[Updated 2024.2] Marriott has now expanded its partnership with Cathay, adding points transfers in both directions and reciprocal elite status matching, which is pretty nice. According to the promotion details, these matching and challenge offers are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so move quickly.

Marriott points could already be transferred to Cathay at a 3:1 ratio, and now Cathay miles can also be transferred to Marriott at a 2:1 ratio. This is especially useful for people whose Cathay miles are close to expiring and who do not have an immediate use for them. In addition, the two programs now offer reciprocal elite status matching.

  • Cathay Silver or above can be matched to Marriott Gold. There is also a promotion where completing 10 eligible nights within 6 months can upgrade you to Marriott Platinum + 3000 Marriott points.
  • Marriott Platinum or above can be matched to Cathay Silver, and can also participate in a challenge: earn 300 Status Points within 12 months to upgrade to Cathay Gold (valid for 12 months). Marriott Gold members can participate in a Cathay Silver challenge: earn 150 Status Points within 12 months to upgrade to Cathay Silver (valid for 12 months).

We realized that this site has not yet published a systematic introduction to Marriott’s loyalty program and points, so this article is written based on the latest version of the program.

About Marriott Hotels

Marriott Bonvoy’s 30 brands span more than 8,000 hotels across 139 countries. One reason many travelers like Marriott is that no matter where they are going, there is usually a Marriott property nearby. Its footprint is extremely broad: luxury Ritz-Carlton properties are often local landmarks, St. Regis is known for service, and trendier, younger brands include W. There is usually a brand that fits what you want. Marriott is also adding several new brands, including City Express and Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy.

After merging with SPG, Marriott became a global hotel-industry giant with a presence almost everywhere. Its loyalty program also inherited much of SPG’s strong quality, and its points retained SPG’s flexibility: they can be redeemed for hotel stays or transferred to airline miles. In addition, Marriott has one of the largest portfolios of co-branded credit cards. There are currently as many as 10 cards you can hold, and the benefits are quite solid. Overall, as the largest hotel loyalty program, it is well worth understanding.

Loyalty Program

Elite requirements

Marriott elite status is very easy to understand. It mainly comes down to elite nights, meaning your total number of nights stayed in a calendar year. The requirements for each status tier are as follows:

However, staying at hotels is not the only way to earn these nights. For example, during promotions, one paid night may count as two elite nights; credit card spending and annual card benefits may also award extra elite nights; and award stays booked with free night certificates also count as elite nights.

Benefits overview

Here are the main benefits of higher elite tiers, with the most important ones including:

  • Room upgrades: Available starting at Gold. Gold members are usually upgraded by at most one category unless you are especially persuasive, but those upgrades may not include breakfast or lounge access that comes with executive-level rooms or suites. Platinum members can be upgraded up to two categories, including suites. Of course, upgrades depend on availability, and customer service generally will not guarantee them in advance.
  • Late checkout: Available starting at Gold. Gold gets 2pm, though in my experience, if you ask the hotel in advance, checking out at 3 or 4pm is often still possible. Platinum can get up to 4pm, which is very helpful for planning your day.
  • Breakfast for two: Available starting at Platinum. As one of the three welcome gift options, you can choose breakfast.
  • Lounge access: Available starting at Platinum. If a hotel has an executive lounge, you can access it for free based on your status at participating properties. Lounges often provide breakfast, midday snacks, and evening service, and the quality is usually quite good. Unfortunately, at some luxury hotels, such as Ritz-Carlton, lounge access must still be paid for separately.

In addition to standard benefits, reaching 50 and 75 elite nights also lets you choose extra rewards.

  • 50 nights: The most useful option is probably 5 suite night awards, which can be used on both paid stays and award stays booked with certificates.
  • 75 nights: A 40,000-point free night certificate. Personally, I do not think the gifted Gold status option is very meaningful; with Marriott, benefits only start to become truly useful at Platinum and above.
  • Choice Benefit details

Marriott also has lifetime elite status, and it is worth mentioning because you can make progress toward it purely through credit card holding. For example, if you hold both a Marriott personal card and business card, you can get 40 elite nights per year; add your actual stays on top of that, and you can meet the lifetime Gold night requirement fairly quickly. If you also hold a card that gives Marriott Gold status, you can reach Lifetime Gold.

  • Silver Elite — 250 lifetime nights and 5 years with Silver Elite status or higher.
  • Gold Elite — 400 lifetime nights and 7 years with Gold Elite status or higher.
  • Platinum Elite — 600 lifetime nights and 10 years with Platinum Elite status or higher.

Related credit cards

Marriott has a number of co-branded credit cards, and we have covered them systematically as well.

The main status-related feature is the elite status that comes with these cards. Most of them directly grant Gold status, while the AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant granting Platinum status is a major highlight. Most cards give 15 elite nights, while Brilliant gives 25, and the 15 elite nights from a business card can be stacked with those from a personal card. So if you are aiming for Platinum or higher, it may make sense to keep the Brilliant card long term. If you are eligible for a business card, that is even better: holding both a business and personal card can give you as many as 40 elite nights, which is almost enough to reach Platinum.

Marriott Credit Card Comparison

Bold Boundless AMEX Bonvoy Bevy Bountiful Ritz Brilliant Biz
Annual Fee $0 $95 $95 $250 $250 $450 $650 $125
Welcome Bonus 60k 5*50k FN / 125k 125k / 150k 125k
Credits / / / / / $300 airline incidental credit $300 dining credit /
Free Night Award / 35k 35k 50k (requires $15k spend) 50k (requires $15k spend) 85k 85k 35k
Elite Night 15 15 15 15 15 15 25 15
Status Silver Silver Silver Gold Gold Gold Platinum Gold
Marriott Spending 3x 6x 6x 6x 6x 6x 6x 6x
Full Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review

In addition to co-branded cards, the AMEX Platinum card and the AMEX Business Platinum card also directly provide Marriott Gold status.

Third-party partners

Marriott does not have a clearly defined public status match policy, but it occasionally offers promotions such as a Platinum challenge, usually requiring elite status with another hotel group. In addition, Marriott’s loyalty program has a fairly close partnership with UA. Marriott Titanium and above can receive UA Silver status; conversely, UA Gold and above can receive Marriott Gold status.

Introduction to Marriott Points

Marriott points are arguably the most flexible among hotel loyalty currencies. You can use them to book Marriott properties, or transfer them to airline miles for award flights. Because hotel redemptions now use dynamic pricing, Marriott points are usually worth around 0.7c/p-0.8c/p for hotel stays, meaning 10,000 Marriott points can generally cover about $70-$80 in hotel value. They can also be quite valuable when transferred to airline miles for premium-cabin awards. So for simplicity, we’ll value Marriott points at about 0.8c/p. Here’s a general overview:

  • Point value: Average value is 0.8 c/p, 100 Marriott points = $0.80 (Point value and analysis)
  • Hotel redemptions: Marriott points can be redeemed for stays at Marriott hotels, Ritz-Carlton, and hotels that were previously part of SPG. Marriott now uses dynamic pricing, so the number of points required depends on the room rate. You can also redeem using cash+points. All-points bookings qualify for a stay 5, pay for 4 offer.
  • Point transfers: Marriott points can be transferred to the following airline miles at a 3:1 ratio, with an additional 10% bonus when transferring to UA. In addition, every 60,000 points transferred earns an extra 5,000-mile bonus, which means a maximum transfer ratio of 3:1.25 for miles (eligible miles only). Air Canada Aeroplan (AC) miles (domestic U.S. flights, one-way economy tickets between the U.S. and China, emergency flights, and infant tickets on two-cabin itineraries); Alaska Airlines (AS) miles (domestic U.S. flights, U.S.-China flights, U.S.-China two-cabin itineraries, free one-way Stop Over); ANA miles (U.S.-China flights, round-trip economy for just 60,000, business class for 95,000); AA miles (U.S.-China CX and JL two-cabin itineraries, no fuel surcharges); BA miles (domestic U.S. flights and short nonstop flights between China and Japan, very low change/cancellation fees, emergency tickets); Delta miles (domestic U.S. flights, U.S.-China flights, can be redeemed at 1 c/p); UA miles (U.S.-China economy, domestic U.S.)
  • Point characteristics: Points can be transferred between different accounts, with an annual limit of 100,000 points. When booking rooms, you can combine your family members' points with no limit. Points expire after 24 months with no activity.
  • My quick take: Marriott inherited SPG's extremely strong flexibility and can be transferred to many very useful airline miles, with pretty good transfer ratios as well. Point value for hotel redemptions is not as high as Hyatt points, but it is still decent. The ability to pool points for the whole family is also a big plus.
  • Detailed analysis: Marriott points guide

How to Earn Points

There are many ways to earn Marriott points, mainly in the following categories:

  • Hotel stay earnings: The base earning rate is 10 points per $1 spent (some lower-end brands earn less). As mentioned earlier, elite members receive different bonus rates, with the highest tier getting up to a 75% bonus. In general, anything charged to your room can earn points, such as dining, room service, and spa purchases. Taxes and fees do not earn points.
  • Credit card points: As mentioned earlier, Marriott has several co-branded credit cards. Marriott purchases can earn up to 6x, and everyday categories such as groceries may earn 3x. In addition, welcome bonuses on Marriott cards are often around 100,000 points, making them a major source of points for many people.
  • Transfers: Among bank points programs, both Chase Ultimate Rewards and AMEX Membership Rewards can currently transfer to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio. However, since both of those currencies are worth around 1.5c/p, transferring them to Marriott is generally a poor value. Even when transfer bonuses go as high as 50%, the math still usually isn’t very attractive. It’s only worth considering when you’re just a little short of the points needed for a hotel booking.
  • Marriott events: Spending on events hosted at Marriott hotels can also earn points. See: Marriott event points
  • Buying points: Marriott also sells points regularly, sometimes with bonuses up to 50%, which can be a pretty good deal. Marriott points purchase link. In addition, the annual daily gateway also sells Marriott points at a discount.
  • Hotel stay promotions: Some Marriott stay promotions can offer substantial bonus points, though these are not standard ongoing offers. You’ll need to watch for quarterly promotions or targeted email offers.
  • Third-party partner earnings: Uber partnership link

For most people, credit card welcome bonuses alone are enough to earn a large number of Marriott points.

Booking Hotels with Points

The most important use of hotel points is, of course, booking hotel stays. You can simply book through the official website or app and check the use points/awards option.

Marriott award stays now use dynamic pricing, which means the more expensive the hotel, the more points you’ll need. That said, the value of Marriott points is not fixed. In practice, point value often falls in the 0.6c/p-0.8c/p range, and the average is roughly in that same range. I searched some New York hotels below, and you can see that the value varies quite a bit. Note that the cash price here should include taxes and fees, which are often around 15% in cities, and resort destinations may have additional charges. Award stays generally do not have taxes and fees attached, though there may still be a resort fee, which cash bookings also have.

Award bookings are sometimes discounted as well. Marriott periodically designates a group of hotels as Points Saver properties, and you may see discounted pricing when booking.

Another benefit of redeeming points is the stay four nights, get the fifth night free benefit. If you book four consecutive nights with points, the fifth night is free. So if you can make your stay five nights, booking with points can be very worthwhile. If you’re slightly short on points for a five-night award, topping off with a small number of UR or MR points is not a bad deal. In addition, Marriott also offers a Point Advance feature. If you don’t have enough points right now, you can still complete the booking and lock in the room first, then earn the required points before check-in to finalize the reservation.

Transferring Points to Airline Miles

Marriott points inherited the excellent legacy of SPG and can be transferred to a very large number of airline programs. The standard transfer ratio is generally 3:1, meaning 3,000 Marriott points transfer to 1,000 airline miles. In addition, for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred, you receive 20,000 miles plus an extra 5,000-mile bonus. However, American Airlines AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, Delta SkyMiles, and Korean Skypass have all eliminated this extra bonus. Also, because Marriott and UA are close partners, Marriott transfers to UA miles receive an additional 10% bonus, so 60,000 Marriott points = 20,000 + 5,000 + 2,000 UA miles.

One important thing to keep in mind is that Marriott-to-airline transfers are not instant, and transfer times vary by airline. So if you need miles urgently to book an award right away, make sure to plan ahead. If the airline lets you hold an award ticket, that helps; otherwise, it would be awkward if the award space disappears before your miles arrive. It’s best to allow 1-5 days for the transfer.

Marriott’s airline transfer partners cover all three major airline alliances, which makes the program highly flexible. Some especially useful partners include:

  • Star Alliance: Air Canada (AC) Aeroplan, All Nippon Airways (NH) ANA Mileage Club, United Airlines (UA) MileagePlus, Avianca (AV) LifeMiles
  • SkyTeam: Delta Air Lines (DL) SkyMiles
  • oneworld: Alaska Airlines (AS) Mileage Plan, American Airlines (AA) AAdvantage, Cathay Pacific (CX) Asia Miles, Japan Airlines (JL) JAL Mileage Bank

In general, airlines within the same alliance can book award tickets on one another, so you can choose the program that requires the fewest miles for the same route and transfer points there for booking.

Point Sharing

Marriott is very generous when it comes to sharing points. You can transfer points to anyone else’s account; they do not have to be a family member. And there is no transfer fee. If you need to transfer points to someone else, you can call （801）468-4000 or contact customer service through the website. There are still some rules, summarized below:

  • Both accounts must have been open for more than 30 days
  • Each transfer must be at least 1,000 points
  • An account can transfer out up to 100,000 points per year, and an account can receive up to 500,000 points per year
  • Official page

In addition, if the other account is booking an award stay, pooling family members’ points for a booking is not subject to the normal transfer limit, so you can book together.

Topping Off Free Night Certificates with Points

Marriott made some changes to its free night certificates, and now you can add points to a certificate to book a more expensive hotel. For example, a 65,000-point room can be booked with one 50,000-point certificate plus 15,000 points. However, the top-off is capped at 15,000 points and cannot exceed that amount.

Third-Party Partners

In addition to transfers, Marriott also has joint promotions with many airline programs.

UA United Airlines

It appears Marriott quietly changed the bonus structure for transfers to UA miles. Previously, no matter how much you transferred, there was an extra 10% mileage bonus. Now, transferring 60,000 Marriott points gives a 10,000-mile bonus, for a total of 30,000 UA miles. Based on that promotion, Marriott points look substantially more valuable!

Here’s a comparison of the old and new setups:

  • Before: 30,000 Marriott points = 10,000 UA + 1,000 bonus UA, and 60,000 Marriott = 20,000 + 5,000 bonus + 2,000 bonus UA miles
  • Now: 30,000 Marriott points = 10,000 UA, and 60,000 Marriott = 20,000 + 10,000 bonus UA miles

So you should just transfer in increments of 60,000. That works out to effectively a 2:1 transfer from Marriott to UA, which seems a bit too good to be true. However, the actual transfer interface currently does not show this 10,000 bonus, so it may be best to wait for some real-world dp from others.

Cathay Pacific

Marriott has now added a partnership with Cathay, including points transfers in both directions and reciprocal elite status matching, which is pretty nice. According to the description, these match and challenge offers are first come, first served, so act quickly.

Marriott points could already be transferred to Cathay at 3:1, and now Cathay miles can also be transferred to Marriott at 2:1. This is quite useful for people whose Cathay miles are close to expiring and who cannot use them right away. In addition, the two programs now offer reciprocal status matching.

  • Cathay Silver or higher can be matched to Marriott Gold. You can also join the promotion: complete 10 eligible nights within 6 months to upgrade to Marriott Platinum + 3000 Marriott points.
  • Marriott Platinum or higher can be matched to Cathay Silver. You can also join the promotion: earn 300 Status Points within 12 months to upgrade to Cathay Gold (valid for 12 months). Marriott Gold members can join the Cathay Silver challenge; earn 150 Status Points within 12 months to upgrade to Cathay Silver (valid for 12 months).

Singapore Airlines

See:

Emirates

See:

Marriott free night certificates

Another major feature of Marriott is its free night certificates. As the name suggests, these provide a free stay in a designated hotel room type. The nicer and more expensive the hotel, the more value you can get from using a free night certificate. These certificates mainly come from co-branded hotel credit card welcome bonuses, annual rewards, spending rewards, and some stay promotions. For a detailed discussion, see:

In addition to free night certificates, Marriott also has two other types of certificates:

  • Suite Night Awards: a choice benefit at 50/75 nights. Suite Night Awards can be used on both paid stays and free night certificate bookings, which is quite nice. However, they still do not guarantee an upgrade; it depends on the hotel’s availability on the day of arrival.
  • Club-level upgrade certificates: these are given annually by the Ritz-Carlton credit card. They can only be used at Ritz-Carlton hotels and only on paid bookings.

Summary

This article mainly summarizes the key parts of the Marriott loyalty program that readers should pay attention to, covering elite status, benefits, co-branded cards, partners, and the ways Marriott points can be earned and used. If there is anything else you would like to learn about, feel free to leave a comment.