Got a dream stay in mind? Now is a great time to boost your Marriott Bonvoy balance by buying points at a 25% discount.
Leading hotel loyalty program Marriott Bonvoy offers members the ability to purchase a capped number of flexible points.
While buying points doesn’t typically represent good value, it can occasionally be a good strategy to lock in an aspirational reward quickly.
There are certainly times when purchasing points makes more sense than others, particularly when you’re looking to extract maximum value from your rewards.
From time to time, Marriott runs purchase promotions, which can make buying points worthwhile – particularly for those dreamy high-value resort redemptions.
No matter what you plan to do with your Marriott Bonvoy points, it pays to know how purchasing points can work for you.
Read on for a detailed overview of all things buying Marriott Bonvoy Points.
Current offer: Digging into the details
Details: Marriott Bonvoy is currently offering a 25% discount on purchased points.
Dates: This offer runs from November 2 to December 20, 2022.
Terms: Unlike other tiered points purchases offers, this promotion is quite straightforward. Simply buy between 2,000 and 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in the offer period and the discount will kick in.
It’s worth noting, however, that the current exchange rate likely makes this a poor proposition (we’ll discuss this in more detail soon).
Nevertheless, if you were thinking of buying a stash of Marriott Bonvoy points to supercharge your account balance anyway, then it could make sense to take advantage of this promotion.
As always, there’s a certain risk element involved with buying points speculatively. As such, it’s best to only purchase points when you have a particular redemption in mind.
Previous offers
A 25% discount on points purchases tends to be a standard offer, however, we have seen more impressive promotions in the past.
Marriott Bonvoy periodically pushes out discounts or bonuses on purchased points. If time is on your side, it’s best to hold out for a bonus points offer, as these tend to represent the best value.
The table below provides a summary of previous offers from the past couple of years:
| Date | Deal (on purchased points) |
|---|---|
| February-March 2020 | 50% bonus |
| May-July 2020 | 30% bonus |
| May-June 2021 | 30% discount |
| March-April 2022 | 50% bonus |
| November-December 2022 | 25% discount |
How to buy Marriott Bonvoy points
Marriott Bonvoy allows members to either buy points or gift points. The difference here lies in whether you are buying points for yourself or intending to gift them to someone else – the cost of points are usually the same and promotions can also apply to the ‘gift points’ option.
Both options also involve a similar process. To buy Marriott Bonvoy points, simply follow these steps:
- Head to points.com (where Marriott sells points to its members)
- Sign into your Marriott Bonvoy account – enrollment is easy, join here if you’re not a member already
- Follow the steps to complete your points purchase
It is also possible to purchase points via the Marriott Bonvoy Mobile App or the customer centre.
Once purchased, Marriott Bonvoy points will be at your disposal within 72 hours. As such, you’ll want to allow for at least three days’ wiggle room before attempting to make any planned bookings.
What’s the catch?
While purchasing Marriott Bonvoy points can be a sure way to lock in a reward, there are a few things to be aware of before taking the plunge (particularly for new members).
To be eligible to purchase Marriott Bonvoy points you must ensure:
- you have been a member for a minimum of 30 days (and have registered account activity)
- your account is in good standing
Marriott Bonvoy sells points in increments of 1,000 or 5,000, with purchases firmly capped at 100,000 per calendar year. However, you’ll need to buy a block of at least 2,000 points to unlock the promotion discount.
As we mentioned earlier, the current exchange rate is not favourable for Australian-based travellers looking to purchase Marriott Bonvoy points. This is an important limitation to factor in when buying points.
For example, assuming you can ordinarily buy Marriott Bonvoy points for 1.25 cents (USD) each, the maximum 100,000 points would cost $937.50 USD (which is a lesser rate of 0.94 cents per point).
At the time of writing, this equates to $1.39 AUD per point. As such, purchasing 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points under this offer would work out to cost $1,386 AUD – a less appealing figure.
Buying points for the sake of it isn’t always a wise idea either, as rewards programs can devalue points at any time. As such, there’s always an element of risk involved with accumulating points without an intended redemption.
Finally, Marriott Bonvoy points will expire after 24 months without qualifying activity, so you’ll want to make sure any purchased points don’t go to waste.
We recommend familiarising yourself with section 2.9 of the Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions to cover all your bases here.
Does it make sense to buy Marriott Bonvoy points with this promo?
When it comes to loyalty programs, countless airline transfer partners and favourable conversion rates can actually mean it makes the most sense to purchase Marriott Bonvoy points above other points or miles.
In saying that, the answer to this question all comes down to how you intend to use the points.
Essentially, it makes a lot more sense for someone to take advantage of a points purchase promotion if they’re topping up to secure a lofty reward, rather than simply buying points for the sake of it.
There’s no denying that Marriott has an overwhelming number of compelling hotel stays around the world. With so many aspirational redemption opportunities offering value, it can certainly make sense to buy points.
In an ideal world, however, we would be holding out for a weightier promotion (and better exchange rates) in order to get more value out of purchased points.
Obtaining Marriott Bonvoy points via Amex transfer
When chasing a redemption, it may make sense to earn Marriott Bonvoy points another quick and easy way.
There aren’t any credit card issuers that offer co-branded Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, however, it is still possible to indirectly earn Marriott Bonvoy points on an every day spend.
Transfers from American Express Membership Rewards will see points touch down in your Marriott Bonvoy account after one business day.
Amex members can transfer a minimum 600 points in increments of 300 at a 3:2 conversion rate, meaning 600 Membership Rewards points would convert to 400 Marriott Bonvoy points.
As always, it’s worth considering annual fees when looking at your options. Be sure to crunch the numbers before making any points purchase.
How to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points
No matter how you choose to earn your Marriott Bonvoy points, it’s important to know how to use them.
One of the key perks of the Marriott Bonvoy program is the ability to redeem points for the program’s free award night certificates (regardless of elite status).
A bucket list-worthy award stay at one of Marriott’s luxury collection brands, like St. Regis and JW Marriott, is likely what many savvy travellers will save their points for.
Yes – Marriott Bonvoy members can save their points for the free night of a lifetime at any of the 7,000+ Marriott hotels and resorts worldwide by following these easy steps:
- select ‘use points/awards’ when searching for a stay
- select a hotel and room type
- review the reservation (an award will be preselected if available)
- book and stay (for free!)
Don’t have a St. Regis Downtown Dubai number of points to play with? Your Marriott Bonvoy balance could still get you a free night in Bali, with as little as 6,000 points locking in a stay at the Four Points by Sheraton.
If a stay isn’t on the cards, there are plenty of other ways for Australian-based travellers to reap the rewards of their Marriott Bonvoy points, including:
- Transfer points to airline partners – Marriott Bonvoy partners with just about every leading frequent flyer program, and unlike some other hotel programs, offers decent value when it comes to airline mile transfers.
- Points + Cash – there’s also the option to redeem some points and top up the rest with cash, meaning you can book a dream stay for as little as $55 and 3,500 points for a standard redemption.
- Marriott Bonvoy Moments – Marriott Bonvoy Moments can offer compelling value for ‘money can’t buy’ experiences across sporting, culinary and entertainment events (just to name a few).
- Family transfers – It is possible to transfer 1,000 to 100,000 points per year. On the receiving end, members can be transferred up to 500,000 Marriot Bonvoy points per calendar year.
- Shopping – In Australia, members can even use points to shop for products and gift cards from a range of leading tech, fashion, and homewares brands.
Bottom line: Should I buy Marriott Bonvoy points?
Marriott Hotels is the largest hotel chain in the world, meaning members can use their points to stay at over 7,000 hotels worldwide, including The Ritz-Carlton.
Marriott Bonvoy members can purchase up to 100,000 points per calendar year. From time to time, Marriott Bonvoy offers points purchase promotions, unlocking a bonus of up to 25% or even more.
Unlike other programs, like Hilton Honors and IHG One Rewards, buying Marriott Bonvoy points can sometimes make sense. This is particularly the case if you’re reaching for a particularly aspirational redemption, such as a free night award at a high-end property such as the Ritz Carlton Maldives.
If you need a quick points boost to secure a redemption, we’d recommend crunching the numbers before taking advantage of the occasional discount or bonus promotions, which Marriott usually runs a couple of times a year.
Will you be buying Marriott Bonvoy points under the current promotion? Tell us about it in the comments!
FAQ: Buying Marriott Bonvoy points
How much does it cost to buy Marriott Bonvoy points?
You can ordinarily buy Marriott Bonvoy points for 1.25 cents (USD) each, before discount or bonus promotions. Under a 25% discount, you could purchase 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for $937.50.
How many Marriott Bonvoy points can I buy?
Marriott Bonvoy members are limited to buying a combined maximum of 100,000 points per calendar year.
How much do 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points cost?
Under a 25% discount, 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points will cost $468.75 USD. Ordinarily, purchasing 50,000 points costs $625 USD without a promotion.
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