Marriott Bonvoy program: How to redeem points for hotel stays, airfare and more

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with the latest information.

Are you looking to maximize your Marriott Bonvoy points? Aside from redeeming these valuable hotel points for a “free” award stay at one of its many properties around the world, in some cases, it can make sense to transfer Marriott points to foreign airline programs.

This article will explore the various ways to use and maximize your Marriott points, including hotel reservations, airline transfers, shopping portals and other redemption options.

How to use Marriott Bonvoy points for hotel stays

You can use your Marriott Bonvoy points to book rooms at Marriott properties worldwide, but the number of points required can vary. Marriott removed its Category 1-8 award chart in 2022, so it has become more difficult to predict the number of points needed for a specific hotel stay.

While Marriott’s dynamic pricing model does have its upsides, as some properties do offer a better value, many hotels now require more points than before.

For example, you can book a stay at a Fairfield Inn in Ohio for just 10,500 points per night, which would give you a value of 1.4 cents per point if you bought this room with Bonvoy points instead of cash.

If you redeem your Bonvoy points for this luxury property in the Maldives, you could be charged over 100,000 points per night, which would give you a value of about 3.2 cents per point. Both options will give you well over TPG’s valuation of 0.84 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, which is why we usually recommend redeeming points for a low-end or luxury hotel to get the best redemption.

In addition to standard redemptions, Marriott offers Cash + Points awards, which let you combine cash and points so you don’t have to use all of your points on your stay. Cash + Points also allows you to customize your stay by redeeming points for one night and paying cash for the next, which is useful when rates vary throughout your stay.

Get a 5th night free

One great perk of the Marriott Bonvoy program is that if you book five consecutive nights on one reservation using points, the least expensive night is free. This free night will automatically be reflected when you book online and applies to stays across all of Marriott’s participating brands.

However, this gets tricky if you use the Cash + Points option to redeem points for some nights and pay cash for others. You must book five (or more) award nights to get the fifth night free. If you book a seven-night stay and pay cash for two of them, you’ll need to redeem points for five of the other nights, and you’ll see your “free” night reflected in your summary of charges when you go to check out online or via the mobile app.

If you hold a specific Marriott credit card, you may receive a “free night award” certificate for every card anniversary. While how many points your award certificate is worth depends on the credit card (some cards offer a 35,000-point certificate while others offer an 85,000-point certificate), the value of your award certificate can only be combined with up to 15,000 points.

Therefore, if the hotel you book has a nightly rate of 40,000 Marriott points and you have a 35,000-point award certificate, you can use your free night award to partially cover the cost of one night and pay an additional 5,000 points.

How to transfer Marriott points to airline partners

United Boeing 777-200ER at SFO — KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Marriott members can transfer points to 39 airline programs, including exclusive partnerships not available with other loyalty programs.

You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to most airline partners at a 3:1 ratio, meaning 3 Marriott Bonvoy points yield 1 airline mile. You’ll also receive 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred, which boosts your effective transfer ratio to 2.4:1. There are a few exceptions to this rule, though:

Points transfer to Air New Zealand at a 200:1 ratio.
United Airlines provides 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points you transfer.
American Airlines, Avianca, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air no longer offer 5,000 bonus miles.

While airline transfers may not give you as good a deal as hotel stays, they can come in handy if you need to top up your points balance or leverage more obscure points and miles that are harder to earn. You can only transfer 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to airlines daily; the minimum transfer amount is 3,000 points.

How to use points for Marriott Bonvoy Moments

20230511_Marriott Moments Fast and Furious_Eric Rosen_72 — ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Marriott Bonvoy Moments offers a range of destination-specific activities, such as concerts, sporting events and culinary experiences, in cities where Marriott hotels are located. These experiences can be booked using Marriott Bonvoy points. Some activities may not be available for cash purchase. To explore these options, visit the Marriott Bonvoy Moments site and choose the category you’re interested in.

Keep in mind that certain experiences have a fixed point cost, while others are auction-based. Review the terms and conditions before purchasing, as most are nonrefundable.

How to use Marriott points for flights, car rentals and cruises

Exterior of superyacht Evrima from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection — The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima. THE RITZ-CARLTON YACHT COLLECTION

You can also use Marriott points to book flights, car rentals and cruises; however, this won’t give you the best return.

For example, we priced out a one-way flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on United Airlines for $77.65 or 12,500 Marriott points plus $31.12. That’s a return of just 0.37 cents per Marriott point — not even half our 0.84-cent valuation of Marriott points.

Redemptions on rental cars provide a similar return, with a sample rental car in Los Angeles coming in at $338.56 or 85,000 points.

You can also use Marriott points to book a trip using the Cruise With Points program or for a voyage with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. You can use 180,000 points toward a $1,000 savings on The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.

After that, members can redeem points in increments of 90,000 toward $500 savings. Full points redemption of the cruise fare may be available, but points redeemed do not cover taxes, fees and port expenses. In any case, this is only 0.55 cents per point, far from a good value.

How to buy merchandise with Marriott Shopping

Multiethnic tourists shopping online with credit card sitting in a cafeteria — ALVARO GONZALEZ/GETTY IMAGES

Finally, you can use your Marriott Bonvoy points for merchandise and gift cards.

Marriott offers a wide range of products on its web store, from Uber gift cards to Bose headphones and Bluetooth speakers. However, these redemptions are not usually the best use of your miles.

For example, a $25 Apple gift card costs 10,000 points. This gives you just 0.25 cents per point in value, well below our valuation of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Best credit cards for booking Marriott hotels

It is easy to earn enough Bonvoy points for your next redemption with a great range of cobranded credit cards packed with features. Here are some of our favorites:

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

Earning rates: Six points per dollar on eligible Marriott Bonvoy purchases; 3 points per dollar on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases yearly on grocery stores, gas stations and dining; and 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Benefits: Earn five free night awards (each night valued at up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening (limited-time offer).
Annual fee: $95.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card

Earning rates: Three points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 2 points per dollar on general travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
Benefits: Cardmembers also automatically get 15 elite night credits yearly, enough for Bonvoy Silver status.
Annual fee: $0.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Earning rates: Six points per dollar spent on 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 per dollar on other purchases.
Benefits: Primary cardholders receive complimentary automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status. Each year after card renewal month, cardmembers receive a free night award worth up to 85,000 points (certain hotels have resort fees). Cardmembers receive up to $300 in statement credits (up to $25 each calendar month) when they use their card at eligible restaurants worldwide. The card comes with a Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you and two guests unlimited access to more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant will reimburse you when you charge the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck to the card (up to $85 every 4 1/2 years for TSA PreCheck or up to $100 every four years for Global Entry). Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Annual fee: $650 (see rates and fees).

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

Earning rates: Six points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program; 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on purchases made from merchants in the U.S. for shipping; and 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Benefits: Cardmembers receive automatic Marriott Gold Elite status (enrollment required) and an annual free night award worth up to 35,000 points (certain hotels have resort fees). Limited-time offer: Earn five free night awards (each valued at up to 50,000 points) after spending 8,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of account opening.
Annual fee: $125 (see rates and fees).

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

Earning rates: Six Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program; 4 points per dollar on the first $15,000 per year in combined purchases at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (then 2 points per dollar); and 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.
Benefits: Primary cardholders enjoy complimentary, automatic Marriott Gold status for as long as they have the card (enrollment is required). Cardholders who make at least $15,000 in eligible purchases during their cardmember year can earn a free night award worth up to 50,000 points (certain hotels have resorts fees). Limited-time offer: Earn 155,000 Marriott points after you spend $5,000 on the card within the first six months of account opening.
Annual fee: $250 (see rates and fees).

Bottom line

While changes like the removal of award charts have affected the value of the Bonvoy program, there are still plenty of great ways to maximize your Marriott points, whether you want luxury travel or something more modest.

We recommend focusing on hotel stays or transferring points to airline partners. These options provide the best value for your points and allow you to explore the world affordably.

For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Bevy Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Business Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Brilliant Card, click here.