The Marriott Bonvoy program can unlock numerous perks, and open your world up to incredible experiences. Points can be redeemed on much more than Marriott Hotels stays. We’re talking airfare, travel packages, car rentals, gift cards, and merchandise.
Once you’ve accumulated your Marriott Hotel points, you may be thinking, how do I redeem them? Well, this depends on what you’re looking to use your hard earned points on.
Hotel Stays
Marriott categorizes their hotels from a 1 to a 4. With this in mind, you’ll have plenty of options to book a room that fits your needs. If you’re looking to use your points to book a room, simply go to Marriott.com, and search the date and destination you’re going to. Once there, check off the check box with the phrase “Use Points”. From there, you will see the prices listed in rewards points instead of dollars. You will need to sign into your Marriott Rewards account to complete the transaction and book a room.
One of the perks is that you can split your payment between cash and points with many hotels, which give you tons of flexibility. If you can’t find a hotel that fits your needs with points only, this is a great option. This would allow you to book a higher class category 3 hotel with the points you have, and chip in an extra few bucks.
Keep in mind that the points pricing will fluctuate based on when your travelling. That means, if you’re travelling during a peak time, it may cost you more points to book your stay.
Airfare
You can redeem your points for airfare on Marriott Hotels online portal, but this may not be the best way to redeem your points. Transferring your points to an airline directly will get you a better rate of return, and make your points go further.
You can transfer your points to over 40 partners, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Air China, and British Airways. To transfer your points over, you’ll need to first log into your Marriott account. Once there, you’ll be given the option to transfer points to miles, under the redeem points section.
Keep in mind while you can choose how ever many points you want to transfer, there is a 3:1 ratio on points. Every 3,000 Marriott points will get you 1,000 miles to use with the airline carrier. This means you’ll need to at minimum transfer 3,000 Marriott points.
Travel Packages
You do have the option to book a hotel plus air package, but booking travel packages unfortunately cannot be done online, and must be done over the phone.
With 330,000 Marriott points, you can book a 7 night stay at a category 1-4, and will receive 100,000 miles to be used at Marriott’s airline partners.
Redeem for Merchandise or Gift Cards
If you don’t have any trips coming up and your points are burning a hole in your pocket, the great thing about the Marriott Bonvoy program is you can redeem points on merchandise or gift cards from major retailers like Amazon or Best Buy.
You can access and view all merchandise available to you by visiting Marriott’s online store.
Donate to Charity
If you’re feeling in a giving mood, you can also redeem your points in exchange for a charitable donation to one of Marriott’s charity partners. These include the American Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Marriott Disaster Relief Fund.
This can be done through Marriott’s donation page.
Transfer to Another Member
If you’re looking to get the most out of an upcoming trip, transferring your points to another member or travel buddy may make the most sense.
You can transfer up to 100,000 points each year to another member, and receive a combined 500,000 points a year from other members. This can also be done through your account page.
In Summary
Marriott Hotels Bonvoy program give you plenty of options to redeem points. While travel packages need to be booked over the phone, you can redeem points for all other options online, by visiting your Marriott Hotels account page.
