How to earn, use, and maximize Marriott points — from luxury resort stays to nearly 40 airline partners, you can't beat the flexibility

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Marriott

• The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program includes over 7,000 properties across 30 brands worldwide. 
• You can earn Marriott points from paid stays, co-branded credit cards, or flexible points transfers.
• Marriott has eliminated its award chart and now uses dynamic pricing with all hotels.
• Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.

Marriott offers some of the most aspirational points hotels on the planet (think overwater bungalows in Bora Bora, luxury villas in the desert, ski resorts in Aspen, and so much more).

With over 7,000 properties under its umbrella, Marriott is by far the largest major hotel chain. Size isn't everything, but its broad footprint is great news for Marriott customers who'll usually have multiple hotels to choose from in big cities and smaller destinations all over the world.

Here's everything you need to know to start earning and redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points.

Marriott Points Guide 2023

Flexibility is one of the most valuable and underrated things for award travelers to focus on, but Marriott makes it easy with the dozens of different brands that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy family. If you're looking for a luxury hotel, you can choose from well-known brands like St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, and JW Marriott. At the same time, budget or extended-stay travelers often have their pick of multiple Courtyard, Aloft, or Four Points properties within the same city.

And if your plans change and you don't need to book a hotel, Marriott lets you transfer your points to over 35 different airlines — it's hard to find more versatility than that.

How to Earn Marriott Points

Earn points from Marriott Bonvoy hotel stays

There are plenty of different ways to earn Marriott points, but let's start with the simplest: earning points on hotel stays. Marriott Bonvoy members earn 10 points per eligible dollar spent on hotel stays at most brands (5 points per dollar at Element, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, and Homes and Villas by Marriott International; 2.5 points per dollar at Marriott Executive Apartments), including room rate, food and beverage, spa treatments, and other incidental charges.

If you stay enough with Marriott to earn elite status, you'll earn a bonus multiplier at the following rates:

• Marriott Silver status: 10% bonus
• Marriott Gold status: 25% bonus
• Marriott Platinum status: 50% bonus
• Marriott Titanium status: 75% bonus
• Marriott Ambassador status: 75% bonus

This means that a general member of the Marriott program who spends $500 staying at a hotel (excluding taxes) will earn 5,000 points ($500 x 10 points per dollar), while a top-tier Ambassador elite member would earn 8,750 points on the same stay ($500 x 17.5 points per dollar). Marriott makes it really easy to earn elite status by holding the right combination of credit cards, and if you're spending a lot of money at Marriott properties this can be a great way to turbocharge your earnings.

When booking stays at a Marriott hotel, it's important to book directly with Marriott and make sure that your Bonvoy number is attached to the reservation to make sure your points post correctly. I've personally had a lot of problems with hotels posting the incorrect number of points to my account — as many as 50% of my stays have issues, so I strongly recommend double-checking your earnings after you check out to make sure everything is correct.

Earn points from Marriott credit cards

Marriott is one of the only travel brands to issue co-branded credit cards with two different banks. The credit card portfolio has changed significantly since the merger. 

While the exact earning rates and benefits vary from card to card, most Marriott credit cards offer 6 points per dollar on Marriott purchases and 2 points per dollar on non-bonus spending.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Starting at the top of the ladder is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, which offers upgraded perks like automatic Platinum Elite status. Currently, the card is offering a welcome bonus of 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.

That's worth around $665 in stays, based on Insider's points and miles valuations.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is the premium Marriott card, with an annual fee of $650. Cardholders will receive up to $25 in statement credits per month for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide (up to $300 per year) and 25 elite night credits per year.

In exchange for that, you get a Priority Pass Select membership** and a free night worth up to 85,000 points every year after your card renewal month. Insider estimates that Marriott points are worth 0.7 cents each — meaning you should be able to get an average of $595 in value from the free night award alone. You can book nearly any Marriott hotel on earth with this certificate (depending on the season).

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card earns 6 Marriott points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2 points on all other eligible purchases.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card review

If you're looking to add a Marriott card to your wallet but can't justify the annual fee of the Bonvoy Brilliant, consider the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase. It's offering an improved bonus of 75,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of account opening plus 50,000 bonus points after you stay 6 eligible paid nights at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® through 1/31/24. This bonus is worth around $875 in stays, according to Insider's valuations.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card carries a $95 annual fee and comes with automatic Marriott Silver elite status and an anniversary night worth up to 35,000 points. Cardholders earn 6x points on all Marriott purchases (in addition to the points they'd normally earn for a stay), 3x points on dining, gas, and groceries (on up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year, then 2x), and 2x points everywhere else.

Cardholders can also earn one elite night credit for every $5,000 they spend on the card, which is handy if you're working toward a higher level of elite status.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card review

Post-merger, Amex is the sole issuer of Marriott Bonvoy business credit cards. The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card currently offers three bonus Free Night Awards (each worth up to 50,000 points) after using your new card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. 

The card comes with a $125 annual fee and an anniversary night worth up to 35,000 points, and if you spend $60,000 or more in a calendar year, you'll receive another anniversary night worth up to 35,000 points. It also offers complimentary Gold elite status, and cardholders can get a 7% discount on standard rates for standard room reservations at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels when they book directly through Marriott.

Similar to the other cards on this list, the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card earns 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program and 2x on eligible non-bonus spending, though it also throws in 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. purchases for shipping.

Review: Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex card review

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is currently offering an elevated bonus of 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of account opening plus 50,000 bonus points after you stay 6 eligible paid nights at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® through 1/31/24, worth about $700 in stays.

If you're sticking to a budget, this $0-annual-fee card is an option. When it comes to travel rewards cards, you usually get what you pay for, and cheaper is not necessarily better. This card comes with 3x points on Marriott purchases (in addition to points you'd normally earn from a stay), 2x on other travel purchases, 1x everywhere else, and no anniversary free night certificate.

The card does come with 15 elite night credits, which is a valuable benefit to reaching elite status for a no-annual-fee travel credit card.

Review: Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card review

If you're looking to earn points fast, consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card. It currently offers a welcome bonus of 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership, worth about $595 in stays, based on Insider's valuations. There's a $250 annual fee.

The most notable feature of this card is that it earns you a 1,000-point bonus on every qualifying Marriott stay when you use the card to pay. So if you stay with Marriott often, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card might be worth considering. Plus, you'll get automatic Gold Elite status.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card earns points on hotel purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy locations (6x), and at global restaurants and US supermarkets (4x). However, restaurant and supermarket earning rates are capped after $15,000 in combined purchases (2x then after). 

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy credit card review

If you're interested in the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, you should also consider its almost identical sibling: the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card. It's offering 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first three months from your account opening, also for a $250 annual fee.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card earns 6x on hotel purchases, and 4x on dining and groceries (2x on everything else). Keep in mind that the $15,000 cap on restaurant and supermarket rewards rates also applies to this card. 

Card owners get complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, which includes exclusive perks like room upgrades, late checkout, and 25% more points on hotel purchases. With that, the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card gives you 15 elite night credits every year towards the next elite tier.

One of the biggest caveats for both the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card is that you won't be able to earn an automatic annual free night certificate. Instead, you'll need to make $15,000 in purchases in a calendar year to receive a free night award (redeemable up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points). While there are some decent uses for these cards, other Marriott Bonvoy cards are a better value for most travelers. 

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card review

Refer friends to Marriott credit cards

Once you start racking up points and using them for memorable family vacations or luxury getaways around the globe, you're bound to get questions from friends who want to get in on the action.

The best part is that you can get rewarded for good advice. If you refer a friend who gets approved for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card, you stand to earn 20,000 points or more to get you started on your next vacation.

Transfer Chase or Amex points to Marriott  

If you find yourself just short on the points you need for an upcoming reservation, you can consider transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Amex Membership Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy. Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, though you'll occasionally find transfer bonuses to sweeten the deal.

This is generally a pretty poor value compared to redeeming your Chase and Amex points for flights, and you should really only consider this if you're short on points and running out of time.

Buy Marriott points

Marriott allows you to purchase points in 1,000-point increments, starting at $12.50 for 1,000 points. You can only purchase or receive as a gift up to 100,000 points per year.

Make sure to keep your eye out for sales or bonuses on purchased points. We've seen several this year alone, and these promotions can help make this a compelling option to boost your balance.

Use Marriott's Eat Around Town dining program

Marriott offers the ability to earn bonus points when dining at local restaurants with the "Eat Around Town" dining program.

It's free to join — you simply register, link your preferred credit card(s), and the points will automatically roll in when you dine at a participating partner. You can even earn a modest bonus after signing up.

Best Ways to Use Marriott Points

Marriott has officially ditched its award chart and now prices its hotel nights between 5,000 and 120,000 points per night. The number of points required for an award stay will vary based on demand, paid rates, season, and other factors.

Where you'll get the most value depends on how and when you like to travel, but usually, the best deals are often at both ends of the gamut. Most of my favorite Marriott redemptions have been unsurprisingly for properties that cost six figures per night. For example, I spent 100,000 points per night to stay in an overwater villa at the W Maldives (for a room that would cost well over $1,500 a night). Still, no matter what type of trip you're looking for, here are a few tips you can use to maximize your Marriott Bonvoy redemptions.

If you're looking to stretch your points, Marriott also offers the option to combine cash and points for hotel bookings. 

Take advantage of Marriott's 5th night free

Whether you're getting pampered in a beachfront Ritz-Carlton or stretching your points on a backpacking trip, 20% off your award rate (in the form of a fifth night free) is an incredible deal. In the past year alone I've used the benefit to save hundreds of thousands of points by enjoying free nights in the Maldives, Dubai, and Greece. 

Marriott makes the "Stay 5, Pay for 4" benefit quite easy to use, as it will automatically show up when you search for eligible award stays of five nights or more. Now that dynamic pricing is in full swing, the perk will give you the cheapest night of your stay for free — not necessarily the actual fifth night.

Free night certificates can be excellent value

I end up with quite a few free night certificates each year thanks to holding multiple Bonvoy credit cards, and over the years they've helped me unlock some of my most valuable redemptions.

If you're selective and intentional with how you redeem these nights, they can offer you a comfortable stay while saving you hundreds of dollars.

One of my best uses came on a business trip to Chicago. Nearly every hotel room in the city was booked up for a major conference, but I was able to redeem a free night certificate at the JW Marriott Chicago for a room that would've cost $680 instead.

I've also used certificates to stay at luxury hotels like the St. Regis Beijing, as well as boutique properties in places like Hong Kong and Cambridge. You'd be surprised at some of the hotels that are priced reasonably enough to redeem your certificates.

Don't forget about airline redemptions

We've talked a lot about flexibility, which is why I want to end by highlighting the fact that Marriott Bonvoy offers more airline transfer partners than Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards combined!

Some of these partners overlap with other programs (like United MileagePlus or British Airways Executive Club), but many are unique to Marriott and offer truly outsized value. Nearly all airlines transfer at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred. Plus, when you transfer 60,000 Marriott points to United, you'll receive 30,000 United miles.

Take Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, for example. 180,000 Marriott points could get you a nice two- or three-night stay in an upscale luxury hotel, or you could transfer that into 75,000 Alaska Airlines miles. That's enough to book a one-way first-class ticket from the US to Asia on Cathay Pacific.

Alaska even lets you include a free stopover on one-way awards, so you could fly from New York to Hong Kong, stop for a week or two to explore the city, and continue on to Singapore at no added cost. Since Alaska doesn't partner with any other transferable points currency, this is the fastest way to earn a meaningful number of miles.

Other Ways to Redeem Marriott Points

You've got other options for using Marriott points (including non-travel redemptions), but you'll typically get much less value than if you redeem for Marriott stays or transfer your points to airlines:

• Use points to book airfare, car rentals, or air and car packages
• Redeem points for exclusive events, experiences, concerts, tours, and more through Marriott Bonvoy Moments
• Cash in points for gift cards or merchandise through Marriott Shop With Points
• Donate points to charity for disaster relief, including the American Red Cross and Unicef

Marriott also offers the ability to share points with other members, up to a maximum of 100,000 points per year, in increments of 1,000 points. This is helpful if you (or a friend) are short points for an award stay, or if you're traveling together and want to pool your points for a redemption.

Ethan Steinberg

Ethan Steinberg is an award-travel expert who loves helping readers leverage their credit card rewards for luxurious international travel on a budget. Before going back to grad school, Ethan spent two years based in Shanghai working as a senior points and miles contributor for The Points Guy. While living in Asia he developed an insatiable desire for mountain hikes, spicy noodles, and earning enough frequent flyer miles to enjoy a flat bed on his trips back to the US.

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