Advertiser disclosure
Advertisers are not responsible for the content of this site, including any editorial or review that may be published on it. For complete and up-to-date information about any product featured, please visit their website. We maintain business relationships with certain partners mentioned in our communication tools. While we may receive compensation if you sign up for a product or service through our affiliate links, our reviews and content are based on an objective assessment. Value estimates are established by Milesopedia and are not provided, endorsed, or verified by the issuing financial institutions. †*Terms and conditions apply.
The program covers more than 9,000 properties across over 130 countries and territories. Around 30 brands are part of it, from entry-level (Aloft, Four Points) to luxury (Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts). Marriott Bonvoy has more than 230 million members worldwide, making it the most widely used hotel program. In Canada, more than 300 Marriott properties accept award nights, from downtown Montreal to the mountains of British Columbia.
You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points in five main ways: paid stays, Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit cards, transfers from American Express Membership Rewards, the MGM Collection partnership, and buying points directly. Each one serves a different purpose.
In Canada, Marriott Bonvoy has chosen American Express to issue 2 credit cards:
Both of these credit cards earn Marriott Bonvoy points DIRECTLY.
Each of these Marriott Bonvoy credit cards offers:
Another way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points: the partnership with American Express Membership Rewards.
You can transfer 1,000 Membership Rewards points to 1,200 Marriott Bonvoy points. So 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 12,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
In other words, 5 membership rewards = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points.
With the 7 American Express Membership Rewards credit cards, you can INDIRECTLY earn Marriott Bonvoy points.
The primary purpose of a rewards program is to reward your loyalty.
Thus, the more you stay or eat at Marriott Bonvoy establishments,the more points and benefits you will earn (with the statutes).
Thus, whenever :
Provide your Marriott Bonvoy member number! You will earn 10 Marriott Bonvoy points per US dollar spent at the property.
Depending on your status, you’ll earn more Marriott Bonvoy points for all these expenses!
Marriott Bonvoy’s Best Price Guarantee gets you:
Your room didn’t meet your expectations? Did a problem take place during your stay?
Do not hesitate to file a claim on the Marriott Bonvoy website: the compensation received will be points!
This is a unknown accumulation technique.
Marriott Bonvoy has a cruise booking portal that allows you to earn 3 points per dollar spent (up to 30,000 points).
After several tests, the prices offered by Marriott Bonvoy are very competitive with several advantages:
It is also possible to earn Marriott Bonvoy points via car rental on the dedicated portal.
Marriott Bonvoy has partnered with Hertz to offer:
Marriott Bonvoy has an activities booking portal:
You earn 10 points for every US dollar spent on business.
Marriott Bonvoy offers promotions throughout the year to earn more points.
For example, the one allowing you to accumulate 1,500 points for a stay of 2 nights or more.
Event or meeting organizers can earn 2 points per dollar for any event organized at most Marriott Bonvoy properties.
The maximum per event is 60,000 points (105,000 points maximum for Elite Titanium members).
These brands do not participate: Marriott Executive Apartments, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Design Hotels, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and Vistana.
It is also possible to get 1 Elite Night for each block of 20 rooms reserved during your event.
Finally, when all earning techniques have been used and you are a few points short of a free night, it is possible to purchase Marriott Bonvoy points.
Some rules about buying points:
Your Bonvoy points are mainly redeemed for hotel nights. Marriott also offers transfers to airlines, stays combining points and cash, Marriott Bonvoy Moments experiences, and free night certificates. Here are the key points.
Since March 29, 2022, Marriott has used dynamic pricing. The fixed award chart for Categories 1 to 8 is no longer officially published, but Marriott still uses property categories internally, combined with a season (Off-Peak, Standard, Peak) and real-time demand. Before this change, an award night cost between 5,000 points (Category 1, off-peak) and 100,000 points (Category 8, peak). Today, those thresholds serve as a floor: prices can far exceed the historical upper limit during periods of high demand.
To check the points rate for a specific hotel, run a search on marriottbonvoy.com with your dates and select the “Use Points” option. The system shows the points price and the cash rate side by side, making comparison easier.
Historical chart (2019 to March 2022): these values were in effect before the switch to dynamic pricing. They’re kept here as a reference for estimating; they no longer reflect current prices.
For example, a free night at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel could cost between:
To put these ranges into perspective, here are four common scenarios with their cash value and the return per point.
These equivalents are indicative estimates, calculated using Milesopedia’s value of 0.9¢ per point. The actual cash and points price varies depending on your stay dates and demand at each property.
When you use Marriott Bonvoy points, for a 5-night stay, you’ll only pay 4!
The least expensive of the 5 nights (in case of off-peak/peak season rate difference) will be free!
This option allows you to split the payment between :
The PointSavers option is a promotion offered at certain hotels during predefined weeks. The list of participating hotels is here.
This option allows you to save up to 33% compared to the regular rate. It is not offered everywhere or at all times, but if you are lucky, Marriott Bonvoy members can save significantly.
Thus, with the PointSavers option, a free night at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel can cost between:
To book free nights with your points, it’s easy!
Log in with your Marriott Bonvoy account on Marriott’s website and Check “Use Points”in the hotel search box. Then select “Find”.
For most hotels, it is possible to cancel your reservation up to 48 hours before arrival.
Your points will then be refunded.
After making a reservation on the Marriott Bonvoy website, the points or cash rate may decrease. If this is the case, there is a very easy way to update a reservation and have the points refunded.
This avoids canceling your reservation and making a new one at the new rate.
There are sweet spots in the Marriott Bonvoy program, meaning geographic areas where it is particularly advantageous to use your points.
As for example in South Africa with many hotels in Category 1 and 2 .
We have listed the 8,000+ hotels in the world in this exclusive map!
Don’t hesitate to filter it by category!
Marriott Bonvoy partners with nearly 40 airline loyalty programs.
This will allow Marriott Bonvoy points to be transferred in airline program miles. For most programs, the rate is identical: 3 Marriott Bonvoy points = 1 mile.
For every 60,000 points transferred in miles, Marriott Bonvoy offers a 5,000 miles bonus.
Thus: 60,000 points = 20,000 miles + 5,000 bonus miles = 25,000 miles
Note that a transfer of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to United Airlines earns a 10,000-mile bonus. And the 5,000-mile bonus does not apply to American Airlines AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, and Delta SkyMiles.
Here is the table of current airline partners and their ratios.
Visit this page to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points in airline programs miles.
Finally, Marriott Bonvoy points can be used to book unique activities with Marriott Bonvoy Moments :
The value of 1 Marriott Bonvoy point is estimated between 0.5 and 1.5 cents per point depending on usage. We have therefore decided to value the point at 0.9 cents per dollar.
This means that the welcome bonus for the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card is worth around $500.
Marriott Bonvoy points expire after 24 months of account inactivity.
To keep your account active, you just need to:
Each calendar year, you can transfer 100,000 points to another member. Note the maximum of 2 transactions per month and 6 transactions of this type per calendar year.
You can do this online, or by calling +1 800 535 4028.
All points earned with your purchases on the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card are automatically transferred to your Marriott Bonvoy account 48-72 hours after your monthly statement is issued.
In the above case, I have accumulated :
With the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card, you can earn 3 points per dollar for:
Marriott Bonvoy members can earn and redeem their points at MGM Resorts properties.
By linking your Marriott Bonvoy account to MGM Rewards, you receive reciprocal benefits between the two programs.
Additionally, MGM also owns BetMGM, a sports betting and online gaming platform. It is therefore possible to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on certain transactions.
There are 6 status levels in the Marriott Bonvoy program:
Once you earn a status level, it is valid until February, 2 years later.
For example, if you qualified for Elite Gold status in August 2026, this status will be valid until February 2028.
In summary, once you have obtained the status, you will be able to enjoy it:
Each Marriott Bonvoy status has distinct benefits.
To move to a higher status, it is necessary to have obtained a certain number of “Elite Nights” in the calendar year.
You can easily get 15 elite nights by subscribing to the following cards:
Each of these cards offers 15 Elite Nights per year.
(If you have both card unfortunately it’s NOT cumulative).
This status is awarded to those who have spent between 10 and 25 nights per year.
The cardholder of these cards immediately receives Elite Silver status:
This adds compared to the member level:
This status is granted to those who have spent between 25 and 49 nights per year.
The cardholder of these cards immediately receives 15 Elite nights:
That means only 10 Elite Nights are missing to get Gold Elite status.
There are two cards that directly earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status:
This status is part of their advantages.
You can also obtain Elite Gold status by spending $30,000 per year on one of the 2 credit cards, including the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.
This status adds compared to Elite Silver level:
This status is one of the most coveted by Marriott Bonvoy members. It is awarded to those who have spent between 50 and 74 nights a year.
But the cardholder of these cards immediately receives 15 Elite nights:
This means that 35 Elite Nights are needed to obtain Platinum Elite status.
This adds compared to Elite Gold level:
This status is awarded to those who have stayed between 75 and 99 nights per year.
This adds compared to Elite Platinum level:
This status is the highest in the Marriott Bonvoy program. It is awarded to those who have stayed 100 nights and spent $23,000 US in eligible charges in a calendar year.
This adds compared to Elite Titanium level:
It is also possible, once every 3 years, to participate in a “challenge” to obtain Elite Gold status or Elite Platinum status.
This challenge requires you to complete, within a period of 90 days :
These must be paid nights (i.e., without using points).
The challenge is not published on the Marriott Bonvoy website. You must request it by phone from Marriott Bonvoy customer service at 1-800-627-7468. Depending on the agent and region, the offer may vary. It is advisable to request written confirmation of the terms by email.
With the 7 Membership Rewards Cards from American Express, you can transfer points to Marriott Bonvoy. The conversion rate is 1:1.2 (i.e., 5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points).
Savings this way:
You can change your preferences or opt out at any time by clicking on one of the hyperlinks available at the bottom of each newsletter.
If you are already a subscriber and would like to unsubscribe, you can click on the link at the bottom of any of our e-mails.
