Marriott Bonvoy points aren’t worth much compared to other hotel currencies. However, the loyal program makes up for that by giving members access their huge global footprint and more than 40 airline partners to transfer to. Keep reading to learn the best ways to redeem your Marriott rewards.
Additionally, you can earn more Marriott points with cobranded cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express® Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.
Marriott Redemption Quick Facts
Best Redemptions | Marriott Stays PointSavers Cash + Points Fifth Night Free Points Advance Airline Transfers Marriott Bonvoy Moments |
Point Valuation | $0.009 |
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Card renewal year, get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide. With this card, you'll earn: • 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. • 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. • 2X points on all other eligible purchases. • $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide. A Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member will earn 50% more points on eligible purchases at participating hotels for each U.S. dollar or the currency equivalent that is incurred and paid for by the member. Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck. $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card. This card comes with a $650 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. However, you can receive 1 free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R). Certain hotels have resort fees. (See Rates & Fees) Furthermore, enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in Priority Pass Select membership. Terms Apply. |
Marriott Stays
One of the best ways to redeem Marriott points is by booking a stay at one of Marriott’s properties. Their hotels are priced by categories, you’ll need more points to award a stay at higher categories. For example, premium hotels in popular locations will usually be in a higher category and require more points to stay.
The following table breaks down approximately how many points you’ll need for a one-night stay, according to hotel category and demand:
Category | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Off Peak | 5k | 10k | 15k | 20k | 30k | 40k | 50k | 60k |
Standard | 7.5k | 12.5k | 17.5k | 25k | 35k | 50k | 60k | 85k |
Peak | 10k | 15k | 20k | 30k | 40k | 60k | 70k | 100k |
This chart is accurate at the time of posting and will be updated from time-to-time. However, please note that some of the information may have changed since the last update. If this chart is not up to date, then find the latest redemption chart on the Marriott website.
Best Ways To Redeem With Marriott
We recommend booking awards that yield at less $0.009 per point since Marriott’s points are valued at that price.
Use PointSavers awards to get discounted award rates – up to 33% in savings – on a revolving list of properties worldwide.
Participating hotels change with new properties added every week. For the PointSavers award chart and a list of PointSavers hotels and dates, click here.
If you don’t want to use up all of your points or don’t have enough points, the Cash + Points option allows you to pay with a combination of cash and points.
To maximize your points, use the Cash + Points option when you’re booking a longer stay to take advantage of the fifth night free benefit (more on that next).
You receive your fifth night for free when you book an award stay that is longer than four nights. This benefit applies to PointSavers awards and the Cash + Points option. This is the simplest and most effective way to stretch your Marriott points to their limit.
If you don’t have enough points to book an award stay, Points Advance comes in handy. This perk is ideal when you want to reserve a room before they sell out during peak season, or when you want to lock in a good award rate.
Remember to note that you’ll need to come up with the total points needed for your stay within 14 days of check-in.
Best Marriott Properties to Redeem
Marriott has a countless amount of properties in some of the world’s biggest cities. Take a look at some of their locations:
Airline Transfers
Marriott Bonvoy allows members transfer points to over 40 different airline programs. A large portion of the airline programs have an exclusive relationship with Marriott. Airline partners include:
Marriott Bonvoy Airline Partner Programs
Aegean Airlines | Aeroflot Bonus | AeroMexico ClubPremier |
Air Canada Aeroplan | Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Air New Zealand Airpoints |
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | Alitalia MilleMiglia | ANA Mileage Club |
American Airlines | Asia Miles | Asiana Airlines Asiana Club |
Avianca LifeMiles | British Airways Executive Club | Aer Lingus AerClub |
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Delta SkyMiles | Emirates Skywards |
Etihad Guest | Frontier Airlines | Hainan Airlines |
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | Iberia Plus | InterMiles |
Japan Airlines JAL | JetBlue TrueBlue | Korean Air SKYPASS |
LATAM Airlines LATAMPASS | Lufthansa Miles & More | Multiplus |
Qantas Frequent Flyer | Qatar Privilege Club | Saudia Airlines |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | South African Airways Voyager | Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards |
TAP Air Portugal | Thai Airways | Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles |
United MileagePlus | Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Vueling Club |
All transfers are at a rate of three Marriott points to one airline mile, except:
- Aeromexico which transfers at 3:1.6.
- Air New Zealand which transfers at 200:1.
- JetBlue which transfers at 6:1.
- United which transfers at 3:1.1.
For example, if you transfer 60,000 points, you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus. Which means you’ll get 25,000 miles on most transfers, instead of 20,000. The bonus effectively changes the transfer ratio from 3:1 to 2.4:1.
If you’re interested in more information on loyalty program point transfer partners, then you can find it here.
Bonvoy Moments
With Marriott Bonvoy Moments, you can score tickets for premium sporting events, celebrity meet and greets and more. Some of the past events included in Bonvoy Moments include:
- Dinner at iconic Michelin-starred restaurant Per Se and a tour of its kitchen.
- Walking the red carpet at the premier of IT Chapter Two.
- A private swimming Masterclass with Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Rice.
- Access to the Chicago Cubs luxury suite at Wrigley Field.
These experiences are exclusive to Marriott Bonvoy members and hold no cash value. These unique experiences have no cash value or price tag because they are only available to Bonvoy members. However, since these events are unique and once-in-a-lifetime, they make Marriott Bonvoy Moments are worth a lot.
Bottom Line
Marriott Bonvoy points are great if you frequently travel and stay at Marriott establishments. On top of the $0.009 value, members of their loyalty program can enjoy PointSavers, Cash + Points, fifth night free, Points Advance, transfers to airline partners and Marriott Bonvoy Moments. For more posts like this check out our list of credit card bonuses and ways to save money!
If you’re looking to boost to your Marriott Bonvoy balance then make sure to take advantage of the welcome bonus from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card credit card.
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