Reminder: Withdraw Your Marriott Bonvoy Nightly Upgrade Awards Before Cancelling a Reservation

Marriott Bonvoy’s rebranding of its popular Suite Night Awards (SNA) to Nightly Upgrade Awards (NUA) came with much fanfare at the end of 2023. While the core functionality remains familiar, there are a few quirks with the new system that could catch even seasoned travellers off guard. For the uninitiated, Marriott Bonvoy Nightly Upgrade Awards are essentially upgrade request credits that members can apply to eligible reservations. Each NUA covers one night, and these are typically confirmed up to five days prior to arrival (subject to availability).

Click HERE to find out more about the Nightly Upgrade Awards!

Photo Credit: W Hong Kong

Here’s where it gets tricky - I recently cancelled a reservation for the W Hong Kong that had three Nightly Upgrade Awards attached (even though they were still pending and have not cleared). After cancelling the reservation, I noticed that those three Nightly Upgrade Awards were not automatically returned to my account. Unlike some loyalty programmes that automatically return unused upgrade certificates when you cancel or modify your booking, Marriott’s system requires manual removal of your Nightly Upgrade Awards before cancelling. If you skip this crucial step, those awards can effectively be forfeited.

Photo Credit: W Osaka

I received these Nightly Upgrade Awards through my Annual Choice Benefit last year, after reaching 50 elite qualifying nights in 2024. I’ve actually had good success with them - they cleared for a beautiful suite at both the W Osaka and the JW Marriott Singapore.

I have since reached out to the support team in hopes of having the awards reinstated, but this experience serves as a timely reminder — always remove your Nightly Upgrade Award request before cancelling a reservation, even if it’s flexible and offers free cancellation. While the introduction of Nightly Upgrade Awards brought a fresher name to a familiar benefit, it also added a layer of complexity that could easily result in the unintentional loss of hard-earned awards. Before making changes to any booking, always double-check your applied upgrades and remove them before cancelling to avoid any potential hassle.