Ah, the sweet satisfaction of accumulating Marriott Bonvoy points! You've diligently stayed at their incredible properties, perhaps even leveraged their co-branded credit cards, and now you're sitting on a treasure trove. But the big question looms: how do I actually pay with Marriott points? Fear not, fellow traveler! This lengthy, step-by-step guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from the most common redemptions to maximizing the value of your hard-earned points. Let's dive in!
Step 1: Are you ready to unlock free stays and amazing experiences?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, take a moment to imagine where your points can take you. A luxurious beachfront resort in the Maldives? A chic city escape in Paris? Or perhaps an exclusive culinary experience you'd never normally splurge on? Marriott Bonvoy points open doors to a world of possibilities, and understanding how to use them effectively is key to making those dreams a reality.
First things first, ensure you're logged into your Marriott Bonvoy account on the official Marriott website or mobile app. This is your command center for all things points-related!
 |
| How Do I Pay With Marriott Points |
Step 2: Redeeming Points for Free Nights: The Most Popular Option
This is typically where you'll get the best value for your Marriott Bonvoy points. A free night at a fantastic hotel is a wonderful reward for your loyalty.
Sub-heading 2.1: Finding Your Dream Stay
-
Navigate to the Marriott Website or App: Once logged in, you'll see a search bar for finding hotels.
-
Enter Your Destination and Dates: Input where you want to go and when. This is standard hotel booking.
-
Crucial Checkbox: "Use Points/Certificates": This is the magic button! Make sure you check this box before hitting "Find Hotels." This tells the system you want to see award availability and pricing in points.
-
Browse Hotels and Point Requirements: The search results will now display hotels along with the number of points required per night. Marriott Bonvoy uses dynamic pricing, meaning the points needed can fluctuate based on demand, season, and hotel category.
-
Pro-Tip: If your dates are flexible, look for a "Flexible Dates" or "I'm flexible" option. This allows you to view a calendar of point rates for a month, helping you find off-peak dates that require fewer points.
-
Sub-heading 2.2: Understanding Dynamic Pricing and Value
Marriott discontinued its fixed award chart with hotel categories in March 2022. While hotels still have internal "hidden categories" that guide pricing, the public sees dynamic pricing. This means:
-
No Fixed Rates: The number of points for a night can vary greatly.
-
Off-Peak vs. Peak: You'll often find lower point requirements during off-peak seasons or weekdays, and higher requirements during peak times, holidays, or major events.
-
Value Calculation: To determine the value you're getting, a simple calculation is: NerdWallet, for example, often values Marriott Bonvoy points around 0.9 cents per point. Aiming for at least this value is a good benchmark. If you're getting more, you're doing great!
Sub-heading 2.3: Leveraging the "Stay for 5, Pay for 4" Benefit
Tip: Read slowly to catch the finer details.
This is one of the most valuable perks of the Marriott Bonvoy program for free night redemptions.
-
Book 5 Nights with Points: When you redeem points for five consecutive nights at a participating hotel, the lowest-point night among those five will be complimentary.
-
Automatic Application: This benefit is automatically applied during the booking process when you select five consecutive nights using points.
-
Maximizing: If you have enough points for a five-night stay, this essentially gives you a 20% discount on your redemption. Always try to book in increments of five nights if your travel plans allow!
Sub-heading 2.4: Using Cash + Points
If you don't have enough points for a full free night, or you want to conserve your points, Marriott offers a "Cash + Points" option at many properties.
-
Select "Use Cash + Points": After selecting your hotel and dates, you'll often see an option to use a combination of points and cash.
-
Review Options: Marriott will present different combinations of points and cash for various room types.
-
Consideration: Evaluate the cash component to ensure you're still getting a reasonable value for the points you are using. Sometimes, the cash portion can make the redemption less attractive than paying outright with cash or saving up for a full points redemption.
Step 3: Utilizing Free Night Certificates
Many Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards offer annual Free Night Certificates (FNCs). These certificates are an incredibly valuable benefit.
Sub-heading 3.1: Understanding Your Certificate's Value
-
Point Cap: Each FNC has a specific point value cap (e.g., 35,000 points, 50,000 points, 85,000 points). This means you can use it for a one-night stay at any participating hotel that requires that many points or fewer for a standard room.
-
Combining with Points: Marriott now allows you to top up your Free Night Award with up to 15,000 of your own Marriott Bonvoy points. This significantly increases the number of hotels you can book with an FNC. For example, a 35,000-point FNC can now be used for a hotel costing up to 50,000 points (35,000 + 15,000).
Sub-heading 3.2: How to Apply a Free Night Certificate
-
Search with "Use Points/Certificates": Just like booking with points, ensure this box is checked when searching for hotels.
-
Filter by Certificate Value (Optional): Some search interfaces might allow you to filter results by hotels that fall within your certificate's point value.
-
Select a Hotel within Range: Choose a hotel that requires points at or below your certificate's value (plus any top-up points you're willing to use).
-
Certificate Will Be Applied Automatically: During the booking process, if an eligible FNC is available, the system will automatically apply it to the highest eligible night of your stay if you have multiple nights booked.
-
Important Note: Free Night Certificates are typically for a standard room and include the cost of the room and applicable taxes. Resort fees or other mandatory charges may still apply and are usually paid in cash.
-
Step 4: Other Ways to Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points
While free nights are generally the best value, Marriott Bonvoy offers several other redemption options, though their value often varies.
Tip: Revisit this page tomorrow to reinforce memory.
Sub-heading 4.1: Marriott Bonvoy Moments
-
Unique Experiences: This platform allows you to bid on or redeem points for exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. These can range from private concerts, chef-led culinary classes, access to major sporting events, or even fashion week passes.
-
Value Proposition: The value here is subjective. While you might not get a high "cents per point" value, the experience itself can be priceless if it aligns with your interests.
 |
Sub-heading 4.2: Transferring Points to Airline Partners
Marriott Bonvoy has an extensive list of airline transfer partners (over 40!).
-
Transfer Ratio: Generally, Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to most airline programs at a 3:1 ratio (3 Marriott points = 1 airline mile).
-
Bonus Miles: You typically receive a bonus of 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer. This means transferring 60,000 Marriott points nets you 25,000 airline miles (20,000 standard + 5,000 bonus).
-
When to Use: This is a good option if you need to top off an airline mileage account for a specific flight redemption, or if you find a particularly valuable flight award that makes the transfer worthwhile. However, you often get better value by using points for hotel stays.
Sub-heading 4.3: Gift Cards and Merchandise
-
Lower Value: You can redeem points for gift cards at various retailers (e.g., Apple, Dyson, Sephora) or for merchandise through the "Shop With Points" portal.
-
Recommendation: This is generally considered a poor value redemption. You'll get significantly less value for your points compared to free nights. Only consider this if you have points nearing expiration and no immediate travel plans.
Sub-heading 4.4: Donate Points to Charity
-
Philanthropic Option: Marriott allows you to donate your points to various charitable organizations.
-
Value: Similar to gift cards, the monetary value per point is low, but it's a great option if you wish to contribute to a cause.
Step 5: Tips for Maximizing Your Marriott Bonvoy Point Redemptions
To truly make your points shine, keep these strategies in mind:
-
Be Flexible with Dates: As mentioned, dynamic pricing means flexibility can save you thousands of points.
-
Consider Hotel Categories (Unofficially): While Marriott doesn't publicly display categories anymore, hotels generally fall into different tiers. Higher-tier hotels will naturally require more points. Do some research to understand the typical point ranges for hotels you're interested in.
-
Look for PointSavers: Occasionally, Marriott offers "PointSavers" rates, which are discounted point redemptions for specific hotels and dates. Keep an eye out for these promotions.
-
Value Your Points: Always do a quick calculation of the cash value vs. point value to ensure you're getting a good redemption. If the cash price is low, it might be better to pay cash and save your points for a higher-value redemption.
-
Consider a Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card: These cards are excellent for earning points quickly and often come with valuable sign-up bonuses and annual Free Night Certificates.
10 Related FAQ Questions:
QuickTip: Don’t just scroll — process what you see.
How to check my Marriott Bonvoy points balance?
You can easily check your Marriott Bonvoy points balance by logging into your Marriott Bonvoy account on the official Marriott website or through the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app. Your balance will be prominently displayed on your account dashboard.
How to find out the "hidden" category of a Marriott hotel?
While Marriott no longer publicly displays hotel categories, you can often find a hotel's internal category by going to the room rates page on the Marriott website, right-clicking to "View Page Source" (or "Inspect Element"), and searching for "prop_rewards_category_level". This will usually reveal a number indicating its category.
How to combine a Free Night Certificate with points?
Marriott Bonvoy allows you to combine your Free Night Award with up to 15,000 additional Marriott Bonvoy points from your account. When booking, if the hotel requires more points than your certificate covers, the system will prompt you to use your points for the difference.
How to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to airline miles?
To transfer points, log into your Marriott Bonvoy account on the Marriott website, navigate to the "Use Points" section, and look for "Transfer Points to Miles." Select your desired airline partner and the amount of points you wish to transfer. Remember the general 3:1 ratio and the 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred.
How to book a Marriott Bonvoy Moment?
QuickTip: Take a pause every few paragraphs.
Marriott Bonvoy Moments can be accessed through the "Marriott Bonvoy Moments" section of the Marriott Bonvoy website. Here, you can browse available experiences, see if they are fixed-price or auction-based, and redeem or bid using your points.
How to keep my Marriott Bonvoy points from expiring?
Marriott Bonvoy points expire after 24 months of account inactivity. To keep your points active, you need to have a qualifying earning or redemption activity within that 24-month period. This includes staying at a Marriott hotel, earning points with a Marriott co-branded credit card, transferring points to an airline (or vice versa), or making a small redemption.
How to get the "Stay for 5, Pay for 4" benefit?
Simply book five consecutive nights using only Marriott Bonvoy points for your stay on the Marriott website or app. The system will automatically deduct the points for the lowest-point night, making it free.
How to use Marriott Bonvoy points for Cash + Points bookings?
When searching for a hotel on the Marriott website or app and checking "Use Points/Certificates," look for the "Cash + Points" option when viewing available room rates. Select this to see the various combinations of points and cash required.
How to find PointSavers rates for Marriott hotels?
Marriott occasionally announces PointSavers promotions on its website. While there isn't a dedicated "PointSavers" filter in the main search, keeping an eye on the "Deals & Packages" or "Promotions" sections of the Marriott Bonvoy website, or checking travel blogs and forums, can help you find these discounted redemptions.
How to contact Marriott Bonvoy customer service for points inquiries?
You can contact Marriott Bonvoy customer service by calling their dedicated number, which is typically 1-800-627-7468 in North America. You can also find contact information on the Marriott Bonvoy website under the "Help" or "Contact Us" sections.
 |
