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Marriott testing airline-style upgrade list
Marriott International is officially beta testing an airline-style “Complimentary Upgrade List” feature in its mobile app. This update provides Marriott Bonvoy elite members (Gold status and higher) with visibility of their exact ranking in the upgrade queue and the estimated number of premium rooms available for their stay.
The feature is actively being beta tested and is visible only to a small subset of accounts and select properties in the US and Canada. However, Marriott has announced that the feature will expand rapidly, rolling out to more than 250 hotels by early November 2026.
The initial rollout and trial phase are strictly limited to properties across the United States and Canada. There is currently no confirmed timeline for expanding this transparency feature to hotels in Europe, Asia, or other international markets. However, if it is successful, I don’t see why they would not roll it out everywhere, although maybe not every brand.
How it works
When eligible members prepare to check in via the app, they will see a graphic detailing the number of estimated upgrades matching their booked dates/bed type alongside their current number in line. This feature applies specifically to complimentary, status-based elite upgrades. Marriott’s Nightly Upgrade Awards (NUAs) continue to clear separately, take priority over the complimentary upgrades and are not factored into these app rankings. Users will be notified one day before arrival if their complimentary status upgrade has been confirmed.
This works well for both Marriott and Elites. If you can see in advance that you’re unlikely to get an upgrade, some people may decide to pay to upgrade to a better room. For those who don’t, it manages their expectations.
I like the idea of this feature so I hope it sticks around and get rolls out in Europe and further afield.
What do you think of this idea? Let us know in the comments below.
20,ooo Avios with Universal Orlando Resort Hotels
If you are planning a trip to Orlando with BA, this could be an interesting offer.
You can collect up to 20,000 bonus Avios on holiday packages to a Universal Orlando Resort Hotel for travel between 1 January – 30 September 2027. You need to book by 10 November 2026.
You can also save up to 30% on Universal Orlando Resort hotel stays when staying 7 nights or more for new flight and hotel bookings when staying 7 nights or more on selected 2026 and 2027 travel. The offer will appear in red text if applicable.
Here are the levels of bonus by hotel:
| Hotel Category | Bonus Avios | Included Hotels | Visual Asset / Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value Inns & Suites | 5,000 | • Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort • Universal Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites • Universal Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites |
Group of guests at Bar 17 Bistro at Universal’s Aventura Hotel. |
| Prime Value Hotels | 10,000 | • Universal Stella Nova Resort • Universal Terra Luna Resort • Universal Aventura Hotel |
Child enjoying the interactive water play area at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. |
| Signature Collection | 20,000 | • Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel • Loews Portofino Bay Hotel • Hard Rock Hotel® • Loews Royal Pacific Resort • Loews Sapphire Falls Resort |
The four parks at Universal Orlando Resort. |
🎟️ Ticket Add-on Bonus: +2,500 Additional Avios when park tickets are added at the time of booking.
You can find the offer page here.
Best cashback offers
Although you can no longer get Avios with TopCashback, you can still save money through TopCashback. It works the same as the BA Avios shopping and Virgin Shopsaway portals but gives you cold, hard cash! You shop online exactly as usual, but you click through from TopCashback. I have earned over £7000 in cashback since I joined, which is amazing!
As well as being able to take your savings as actual cash into your bank account, you can also take the payout as an Uber gift card with an extra bonus and a few other gift card options.
It’s worth being a TopCashback Plus Member, as you get access to a range of benefits in exchange for £5 of your annual cashback earnings. This includes enhanced Tell-a-Friend and payout bonuses, 5% top-up on all non-exclusive deals, Plus Member competitions, and more.
You can add a Chrome browser extension to alert you to good offers while you are making online purchases. You must make sure that you don’t use any other codes for your purchase unless they are on the TopCashback site, or you probably won’t get the cashback.
There are some decent travel-related bonuses currently available. The Expedia Hotel Gift card is a great rate and would make a nice Xmas gift or a good way to save on a hotel yourself.
| Category / Brand | Offer Details |
|---|---|
| Expedia Car Hire | Exclusive 10% |
| Expedia Ground Transportation / Shuttles / Transfers & Experiences | 10% |
| Expedia Packages | 3.5% |
| Expedia Flights | 1% |
| Expedia Hotel Gift Card | 12% Cashback |
| Hotels.com Hotel Booking – New Customer | Exclusive 11% |
| Hotels.com Hotel Booking (Dec 2026 Onwards) – Existing Customer | 10% |
| Hotels.com Hotel Booking (Oct + Nov 2026) – Existing Customer | 2% |
| Hotels.com Car Hire | 5.5% |
| British Airways All Holidays 4+ Passengers | 3% |
| British Airways Holiday Booking 1-3 Passengers | 1% |
| Qatar Airways Flight Ticket Purchase | Exclusive 3.5% (Ends on Sun, 18 Oct) |
| Uber | 3% |
| Iberostar Properties | Exclusive 15% |
| Crowne Plaza – an IHG Hotel | Exclusive 9% |
| Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants | Exclusive 9% |
| Hotel Indigo – an IHG Hotel | Exclusive 9% |
| InterContinental Hotels & Resorts | Exclusive 9% |
| IHG Hotels & Resorts | Exclusive 9% |
You can join TopCashback here.
