My Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Upgrade Offer
I recently received an offer from Chase via email to upgrade my Chase Marriott Rewards credit card.
But is it a good offer? Will I upgrade?
The Offer
As you can see, the upgrade offer of 20,000 Marriott Rewards points for making a single purchase by 12/31/18 is not particularly lucrative, considering the annual fee will be also be increased by $10 a year (from $85 to $95).
I value Marriott Rewards points at about .50 ppc, so in my book this offer is worth about $100 – $10 annual fee = $90.
Note: When I search 20,000 point Marriott properties in Phoenix, AZ, it looks like 20,000 points is worth somewhere between $60 -$120; when I do the same search in Los Angeles, CA, 20,000 points will get me up to $227. So check first, YPMV.Â
Why To Consider This Offer
So why would I consider this offer? Well, first off, 20,000 points ($90) is better than nothing.
Second, the card does come with some minor upgrades in earning structure (see below), although realistically I wouldn’t be putting much spending on this card.
Third, upgrading a card is not considered a “new application”, so there will be no hard inquiries and thus, no adverse effect on my credit score. Not to mention, with recent reports of Chase doing new rounds of account shutdowns for too many applications, I’ll prefer to play it safe and stay under the radar.
Lastly, and most importantly, an upgrade would change my annual free night certificate from a redemption value of 25,000 points (category 4) to 35,000 points (category 5). In theory, I should easily be able to wring more than $95 out of a category 5 property.
The Bottom Line:Â My Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Upgrade Offer
For all the reasons above, it looks like I will be upgrading this card.
The 20,000 bonus points is OK, but the real clincher for me is the increase in the value of the annual free anniversary night – up to a category 5 property. That alone is easily worth an extra $10 a year for me.
Check you email for the upgrade offer, or head over to the official Chase upgrade website here.
Cheers!
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