Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is a night credit?
Night credit is the unit a hotel loyalty programme counts toward elite status. In the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program the unit is called an Elite Night Credit: a credit earned on a night that forms part of a Qualifying Stay, and one that counts toward both Elite Status and Lifetime Elite Status. [1]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- A night credit measures progress toward hotel elite status rather than a spendable balance, and in Marriott Bonvoy it counts toward Elite Status and Lifetime Elite Status. [1]
- Marriott Bonvoy earns an Elite Night Credit on a night during a Qualifying Stay, which its rules call a Qualifying Night. [1]
- Elite Night Credits belong to the programme operator, not the member, and cannot be transferred outside the rules. [1]
- Qualifying Charges can cover up to two additional guest rooms with the same dates, provided the member is the registered guest, gives the membership number and pays. [1]
How do night credits work?
A hotel stay produces two different kinds of value for a loyalty member. The first is a currency — the points a hotel group pays for the money spent on the room and on incidentals. The second is progress: a count of the nights themselves, which is what moves a member up the tier ladder. A night credit belongs to that second group, and it is why a long stay at an inexpensive hotel can do more for a member's tier than a single expensive night.
Because the credit is a progress marker, it is normally earned per eligible night rather than per booking. A member who stays three nights earns three nights of progress under the counting rules of the programme, while a member who books three separate one-night stays earns the same number of nights but usually earns and spends separately on each booking. Night credits are also programme-specific: they belong to the programme that issued them, they have no value outside it, and the rules that decide which nights qualify are set by each programme in its own terms.
This matters because elite status in hotel programmes is usually the gateway to the things travellers actually notice — lounge access, breakfast, room upgrades and bonus points on future stays. The credit is the ordinary, unglamorous bookkeeping behind those benefits, and it is worth checking each programme's definitions of a qualifying night before assuming that a stay will count. The rest of this page uses Marriott Bonvoy as the worked example, because its rules are published in detail.
How does Marriott Bonvoy award Elite Night Credits?
Marriott International's loyalty scheme, the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program, defines Elite Night Credits as the credits toward achieving the applicable requirements for Elite Status and Lifetime Elite Status. [1] The definition is deliberately narrow: an Elite Night Credit is only earned on a night during a Qualifying Stay, and the rules refer to such a night as a Qualifying Night. [1] The Program Rules are published as an updated edition dated October 2026. [1]
| Item | What the Program Rules say |
|---|---|
| Night of a Qualifying Stay | An Elite Night Credit is earned on a night during a Qualifying Stay, called a Qualifying Night. [1] |
| Member's own room charges | Qualifying Charges include charges on the member's folio as the registered guest at a Participating Property. [1] |
| Up to two additional guest rooms | Qualifying Charges can include up to two additional guest rooms with the same check-in and check-out dates. [1] |
| Property that has left the programme | A member will not earn Points or Qualifying Nights for Elite Status at a property that has exited the programme, even for reservations made earlier. [1] |
| Stay at a Branded Residence | No Points, Miles, Elite Night Credit or benefits unless the residence is expressly identified as participating. [1] |
Earning is not automatic on every charge a member makes. The rules require the member to supply the membership number at the time of reservation or at check-in, to stay in one of the reserved rooms as the registered guest, and to pay for the charges. [1] The scheme also awards Elite bonus Points on top of base Points depending on the member's achieved Elite Status, so nights and points move together even though they are counted separately. [1]
Do extra rooms on one booking count toward night credits?
The rules distinguish carefully between charges and credits. For charges, a member staying as the registered guest can have up to two additional guest rooms with the same check-in and check-out dates included in Qualifying Charges, provided the member pays for them and gives the membership number at reservation or check-in. [1] That allowance is a points-earning rule: it is the spend on those extra rooms that the rules bring onto the member's folio. [1]
The credit rule itself is written around nights of a Qualifying Stay rather than around rooms. [1] A traveller booking several rooms for a group should therefore expect the rooms to matter for points and check the credit position against the definition of a Qualifying Stay. For the wider earning picture, see points and night credit for multiple hotel rooms.
Exceptions and limits
- The credit is not the member's property. The Program Rules state that Elite Night Credits, like Points, Awards and Elite Status, are the sole property of the Company and are not transferable except as expressly permitted. [1]
- Membership cancellation wipes the balance. A member who cancels an account may no longer earn or use points, awards, Elite Night Credits, status or other programme value, and those are cancelled or forfeited immediately. [1]
- The operator can adjust or remove credits. Marriott Bonvoy may correct, adjust, cancel, reconcile or forfeit Points, Qualifying Nights, status and benefits at any time in its sole discretion, including where a benefit was issued in error or fraud is suspected. [1]
- Some stays are outside the programme. Guest stays at Branded Residences do not earn Elite Night Credit unless the residence is expressly identified as participating; the rules name Marriott Residences Salgados Resort in the Algarve, The Phoenician Residences in Scottsdale and The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach. [1]
- Missing credit has a deadline. Members may request missing credit for eligible Points, Miles, Qualifying Nights, Qualifying Stays and other Qualifying Charges; unless the rules say otherwise, requests must arrive within one year of the activity. [1]
- New members get a short backdated window. A new member may request credit for eligible activity completed in the 30 days before enrolment if the request is made within one year, though activity before that period is not eligible. [1]
- Inactivity. Qualifying Activity is required at least once every 24 months to retain accumulated Points, Awards and other benefits, and completing a Qualifying Stay counts; gifting, transferring or receiving Points does not. [1]
Frequently asked questions
Are Elite Night Credits transferable to another member?
No. The Program Rules treat Elite Night Credits as the sole property of the Company and say they are not transferable except where expressly permitted. [1]
What happens to my Elite Night Credits if I close my Marriott Bonvoy account?
On member cancellation, Elite Night Credits along with Points, Awards and any achieved Elite Status are cancelled or forfeited immediately and may not be reinstated or transferred, except where the Company permits it or the law requires it. [1]
My stay never posted — how long do I have to claim the missing credit?
Missing-credit requests for eligible Qualifying Nights and Qualifying Stays must generally be received within one year of the activity, subject to any property- or programme-specific requirements. [1]
Do stays at Marriott's residence-style properties earn night credits?
Generally not. Guest stays at Branded Residences earn no Points, Miles, Elite Night Credit or benefits unless the residence is expressly identified as participating in the programme. [1]
Does a hotel that leaves Marriott Bonvoy still earn credits?
No. If a Participating Property or brand exits the programme, a member will not earn Points, Qualifying Nights for Elite Status or its other benefits for stays there, even if the booking was made before the exit. [1]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Marriott Bonvoy is the only hotel programme covered here; the terms of Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, Accor Live Limitless and other programmes are not covered on this page.
- Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions (updated October 2026), checked 18 October 2026