Marriott Bonvoy: How to Book Free Nights with Marriott Bonvoy Points?
Loading article…
We love free hotel stays!
It is essential to know how to maximize your rewards, whether it’s accumulating points with credit cards, taking advantage of promotions, or comparing redemption options, whether for luxury vacations or simple ways to save on accommodation costs.
Discover our step-by-step guide on how to book free Marriott Bonvoy nights in Canada.
Free Nights with Marriott Bonvoy Points – Step One: Earning Points
The first step to booking free nights with Marriott Bonvoy points is to open an account and accumulate enough points for your desired redemption.
In Canada, there are several ways to earn them, as Marriott Bonvoy collaborates with American Express to issue two Marriott Bonvoy credit cards (one for individuals and one for small businesses).
You can earn up to 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points by applying for the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.
You can also earn up to 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points by applying for the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card.
With these two credit cards, that represents 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
You can earn between 150,000 and 300,000 Marriott Bonvoy points as a couple or with a travel companion!
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $120 | |||
| $150 |
You can also transfer points from one of these seven American Express Membership Rewards cards to Marriott Bonvoy.
The transfer rate is 1:1.2 (or 5:6). This means that by transferring 10,000 Membership Rewards points, you will get 12,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $191.88 | |||
| $799 | |||
| $799 | |||
| $199 | |||
| $250 | |||
| $0 |
You can transfer up to 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for free each year from one Marriott Bonvoy account to another. This is a simple way to book hotel nights from a single account:
- Points accumulated with a spouse’s or travel companion’s Marriott Bonvoy credit cards can be combined.
- Take advantage of your Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- Earn Elite nights to renew your status.
- Use the “Stay 5 nights, pay for 4” trick to book hotel nights with points.
When redeeming your Marriott Bonvoy points, you can take advantage of the “Stay 5 nights, pay for 4” promotion.
Thanks to this benefit, you save approximately 20% on the price of your booking, allowing you to use fewer points for a longer stay!
Free Nights with Marriott Bonvoy Points – Step Two: How to Search?
Once you have accumulated enough points for your free nights redemption with Marriott Bonvoy, you need to log in to your account and search for hotel availability for your destination.
Remember to check the “Use Points/Certificates” box to see award-only results.
You can filter and sort them according to your preferences on the results page. You can also quickly note the total cost of the stay in points or cash; use special rates and codes to compare with the lowest available rate!
Therefore, you can also evaluate whether it is more advantageous to pay with cash or to get free nights with Marriott Bonvoy points.
Free Nights with Marriott Bonvoy Points – Step Three: How to Choose?
Once you have selected the property where you wish to stay, click on “View Rates” to see the different rooms and prices available at the property.
Then, you can choose the room you want. Note that there are two types of redemption:
- Cash Points Redemption
- Redeeming points
To benefit from the fifth free night, you must choose to pay with points only. You can also calculate the value of the point difference to determine the best option.
Free Nights with Marriott Bonvoy Points – Step Four: Verification
The final step to booking free nights with Marriott Bonvoy points is to verify important reservation details, such as the number of rooms selected and your stay dates.
Then, you can ensure that the cost summary is correct; the lowest night rate will be crossed out if you book five award nights.
Even if you are redeeming points for your stay, you will need to provide your billing address and link a credit card to guarantee your reservation.
The card on file can also be used to pay for hotel charges such as breakfast fees if you opt for this and do not have Marriott Bonvoy status. When using your credit card, opt for the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card, with which you can earn 5X points on all charges at their hotel brands.
Finally, review the hotel’s cancellation policy before confirming your free nights with Marriott Bonvoy points.
Free Nights with Marriott Bonvoy Points – Sweet Spots
Some destinations are known to be sweet spots for free nights with Marriott Bonvoy points. Use our Marriott Bonvoy hotel map to identify those that require the fewest points for free nights! Our affordable destinations include:
- The Philippines
- Bali
- South Africa
- India
- Morocco
Bottom Line
To book free nights with Marriott Bonvoy points, earning points through credit cards or transfers and taking advantage of the “Stay 5, Pay for 4” benefit is the best way to get the most out of your points.
You can effectively use your points and enjoy free stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties by following the steps outlined in this article.
- Annual fee
- $150
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$700Total$700Plus $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.
- $700
- Welcome offerAfter $5,000 in 3 months
- Up to 80,000 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”).
- 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”).
How many Marriott points are needed for a free night?
The number of points required varies from 7,500 to 100,000 points depending on the hotel’s category and luxury level.
Do free nights with Marriott Bonvoy points count towards Elite status?
Yes, nights paid with points count towards Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
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.
Go further with American Express Membership Rewards
To maximize your Membership Rewards earning, check our complete American Express Membership Rewards program guide and our best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards ranking, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team.