Marriott Cash + Points: What it is and when to use it

If you run short on points, you might consider booking a Marriott Cash + Points rate for your next stay. These rates let you use a mixture of Marriott points and cash to pay for your stay. Here’s what you should know about Marriott Cash + Points, including how to use it and when it’s a good deal.

Marriott Cash + Points overview

As we’ll discuss in this guide, there are many reasons you might want to redeem a mixture of points and cash for your Marriott stay. You might not have enough Marriott Bonvoy points in your account. Or, there might be some nights of your stay that provide a high points redemption value and some that offer a low redemption value.

Luckily, you have some options for booking Marriott Cash + Points stays. You can create a customized Cash + Points rate by selecting a paid rate or award rate for each night of your stay when booking via the Marriott Bonvoy website. For some stays booked through the Marriott Bonvoy website or app, you may also see an option to book a “Cash & Points” redemption rate that’s a fixed combination of cash and points per night.

You can book Cash + Points rates for stays at most Marriott brands. The primary exception where you can’t book these rates is Marriott all-inclusive resorts.

Related: 5 ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award night redemptions

How to use Marriott Cash + Points

Let’s look at how to book a Marriott Cash + Points rate. Start by heading to the Marriott Bonvoy website and starting your search as you typically would for an award stay.

You’ll see a list of properties with their award and paid rates. However, you’ll have to click “View Rates” for a property to see what points-and-cash combinations you can book.

Once you click “View Rates,” you’ll land on a page showing the room types you can book with points at your chosen property.

Click on the “Use Cash + Points” section to see how to combine cash and points.

In this case, I’d definitely want to redeem points for the first night since it carries a more expensive paid rate but only a slightly higher award rate.

However, note that the amount of cash you’ll need to pay will be higher than listed once the taxes and fees are included.

Finally, you might remember I mentioned a “Cash & Points” redemption rate that’s only available for some properties. If a property offers this rate, you’ll see it as an option under the “Points” tab.

As with the other Cash + Points rates, your cash portion will be higher once taxes and fees are included.

Related: The 26 best Marriott hotels in the world

When to use Marriott Cash + Points

As mentioned above, there are a few times you might want to book a Marriott Cash + Points rate. The most obvious time is when you don’t have enough points to cover your entire stay, and you don’t want to buy Marriott points or transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points or Bilt Rewards points to Marriott.

You might also want to book a Marriott Cash + Points rate if doing so will let you avoid low redemption values on some nights. As we saw in the above example, the nights in your stay may carry similar points rates but significantly different paid rates. So, you might want to redeem Marriott points for expensive nights and book paid rates for less expensive nights.

One time you don’t want to book a Cash + Points rate is for most five-night stays. Marriott Bonvoy offers a “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk that gives you the lowest-point-value night free when you redeem Marriott points for five consecutive nights or more. But, if you pay cash for a night and redeem points for four nights, you won’t get access to the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk.

Related: Maximize your points and miles with TPG’s calculator

Bottom line

It’s always worth checking the points and cash options when booking a Marriott stay. However, suppose you have access to a special corporate rate or the Marriott business rate that comes as a perk of having the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. In that case, you may find the paid rates through Marriott Cash + Points are significantly more expensive than other rates you can book.