Marriott Free Night Certificate: Now Top Up 25,000 Points

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If you hold either Canadian Marriott Bonvoy American Express card, this is one of the best pieces of news you’ll hear all year.

As of March 12, 2026, Marriott Bonvoy has increased the maximum number of points you can use to top up a Free Night Certificate from 15,000 to 25,000 points. For holders of the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card in Canada, this means your annual anniversary certificate — worth 35,000 points on its own — can now unlock properties priced at up to 60,000 points per night.

That’s a meaningful jump from the previous ceiling of 50,000 points, and it opens up a whole new tier of hotels that were previously just out of reach.

Here’s everything you need to know as a Canadian cardholder.

Table of Contents

• What Changed and When
• How the Top-Up Works
• What It Means for Canadian Bonvoy Cardholders
• New Properties Now Within Reach
• How to Use the Top-Up When Booking
• Strategies to Maximize Your Certificate
• Which Canadian Cards Give You Free Night Certificates?
• Is It Worth Renewing Your Bonvoy Amex?
• Final Thoughts

What Changed and When 

Marriott first introduced the points top-up feature back in 2022, allowing members to add up to 15,000 Bonvoy points to a Free Night Certificate to bridge the gap between the certificate’s face value and a hotel’s nightly rate.

On March 12, 2026, Marriott increased that top-up limit to 25,000 points — an extra 10,000 points of flexibility per certificate.

The change applies to all Free Night Certificates across the Marriott Bonvoy program, including:

• Annual anniversary certificates earned through co-branded credit cards
• Certificates earned through elite status Choice Benefits (75-night threshold)
• Certificates earned through welcome bonuses and promotions

This is a genuinely positive update in a loyalty program landscape that has seen more devaluations than improvements over recent years. It won’t reverse the pain of Marriott’s dynamic pricing, but it meaningfully extends what your certificate can do.

How the Top-Up Works

The mechanics are simple. When you search for a hotel on the Marriott Bonvoy website or app using points, the system automatically detects if you have a Free Night Certificate within 25,000 points of the nightly rate. If it does, you’ll see the option to apply your certificate and pay the difference from your Bonvoy points balance.

Example with the new 25,000-point top-up:

So if a hotel you want costs 58,000 points per night, you can now cover it with your certificate plus 23,000 points from your balance. Previously, that same hotel was completely out of reach with a certificate alone.

Important rules to know:

• The top-up must come from your own Bonvoy points balance
• The certificate covers one standard room for one night
• Resort fees are not covered by the certificate (these are charged separately)
• The certificate must be used within one year of issuance
• Nightly upgrade awards can still be applied to topped-up reservations

What It Means for Canadian Bonvoy Cardholders 

For Canadians holding the two Amex Bonvoy cards, this update is particularly significant.

The 35,000-point certificates earned annually through the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card ($120/year) and the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card ($150/year) were starting to feel squeezed. Marriott’s dynamic pricing had pushed many desirable properties — particularly in major Canadian cities and popular travel destinations — well above the 50,000-point ceiling that applied under the old 15,000-point top-up.

The pattern was frustrating: you’d search for a hotel in Vancouver or Toronto, find a beautiful property at 52,000 or 57,000 points, and watch your certificate become useless. It was just out of reach, even with the top-up.

With the new 60,000-point effective ceiling, a much wider range of properties suddenly comes back into play. Properties that were sitting just above the old ceiling — hotels in the 50,000–60,000 point range in Canadian cities, Asia, and Europe — are now accessible with a topped-up certificate.

The new math for Canadian cards:

New Properties Now Within Reach

The impact of this change is real. According to analysis using February 2026 hotel pricing data, the increase from 15,000 to 25,000 point top-ups unlocks an additional 733 properties across Marriott’s portfolio — roughly 8% of all Marriott hotels — that were previously out of reach even with a topped-up certificate.

For Canadian travellers specifically, here are the kinds of properties that move from out-of-reach to bookable:

In Canada:

• JW Marriott Parq Vancouver (frequently prices in the 50,000–60,000 point range)
• Muir Halifax, Autograph Collection
• Various Toronto Marriott properties in peak season

In Asia (where we travel most):

• JW Marriott properties in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Tokyo
• Autograph Collection hotels across Southeast Asia
• W Hotels in major Asian cities

In Europe:

• Marriott properties in London, Paris, and Rome that push past 50,000 points in peak travel months
• Design Hotels member properties

In the US:

• JW Marriott properties in major cities
• Westin and Sheraton hotels in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago during peak periods

The key insight is this: if you’ve previously written off your certificate for upscale properties because they were just a few thousand points over the old ceiling, it’s worth searching again. A lot has changed.

How to Use the Top-Up When Booking 

Booking with a topped-up certificate is straightforward. Here’s the step-by-step:

Step 1: Log into your Marriott Bonvoy account at marriott.com or on the app.

Step 2: Search for your destination and dates. Make sure the “Use Points/Awards” checkbox is selected in the search filters.

Step 3: Browse results. Hotels eligible for your certificate will show a certificate icon or the option to apply an award.

Step 4: When you find a hotel priced within 25,000 points of your certificate value, select it. The system will automatically detect your certificate and show the top-up option.

Step 5: Review the breakdown — your certificate covers the base amount, your points cover the top-up, and any resort fees will be charged separately.

Step 6: Complete the booking. Your certificate will be marked as used and the top-up points will be deducted from your balance.

Tip: If you’re flexible on dates, use the “My dates are flexible” feature when searching. Award pricing varies significantly by date and searching a range of dates can reveal nights where you need fewer top-up points — or none at all.

Strategies to Maximize Your Certificate 

Stack Two Certificates for a Two-Night Stay

Both the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card in Canada each issue one 35,000-point anniversary certificate per year. If you hold both cards, you receive two certificates annually — which you can use for consecutive nights at the same property.

Pair that with two topped-up redemptions and you’re looking at two nights at a hotel worth up to 60,000 points per night, for the cost of 50,000 points total in top-ups. That’s a significant amount of luxury for a relatively small points outlay.

Combined annual fees: $270/year for both cards Potential value: Two nights at a 55,000-point hotel worth $400+ CAD per night each = $800+ value

That’s a return of nearly 3x on your combined annual fees — before factoring in any other card benefits.

Target Hotels Just Under the New Ceiling

The sweet spot is hotels priced between 50,000 and 60,000 points per night. These properties were completely unreachable under the old top-up rules but are now accessible with a modest top-up. You get significantly more hotel for only a small addition of points from your balance.

Don’t waste your certificate on a hotel that costs 28,000 points when you could use it at a 58,000-point property instead — the incremental points cost is modest but the quality difference can be enormous.

Time Your Redemption for High-Season Rates

Under Marriott’s dynamic pricing, the same hotel can cost vastly different amounts of points depending on when you stay. A property that sits at 38,000 points on a Tuesday in January might climb to 60,000 points on a Friday in July.

If you’re travelling during peak periods when cash rates are highest, the certificate delivers its best value — you’re effectively converting a $120–150 annual fee into a stay that would otherwise cost $400–600+ CAD in cash.

Use Certificates Before They Expire

Free Night Certificates are valid for one year from the date of issuance. They cannot be extended. With the new 25,000-point top-up, you have far more options for using a certificate before it expires — even if your preferred properties are priced above 35,000 points. The extended ceiling makes last-minute redemptions much more viable.

Combine With Points Earned on Your Bonvoy Card

Both Canadian Amex Bonvoy cards earn Marriott Bonvoy points on everyday spending:

• Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card: 5x points at Marriott properties, 3x on dining and travel, 2x on everything else
• Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card: 5x points at Marriott properties, 3x on dining, travel, and select business categories, 2x on everything else

Points earned through everyday spending throughout the year can be stockpiled specifically to cover top-ups, making the certificate even more powerful without requiring additional out-of-pocket cost.

Which Canadian Cards Give You Free Night Certificates? 

In Canada, there are two cards that issue annual 35,000-point Free Night Certificates:

Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

• Annual fee: $120 CAD
• Free night certificate: 35,000 points, issued annually starting at your first card renewal
• Elite night credits: 15 per year toward Bonvoy status
• Status: Complimentary Silver Elite
• Earning rate: 5x at Marriott, 3x dining and travel, 2x everything else
• Best for: Personal spending, travellers who want a simple one-card Marriott setup

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card

• Annual fee: $150 CAD
• Free night certificate: 35,000 points, issued annually starting at your first card renewal
• Elite night credits: 15 per year toward Bonvoy status
• Status: Complimentary Gold Elite
• Earning rate: 5x at Marriott, 3x dining, travel, and select business categories, 2x everything else
• Best for: Business owners and self-employed Canadians (note: you do not need an incorporated business to apply)
• Key advantage: Gold Elite status provides 25% bonus points on all Marriott stays and enhanced room upgrade priority

The power move: Hold both cards. $270/year in combined annual fees for two 35,000-point certificates — each now with a 25,000-point top-up — plus 30 combined elite night credits annually, which significantly accelerates your path to Platinum Elite status.

Is It Worth Renewing Your Bonvoy Amex? 

The honest answer is yes — more so now than before.

The 35,000-point certificate was starting to feel like it was being eroded by Marriott’s dynamic pricing. With the old 50,000-point ceiling, too many attractive properties sat just out of reach. That friction made the annual renewal decision less obvious.

With the new 60,000-point effective ceiling, the math gets much cleaner:

Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card ($120/year):

• Use your certificate for one night at a hotel worth 55,000 points
• Points value at ~0.8 cents/point CAD = $440 value from a single redemption
• Net return after annual fee: $320 on one hotel night alone

Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card ($150/year):

• Same certificate, same 60,000-point ceiling
• Add Gold Elite status value (25% bonus points on stays, upgrade priority)
• Net return easily exceeds the annual fee on a single good redemption

For anyone who stays at Marriott properties even occasionally, the certificate more than pays for itself. The 25,000-point top-up makes it significantly easier to find the right property to make that happen.

Final Thoughts 

Marriott’s increase from a 15,000 to 25,000-point top-up limit is one of the most genuinely positive changes the Bonvoy program has made in recent memory. It doesn’t undo years of dynamic pricing headaches, but it does meaningfully extend the reach of the 35,000-point certificates that Canadian Amex Bonvoy cardholders earn every year.

If you hold either Canadian Bonvoy Amex card — or both, as we’d recommend — it’s worth revisiting your upcoming travel plans and searching for properties that were previously just out of reach. The JW Marriott properties, Autograph Collection hotels, and W Hotels that used to sit frustratingly above the old ceiling are now fair game.

And if you’ve been on the fence about picking up one of these cards, this update is a compelling reason to add one to your wallet. A $120 or $150 annual fee that unlocks a free hotel night worth $400–600+ CAD — now at a wider range of properties than ever — is genuinely hard to argue with.

Interested in building your Marriott Bonvoy points balance faster? Check out our guide to the best Canadian travel credit cards and our full Marriott Bonvoy beginner’s guide for everything you need to know about the program.

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