South Africa: Free accommodation with Marriott Bonvoy points
Loading article…
Travel Hacking: Free accommodation with Marriott Bonvoy points in South Africa
Travel hackers know this well: points can save a lot of money on accommodations. Whether in Marriott hotels, Best Western or even via Airbnb!
Let’s discover together how Marriott Bonvoy points can save you a lot of money for your trip to South Africa!
The Marriott Bonvoy credit card
One credit card in Canada earns 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points: the Marriott Bonvoymᶜ American ExpressMD card. This card has an annual fee of $120, which is largely offset by the value of the points as you will see below.
If you are in a relationship, the best tip is to apply for each one of these cards to get the welcome bonus, and then transfer the points to the same account! A way to get more free nights on your trip to South Africa!
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $120 |
Marriott Bonvoy in South Africa
South Africa is a country in the world that contains many low-cost hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
This means that at most South African Marriott Bonvoy hotels, you’ll only pay from 5,000 and 15,000 points per night to stay!
And if you’re staying longer at the same hotel, remember that the fifth night is free: you are thus saving 20% of your points.
- 5 nights in some hotels in low season = 20 000 points instead of 25 000!
The list of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in South Africa
Here is a list of all Marriott Bonvoy hotels located in South Africa.
Don’t hesitate to check out the Marriott Bonvoy hotel map, created by milesopedia! I advise you to open it in a new window (clicking on the top right corner).
You can filter the map and search by country.
I advise you to zoom directly into a specific area to facilitate your search!
We drew on this article by Rachel of “Découverte Monde” to subdivide the country according to points of interest.
Thus, there are many hotels in all tourist regions of South Africa!
Examples of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the Southeast
The Southeast is the region of the city of Durban with these places of interest:
- Durban
- The Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve
- Cape Vidal
- Sodwana Bay
- Greater Santa Lucia Reserve
- Drakensberg Park
- Le Lesotho
Regarding Marriott hotels, our choice would be the Protea Hotel Durban Edward.
This one is right in the heart of Durban and costs only from 5,000 to 10,000 points per night (instead of CA$159 plus taxes!).
You could use it as a base to visit the area! A 5-night stay at this hotel would only cost you 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points(with the fifth night free) instead of more than CA$800!
Examples of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the Southwest
The Southwest is the region of the city of Cape Town, which would deserve a good ten days of visit including:
- The Cape of Good Hope
- Table Mountain
- Gansbaai/Shark Alley
At Marriott hotels, there are more than fifteen in the area! Our choice would be the Protea Hotel Cape Town Mowbray, which looks quite “charming” and is very well-rated!
This one is next to the Liesbeek Parkway in Cape Town and costs only from 5,000 to 10,000 points per night (up from CA$104 plus taxes!).
You could use it as a base to visit the area! A 5-night stay at this hotel would cost you only 20,000 to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points(with the fifth night free) instead of more than CA$550!
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600Plus $100 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $600
- Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months
- Up to 70,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Examples of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the center
In the center of South Africa, we discover:
- Kimberley
- Karoo Park
- Graaf-Reinet
- The Valley of Desolation
- The River Orange
- The Kalahari Desert
As far as Marriott hotels are concerned, only one is available in the area: the Protea Hotel Kimberley.
It costs only 5,000 to 10,000 points per night (up from CA$137 plus taxes!).
You could use it as a base to visit the area! A 5-night stay at this hotel would cost you only 20,000 to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points(with the fifth night free) instead of more than CA$750!
Examples of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the Northeast
The Northeast is the region of the economic capital, Johannesburg. In this region we discover:
- Johannesburg
- Sun City
- Pilanesberg Reserve
- Blyde River Canyon
- Le Kruger Park
At Marriott hotels, there are nearly twenty in the area!
Here are our two choices. In Johannesburg, we would go with the African Pride Melrose Arch, Autograph Collection.
It costs only 10,000 to 15,000 points per night (up from CA$277 plus taxes!).
There are also many hotels. But if you want to have a “little splurge”, this hotel looks wonderful…
Before your safari at Kruger Park, you could stay at the Protea Hotel Kruger Gate. It is located at the entrance to the park.
It costs only from 10,000 to 15,000 points per night (up from CA$212 plus taxes!).
How to get Marriott Bonvoy points
In Canada, there are 2 Marriott Bonvoy credit cards issued by American Express that get you quickly and directly earn many Marriott Bonvoy points:
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $120 | |||
| $150 |
If you have already had one of these cards, we advise you to apply for the other to benefit from the welcome bonus!
And if you’re in a relationship, and you each subscribe to their cards, we’re talking about more than 200,000 points (you can transfer 100,000 points a year from one Marriott Bonvoy account to another!).
By transferring American Express membership rewards
You can also transfer American Express membership rewards to Marriott Bonvoy at a rate of 5:6.
A great way to add to a points balance with the Cobaltmᶜ American Express Card, for example!
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $191.88 |
Bottom line
The savvy travel hacker knows this: by “investing” $120-$150 in a credit card contribution, he can increase the value of this investment tenfold thanks to the power of points!
In South Africa, pay all your nights easily – up to 10 nights of free hotels with a single card– thanks to the points!
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600Plus $100 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $600
- Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months
- Up to 70,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Go further with Marriott Bonvoy
To maximize your stays and points earning, check our complete Marriott Bonvoy program guide and our best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards ranking. For personal use, see the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. For business expenses, the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card earns points on every business purchase. And if a points purchase promotion is running, take advantage via our Marriott Bonvoy points purchase guide.