Hotel Loyalty Rewards
Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Loyalty Program – Full Review
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Marriott Bonvoy Overview
Marriott has over 7,300 properties in more than 130 countries and territories. Across 33 brands, Marriott rivals IHG for worldwide coverage among hotel chains.
Familiar brands such as Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, and Renaissance have recently been joined by AC Hotels in Europe, Protea Hotels in Africa, Delta Hotels in Canada, and City Express in Latin America.
Marriott Bonvoy is Marriott’s loyalty program that allows members to earn and redeem points with Marriott’s ecosystem. You can earn points through credit cards, paid hotel stays, and much more.
Meanwhile, you can redeem points for free hotel stays, airline miles, and so on.
The truth is that there are countless different ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points, but the 2 best ways typically are:
- Redeeming points for free hotel stays at luxury Marriott Bonvoy properties
- Transferring points to airline partners for luxury award travel in business or first class
Joining Marriott Bonvoy
Register online for a free Marriott Bonvoy account.
How To Sign In to Your Marriott Bonvoy Account
Whenever you’re looking to redeem points, you will log into Marriott’s website.
To access your Marriott Bonvoy account, follow these instructions:
- Visit Marriott’s homepage.
- In the top-right corner, click the button that says Sign In or Join.
- Click Sign In.
- Log into your Marriott Bonvoy account using your Marriott Bonvoy number and password. Click Sign In.
- After logging in, you can search for hotel stays or view your account activity as needed.
Viewing Your Account Activity
Your Marriott Bonvoy Account Overview page shows recent points activity, elite status progress, and special offers.
The Activity page shows detailed points activity; make sure to scroll down and see if you have any available free night certificates.
Promotion Central shows available promotions and your progress toward them.
Setting Points Earning Preferences
You can choose to earn points or airline miles for your Marriott stays. Marriott Bonvoy promotions are also based on your earning preference.
Choose points or miles on your Profile page. While there, select your stay preferences such as pillows and room accessibility.
What Are Marriott Bonvoy Points Worth?
Because there are so many ways to use your Marriott Bonvoy points, it can be challenging to assign a specific value to your points.
But to be fair, you can consistently expect to get at least 0.7 cents per point if you redeem them for free hotel nights. If you transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to book luxury award travel, your redemption value will increase dramatically.
On the flip side, if you waste your points on gift cards, online shopping, or other miscellaneous redemptions, you’ll be lucky if you can get better than 0.4 cents per point of value.
Marriott Bonvoy Points Expiration
Marriott Bonvoy points expire after 24 months unless you have a qualifying earning or redeeming activity in your account.
It’s super easy to reset your points expiration if you have a Marriott Bonvoy credit card. Just make 1 purchase on a Marriott Bonvoy-branded credit card, and your points will reset for another 24 months.
Also, if you have multiple Marriott Bonvoy credit cards (even across all issuers), your points will combine into the same Marriott Bonvoy account, as long as the original credit card application you submitted had the same Marriott Bonvoy number.
If you close your Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, you will almost never lose your Marriott Bonvoy points, as they are safely stored in your Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program account instead of your credit card account.
Certain account activities such as gifting, transferring, and social media promotions do not count for extending your expiration date. See the full terms for what constitutes qualifying activity.
Marriott Bonvoy Program
Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status
Marriott Bonvoy members get several benefits just for registering with the program, including complimentary in-room internet when booking directly with Marriott.
| Benefits | Silver Elite (10 to 24 nights) | Gold Elite (25 to 49 nights) | Platinum Elite (50 to 74 nights) | Titanium Elite (75 to 99 nights) | Ambassador Elite (100+ nights*) |
| Complimentary In-room Internet Access | X | X | X | X | X |
| Points Bonus | 10% bonus | 25% bonus | 50% bonus | 75% bonus | 75% bonus |
| Late Checkout | X | 2 p.m. | 4 p.m. | 4 p.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Dedicated Elite Reservation Line | X | X | X | X | X |
| In-hotel Welcome Gift | Points | Points, breakfast offering, or amenity | Points, breakfast offering, or amenity | Points, breakfast offering, or amenity | |
| Enhanced Room Upgrade Based on Availability | X | Including select suites | Including select suites at The Ritz-Carlton | Including select suites at The Ritz-Carlton | |
| Lounge Access | X | X | X | ||
| Guaranteed Room Type | X | X | X | ||
| Annual Choice Benefit | X | X | X | ||
| Additional Annual Choice Benefit | X | X | |||
| 48-hour Guarantee | X | X | |||
| Ambassador Service | X | ||||
| Your24 | X |
*Plus $20,000 in annual qualifying spend
Those with Marriott Bonvoy member status have 9 or fewer nights and receive complimentary in-room internet access.
Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite:
All member benefits, plus:
- 10% point bonus
Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite:
All Silver benefits, plus:
- 25% points bonus
- Welcome gift at check-in
- Room upgrades (subject to availability)
- Complimentary in-room internet, even when not booking directly with Marriott
- Priority 2 p.m. late checkout
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite:
All Gold benefits, plus:
- 50% points bonus
- Guaranteed room type
- Room upgrades (subject to availability)
- Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability at resort and convention hotels)
- Complimentary in-room internet, even when not booking directly with Marriott
- Guaranteed lounge access and continental breakfast for 2 at many brands
- Annual Choice Benefit — 5 Suite Night Upgrades or gift
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite:
All Platinum benefits, plus:
- 75% point bonus
- Additional Annual Choice Benefits — 5 Suite Night Upgrades or gift
- United Airlines MileagePlus Silver status, via RewardsPlus
Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite (100 Nights + $20,000 spend):
All Titanium Elite benefits, plus:
- Ambassador Service
- Your24 (check in to your room at any time and have it for 24 hours)
Hot Tip: See a thorough review of the benefits of Marriott Bonvoy elite status in our detailed guide.
Value of Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status
Marriott Bonvoy is widely considered to offer fewer benefits than competitors at comparable status levels. With Marriott Bonvoy elite qualification requirements among the hardest to achieve, this is a program used by many out of necessity for the extensive participating properties rather than benefits preference.
Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite is effectively non-status, with minimal benefits. It comes complimentary with most of the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, and the most notable perk is the ability to request late checkout (subject to availability).
Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite isn’t much better, but you do get a room upgrade (subject to availability) and a 2 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability). This is a complimentary benefit of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite gives lounge access and breakfast at a range of brands. It also comes with upgrades to standard suites (subject to availability).
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite bring in popular benefits such as upgrades to Select Suites (subject to availability), 4 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability), and hotel lounge access. With Ambassador Elite, you’ll even get access to Your24, which allows you to choose the 24 hours of your stay, whether you’re checking in at 9 p.m. and checking out a 9 p.m. or vice-versa.
Earning Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status
Marriott Bonvoy elite status takes a lot of work! You’ll need a large number of stays to earn status. Less frequent travelers may do better seeking status in other hotel programs.
| Elite Status | Qualifying Nights/Spending |
| Ambassador | 100 nights + $20K spend |
| Titanium | 75 nights |
| Platinum | 50 nights |
| Gold | 25 nights |
| Silver | 10 nights |
Marriott Bonvoy credit cardholders are gifted 15 qualifying nights per year. While you cannot get double Elite Night Credits for holding multiple personal Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, you can if you hold 1 personal and 1 business Marriott Bonvoy card. This gives you a 30-qualifying Elite Night Credit boost each year.
Hot Tip: Curious what changes Marriott Bonvoy has made in response to COVID-19? See our detailed guide on hotel status extensions, changes, and updates.
Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Status
Marriott offers a lifetime status program:
| Lifetime Silver Elite | Lifetime Gold Elite | Lifetime Platinum Elite |
|
250 nights and 5 years of elite status
|
400 nights and 7 years of Gold Elite status
|
600 nights and 10 years of Platinum Elite status
|
Marriott Bonvoy and United RewardsPlus
Marriott and United have partnered with RewardsPlus.
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite members receive United MileagePlus Premier Silver.
United MileagePlus Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and Premier 1K receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite.
You need to register annually at RewardsPlus to get your new status.
How To Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points
Earning Marriott Bonvoy points starts with hotel stays. You’ll generally only earn bonus points when you book directly with Marriott. And although you can book rooms over the phone, the online website is super easy to use and will probably end up saving you time.
Earning Points on Stays
Generally, regardless of which credit card you use to book your reservation, any stays booked directly with Marriott at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels are eligible to earn points in 2 ways: base points and elite bonus points.
Base Points: Earning points is separated into 3 categories by brand:
- Earn 10 points per $1 on most Marriott brands, which also includes Marriott Vacation Club properties
- Earn 5 points per $1 at Element, Residence Inn, and TownePlace Suites
- Earn 2.5 points per $1 at Marriott Executive Apartments and ExecuStay
Elite Status Bonus: You will earn additional bonus points based on elite status — a 10%, 25%, 50%, or 75% bonus for Silver Elite, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, or Titanium Elite members, respectively.
Also, all eligible hotel purchases, including dining, beverages, rounds of golf, and spa services will count towards these earnings.
Because booking directly through Marriott Bonvoy almost always results in the best rates and the best points accrual structure, it almost always makes sense to book your Marriott Bonvoy stays directly through Marriott Bonvoy.
Promotions: Marriott Bonvoy typically has a promotion every quarter for bonuses such as bonus points or free night certificates that reward frequent stays. Watch your email and make sure to register before your upcoming stays.
Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points and Status for Hosting Events
If you’re in need of a place to hold a meeting, look no further. Marriott offers meeting and event services that earn you points!
Earn a maximum of 60,000 points (2 points per $1) or 20,000 airline miles (1 mile per $1) for 1 qualifying event.
Elite members get a bonus when earning points, though not for earning miles:
| Meetings or Events | General Member | Silver Elite | Gold Elite | Platinum Elite | Titanium Elite | Ambassador Elite |
| Earn Rate | 2 points per $1 or 1 mile per $1 spent per qualifying event | |||||
| Bonus Points | None | 10% bonus | 25% bonus | 50% bonus | 75% bonus | 75% bonus |
| Maximum Points Earning per Event | 60,000 | 66,000 | 75,000 | 90,000 | 105,000 | 105,000 |
| Maximum Miles Earning per Event | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
You have the option of splitting the points with another member.
Hot Tip: For your first meeting each year you can earn 10 Elite Night Credits. Plus, for each additional meeting, you can earn 1 Elite Night Credit per 20 room nights, up to 20 Elite Night Credits per meeting.
Share Marriott Bonvoy Points
Family members can transfer points for free.
Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points With Credit Cards
To earn Marriott Bonvoy points through credit card spending, you’ll want to hold 1 of Marriott Bonvoy’s 6 co-branded credit cards. Chase and Amex both issue Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, which increases the number of options you have to earn points through credit cards.
The number of points you’ll earn is dependent on the type of Marriott Bonvoy credit card you have. You can earn anywhere from 1x points to 6x points through credit card spending, with an additional 15x points coming from a combination of bonuses acquired through credit card elite status and base points earned as a Marriott Bonvoy member.
In absolute terms, you can therefore earn up to 21x total Marriott Bonvoy points through credit card spending, depending on the card!
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is the ultra-premium, flagship credit card available to Marriott loyalists. Currently, this credit card offers a terrific welcome offer, as well as the ability to earn up to 6x points:
- 6x points for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 3x points at restaurants worldwide
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2x points on other purchases
This card confers complimentary Platinum Elite status, which earns you an additional 50% bonus points on Marriott Bonvoy hotel purchases — that elevates your points from 10x base points to 15x total points. Adding in the 6x points from your credit card, you can earn a total of 21x points on eligible Marriott Bonvoy stays.
With Platinum Elite status, you can get access to standard suite upgrades and complimentary breakfast!
Better yet, you will receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your card renewal month (up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points), as well as a Priority Pass Select membership upon enrollment, a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee credit, up to $100 Marriott Bonvoy property credit at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis, and up to $300 in dining credits every year (up to $25 per month) at restaurants worldwide.
Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free authorized users (rates and fees).
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is one of the newest credit cards available; it’s focused on offering a mid-tier solution to earning lots of points on everyday purchases without an enormous price tag.
Right now, you can take advantage of the new cardmember welcome bonus, plus up to 6x points:
- 6x points for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 4x points at U.S supermarkets and restaurants worldwide, including take-out and delivery in the U.S. (on the first $15,000 in combined purchases every year, then 2x points)
- 2x points on other purchases
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card confers automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, which gets you upgrades and a 25% bonus of points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, which elevates your overall points earnings to 18.5x points on eligible Marriott Bonvoy stays.
Every year, you can get 1 Free Night Award (up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) after spending $15,000 per calendar year.
Also, you will get 1,000 bonus points per paid eligible stay at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties when booked direct.
You’ll enjoy 15 Elite Night Credits towards elite status, no foreign transaction fees, and authorized users for no additional annual fees (rates and fees).
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card
The Marriott Bountiful card, which is the first credit card option issued by Chase, earns a welcome bonus, as well as up to 18.5x total points at Marriott:
- 6x points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy (plus 10x base points and 2.5x elite bonus points for having Gold Elite status, a benefit of this card)
- 4x points on the first $15,000 in combined purchases each year on grocery stores and dining
- 2x points on other purchases
This credit card shares a lot of the same features as the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, including:
- 1,000 bonus points per eligible stay at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 1 Free Night Award every calendar year after $15,000 in spending (up to 50,000 points)
- 15 Elite Night Credits per year
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
To top it all off, this credit card has baggage delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement, purchase protection, no foreign transaction fees, and no additional annual fees for authorized users.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Another one of Chase’s co-branded credit cards is the Marriott Boundless card, a terrific choice if you’re looking for rewards but don’t care much about elite status perks.
This card has a limited-time welcome bonus and the ability to earn a maximum of 17x total points:
- 17x total points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy (6x points from the credit card, 10x base points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member, and 1x points with Silver Elite status, a benefit of this card)
- 3x points on the first $6,000 in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
- 2x points on other purchases
Every cardmember anniversary year, you’ll get 1 Free Night Award, good for stays at a redemption level of up to 35,000 points.
You’ll also get 15 Elite Night Credits to qualify for elite status, the ability to earn 1 Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 spent, automatic Silver Elite Status, and travel insurance.
Plus, the Marriott Boundless card includes travel insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and authorized users for no additional fees.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
The Marriott Bold card is the last personal credit card we’ll be discussing, and it’s the only card without an annual fee.
This product has a new cardmember welcome bonus and the ability to earn up to 14x points:
- 14x total points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy (3x points from the credit card, 10x base points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member, and 1x points with Silver Elite status, a benefit of this card)
- 2x points on travel
- 1x point on other purchases
Although you will not get a Free Night Award every year, you will get 15 Elite Night Credits, which qualifies you for complimentary Silver Elite Status.
You’ll also be able to utilize the basic travel insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and the ability to add authorized users for no additional annual fees.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
The only credit card available for new applications exclusively for business owners is the Marriott Bonvoy Business card, which currently has a solid welcome offer, as well as up to 6x earnings:
- 6x points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 4x points at restaurants worldwide
- 4x points at U.S. gas stations
- 4x points on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers
- 4x points on U.S. shipping purchases
- 2x points on other purchases
Also, you can get a 7% Marriott Bonvoy room rate discount off standard rates when you book direct.
Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status is included, as is:
- 1 Free Night Award every year (up to 35,000 points)
- Another Free Night Award every year after you spend $60,000 in a calendar year
- 15 Elite Night Credits
- Access to Marriott Bonvoy Air+Car
The Marriott Bonvoy Business card comes with no foreign transaction fees, and employee cards at no additional cost (rates and fees).
Hot Tip: Check out our guide to the best credit cards for Marriott Bonvoy loyalists!
Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards
If you earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can transfer them to the Chase hotel partners like Marriott Bonvoy. However, even with a 1:1 transfer ratio, this is rarely a good use of Ultimate Rewards because of how many Marriott Bonvoy points award stays cost.
American Express Membership Rewards Credit Cards
You can also transfer Amex points earned from some of the best Amex credit cards into Marriott Bonvoy points at a 1:1 transfer rate. But as with Chase Ultimate Rewards points, this is hardly the best use of your Membership Rewards points.
Other Ways To Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points
Marriott Bonvoy has many travel and shopping partners. See our article on how to earn Marriott Bonvoy points for ideas.
Keep in mind: the trade-off to earning Marriott Bonvoy points is that you won’t be earning other hotel or airline points, which may be more valuable to you.
How To Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points
Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points for Hotel Nights
Free hotel nights are the primary awards for Marriott Bonvoy points. You can also use points for room upgrades, hotel amenities, and other services.
There are no blackout dates for use of rewards points toward hotel nights, which means that using them during peak holiday travel or other busy periods can exponentially increase their value! However, hotels must have room availability.
Your rewards can be used as a standard award or a Cash + Points award.
The easiest way to use your points is to book on Marriott.com and click on the Use Points option. It will then list all the hotels in your search city that have availability during your stay.
The number of points you use depends on time, location, and brand.
You’ll usually get the most value from your points by redeeming them for stays at luxury hotels.
By doing so, you can get anywhere from 1 to 6 cents per point of value, which could be multiple times more than the established value of Marriott Bonvoy points.
Fifth Night Free
When you redeem points for 4 nights, you get a fifth night free.
Room Upgrades
Room upgrades are charged in blocks of 5,000 points. Some hotels and rooms require multiple upgrade blocks of 5,000 points. Cash upgrades are an alternative. All upgrades are subject to hotel availability.
Instant Redemptions
Use your points for statement credits for room charges on Marriott stays with Instant Redemptions.
| Points | Dollars |
| 250 | $1 |
| 1,250 | $5 |
| 2,500 | $10 |
| 5,000 | $20 |
| 12,500 | $50 |
| 25,000 | $100 |
Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points for Award Travel
Marriott Bonvoy enjoys the express privilege of having a ton of airline transfer partners. It has more transfer partners than Amex, Chase, Citi, and Capital One!
Most transfer at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 extra miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once. That means when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you will end up with 25,000 airline miles instead of 20,000 miles. Some exceptions exist, but this is more the norm than the exception.
Some of the best Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners include Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Korean Air SKYPASS, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, and Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus.
To transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to airline partners, follow these steps:
- Visit the Marriott Bonvoy Transfer Points to Miles landing page.
- Scroll down and click the button that says Transfer Points.
- Log into your Marriott Bonvoy account.
- Scroll back down and click Transfer Points again.
- Select the frequent flyer program you wish to use from the dropdown list.
- Enter the frequent flyer number and the number of points you want to convert.
- Click CONTINUE.
- Complete the transfer.
Here is a list of all of Marriott Bonvoy’s airline transfer partners:
| Marriott Bonvoy Transfer Partner | Minimum Points Transfer | Transfer Ratio (Marriott Bonvoy > Partner) | Bonus Airline Miles for Every 60K Marriott Bonvoy Points Transferred | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Aer Lingus Aeroclub | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| AeroMexico Club Premier | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 5 days |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 day |
| Air New Zealand Airpoints | 3,000 | 200:1 | 25 | 1 day |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 3,000 | 3:1 | N/A | 2 days |
| ANA Mileage Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| Asiana Airlines Asiana Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| Avianca Airlines LifeMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | N/A | 1 day |
| British Airways Executive Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 5 days |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Delta Air Lines SkyMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | N/A | 1 day |
| Emirates Skywards | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Etihad Guest | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| FRONTIER Miles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 8 days |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| Iberia Plus | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| InterMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | 3,000 | 3:1 | N/A | 2 days |
| LATAM Pass | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Multiplus Fidelidade LATAM Pass | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines Alfursan | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| United MileagePlus | 3,000 | 3:1.1 | 10,000 | 3 days |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| Vueling Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
As an example, you’ll need to redeem 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles to book a one-way Qantas business class flight from the U.S. to Australia. You can earn 55,000 Alaska miles by transferring 135,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska Airlines.
Qantas business class tickets usually start at $6,000 one-way, which gets you a minimum redemption value of around 4.4 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, which is huge!
Hot Tip: See our guide to the best ways to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points for flights.
Other Redemption Options
You can also use Marriott Bonvoy points for gift cards, experiences through Marriott Bonvoy Moments, and cruises, but all of them will generally yield subpar value.
Gift Cards
Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points for gift cards is one of the worst things you can do with your points. It’ll yield you a paltry 0.25 to 0.33 cents per point of value.
Online Shopping
When you shop with points, you can buy electronics, tools, kitchen appliances, and even Marriott bedding and bath products using points.
Your redemption value will hover around 0.3 cents per point.
Air+Car
You can also redeem Marriott Bonvoy points through a travel portal called Air+Car, which is powered by Switchfly.
In this way, you can redeem points for travel without having to worry about finding award availability.
However, your redemption value will be around 0.3 to 0.4 cents per point.
Marriott Bonvoy Moments
Marriott Bonvoy Moments is probably one of the “least bad” alternative redemptions of Marriott Bonvoy points outside of gift cards, cruises, and so on.
It’s difficult to attribute specific redemption values for Marriott Bonvoy Moments since the value of each experience varies wildly.
You can also bid for specific experiences, which will also result in variable redemption value.
Cruises
Marriott Bonvoy’s Cruise With Points program allows you to redeem points for cruises outright, though you shouldn’t expect to get good redemption value in the slightest.
By redeeming points this way, you’ll get 0.4 cents per point of value.
Other Redemptions
You can even use Marriott Bonvoy points for other goods and services like a TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
Unfortunately, your redemption value would sit at 0.34 cents per point (25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for a $78 cost).
If you use your points for anything besides free hotel nights and luxury award travel through airline partners, you’ll only get a tiny fraction of the potential value of your points.
Comparing Marriott Bonvoy to Other Hotel Points
So how do Marriott Bonvoy points stack up against other hotel points? Let’s take a look in this section!
Marriott Bonvoy vs. World of Hyatt
We value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, while Marriott Bonvoy points are worth 0.7 cents per point.
Even though World of Hyatt points are much more valuable than Marriott Bonvoy points, they’re also a lot harder to earn.
For example, the best World of Hyatt credit card earns a maximum of 9 points per dollar, while the best Marriott Bonvoy credit card earns a maximum of 21 points per dollar.
When you take into account the ability to earn Marriott Bonvoy points much quicker than World of Hyatt points, you’ll find that your credit cards can net you up to 13.5% return on spend with World of Hyatt or 14.7% return on spend with Marriott Bonvoy.
Marriott’s portfolio is much larger than Hyatt‘s, which is yet another advantage.
Marriott Bonvoy vs. Hilton Honors
Marriott Bonvoy is often compared to Hilton Honors. And even though the best loyalty program will ultimately depend on what hotel you want to stay at, there are some similarities we can draw.
We value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each and Hilton points at 0.5 cents each, making Hilton points less valuable.
In general, the maximum number of points you’ll redeem per night is 120,000 with Marriott Bonvoy and 150,000 with Hilton Honors.
The best Hilton credit card, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, earns up to 34x total points (14x from credit card spending, 10x base points, and 10x from Diamond status, which is a benefit of the card), which translates to a return on spending of around 17%.
Also, Hilton and Marriott both have similar, vertically integrated portfolios spanning basic limited-service properties to full-service luxury resorts.
Marriott Bonvoy vs. IHG Rewards
The last major hotel currency we’ll be comparing to Marriott Bonvoy is IHG One Rewards.
These points are worth 0.5 cents each, making them less valuable than Marriott Bonvoy points.
With the IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, you can earn up to 26x total points, which equates to a 13% return on spending.
This maximum return on spending is inferior to the top-tier Marriott Bonvoy accrual structure of 14.7% return on spending.
Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy has a much more robust luxury property collection than IHG, which has InterContinental, Six Senses, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Comparing Marriott Bonvoy to Other Transferrable Points
We actually believe that it’s unfair to compare Marriott Bonvoy points to other transferrable points like Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, or Citi ThankYou Rewards.
On paper, you’ll get much better ROI from cards like the American Express® Gold Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card on everyday purchases, but you also won’t get hotel benefits like a Free Night Award certificate or complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.
That being said, points like Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards are best leveraged for flights to get the best value, while you should earmark your Marriott Bonvoy points for free hotel stays if you’re looking to optimize for flights and hotels.
Final Thoughts
Marriott Bonvoy is a great loyalty program you can take advantage of when you’re traveling around the world, thanks to its portfolio of over 7,300 hotels and resorts in 130+ countries around the world.
When it comes to earning points, you can use co-branded credit cards issued by both Amex and Chase to earn up to 21x points per dollar spent!
To be the best redemption value from your points, you should keep your redemptions to either free hotel nights at Marriott Bonvoy properties (especially at luxury hotels and resorts) or airline partner transfers.
All in all, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program!
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.
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31 comments
Catherine S
March 25, 2019
Thanks for the updates. Is there anyone that we can write at Marriott regarding the changes to lounge access for Gold Elite?
Christine Krzyszton
March 25, 2019
Hi Catherine. Yes, you can email Marriott Bonvoy regarding specific issues by using this link. https://www.marriott.com/marriott/contact.mi
Christopher Lee
July 04, 2019
I have to say that I have been a Gold Member for over two years now and the program is terrible. They say Gold members can receive upgrades, but every time I stay I never receive one. They don’t add all of your elite nights that you stay unless you catch it and spends hours on the phone with them to get them added. I have even been hung up on more times than I can count. I’ve stayed at some of their best hotels and still been placed in rooms that hadn’t even been cleaned. When a problem arises, having elite status doesn’t help a bit. You need to book through their site in order to get points, but their site is often more expensive than other sites. I don’t see the benefit.
Anil shandil
July 14, 2019
I’ve been a Marriott gold Elite member got years. I have their Bonvoy credit card use it to get points. Now I’m not allowed to use their lounge unless I’m a platinum elite. This is one of their many changes after their merger with SPG. Obviously, this elite status is designed for business travelers because an average family does not do 50 nights a year. This means that their intention is not to reward average families. Since we are a military family we used to get a discount on many Marriott properties. Now they appear to offer military rates but most of them are higher than regular rates by far. For example, in Maui, a regular night is $411. If you apply a military discount, the price is $526. I don’t feel valued as an elite member or military veteran anymore.
Miro
August 04, 2019
I still can’t find information that explains that if you achieve the status in one year, do you go back to nothing in January of the following year? For example, if I earn GOLD status in August 2019, I know I get the benefits until December 31, 2019 but what happens January 1st? Do I keep GOLD or do I start back at the bottom and NOT get any benefits until I earn that status again?
Christine Krzyszton
August 05, 2019
Hi Miro and thanks for your question. Elite status is earned on a calendar year basis. You then keep that status through the following year and it resets in February after that year. For example, you have until December 31st of 2019 to earn status for 2020. If you achieve Gold status in August of 2019, you will have Gold status for the remainder of 2019, have qualified to keep Gold status for all of 2020, and your status will reset in February 2021 based on your stays in 2020.
Buddy Wood
August 16, 2019
It is sad to see what has happen to Marriott over the past few years. You need to hire an attorney to review the program. What ever happen to the great old days of Marriott putting the CUSTOMER FIRST? It is a DISGRACE to the Marriott name of old. I bet the Father is turning over in his grave.
christine jones
August 18, 2019
As a family of 4, I’m not convinced that our Chase Marriott Bonvoy Card is the best option. We’re platinum members with lots of points.
Every time I try to book a room on points, I’m told points are redeemable for 2 guests to a room only and I need to book 2 separate rooms.
That’s ridiculous. Split my husband & I up, we each get one kid? Or put my 9 & 11-year-old in one room?? It just doesn’t make sense.
Is there any way around this? Do I chance it & just say 2 guests to a room & hope for the best?
Any info or insight is helpful.
Jarrod West
August 19, 2019
Hi Christine,
I’m shocked to hear they told you this as I personally redeemed points for a room with 3 adults, with no issue, just a few months ago. Were you told this by the hotel you were trying to book with or by Marriott directly?
christine jones
August 25, 2019
Hi Jarrod,
Thanks for the reply. I’ve never actually called the hotels. Always just book online. Maybe if I called, I could explain the situation.
I actually dealing with this right now as I try to book our upcoming trip to Lisbon, Portugal.
I was told that there would be an “extra person fee.” Depending on the hotel, it could be $30 (Sheraton Cascais) or as high as $120 (Penha Longa). And that’s only for 3 guests (2adults, 1child). When I try to add an additional child (again we are a family of 4), I get a message that the hotel is “not taking redemption bookings at this time.”
I do want to add that we are a military family stationed in Germany & we travel A LOT! Maybe it’s just hotels in Europe? I’m not sure but it’s something our family runs into all. the. time.
Jarrod West
August 26, 2019
Hi Christine,
I would definitely suggest contacting the hotel, or someone from the Marriott customer service team, and see if they can explain this policy to you. It may be the case that this policy are unique to these hotels, but don’t apply to others in the Marriott portfolio. In any case, I think that would be your best course of action. Hopefully, you’re able to get it all sorted out!
Sabri alshiekh
August 26, 2019
Hi, if I reserve a room for my immediate family members, will they enjoy the facilities of the membership level such as lounge access, upgrades, free breakfast, etc.?
Jarrod West
August 26, 2019
Hi Sabri,
Most hotel programs will let you make reward night bookings for others. The catch is that technically elite benefits don’t apply in those instances since it’s the status of the person staying that counts. So they may extend the elite benefits to your family, but they are not required to do so.
Thanks for reading!
David Roush
September 16, 2019
Hi, I’m new to Marriott Bonvoy but I have 43 nights this year and will not be staying at a Marriott property again until next year. If I get the Chase Marriott card with 15 elite nights now will it count for this year and put me at Platinum level?
Christine Krzyszton
September 16, 2019
Hello David. The 15 elite qualifying nights are awarded on a calendar year basis and are credited in the first quarter prior to March 1st. So unfortunately they would not be credited this year. You could hold a small meeting at a Marriott and receive 10 elite qualifying nights with their Rewarding Events program. Those are credited shortly after the meeting is held.
Laura McEwen Gallagher
November 12, 2019
I just got off the phone with Tiffany who works for the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty program. She was the 5th person I had talked to in regards to a hotel reservation cancellation. Without going into the minute details, I would just tell anyone who has any questions about ‘anything’ to bypass the Sheraton jungle and go directly to the Loyalty program for answers. I was very frustrated and there are so very many Sheraton phone numbers out there. I knew immediately I was speaking to someone who knew what was going on and knew exactly how to handle my situation. Thank you, Tiffany, for a pleasant experience with an unpleasant situation. You restored my faith in a system fraught with recorded messages, Muzak and off-location employees. As I am commenting, I get a return phone call from Sheraton Broadway Plantation employee ‘Sam’ who has already been notified of my problem and has resolved it much to my satisfaction and amazement. A big shout out to Tiffany and Sam. Thank you!
Bob
February 20, 2020
I need to know how to communicate to someone higher up at Marriott Rewards. With my points, I had purchased a travel package with airline points and 7-night hotel stay. We got the airline miles, but were not able to use the 7 night hotel stay due to a significant motorcycle accident that I was in. Hospital, nursing home, doctor and rehab visits prevented me from using it. We asked for and got a one-year extension to use it. I am still doing rehab and asked for another one-year extension. The Marriott rep refused and submitted my case for review. The next level refused. I talked to a supervisor and found out that they changed the rules in recent years and would not extend beyond one year. The supervisor would not budge and would not give me the email or phone number of anyone higher up. I understand the policy and that Marriott has been getting more restrictive on how members are treated, but this was a real accident and it is taking a long time to return to traveling capacity. Does anyone know how I can get someone higher up to restore my 7 night hotel portion of the package? It is not like I sat around and let it expire. I expected a lot more from Marriott especially given that I am lifetime Platinum. Please help.
Jarrod West
February 20, 2020
Hi Bob,
I am really sorry to hear about this frustrating situation. While the emails and phone number of the higher-ups at Marriott do not appear to be public, one option would be to send a letter into their guest services headquarters. Here is the address:
Marriott Guest Services
910 West Legacy Center Way
Suite 100
Midvale, UT 84047 USA
I hope you’re able to get this resolved!
philip mbulu
March 05, 2020
I am the finance manager of a property and I want to understand the calculation behind loyalty expense and reimbursement?
Christine Krzyszton
March 05, 2020
Hello Philip. We have no affiliation with Marriott. We are Upgraded Points, a blog specializing in providing resources for using points, miles, and travel information. You would want to contact Marriott corporate directly with your question. Their corporate phone number is 1-301-380-3000 or you can visit their website http://www.Marriott.com.
David C
March 23, 2020
I am very disappointed in the Marriott Loyalty rewards program. I booked a stay at the Gaylord in Nashville. I was supposed to stay March 4 – 6, but had to cancel due to sickness. The hotel still charged me for one night, which I am okay with because I canceled on the 3rd. However, I didn’t get any rewards points, which is the least Marriott could do. They got my money, but I was told that the policy states that I also need to stay at the resort to get the points. I have asked two different representatives to explain the reasoning for that policy. They got my money and were able to turn around and re-book the room for the night I paid for, but did not stay. The least they could do is throw me a few points for the $237 per night. I am very disappointed.
Silvia Heinrich
April 10, 2020
Hello,
I would like to be removed from the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program since I am no longer using it.
Please inform me as to how to remove my name, email and any other personal/private information from your records in order to stop being a member.
Thank you.
Christine Krzyszton
April 10, 2020
Hi Silvia. Please understand we are not Marriott Bonvoy. We are Upgraded Points, a blog specializing in resources for travel and using your loyalty program points and miles. You can contact Marriott Bonvoy Rewards by calling 800-267-7468.
BLee
June 15, 2020
The selection of items that can be redeemed for points is very limited. Redemption made last year for glassware arrived broken due to inadequate packing material; they did replace the item, but they are not updating their site so a recent redemption showed an item in stock, but when order it needed to be back-ordered. Emails went unanswered, and finally got a real person on the phone who canceled that part of the order and is going to refund the points; however, they don’t send a confirmation showing the cancellation occurred and it is up to me to check back between 7-10 days to confirm if the points were redeemed Don’t know why it would take any amount of time to get points put back in after an order is canceled unless it takes them 7-10 to cancel an item, which is unreasonable.
RT
November 29, 2021
Just an FYI. Marriott points are useless. They say no black out dates, but hotels can “block” you booking anything with points. Example: Looking to stay for a football game in Gainesville, FL. ALL Marriott hotels have blocked out EVERY weekend for Sep/Oct/Nov 2022. This goes against the “policy” of hotels being blacked out. IMO, points are worthless if you cant use them when you want to.
Miguel A. Beas
May 11, 2022
I wonder if this program is still good for me. As Titanium Elite I don’t see any value. No upgrade this year. Missing stays at least 40% of the time. terrible customer service. I made a wrong selection of my perks as Titanium and contacted them immediately. Very rude answer saying that I need to pay more attention in the future. Nothing was done to revert the situation.
Now I have 2 6 nights missing stays in Marriott Santiago de Chile and JW Marriott Rio. Submitted the requests and no one answer. Not even an email to confirm the submission. Disgraceful. And try to call any customer service number. Mission Impossible
Suparada
January 11, 2023
I got referred to a Marriott Bonvoy card from my friend. I used my credit card since but I didn’t get any rewards for free 3 nights. I tried to contact them and no one can help me with that. I don’t know is it real or just advertised.
Katie Seemann
January 12, 2023
Hi,
Double check what your referral offer was and if you have hit the minimum spending requirement. If you have met your minimum spend and still haven’t received your bonus I would suggest calling the number on the back of your credit card.
sandra lee procter
March 27, 2023
How do you use online shopping?
Keri Stooksbury
March 28, 2023
Hi Sandra! Learn more about how to shop with points on Marriott’s website. Thanks for reading!
Vivek
April 03, 2023
I like the program, but it has deteriorated of late. 3 of my last 4 trips weren’t credited, & one has to wait, wait, check, check, file a claim! That’s a customer experience the world’s largest hotel chain provides. Meh.
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