Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is an advance purchase rate?
Advance purchase rate is a discounted hotel room rate that is booked, and usually paid for, before arrival in exchange for giving up flexibility. What defines it is not the size of the saving but the conditions attached to the rate code: prepayment, a booking window, and limited or no refunds.
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- An advance purchase rate is a price for certainty: the property gets a committed booking, and the guest gets a lower room rate in return.
- The restrictions come from the rate code, not from the brand. Booking window, payment timing, cancellation terms and refundability are set per rate plan, so two discounted rates at one property can behave differently.
- Points earning is a separate question from price. Marriott Bonvoy's Program Rules, updated October 2026, treat the rate paid as one of the elements that has to qualify before room charges earn Points. [3]
- Where the charges do qualify, the member must still give a membership number at reservation or check-in, stay as the registered guest and pay the charges. [3]
How does an advance purchase rate work?
In plain terms, an advance purchase rate is a room price that is conditional on committing early. The traveller accepts restrictions on changing or cancelling the booking, and in return pays less than the flexible price for the same room. The label describes a family of rate plans rather than a single product, so the exact terms differ from one rate code to the next.
Three things decide how strict a given rate is. The first is the booking window: the rate is only open to reservations made a set period before arrival, and it is withdrawn once that window closes. The second is payment timing — a prepaid advance purchase rate is normally charged in full when the booking is made rather than at checkout. The third is what happens if plans change, which covers both whether the booking can be altered and whether any money comes back.
Refundability sits on a spectrum. At one end are rates that cannot be cancelled or refunded at all, so the room is paid for whether or not the guest travels. At the other are advance purchase rates that can be cancelled up to a stated cancellation deadline, after which a penalty applies — often the first night, sometimes the whole stay. A deadline that avoids a penalty is not the same thing as a free cancellation right, and the two are easy to confuse when a rate is advertised simply as discounted.
Because the conditions are written into the code, the same property can sell several rates at once with different terms. Two rooms in one hotel on one night may carry different payment and cancellation rules, and part of the price gap between them is the price of flexibility.
Does a discounted rate still earn points?
Paying in advance does not, by itself, make a stay ineligible for loyalty points. What decides it is whether the programme treats the rate paid as a qualifying rate, and whether the member's account is attached to the reservation. Each hotel programme publishes its own definition, so the answer for one group does not carry over to another; the glossary entry on the qualifying rate covers that idea in general.
Marriott Bonvoy's Program Rules, updated October 2026, list "Qualifying Rates for Stays" among the charges on a guest-room folio that count as Qualifying Charges, alongside items such as food and beverage billed to the room. [3] The rate paid is therefore one of the components that has to qualify before a stay produces Points. [3]
Where the charges do qualify, base earning at Marriott Bonvoy is 10 Points at most of its brands, with lower rates at a set of brands named in the rules — five base Points at, among others, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Element, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites, and four at StudioRes. [3] The member must give their membership number at the time of reservation or at check-in, stay in one of the reserved rooms as the registered guest, and pay the charges. [3]
If Points from a stay fail to post, Marriott Bonvoy's rules require a missing-credit request to be received within one year of the applicable activity, subject to posting timelines and documentation requirements. [3]
How is it different from a flexible rate?
The usual alternative is a flexible rate. A flexible rate costs more but can normally be cancelled, and often changed, up to a deadline before arrival without charge. The trade-off is simple: the flexible booking buys the right to change plans, and the advance purchase booking buys a lower price by giving that right up. The comparison is set out in more detail on prepaid vs flexible rate, and the lowest publicly bookable price at a property is described under best available rate.
Not every discounted rate is an advance purchase rate. Hotels also discount through membership offers, longer stays and points. Marriott Bonvoy lists PointSavers, offering up to 20% off at participating hotels, and Cash + Points, which combines cash and points on a stay, among its points-redemption options. [5] Discounts of that kind come from the redemption channel rather than from committing to a booking early, which is what separates them from an advance purchase rate.
Exceptions and limits
- The rate code sets the conditions, not the brand. Advance purchase terms vary by property and by rate, and a booking made on one code says nothing about what a sibling code allows.
- Earning rules can differ inside one programme. At Marriott Executive Apartments, members do not earn Points on Qualifying Charges, only on Qualifying Rates. [3]
- Programme rules can change. Marriott Bonvoy's Program Rules state that the company may change, limit or supplement them with or without notice, and the version in force is dated October 2026. [3] Points earning should be confirmed against the terms applying at the time of booking.
- Missed credit has a deadline. Missing-credit requests at Marriott Bonvoy must reach the programme within one year of the activity. [3]
- No-show and late cancellation. An advance purchase booking that is not cancelled inside its window normally returns nothing, and some codes forfeit the whole stay rather than a single night. The rate's own terms govern the amount.
- What this term does not cover. It says nothing about seat upgrades, airline fares or award inventory; it describes how a hotel room is priced and paid for.
Frequently asked questions
Is an advance purchase rate always non-refundable?
No. Some advance purchase rates cannot be cancelled at all, while others can be cancelled up to a stated deadline, after which a penalty applies. The terms attached to the rate code govern the booking.
Do room charges on a discounted rate earn Marriott Bonvoy Points?
They do where the charges are Qualifying Charges that include Qualifying Rates for Stays, and where the member supplies a membership number at reservation or check-in, stays as the registered guest and pays. [3] Base earning is 10 Points at most brands, with lower rates at certain brands named in the rules and four at StudioRes. [3]
Are there hotel discounts that are not advance purchase rates?
Yes. Marriott Bonvoy lists PointSavers, offering up to 20% off at participating hotels, and Cash + Points among its points-redemption options. [5] A discount offered through points redemption is a different product from a discounted cash rate booked ahead.
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Marriott Bonvoy is the hotel programme covered here; other hotel loyalty programmes, including Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, Accor Live Limitless and Wyndham Rewards, are not covered. Individual rate codes carry conditions that vary by property.
- Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy points redemption page, checked 18 October 2026