve their existing Elite Status will be offered one tier below their current status through February 2026. Members will see their new status in March 2025 and can enjoy that new status through February 2026.
- Members who achieve a higher Elite Status during 2024 already have a status expiration date of February 2026.
Quick Thoughts
This policy announcement applies to those who currently hold elite status but fail to requalify for it. For instance, I currently have Platinum status but if I did not earn the 50 elite qualifying nights during 2024, my status would only drop to Gold in 2025 (this would be the case, even if I had earned 0 elite qualifying nights in 2024).
This soft landing is probably most appealing for a current Titanium member who will not earn at least 50 nights this year since they will drop to Platinum status (maintaining free breakfast or lounge access at many brands) even without earning the normally-required 50 nights.
Keep in mind that Marriott choice benefits, like the ability to choose 5 nightly upgrade awards, are based on elite night earnings — so a Titanium member receiving a soft landing to Platinum will not get suite night awards (they would need to earn 50 elite nights in 2024 to get those).
This soft landing policy has been in place for years and it is great to see it continue so that someone whose travel in 2024 didn’t quite hit their typical levels won’t lose status altogether in 2025.
H/T: One Mile at a Time
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