Marriott Review

Overview

The Marriott Bonvoy program accommodates both business and leisure travelers who visit major cities in the United States, Canada, Asia and Europe. As a program member, you will earn rewards points when you stay with one of 29 affiliated brands, including The Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels and more.

You can earn additional points by making purchases with one of American Express’ Marriott-affiliated credit cards (Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant or Marriott Bonvoy Business) or one of Chase Visa’s Marriott-affiliated cards (Marriott Bonvoy Bold or Marriott Bonvoy Boundless).

Marriott Bonvoy review

Because of their versatility, Marriott points are a smart choice for anyone who wants to save big bucks on hotel stays and airfare.

Check out this post for how to set up a Marriott account. Marriott points won’t expire so long as you have activity in your account (with a few exceptions) at least once every 24 months.

Just about all of us on the MMS team earn and use Marriott points for our travels because:

They’re incredibly easy to earn from Marriott brand credit cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card. You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Amex Membership Rewards to Marriott.

You’ve got plenty of options for redeeming points at a wide range of properties worldwide. Award nights start at 7,500 Marriott points per night.

You’re not locked into only staying at Marriott hotels. Many folks, like team member Jason, choose to transfer Marriott points to airline partners for award flights.  Marriott points are the best hotel points for flights because you can transfer them to every major alliance, including some airlines that don’t partner with any other flexible points program.

There have been issues with the launch of the new Marriott Bonvoy program, but you’ve still got great flexibility with Marriott points. Here’s what to know:

Security Features

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless cardholders receive industry-standard security features like multiple authorization checks if your account is signed into on an unrecognized device. As well as instant email, text, and push notification alerts to monitor account activity for fraud.

If you misplace your card, you can easily lock the card via the Chase mobile app to avoid potential fraud. Lost or stolen cards are replaced for free, too.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• High-value bonus for new cardholders: Earn 100,000 Bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
• Automatic Elite status: This gives cardholders 10% more points on Marriott purchases and a few perks like late checkout.
• Transfer option for airline miles: Unlike other hotel credit card programs, the Marriott Bonvoy Rewards program has about 40 airline partners, including American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, United, and Virgin Atlantic. This can be a good option, with some caveats (more on that in the Redeeming Rewards section below).
• One free night each year: Each year after renewing your credit card, you’ll get one Free Night Award, which can be redeemed for a one-night stay at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels with a redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. An annual free hotel night for being an active cardholder for a $95 annual fee is a good deal.

Cons

• Few premium travel benefits: This is a travel card, but its travel benefits are pretty basic. Frequent travelers will be better protected and enjoy more travel perks with other travel cards, even other hotel-branded ones.
• No credits for travel expenses: Unlike with some other travel cards, you won’t get reimbursed for the cost of applying for TSA Precheck or Global Entry, or other travel expenses.

Marriott points worth it

Marriott points don’t have a fixed value per point. It varies depending on how you redeem them.

In general, you can expect to get anywhere from ~0.6 to ~1.5 cents per point on average. In some cases, your points could be worth ~2 cents each or more, especially if you book award nights with the fifth night free (more on that later).

Here’s a post with a breakdown of Marriott points value.

Marriott Rewards Review Summary

Marriott Bonvoy is the 5th best hotel rewards program, according to WalletHub research. Some of the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program’s biggest strengths include points worth an average of 1 cent apiece, lots of redemption options and few earning limitations.

Points

As a Marriott Bonvoy member, you earn points on expenses at participating hotels, including on-site dining and spa charges. Plus, members can accrue additional points by making everyday purchases with any Marriott Bonvoy credit card. Points can used for nightly stays and room upgrades at Marriott-affiliated properties. As well as for merchandise purchases, rental cars, flights and more.

Earning Points

The number of points you earn varies by hotel. You earn 10 hotel points for every dollar spent at Marriott hotels, including its higher-end brands like JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Autograph Collection Hotels and St. Regis Hotels. Meanwhile, you’ll earn five points per dollar spent at Element Hotels, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites properties. You can earn two-and-a-half points for every dollar spent on Marriott Executive Apartments accommodations as well.

Also earn points with one of four Marriott Bonvoy credit cards from Chase Visa or American Express. You can purchase up to 50,000 additional points in a calendar year at a rate of $12.50 per 1,000 points. Marriott Bonvoy also offers the chance to earn points on rental cars and cruises. Plus, you can earn 2,000 bonus points every time you refer up to five friends or family members to the Marriott Bonvoy program in one calendar year and a new member stays at an affiliated property (up to five per referral).

If you have elite status and link your Marriott Bonvoy account to an Emirates Skywards account, you can earn both Marriott Bonvoy points and Emirates Skywards miles during stays at Marriott properties and Emirates flights. What’s more, you can opt to earn miles for airline rewards programs like United MileagePlus and Delta SkyMiles instead of points.

FAQ

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