Marriott International is one of the largest hotel brands in the world and its Marriott Bonvoy rewards program is one of the most valuable. Learn everything you need to know about the rewards program, including how to earn and redeem points, transfer points to loyalty partner programs, and earn elite status.
What is the Marriott Bonvoy program?
Marriott Bonvoy is Marriott International’s hotel loyalty program. The hotel chain first introduced the program in 1983. In 2019, Marriott combined three of its loyalty programs – Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest – into one new program: Marriott Bonvoy. Bonvoy members can earn points in a variety of ways and use them to rate hotel stays, book other types of travel, and more.
How do I become a member of the Marriott Bonvoy program?
Joining the rewards program is free and you can do it online through
Marriott website or mobile app. In addition, Marriott will register an account for you when you apply and receive Marriott Bonvoy credit card verification. Once you join, you will receive a membership number that you can add to your bookings to earn points for your stay.
What hotels are part of the Marriott Bonvoy chain?
Marriott International has a network of 31 brands, which means that it will not be difficult for you to find property in most cities in the world. Marriott brands include:
- AC Hotels
- Upstairs
- Autograph Collection Hotels
- Bulgari Hotels & Resorts
- Courtyard by Marriott
- Delta Hotels
- Design hotels
- Version
- Element from Westin
- Fairfield by Marriott
- Four Points by Sheraton
- Gaylord Hotels
- Houses and villas from Marriott International
- JW Marriott
- Le Meridien
- Marriott
- Marriott Executive Suite
- Marriott Leisure Club
- Moxy Hotels
- Protea Hotels
- Renaissance Hotels
- Residence Inn by Marriott
- Sheraton
- SpringHill Suites Marriott
- St. Regis hotels and resorts
- luxury collection
- The Ritz-Carlton
- TownPlace Suites
- Dani’s portfolio
- W Hotels
- Westin
Marriott International was founded in 1927 by J. Willard Marriott in Washington, D.C. As of 2020, the network has over 7,000 members in 131 countries and territories.
pros
The largest hotel chain in the world
There are no blackout dates or room limits for premium stays at most hotels.
Automatic elite status for Marriott branded credit card holders
On average, points are worth more than most hotel loyalty programs.
Minuses
Premium hotels can cost up to 100,000 points per night.
Getting higher elite status is difficult, even with a Marriott credit card.
Points expire after 24 months of inactivity
How to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points
Marriott offers members several different ways to earn Reward Points.
Stay at Marriott Hotels
As a standard member, you’ll earn 10 points for every dollar spent on eligible purchases across most Marriott brands. The only exceptions are Element, Residence Inn and TownPlace Suites where you get 5 points per night.
“Eligible Purchases” is a broad category including:
- Room fee
- Dining room
- Beverages
- Golf rounds
- SPA services
- Movies and games in the room
However, you will not earn points for points you use for award stays, taxes, service charges, gratuities, or other mandatory or automatic payments.
You can earn points at Marriott hotels even if you don’t have a booking. For example, you earn points for shopping at Marriott restaurants when the bill is $10 or more before taxes and tips.
Other Ways to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points
- Join the Marriott Dining Program : The Eat Around Town by Marriott Bonvoy program gives you the opportunity to earn points when you eat out. Simply link any debit or credit card to your Bonvoy account and use it to pay bills at one of the chain’s over 11,000 restaurants. Standard Bonvoy members earn 4 points per dollar spent, while Elite members earn 6 points per dollar.
- Book a Cruise : Members who book a cruise with Cruise with Points will earn 3 points per dollar spent, up to a total of 30,000 Reward Points. You can also take advantage of special offers on select cruise lines.
- Fly with partners : If you fly with one of Marriott’s more than 40 partner airlines, you can choose to receive Marriott Reward Points when you book, instead of points or miles with that airline’s frequent flyers. program.
- Book activities : Depending on the destination, you can book various activities. If you pass through Marriott, you will earn 5 points for every dollar spent.
- Book Events : You can earn 2 points per dollar, up to a total of 60,000 points, when you book an event – conference, meeting or wedding – at a participating property. Eligible purchases include room, food, beverage, and audio/video fees. If you are a Titanium Elite member, you can earn a maximum of 105,000 points per event.
Marriott Bonvoy points expiring?
Yes, you will lose your Marriott Bonvoy points if your account is inactive for 24 consecutive months. You can avoid losing points by earning or using points at least once every 24 months. If you have a Marriott credit card, using it to earn points at least once every two years should be sufficient to keep your points from expiring.
Gifting or transferring points (or receiving points as a gift or transfer) does not count as account activity.
How to use Marriott Bonvoy points
As with other hotel rewards programs, the most valuable way to use your points is through reward nights. However, the program offers several other repayment options if you want more flexibility.
Book your stay at Marriott
The Balance found that Marriott Bonvoy points are worth an average of 1.11 cents each when you use them to book a hotel stay. The cost of a night in a hotel may vary depending on the category and time of travel. The Marriott awards table provides the following figures for reference:
| Hotel category | off peak | Standard | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 |
| 3 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| 4 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 |
| 7 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 |
| 8 | 70,000 | 85,000 | 100,000 |
Marriott regularly adds select properties to its PointSavers program, which allows you to get up to 20% off your booking. You can find participating hotels and dates on the Marriott website . If you don’t have enough points to book your stay, you can combine rewards and cash.
Points cost about the same whether you use them in a standard or luxury hotel, according to The Balance’s. analysis . However, you will be able to book more nights in hotels of a lower category.
You can book your hotel stay with points online, through the Marriott mobile app, or by calling the hotel’s reservation line.
Transferring points to loyalty programs of partner airlines
Marriott has over 40 partner airlines, which is relatively unique among hotel reward programs. However, the transfer ratio leaves a lot to be desired: 3:1 for frequent flyer programs, while 1:1 is ideal. The exceptions are Air New Zealand (200:1), JetBlue (6:1) and United Airlines (3:1.1).
Depending on the partner, you can transfer from 3,000 to 240,000 points per day. In addition, for every 60,000 points you transfer, you will earn 5,000 partner airline miles.
However, due to the low transfer rate, it may not make sense to transfer your points to an award ticket.
Other Ways to Use Marriott Bonvoy Points
The hotel program offers several other ways to use your points. Try to avoid these options if you can’t get the same or more value per point as you would for an award night booking:
- Book car rentals and flights
- Book a travel package for seven or more nights
- Paying for cooking, entertainment, sports or lifestyle
- Buy gift cards
- Pool points with another Marriott Bonvoy member – you can share 1,000 or more points at a time, up to 100,000 per year.
- Convert your points into cash donations to select charities.
Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status
The Marriott Bonvoy program includes one Basic Membership Level and five Elite Membership Levels, each with its own set of benefits. Elite levels: Silver Elite, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite.
How to get Marriott Bonvoy status
As with most hotel reward programs, the main way to achieve elite status is to stay a certain number of nights per year:
| Status level | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Silver Elite | Stay 10 nights per year |
| golden elite | Stay 25 nights a year |
| Platinum Elite | 50 nights per year |
| Titanium Elite | 75 nights per year |
| Ambassador Elite | Stay 100 nights and spend $20,000 a year on qualifying Marriott purchases. |
For people who don’t travel much, you can quickly upgrade to Elite status with one of Marriott’s credit cards:
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold : Automatic Silver Elite status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Unlimited : Automatic Silver Elite status, plus Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 or more per year.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card : Automatic Platinum Elite status for one year, then Silver Elite status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card : Automatic Platinum Elite for one year, then Silver Elite with free Gold Elite.
Benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status
Benefits may vary depending on the level you are applying for. But some of the most significant perks available to most people, including Marriott credit card holders, include:
- Point bonuses that increase with each level
- Late check-out
- Booking guarantee
- Welcome gifts
- Room upgrade subject to availability
Some of the higher elite status levels add additional perks such as lounge access, guaranteed room type, special support, and more.
Key Findings
The Marriott Bonvoy rewards program is best for people who prefer Marriott over other brands or who want a wide choice of hotels wherever they are. Some of the best features of the program include its high value compared to other hotel rewards programs, flexible earning opportunities and elite status benefits.
The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy Points is to use one of the hotel’s co-branded credit cards as they allow you to earn points daily on non-Marriott purchases. Other great ways to make money include the food program of the hotel and its travel partners. Although the program offers several redemption options, most of them offer limited value, so it’s best to focus your efforts on award night bookings.
The answer is Yes, you can get Marriott Bonvoy here, no need to spend $10,000+ staying 40 or 60 nights.