Marriott Bonvoy

Advertiser Disclosure

Marriot Bonvoy is the rewards and loyalty program from the Marriott hotel group. The current Bonvoy program is based in part on the luxurious rewards programs of two hotels that now compose part of the Marriott brand: Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and The Ritz-Carlton.  

The Marriott Bonvoy program is regarded as one of the most exceptional hotels rewards programs available today and prides itself on offering elite-level benefits and excellent redemption value. The Bonvoy family of credit cards are especially well-regarded for their excellent sign-up bonuses, with the Marriott Bonvoy™ Boundless Card from Chase a prime example: New cardholders receive a whopping 100,000 points when they use the card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first three months. 

To get the most out of the Bonvoy rewards program, it is essential to understand how the program works, how to earn the most points and the best options for point redemptions. This comprehensive guide will explain everything you need to know about the Marriott Bonvoy program and help you get the most out of your hotel rewards credit cards. 

Hotels in the Marriott Portfolio 

The following hotels and resorts make up the Marriott International portfolio, and participate in the Bonvoy™ program: 

  • AC Hotels 
  • Aloft 
  • Autograph Collection 
  • Bulgari Hotels  
  • Courtyard by Marriott 
  • Element 
  • Fairfield Inn 
  • Four Points 
  • Gaylord Hotels 
  • Homes & Villas by Marriott 
  • JW Marriott 
  • Le Meridien 
  • Marriott Hotels & Resorts 
  • Renaissance Hotels 
  • Residence Inn 
  • Ritz-Carlton 
  • Sheraton 
  • SpringHill Suites 
  • St. Regis 
  • TownePlace Suites 
  • W Hotels 
  • Westin 

How to Earn Points 

Hotel Stays

The simplest way to earn points through the Bonvoy program is by booking a stay with a Marriott International hotel or resort.  

Points from hotel stays vary depending upon the membership status of the individual, as well as the type of property the stay is booked in. Long-stay brands like Residence Inn, Element, or TownePlace Suites, for example, earn half the points of typical stays with other Marriot brands.  

The points breakdown for hotel stays is as follows: 

  • Basic Member: Basic members earn 10 points for every $1 with most Marriot brands, and 5 points per $1 spent with long-stay brands. 
  • Silver Elite: Silver Elite tier members earn a 10% bonus on points earned. This means they earn 11 points for every $1 spent, and 5.5 points for every $1 at long-stay hotels. 
  • Gold Elite: Gold Elite tier earns a 25% bonus on points earned. This means members earn 12.5 points for every $1 spent with most Marriott brands and 6.25 points for every $1 at long-stay hotels. 
  • Platinum Elite: Platinum Elite tier earns a 50% bonus on points earned. This means members earn 15 points for every $1 spent with most Marriott brands and 7.5 points for every $1 at long-stay hotels. 
  • Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite: These two premier tiers earn members a 75% bonus on points, meaning they’ll receive 17.5 points per $1 spent with most Marriott brands, and 8.75 points per $spent with long-stay brands. 

Travel Partners

Another great way to earn Bonvoy points is through travel bookings with select Marriott partners. Currently, Marriott only has two ways where members can earn points through partner bookings: 

  • Hertz: Members earn up to 2,000 points for each car rental made through Hertz. 
  • Cruises: Members can also earn up to 6 points per dollar by booking cruises through select partners, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Carnival, and Norwegian Cruise Line. 

Special Events

Marriott offers far more than just hotel rooms, as it also plays host to thousands of events each year. Marriott Bonvoy also rewards event planners by allowing them to earn points on money spent on events hosted by Marriott. Members earn 2 points for every dollar spent on events (up to 60,000 points), while Titanium Elite or higher members can earn up to 105,000 points per dollar spent. When hosting the first event each year, members can also earn up to 10 free nights with Marriott, plus an additional free night for every 20 rooms they book. 

Credit Cards 

One of the best ways to earn Bonvoy points is by using a Marriot Bonvoy co-branded credit card. Both American Express and Chase Bank issue Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and provide several ways to earn points beyond booking eligible stays with Marriott Hotels.  

The Marriott Bonvoy™ Bold Card from Chase, for example, earns double points (2 points for every $1 spent) on travel purchases, such as taxis, train tickets, vacation packages and more. The Marriott Bonvoy™ Brilliant™ American Express® Card earns triple points (3 points per $1 spent) not only on travel but also on dining purchases. All the Bonvoy credit cards come with impressive sign-up bonuses of up to 100,000 bonus points, as well as points earned on every purchase. 

Read HotelCards comprehensive reviews of Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cardsincluding: 

Other Ways to Earn Points 

  • Buy Points: Marriott allows members to buy points through their dedicated Buy Points site. The site typically offers deals on points purchases, usually around 25-35% in points bonuses for each purchase over a set amount. The maximum number of points that can be purchased in one transaction is 50,000 – though this level is frequently raised to 100,000 in special events. 
  • Gift Points: Marriott also allows members to share their points with a loved one through gifting. 

Limitations on Points Earning 

As with many hotel rewards programs, there are limitations on how points can be earned in the Bonvoy loyalty program. Points cannot be earned on bookings made through third-party discount websites, such as Trivago, Orbitz, Priceline, Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak, Hotwire, Travelocity, or others. 

Value of Marriott Bonvoy Points 

Current Value of Marriott Bonvoy Points: 0.75 to 0.8 cents per point. 

Valuing rewards points is not an exact science. Point valuations continuously fluctuate based on a variety of factors, including the ease of earning points, sign-up bonuses, changes in room rates, and the availability of award bookings. While point valuations change often, there are practical steps that can be taken to come up with an estimated value for rewards points, such as Marriott Bonvoy’s™. 

At HotelCards, we use several metrics to determine the point value of hotel rewards programs. These metrics include how many points it would take to book standard hotel rooms in different geographical areas and how this compares to bookings with cash. These calculations are made for rooms of different tiers and locations, as well as for peak and off-peak booking times, to reach a general estimate of the value of points. 

Based on current calculations, Marriott Bonvoy™ points have a value of between $.0075 to $.008 (.75 cents to .8 cents) per point. 

How to Redeem Points 

Free Night Awards 

Perhaps the most obvious way to redeem Bonvoy points is through booking free night stays with Marriott properties. Points are redeemable for stays in three different ways: PointSaversPoints, or Cash + Points. 

  • PointSaver: PointSaver is a revolving list of Marriott properties and offers the best value for money, with increased discount rates. Redemptions with PointSaver start as low as 4,000 points for off-peak stays, 6,000 for regular stays, and 8,500 points for peak-season stays.  
  • Points: Points are the primary method of redemption with the Bonvoy program, with free nights starting at 5,000 points for off-peak stays at Category 1 properties, 7,500 for typical stays, and 10,000 for peak-season stays.  
  • Cash + Points: Cash + Points allows Bonvoy members to pay for part of their stay with points – paying the rest with cash.  Redemptions using Cash + Points start as low as 1,500 points and 55 USD.

How to Transfer Points to Airlines  

Marriott Bonvoy points also transfer to the frequent flyer rewards programs of over 40 different airlines.  All a Bonvoy member has to do is log in to their Bonvoy account, click on “Redeem Points,” choose “Travel,” and click on the box titled “Transfer Points to Miles.” 

The following airlines are partners with Marriott: 

Transfer rates of Bonvoy points to frequent flyer miles are fairly uniform, with a few key exceptions. The majority of airlines offer frequent flyer miles for Bonvoy points at a rate of 3 Bonvoy points for every mile (3:1). The following, however, are exceptions: 

  • Air New Zealand: 200 Bonvoy points for every mile. 
  • JetBlue: 6 Bonvoy points for every mile. 
  • United: 3 Bonvoy points for every 1.1 miles. This rate is unique, as United offers a 10% bonus on every point transfer. 

Points Transfer Rules 

Marriott stipulates that each points-to-airline-miles transfer must be a minimum of 3,000 Bonvoy points or a maximum of 240,000 Bonvoy points. 

Other Ways to Redeem Points 

  • Shopping: Bonvoy points are redeemable towards merchandise through the dedicated Shop with Points portal. While shopping with points never offers the best value for money when it comes to redemptions, the Shop with Points portal does offer a wide selection of goods and gift cards from some of the biggest names, including Yeti, HP, Garmin, and more. 
  • Share or Pool Points: Marriott also allows members to either share their points with loved ones through gifting, or pooling points with friends or family to help reach expensive redemption goals. 

Rewards Program Tier Levels  

Silver Elite 

Silver Elite is the first elite tier in the Bonvoy program that offers perks beyond what regular members can expect.  

Silver Elite Requirements 

  • Reservations Per Year10 nights per year 
  • Lifetime Status: 250lifetime stays and 5 years of Elite status 

Silver Elite Benefits 

Silver Elite members can expect the following perks: 

  • 10% bonus points on stays 
  • Priority late check-out 
  • Access to the dedicated reservations line 

Gold Elite

Gold Elite is the next tier in the Bonvoy loyalty program and offers enhanced perks beyond those of Silver Elite members.  

Gold Elite Requirements 

  • Reservations Per Year: 25 nights per year (including redemption nights). 
  • Lifetime Status: 400 lifetime nights and 7 years of Gold Elite status or higher. 

Gold Elite Benefits 

Gold Elite members can expect the following perks: 

  • 25% bonus points on stays 
  • Priority 2 pm late check-out 
  • Enhanced room upgrades 
  • Free improved in-room Wi-Fi 
  • Access to the dedicated reservations line 
  • Welcome gift with points redemptions 

 Platinum Elite 

Platinum Elite is the middle tier of the Elite status tiers in the Bonvoy loyalty program and offers further enhancements than those Gold Elite members can expect.  

Platinum Elite Requirements 

  • Reservations Per Year: 50 nights per year (including redemption nights). 
  • Lifetime Status: 500 lifetime nights and 10 years of Platinum Elite status or higher. 

Platinum Elite Benefits 

Platinum Elite members can expect the following perks: 

  • 50% bonus points on stays 
  • Priority 4 pm late check-out 
  • Room upgrade, including with Select Suites 
  • Free enhanced in-room Wi-Fi 
  • Access to hotel lounges (where available) 
  • Access to the dedicated reservations line 
  • Choice of a free welcome gift of points, breakfast, or amenities 

Titanium Elite 

Titanium Elite is one of the premier tiers in the Bonvoy loyalty program and offers some of the programs most exceptional perks and benefits. 

Titanium Elite Requirements 

  • Reservations Per Year: 75 nights per year (including redemption nights). 
  • Lifetime Status: N/A 

Titanium Elite Benefits 

Titanium Elite members can expect the following perks: 

  • 75% bonus points on stays 
  • Priority 4 pm late check-out 
  • Room upgrade, including with Select Suites 
  • Free enhanced in-room Wi-Fi 
  • Access to hotel lounges (where available) 
  • Access to the dedicated reservations line 
  • Choice of a free welcome gift of points, breakfast, or amenities 
  • Annual gift choice of one of the following: 
  • 5 Suite Night Awards 
  • 1 Free Night Award 
  • Gold Elite status 
  • 40% favorite mattress 
  • 5 Elite Night Credits 
  • $100 charity donation 

Ambassador Elite 

Ambassador Elite status is the pinnacle tier within the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, offering the highest level of perks to members.  

Ambassador Elite Requirements 

  • Reservations Per Year: 100 nights per year and $20,000 in spending with Marriott. 
  • Lifetime Status: N/A 

Ambassador Elite Benefits 

Ambassador Elite members can expect the following perks: 

  • 75% bonus points on stays 
  • Your24 – choose the 24 hours of your visit and checkin and out when it suits you 
  • 48hour booking guarantee 
  • Personalized assistance with all stays 
  • Room upgrade, including with Select Suites 
  • Free enhanced in-room Wi-Fi 
  • Access to hotel lounges (where available) 
  • Choice of a free welcome gift of points, breakfast, or amenities 

Bonvoy™ Elite Restrictions and Limitations 

Breakfast: The following hotels are exempt from offering free breakfast to Elite status members:  

  • Design Hotels 
  • Edition 
  • Gaylord Hotels 
  • The Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Executive Club 
  • Marriott Vacation Club 

For an up-to-date listing of the restrictions and limitations with the Bonvoy loyalty program it is always advisable to check with Marriott’s Terms & Conditions page before booking a stay.


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