Marriott Bonvoy is a well-liked resort loyalty program, particularly amongst U.S. vacationers. This system has modified considerably through the years — together with the removing of revealed award charts in early 2022. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to nonetheless get loads of worth while you journey as a Marriott Bonvoy member.
Whether or not you are a loyal Marriott buyer or new to this system, it is vital to know easy methods to maximize your Marriott Bonvoy redemptions. This information will give you all of the important info you want.
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What’s Marriott Bonvoy?
Marriott Bonvoy was established after Marriott Rewards, Starwood Most popular Visitor and Ritz-Carlton Rewards joined forces in 2018. With greater than 30 manufacturers beneath its umbrella, Marriott Bonvoy has over 8,000 properties in round 140 international locations and territories worldwide.
Members can earn factors for his or her stays by becoming a member of this system, then redeem these factors for numerous advantages resembling free nights, room upgrades and unique experiences. As of August 2024, TPG values Marriott Bonvoy factors at 0.85 cents apiece. Nevertheless, since Marriott makes use of dynamic pricing, chances are you’ll wind up getting extra (or much less) worth, relying in your particular person redemption.
What are Marriott’s standing ranges?
Marriott gives 5 ranges of elite standing: Silver Elite, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite. Every stage requires a set variety of nights stayed, however some Marriott bank cards can fast-track you to the following standing tier and even present computerized standing. There are additionally methods to earn elite standing for all times.
It is vital to notice that you may solely get pleasure from elite standing advantages while you guide instantly with Marriott. In the event you guide via on-line journey companies like Expedia or Inns.com or via a bank card journey portal, you usually will not obtain these advantages even in case you add your Marriott Bonvoy quantity to your reservation.
For an in depth breakdown of the advantages of every standing stage, try our information to Marriott Bonvoy elite standing. Here is a high-level overview of what every stage gives.
Member
Anybody who registers for a free Bonvoy account can entry the next perks — so it is price signing up even in case you do not plan to remain at Marriotts typically.
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- Free commonplace Wi-Fi
- Discounted member charges
- Cell check-in
- Earn factors and elite night time credit on paid stays
- Fifth night time free on award stays
Silver Elite
You may earn Marriott Silver Elite standing after finishing 10 qualifying nights in a calendar 12 months. Advantages embrace:
- 10% points-earning bonus on stays and eligible resort purchases
- Late checkout, based mostly on availability
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit score Card and Marriott Bonvoy Daring® Credit score Card present computerized Silver Elite standing. The Daring is at present providing an elevated welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus factors plus one free night time award (valued at as much as 50,000 factors) after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Gold Elite
You may attain the Gold Elite tier after finishing 25 qualifying nights in a calendar 12 months. Perks embrace all the advantages of Silver standing, plus:
- Enhanced web entry
- 25% points-earning bonus on stays and eligible resort purchases
- 2 p.m. late checkout, based mostly on availability
- Area-available upgrades to “enhanced rooms” (excluding suites)
- A welcome present of factors every time you keep
Holders of the next playing cards get Marriott Gold Elite standing as a perk:
The data for the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit score Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Credit score Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
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Platinum Elite
Platinum Elite standing requires a minimal of fifty qualifying nights in a calendar 12 months. This stage gives further advantages past Gold Elite, together with:
- 50% points-earning bonus on stays and eligible resort purchases
- Area-available room upgrades (together with choose suites)
- Lounge entry at manufacturers with lounges
- Assured 4 p.m. checkout, topic to availability at resort and conference lodges
- Alternative of welcome present throughout every keep (varies by model however typically consists of factors, breakfast or an amenity)
- 24/7 devoted assist line
Upon staying 50 nights, Platinum Elite members can select one Alternative Profit. Choices embrace 5 elite night time credit, 5 nightly improve awards, $1,000 off a mattress, a $100 charitable donation and gifting Silver Elite standing to a different member.
Having the Marriott Bonvoy Sensible® American Specific® Card grants you Platinum Elite standing. Alternatively, holders of the Ritz-Carlton card can attain Platinum Elite by spending $75,000 on purchases throughout a calendar 12 months.
Titanium Elite
You may attain Titanium Elite standing after finishing 75 qualifying nights in a calendar 12 months. The advantages are just like these of Platinum Elite, with just a few additions:
- 75% points-earning bonus on stays and eligible resort purchases
- 48-hour assured room availability
- United MileagePlus Premier Silver standing via Marriott’s RewardsPlus partnership with United
Titanium Elite members are additionally eligible for a second Alternative Profit choice after finishing 75 nights in a 12 months. The choices at this tier are just like the 50-night threshold, however you can also choose a free night time award price as much as 40,000 factors or present Gold Elite standing (as an alternative of Silver) to a different member.
Ambassador Elite
Marriott’s prime revealed standing tier is Ambassador Elite, which requires spending 100 qualifying nights and $23,000 in qualifying Marriott purchases in a calendar 12 months. Along with all the advantages of Titanium Elite, Ambassador Elite members obtain:
- Devoted ambassador service that will help you out with reserving and managing stays
- Select the 24 hours you wish to keep (e.g., in case you arrive on a ten p.m. flight for a one-night keep, you can try the next night time at 10 p.m.)
Cobalt program
You will not discover “Cobalt” in any official Marriott Bonvoy promotional materials, however TPG acquired leaked info in August 2019 about this secret Marriott standing stage. Cobalt standing is so unique that it is solely out there via an invite from Marriott Worldwide’s president and CEO.
The advantages are largely that of Marriott Ambassador Elite standing however with further touches, resembling a personalised notice from the final supervisor, a gathering with the final supervisor and a “distinctive expertise on-property” at luxurious manufacturers.
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Assured advantages
An incredible side of Marriott Bonvoy is that most of the elite standing advantages are assured — and in case you do not obtain them, you are entitled to compensation. Try Marriott’s web page on which advantages are assured and how one can be compensated in case you do not obtain them.
For instance, the “Final Reservation Assure” guarantees elite members as much as $200 and 90,000 Marriott factors — plus lodging at a close-by resort — for being “walked” from a Marriott resort.
When does Marriott standing expire?
When you earn Marriott Bonvoy elite standing, will probably be legitimate for the remainder of the calendar 12 months by which you earned it and an extra 14 months after that.
For instance, in case you earned Marriott Platinum standing in August 2024, you’d get pleasure from advantages via the remainder of this 12 months, all of 2025 and the primary two months of 2026. Your standing past that interval can be based mostly in your qualifying exercise in the course of the 2025 calendar 12 months.
Associated: When does your resort elite standing expire?
Tips on how to earn Marriott Bonvoy factors
There are a number of methods to earn Bonvoy factors, from staying at Marriott properties to spending on cobranded bank cards. For the total scoop, try our information on the greatest methods to earn Marriott factors, however this is a abstract.
Resort stays
At most Marriott resort manufacturers, Bonvoy members earn 10 factors per greenback spent on qualifying fees. Nevertheless, there are just a few exceptions. You may earn 5 factors per greenback at some manufacturers, together with Ingredient, Protea Inns, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Houses & Villas by Marriott. Qualifying room charges at Marriott Govt Residences earn solely 2.5 Marriott factors per greenback.
Your incomes charges could be boosted by elite standing and resort promotions.
Nevertheless, you may must guide instantly with Marriott to earn factors for a keep. Stays that do not earn factors embrace these booked via on-line journey companies and bank card journey portals, as a part of an occasion, via a tour operator or as a comped keep. You additionally will not earn factors on stays the place you redeem a free night time certificates or Marriott Bonvoy factors, although any eligible on-property purchases ought to earn factors.
Bank card bonuses and spending
There are a number of playing cards you should use to earn Marriott Bonvoy factors. These all earn bonus factors on Marriott purchases, and lots of of them include further perks like elite standing and annual free night time awards.
If you would like to get a Marriott card however you are not sure the place to begin, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy is at present providing 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors after spending $5,000 in eligible purchases on the cardboard throughout the first six months of card membership. As a cardholder, you may additionally get complimentary Gold Elite standing.
Try our full evaluate of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy.
Organizing occasions
Occasion planners will earn 2 factors per greenback spent for any qualifying occasion held at a Marriott property. Primary members can earn as much as 60,000 factors per occasion, whereas elite members can earn extra relying on their tier. You may additionally earn an extra elite night time credit score for each 20 room nights you guide as a part of your occasion, as much as 20 elite night time credit per occasion.
Referring pals
Marriott Bonvoy will reward you for referring pals to this system. You’ll be able to refer as much as 5 new members every calendar 12 months and earn 2,000 factors every for as much as 5 of their paid stays, for a complete of as much as 50,000 bonus factors. The chums you refer will even earn 2,000 bonus factors for every of their first 5 paid stays for a most of 10,000 bonus factors.
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Consuming out
Like many lodges and airways, Marriott has a eating rewards program that allows you to earn factors while you eat out. The Eat Round City program gives Marriott elite members 6 factors per greenback spent and nonelite members 4 factors per greenback spent. To earn, you should register for Eat Round City, join a bank card to your account and pay with the identical card while you dine at collaborating eating places.
Observe that factors earned via Eat Round City are along with the rewards you’d in any other case earn on the eating buy, resembling bank card factors or rewards from the restaurant’s loyalty program.
Incomes factors with companions
Marriott Bonvoy companions with a handful of packages, permitting members to earn Bonvoy factors on different purchases. These embrace:
- Automotive leases: Earn as much as 500 Bonvoy factors per rental at Hertz or 250 per rental at Greenback and Thrifty while you guide via Marriott’s automotive rental web page.
- Cruises: Earn 3 factors per greenback spent on cruises (as much as 30,000 factors per cruise) booked via Cruise with Factors.
- Starbucks: With the launch of the brand new Marriott-Starbucks partnership, you’ll be able to hyperlink your accounts to earn 100 Bonvoy factors while you make three qualifying Starbucks purchases throughout any Marriott Bonvoy Week.
- Uber and Uber Eats: Hyperlink your Marriott and Uber accounts to earn Bonvoy factors on Uber rides and meals orders. You may get 6 factors per greenback on deliveries to Marriott properties, 2 factors per greenback on pickup orders and deliveries elsewhere within the U.S. and three factors per greenback on premium Uber rides.
Shopping for a mattress
In case you did not know, Marriott sells mattresses. Actually, it has 15 on-line retailers the place you’ll be able to store for a greater night time’s sleep. If you make your buy, present your Bonvoy account quantity, and you will earn 10,000 factors per mattress.
Transferring factors from different packages
You’ll be able to switch Chase Final Rewards (instantaneous) and American Specific Membership Rewards (instantaneous) to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio. It’s also possible to switch Singapore Airways KrisFlyer miles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 2:1 ratio, which might take as much as 4 days.
United MileagePlus members can convert as much as 100,000 miles to Marriott Bonvoy factors per calendar 12 months at a 1:1 ratio. We usually do not advise this as a result of United miles are extra precious than Marriott factors, per TPG’s valuations, however transferring factors to prime off your Bonvoy account for a precious redemption could make sense.
Combining factors with different members
A improbable side of Marriott Bonvoy is the flexibility to mix your factors with different members, which can assist households or pals get nearer to their subsequent free trip. You’ll be able to do that on-line.
In response to Marriott, each accounts have to be in good standing and have been open for at the least 30 days with qualifying exercise or 90 days with out qualifying exercise. It’s essential to switch in 1,000-point increments, with a restrict of six transactions per 12 months and two transactions per 30 days. You’ll be able to switch as much as 100,000 factors complete out of your account per calendar 12 months, and you may obtain a most of 500,000 factors per calendar 12 months.
Elite night time credit, lifetime standing and free night time certificates are nontransferable.
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Shopping for factors
You’ll be able to purchase as much as 100,000 Bonvoy factors every year. The acquisition fee is usually $12.50 per 1,000 factors, however Marriott will periodically run promotions that decrease the value. This is not usually one of the best ways to earn factors, however it might probably make sense in case you’re brief just a few factors for an upcoming redemption.
Incomes miles as an alternative of factors
It is also price noting that you may earn airline miles with choose airline loyalty packages as an alternative of Marriott factors in your resort stays. Usually, you may earn 1 or 2 miles per greenback on qualifying resort fees, relying on the model.
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Do Marriott Bonvoy factors expire?
Marriott Bonvoy factors will expire after 24 months in case your account has no qualifying exercise. You’ll be able to keep away from this by incomes factors via stays, redeeming factors or buying factors at the least as soon as each 24 months. Incomes factors via the Eat Round City eating program additionally counts as a qualifying exercise, however gifting or receiving factors to or from one other member doesn’t.
How to redeem Marriott factors
You may sometimes get probably the most worth out of your Marriott factors while you redeem them for resort stays or switch them to airline loyalty packages. Here is an outline of the assorted methods to redeem Marriott factors; for extra info, see our full information to Marriott redemptions.
Award nights
Since Marriott ditched its award chart in favor of dynamic pricing, award charges at the moment are based mostly on money costs and occupancy ranges (amongst different components). As such, you will not know precisely how a lot your award keep will price till you go to guide. However Marriott’s web site has a helpful calendar function that may show you how to see which dates have the bottom costs.
When reserving a typical room, you may have the choice to pay with money, factors or a mixture of money and factors. And you may obtain the lowest-priced night time at no cost in case you redeem factors for 5 or extra consecutive nights due to Marriott’s “Keep for five, Pay for 4” perk.
It’s also possible to redeem Marriott factors for upgraded rooms. This feature is not out there at each property, so you may must seek for award nights and see if upgraded rooms are bookable through “Redemption with Money Improve” or “Redemption with Factors Improve.” For instance, on this search on the Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa, an overwater bungalow prices simply 10,000 factors extra per night time.
When reserving, remember about Marriott’s Finest Price Assure. In the event you discover a decrease fee elsewhere and submit a declare inside 24 hours of constructing your reservation on Marriott’s web site, Marriott will match that fee — and offer you your alternative of a 25% low cost or a 5,000-point bonus.
Marriott Bonvoy Moments
In the event you’re in search of a unique kind of redemption, contemplate exploring the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program. This lets you money in your factors for distinctive experiences like live performance tickets, culinary occasions and seats to see your favourite sports activities crew.
Try Marriott’s present choices right here. The packages change repeatedly, and whereas some are dealt with as auctions, others provide fixed-price redemptions. It is exhausting to peg a worth on these, as many aren’t simply replicable utilizing money. How do you place a worth on residing out your “Quick & Livid” fantasy in L.A.?
Room credit, merchandise and present playing cards
If you do not have sufficient factors to guide a free night time, you’ll be able to take what Marriott calls an “instantaneous redemption.” This lets you redeem your factors for a selected greenback quantity, which acts as a credit score towards your complete room invoice. However the redemption fee is just 0.4 cents per level, lower than half of TPG’s August 2024 valuations — so we advocate avoiding this feature.
The identical goes for redeeming Marriott factors for merchandise and present playing cards. You may get 0.4 cents per level or much less, so this is not the perfect use of your factors.
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Journey redemptions and airline transfers
There are lots of choices for getting free journey along with your Marriott Bonvoy factors.
Marriott has round 40 airline companions; you’ll be able to switch your factors to most of those at a fee of three Bonvoy factors to 1 airline mile. Air New Zealand Airpoints (200:1 ratio) is the one exception. You may additionally get 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 factors you switch to most airline companions and 10,000 bonus miles while you switch 60,000 factors to United. Nevertheless, transfers to American Airways AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles and Delta SkyMiles aren’t eligible for the 5,000-mile bonus.
Understand that switch instances differ by airline.
It’s also possible to redeem factors towards cruises through Cruise with Factors or towards flights and rental automobiles via Marriott’s Air + Automotive program, however these redemptions have a worth of lower than 0.4 cents per level.
Backside line
There are lots of methods to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors. Redeeming factors for resort stays has turn out to be much less predictable with dynamic pricing, however that is nonetheless probably the greatest methods to get probably the most out of your factors. Marriott additionally gives a number of cobranded bank cards that will help you earn elite standing and get free nights quicker.
Regardless of some devaluations, many TPG staffers stay loyal followers.