How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points: From hotel stays to travel partners

Marriott’s loyalty program has gone through many changes over the years.

We’ve seen Marriott integrate Starwood Preferred Guest into its existing loyalty program and eventually rebrand to Marriott Bonvoy in 2019. That same year, the hotel loyalty program launched Category 8 pricing as well as peak and off-peak pricing on award nights.

Finally, in March 2022, Marriott made the switch to dynamic pricing, which removed award categories altogether. Gone are the days of predictable award prices.

So, how does this affect the way you earn Marriott Bonvoy points? From hotel stays to spending on cobranded credit cards, keep reading to find out the different ways you can earn Marriott Bonvoy points.

Earn Marriott Bonvoy points at Marriott hotels

Earn Marriott Bonvoy points when you stay at the Marriott Marquis in Chicago. FELIX MIZIOZNIKOV/SHUTTERSTOCK

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points when staying at Marriott properties worldwide. Marriott’s properties span 30 unique brands across 139 countries and territories.

Like most hotel programs, you earn points based on how much you spend, your status tier and the type of Marriott hotel you’re staying at.

Most Marriott hotels earn 10 points per dollar spent on stays. Unfortunately, long-term stay hotels — including Element, TownPlace Suites, Residence Inn, Four Points Express by Sheraton, City Express, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy and Protea Hotels — only award 5 points per dollar. This lower earn rate applies to vacation rentals booked with Homes and Villas by Marriott International, too. Additionally, you will only earn one elite night credit for every two nights when staying at Protea Hotels, City Express or Four Points Express properties.

You can also earn points when staying at Marriott Executive Apartments, but you’ll earn just 2.5 points per dollar spent and one elite night credit for every three nights you stay.

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More than one room on a reservation

With Marriott, you can earn points on more than one hotel room. Specifically, you can earn points on up to three hotel rooms if you meet all of the conditions. In order to earn points, you must occupy one of the rooms, pay for all of the rooms, pay a qualifying rate or apply an award redemption; the check-in and checkout dates must match for all rooms booked.

Elite status bonuses

You can boost your point earnings on paid stays with Marriott Bonvoy elite status. The higher the status, the higher the bonus you will earn.

Marriott Bonvoy members will earn 10 base points per dollar on qualifying charges at most Marriott brands, but there are some brands where you’ll only earn 5 or 2.5 base points per dollar. When you reach an elite tier, you can expect to earn a bonus on your stay.

Here’s an overview of the rate you can expect to earn at most Marriott hotels based on your elite status tier:

Silver Elite: 10% bonus
Gold Elite: 25% bonus
Platinum Elite: 50% bonus
Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite: 75% bonus

Members with Gold Elite status receive a welcome gift of 250 to 500 points at check-in at most brands. The number of points varies by property; Courtyard, Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites are among the properties providing just 250 points as a welcome gift.

The welcome gift for members with Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite status is a higher value, and members with these status levels can choose to earn bonus points or an amenity gift (excluding City Express properties that aren’t City Centro locations). The specific welcome gift offerings and points values vary by brand, and you can expect to earn either 500 or 1,000 points depending on where you stay.

Plus, you usually earn points on your entire hotel bill. This means that if you order room service or get a drink at the bar and charge it to your room, those purchases will earn points, too. Make sure to charge on-site expenses to your room to earn even more points.

Earn bonus points with promotions

Keeping track of the latest hotel promotions is difficult — especially if you’re juggling elite status at Marriott and other hotel brands like Hyatt or Hilton. However, promotions can be the best way to quickly boost your account balances and unlock some outstanding awards.

At the time of writing, Marriott’s promotions include earning 10,000 bonus points on stays at all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Latin America this summer and fall. There’s also a promotion where you can earn 1,000 bonus points and one bonus elite night credit per eligible night completed between Feb. 13 and April 29.

You can see your eligible promotions by heading to Marriott’s promotion page and signing in to your account. You should see all public and targeted offers on this page. Enroll in promotions by clicking the “Register” button located to the right of the promotion’s name.

Host an event at a Marriott hotel

Marriott’s events program lets you earn extra points on meetings, weddings and other special events you host at Marriott properties.

You’ll earn 2 points per dollar spent on room, food, drink and other charges. Elite bonuses also apply here, so you can expect to earn as follows based on your status:

General member: 2 points per dollar, no bonus (with a maximum of 60,000 points per event)
Silver Elite: 10% point bonus (with a maximum of 66,000 points per event)
Gold Elite: 25% point bonus (with a maximum of 75,000 points per event)
Platinum Elite: 50% point bonus (with a maximum of 90,000 points per event)
Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite: 75% point bonus (with a maximum of 105,000 points per event)

You’ll also earn one elite night credit for every 20 room nights you book when you host an event (up to 20 elite night credits per event). So, if you host a large event, you could fast-track your way to Marriott elite status.

Play golf or go to the spa

Marriott Bonvoy members can also stack up 10 points for every dollar spent at participating Marriott Golf Resorts or spas.

Earn with credit cards

Marriott offers six credit cards: three with American Express and three with Chase. Each of these cards has different benefits and welcome bonuses as well as some strong bonuses you could earn through limited-time offers on certain cards.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each Marriott credit card. Use the information here to find which is best for your wallet.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. ISABELLE RAPHAEL/THE POINTS GUY

Annual fee: $95

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers three free night awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 in the first three months of account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.

6 points per dollar spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
3 points per dollar spent on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on gas stations, grocery stores and dining
2 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

You’ll enjoy a free night award (up to 35,000 points) every year after your account anniversary (certain hotels have resort fees). This more than covers the card’s annual fee for most of us. TPG valuations estimate that Marriott points are worth 0.84 cents each, on average, which means this annual free night is worth $294.

Additionally, the card offers complimentary Silver Elite status as long as your card is open and in good standing. You can upgrade to Gold status when you spend $35,000 or more on the card each calendar year.

Plus, every year your card is open, you’ll enjoy 15 elite night credits to help you reach the next elite status tier. You can also earn one elite night credit toward status for every $5,000 you spend on your card.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card

Annual fee: $0

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card offers 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after using the card to spend $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months. You’ll also earn:

3 points per dollar spent at participating Marriott hotels
2 points per dollar spent on travel purchases (ends July 10)
1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Plus, you’ll earn 15 Elite Night Credits each year the card is open, automatically qualifying you for Silver Elite status. However, this perk also ends July 10.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Annual fee: $650 (see rates and fees)

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card currently offers a welcome bonus of 185,000 points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first six months of card membership. This offer ends May 1.

6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
3 points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants (including takeout and delivery) and on flights booked directly with airlines
2 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

You’ll receive one free night award every year after your account anniversary, valid for up to 85,000 points (certain hotels have resort fees) and a monthly dining credit worth up to $25.

The card comes with Priority Pass lounge privileges and automatic Platinum Elite status. You’re also eligible for 25 elite night credits every year your card is open. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card. THE POINTS GUY

Annual fee: $250 (see rates and fees)

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card currently has a welcome offer of 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after using your card to spend $5,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. This offer ends May 1.

6 points per dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2 points per dollar)
2 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

The card offers complimentary Gold Elite status to cardholders. You’ll also receive 15 elite night credits every year.

Although the card doesn’t come with an annual free night, the card does offer an annual free night award via spending. Cardholders who make at least $15,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year can earn a free night award worth up to 50,000 points (certain hotels have resort fees).

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card from Chase

Annual fee: $250

The Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card from Chase is practically identical to the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy. The Bountiful current welcome offer is 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account.

It’s got the same return rates, too:

6 points per dollar at participating Marriott hotels.
4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2 points per dollar)
2 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The card even provides the same benefits of Gold Elite status, 15 elite night credits per calendar year, and a free night award worth up to 50,000 points after you spend $15,000 in eligible purchases during a cardmember year. Certain hotels have resort fees.

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express card. THE POINTS GUY

Annual fee: $125 (see rates and fees)

With the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, you can earn three free night awards after you use your new card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership. Each free night award has a redemption level of up to 50,000 points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort fees.

You’ll also earn:

6 points per dollar of eligible purchases spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
4 points per dollar spent 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
2 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

The card also comes with a free award night after each cardmember anniversary, valid for up to 35,000 points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program. You’ll also earn another free night award after you spend $60,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year.

The card offers complimentary Gold Elite status as long as your card is open and in good standing. You’ll also enjoy 15 elite night credits every year your card is open. This benefit can be stacked with the nights you earn with any Marriott personal card, allowing you to fast-track up to 40 elite nights per year.

The card also comes with a 7% Marriott Bonvoy room rate discount off eligible standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms when you book directly with Marriott at participating properties.

Transfer points

A United plane at the gate. ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

You can transfer three different types of points to your Marriott Bonvoy account. Here’s a look at your options:

Transfer points from Chase or American Express

Marriott Bonvoy is a partner of both American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. Both of these programs allow you to transfer points at a 1:1 ratio, meaning that 1,000 Ultimate Rewards or Membership Rewards points equal 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

However, we don’t necessarily recommend making this transfer. TPG values Membership Rewards points at 2 cents per point and Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents per point, while Marriott points are worth 0.84 cents per point. This means you’ll lose more than half the value of your points in this transfer.

Transfer miles from United MileagePlus

You can also transfer United MileagePlus miles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio.

United and Marriott have long had a partnership that provides reciprocal elite status benefits for United and Marriott elite members. Unfortunately, you can only transfer up to 100,000 United miles to Marriott Bonvoy each year.

There’s no fee to make this transfer, but we don’t recommend it as you’ll lose value when you transfer. This is because TPG values United MileagePlus miles at 1.4 cents apiece. You’ll usually only want to transfer United miles to Marriott if you’re topping up for a specific redemption.

Note that you must hold United Airlines elite status (Gold or above) to make this conversion.

Transfer miles from other airlines

Marriott Bonvoy also partners with six other airline loyalty programs to transfer miles into Marriott Bonvoy points.

These programs are ANA Mileage Club (1:1 ratio), Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (2:1 ratio), Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles (2:1 ratio), Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank (4:3 ratio), Korean Air SkyPass (2:1 ratio) and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (2:1 ratio).

To make these transfers, you must be a member of both the participating airline and Marriott Bonvoy. Each airline program has varying requirements and minimums to complete a transfer. You can check out all of this information via Marriott’s transfer partner webpage.

Transfer points between accounts

One perk of the Marriott Bonvoy program is the ability to transfer points between accounts for free.

Each year, you can transfer up to 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points from a single account. Likewise, you can receive up to 500,000 points per year on a single account. Each account must be at least 30 days old (with activity) or 90 days (without activity) to participate in transfers.

You can initiate a transfer with Marriott’s online tool by logging into your Marriott Bonvoy account and then providing the recipient’s first and last name and Marriott Bonvoy member number.

This is helpful for families who want to combine multiple account balances for a single redemption. Likewise, a friend with expiring points may opt to transfer points to you if they don’t have an immediate use for them.

Earn points by shopping and dining

Marriott doesn’t have a shopping portal, but it does offer a couple of other ways to earn points on everyday purchases. Here’s a look at your options.

Marriott dining rewards

Earn Marriott Bonvoy points when dining out at restaurants participating in its Eat Around Town program. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

Marriott has the Eat Around Town dining rewards program. This program offers Marriott elite members 6 Marriott points per dollar spent and non-elite members 4 points per dollar spent at participating restaurants. You’ll earn these points in addition to whatever rewards you’d otherwise earn from your credit card. Just remember to link your credit card to the program and dine at participating restaurants.

Want to earn even more points? Link a card that earns bonus points on dining. One of the best starter cards is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which earns 3 points per dollar spent on dining. If you use this card to purchase a $100 meal at a participating restaurant, you’ll earn 600 Marriott Bonvoy points as an elite member and 300 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Buy a mattress

If you need a new mattress, consider buying one from your favorite Marriott hotel.

Bonvoy members earn 10,000 Marriott points (worth $84, according to our valuations) when buying a mattress on any of Marriott International’s online retail websites: Shop Edition, The Ritz-Carlton Shops, The Luxury Collection Store, St. Regis Boutique, W Hotels, The Store, Curated by JW, Shop Marriott, Sheraton Store, Westin Store, Collect Renaissance, Gaylord Hotels The Store, Shop Courtyard and Fairfield Store.

Earn points with travel partners

Earn Marriott Bonvoy points when you book other forms of travel, like cruises and rental cars. JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points when booking other types of travel, too. Here’s a look at how to earn points when booking rental cars, vacation activities and cruises.

Earn points on Hertz rental cars

You can earn up to 500 Marriott Bonvoy points on your Hertz car rentals. Simply book rentals through Marriott’s Hertz portal. You’ll earn 500 points on rentals with Hertz or 250 points with Dollar and Thrifty.

Book cruises through the Marriott portal

Booking a cruise through Marriott’s Cruise with Points can net you a huge number of bonus Marriott Bonvoy points, depending on the cost. You’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent on cruises booked through CruisesOnly, up to 30,000 points per cruise.

Book vacation activities

You can also earn points when purchasing qualifying vacation activities through Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities. The site offers a wide variety of tours, transfers and events in the U.S. and around the world.

The number of points you’ll earn depends on how much you spend and the experience you book. For instance, you can book a Chicago food tour for $80 per person and earn 400 Marriott points. A four-day Icelandic tour runs a whopping $1,053 per head and earns 5,263 Marriott Points.

Be sure to comparison shop to ensure the tour or activity isn’t available for a lower price elsewhere.

Ride or order food with Uber

You can earn Marriott points from rides with Uber and food orders with Uber Eats. You’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent on Uber Premium rides (including Uber XL, Uber Black, Uber SUV and Uber Comfort). You’ll earn 6 points per dollar spent when you order Uber Eats delivery while staying at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel. Plus, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar spent when you order Uber Eats at home or on the road.

Additionally, if you haven’t yet linked your Marriott Bonvoy and Uber accounts, you have until April 15 to do so and earn up to 2,500 bonus points. You’ll earn 500 bonus points when you link your two accounts, stack up 1,000 bonus points when you complete a qualifying ride with Uber and get another 1,000 bonus points when you place a qualifying food or grocery order for delivery with Uber Eats. This brings the total up to 2,500.

Buy points

Buy Marriott Bonvoy points to top up for your next big redemption. TUPUNGATO/SHUTTERSTOCK

Need Marriott Bonvoy points quickly? You can buy them in a pinch. Marriott typically sells points at 1.25 cents apiece, which is higher than TPG’s 0.84 cent valuation. You can purchase up to 100,000 points per calendar year, although the hotel group frequently raises this limit during points sales. Additionally, you can buy 100,000 additional points each year when you’re booking a hotel stay and don’t have enough rewards.

We don’t recommend buying points speculatively, but it can make sense if you’re topping up your account for a specific high-end award night. Likewise, it makes sense to buy points if you can buy the points required for a particular stay at a lower cost than paying for the hotel in cash.

Bottom line

There are many different ways you can beef up your Marriott Bonvoy points balance. If you’re looking for a quick boost, consider applying for a Marriott credit card and spending enough to earn the welcome bonus. This will easily pad your Marriott Bonvoy account with tens of thousands of points — more than enough for a night or two away.

Likewise, enroll in all your applicable promotions and sign up for the Marriott dining program. Combined with a Marriott credit card, you’ll be well on your way to a free night in no time.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex Card, click here.

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