Maximizing the Cash Value of Marriott Points

Marriott points can be redeemed for travel bookings, but did you know they can also be used to offset future travel expenses?

You can use your Marriott points to book a free night at a participating hotel, which can be a great way to save some cash.

The value of your Marriott points can also be maximized by transferring them to airline partners, such as American Airlines or United Airlines.

By doing so, you can turn your Marriott points into flights, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars.

Marriott Bonvoy points can be earned by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 rate, with every 1,000 Chase points converted giving you 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

To transfer points to Marriott, you need to have one of the eligible Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards, which include the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, and Chase Ink Preferred.

These cards offer various earning rates and benefits, such as earning 10X points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel℠ with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, and earning 3X points on travel worldwide and dining at restaurants.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card also offers a $300 statement credit for travel purchases charged to the card each anniversary year, as well as complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a 25% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Travel, and a $50 credit every cardmember anniversary good towards hotel stays booked through Chase Travel.

The Chase Ink Preferred card offers a 25% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Travel, and earns 3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year.

Here's a quick summary of the benefits and earning rates of the three eligible credit cards:

Keep in mind that transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott may devalue them unless you have an excellent redemption lined up, specifically for Marriott's high-end hotels.

Earning Marriott Points can be done through various methods. You can earn points by staying at Marriott hotels, which is the most straightforward way to accumulate points.

You can earn 10 points for every dollar spent at participating Marriott hotels, including brands like Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Westin.

Signing up for the Marriott Bonvoy credit card earns you 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. This is a great way to kickstart your points collection.

You can also earn points by booking through Marriott's website or mobile app, which offers 10 points per dollar spent.

In addition to these methods, you can also earn points by participating in Marriott's loyalty program, which offers exclusive benefits and rewards to its members.

Using Marriott Points can be a bit tricky, but understanding their value can help you make the most of them. Marriott points value is approximately 0.7 cents each when redeemed for free nights at Marriott hotels, which means 10,000 points are worth around $70.

You can get more value out of your points by redeeming them for high-end resorts, where they can be worth 1-2 cents each. Alternatively, you can use them for award nights at average hotels, where they're worth 0.7 cents each.

Here's a breakdown of Marriott points value by redemption type:

Keep in mind that using your points for flights and car rentals through Air + Car or cruises will only get you 0.4 cents per point, which is a relatively low value.

Using Marriott points for hotel stays can be a great way to get value out of your rewards. Marriott Bonvoy points are worth approximately 0.7 cents each when redeemed for free nights at Marriott hotels.

This means that 10,000 points are worth around $70. It's not hard to find redemptions that can get you as much as 1 cent per point, especially at high-end resorts.

You can also combine your points with Marriott's 5th night free award when booking four nights, which can help you squeeze exceptional value out of your points.

To give you a better idea, here's a breakdown of Marriott points value by redemption type:

Keep in mind that the value you get out of your points is based on what you're willing to redeem them for.

Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy Points for airfare and car rentals through the Marriott Air + Car portal is possible, but it's not the best use of points. You'll be losing lots of value, with a $300 airline ticket or car rental costing 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points.

The value of 0.4 cents per point is significantly lower than what you can get elsewhere. If you want the flexibility to earn points redeemable for flights, hotels, and car rentals, consider earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points instead.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Points can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy, airline partners, or redeemed directly through Chase for 1.25 to 1.5 cents in value towards car rentals. This is a much better value than using Marriott Bonvoy Points for airfare and car rentals.

Using Marriott points for merchandise can be a viable option, but be aware that the value you get out of these redemptions will typically be under 0.2 cents per point.

The Marriott Shop With Points portal allows you to use your points for merchandise, offering a wide range of products.

Keep in mind that the value of these redemptions will be very, very low, which is something to consider before making a purchase.

Resort fees on award stays can be a surprise, even for experienced Marriott users. Award stays don't usually require customers to pay taxes and fees on top of the points redeemed, unless the hotel charges a resort fee.

Marriott is not the only hotel program that imposes resort fees on award stays. IHG, Marriott, and many other hotel programs do this, which means you'll need to factor it into your Cash + Points calculation.

To calculate the Cash + Points price, you'll need to subtract the resort fee from the Total Cash Rate. This is because resort fees must be specifically taken into account in the CPP calculation.

For example, if the Total Cash Rate is $200 and the resort fee is $20, you would subtract the resort fee from the Total Cash Rate to get a CPP price of $180.

The median observed point value for Marriott Bonvoy points is 0.7 cents per point, meaning half of the observed results offered equal or better value and half offered equal or worse value.

To estimate the cash value of your points, you can use the Marriott points value calculator or the Marriott Bonvoy points value calculator. These tools will give you an estimate of your points' average worth.

The value of Marriott Bonvoy points can vary depending on the redemption option, with travel being the best option, according to WalletHub data. For example, 10,000 Marriott Bonvoy points are worth an average of $86, while 50,000 points are worth an average of $430.

Here's a breakdown of the average value of Marriott Bonvoy points for different denominations:

Keep in mind that the value of your points can vary depending on your individual redemption options and preferences.

We compared cash and reward (point) bookings across many hotels in the Marriott portfolio, including both domestic and international destinations. Our analysis included taxes and fees for both reward and cash bookings to ensure we were comparing the overall value.

We used the 75th percentile value for our overall valuation, which is the equivalent of comparing four different redemption options and picking the one that offers the best value. This approach gave us a conservative estimate of the value of Marriott Bonvoy points.

To determine the value of Marriott Bonvoy points, we calculated the value per point of each redemption, then calculated the overall value from there. This involved comparing actual redemption options when paying with either cash or points, as seen in Example 1.

According to Example 5, 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points are worth an average of $430, while Example 7 states that 10,000 points are worth an average of $86. These values give us a sense of the average redemption value of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Here's a breakdown of the average value of Marriott Bonvoy points for different denominations, as seen in Example 3:

Our analysis also took into account the fact that the median observed point value for the latest analysis was 0.7 cents per point, as seen in Example 9. This means that half of the observed results offered equal or better point value and half offered equal or worse value.

Redeeming points for gift cards is an option, but it's not the most valuable use of your points. You can get a gift card for $10 with just 5,000 points.

The value of points for gift cards is 0.4 cents per point, which is slightly higher than some other redemption options.

Marriott Bonvoy points offer below-average value for a hotel reward program, with a median value of 0.7 cents per point, as of the latest analysis date of June 21, 2024.

To put this in perspective, the median value of Marriott Bonvoy points is lower than several other hotel programs, including IHG Rewards at 0.5 cents per point and Hilton Honors at 0.6 cents per point.

Here's a comparison of the average point value of various hotel programs:

This comparison is based on data from the Marriott Bonvoy points and can help you make informed decisions about how to use your points.

American Express Membership Rewards credit cards offer a range of benefits and rewards for earning and redeeming points. You can transfer AMEX points to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 rate, making it a great option for Marriott loyalists.

The American Express Platinum card offers a $695 annual fee, but comes with a range of perks, including Global Airport Lounge Access and over $1,400 in annual credits. With this card, you'll also enjoy complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status.

If you're looking for a more affordable option, the American Express Gold card has a $325 annual fee and offers over $400 in annual credits. Its rewards structure includes earning 4X points at restaurants worldwide and 4X points at U.S. supermarkets.

The American Express Business Platinum card has a $695 annual fee and offers a range of benefits for business owners, including Global Airport Lounge Access and over $1,400 in annual credits. Its rewards structure includes earning 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com.

Here's a brief comparison of the American Express Membership Rewards credit cards:

Marriott Bonvoy Points can be transferred to over 35 airline partners at a 3:1 ratio, meaning 3,000 points can be converted to 1,000 airline miles.

This ratio is quite favorable, allowing you to maximize your airline miles with relative ease. You can transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points, which will give you a 15,000-point bonus, equivalent to an additional 5,000 airline miles.

The total airline miles you'll receive from a 60,000-point transfer is 25,000, making it a great option for topping off your frequent flyer account or redeeming points towards airfare.

Marriott Bonvoy points offer below-average value for a hotel reward program, though there is no “typical” value.

The value of Marriott points depends on how they are redeemed, but they have the most value when used for Marriott Bonvoy hotel reservations.

Here's a comparison of Marriott points to other hotel programs:

You can easily calculate the value of Marriott points for any redemption method using a simple formula: Dollar Value of Redemption Item / Number of Marriott Points Needed = Marriott Point Value.

The average point value for Marriott Bonvoy is 0.86 cents, which translates to $8.60 for 1,000 points.

Comparing Marriott Points can be a challenge, especially with the change to dynamic award pricing in March 2022. This means you'll need to do some math to decide if Cash + Points is the best option on a case-by-case basis.

Marriott eliminated its fixed award chart, making it harder to compare options. You'll need to consider the cash price, points required, and any additional costs.

To make an informed decision, you'll need to calculate the value of your points and compare it to the cash price. This can be time-consuming and may require some research.

The best hotel credit cards can offer valuable rewards and benefits, but it's essential to understand how they work and how they can be used to maximize your Marriott points.