How to Earn Marriott Points Fast: Guide to Marriott Bonvoy
This guide to how to earn Marriott points fast will explain the value of the program, how to earn points, and how to redeem them for free stays.
One of the first decisions for a beginner travel hacker is where to build airline and hotel loyalty. Although you don’t need to exclusively travel with one brand, it’s beneficial to pool your points around one hotel program to begin accruing meaningful amounts.
Arguably the most popular hotel program is Marriott Bonvoy since they have a very large global footprint and wide variety of brands under the Bonvoy umbrella.
Personally, my favorite hotel brand is World of Hyatt. However, Marriott is a close second. I balance the two programs based on what hotels are available in each location I travel to.
With Marriott, I have stayed dozens of free nights, accumulated hundreds of thousands of points, and hold elite status.
Keep reading this guide to earning Marriott Bonvoy points to learn how to best hack the program, maximize your rewards, and travel more often and more luxuriously for less.
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The Value of Marriott Points and Why to Collect Them
If you are wondering why any of this matters, the simple explanation is that strategically redeeming points for hotel stays will allow you to travel either more often, more luxuriously, or both.
By applying the strategies in this guide, you will be able to accumulate enough points that will get you at least a weekend trip for free.
Cents Per Point
When determining the value of points, people track the cents per point. This is a good benchmark to understand if you are getting good value for points or should maybe use cash instead.
For Marriott points, my threshold is 1 cent per point. Above this, I consider it a good redemption. Below this, I typically opt for the cash price.
Fifth Night Free
Something that makes Marriott points particularly valuable is their fifth night free promotion. When you book a Marriott stay with points, the fifth night is free.
This is a huge incentive to book trips for 5 or 10 nights to get the most value.
Earning Points Through Stays
The simplest way to earn Marriott points is by staying in Marriott hotels. If you are a beginner, start here.
Joining Marriott Bonvoy
To earn points for your stays, create a Marriott Bonvoy account then provide that number when you book.
In order to earn points, be sure to book direct. You will not earn points if you book through a third party such as Expedia or Booking.com.
Bonvoy Elite Status
To maximize your points earned through stays, work on earning Bonvoy status. Each status level earns a bonus multiplier on their points earned.
Silver Elite – 10%
Gold – 25%
Platinum – 50%
Titanium or Ambassador – 75%
To earn points and status quickly, be sure to stay at Marriott properties when possible. If you randomly choose hotel brands when you travel, it will be hard to accumulate a meaningful number of points with any one brand.
I’ll typically spend up to an extra $50 per night to stay in my priority hotel brands since I know I’ll get the downstream value from the points and status.
Credit Cards that Earn Marriott Points
Credit cards are a great way to earn rewards points. The simplest way to earn Marriott points through credit cards is with a Bonvoy co-branded card.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Annual Fee: $95
| Multiplier | Category |
| 6x | Marriott Stays |
| 3x | Gas, dining, grocery (up to $6000) |
| 2x | Travel Purchases |
| 2x | Every other purchase |
Other Benefits:
- 15 Elite Night Credits annually
- Automatic silver elite status
- Annual free night award up to 35,000 points
- Trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage re and purchase protection
Sign up bonus: 3 free night awards at 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points each after $3000 spend in the first three months
Why this card is a good choice: This is my favorite Marriott credit card and the one that I personally own. The main reason I like this card is that the annual free night credit more than pays for the low annual fee.
In addition, three free nights is one of the best sign up bonuses I’ve seen. I used my three night sign up bonus to book the all-inclusive Delta resort in Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
If you spend any amount of money on Marriott hotels each year, the 6x multiplier you get from this card will quickly accumulate points that can be redeemed for future stays.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold
Annual Fee: $0
| Multiplier | Category |
| 3x | Marriott Stays |
| 2x | Travel |
| 1x | Every other purchase |
Other Benefits:
- 15 elite qualifying nights and silver elite status
- Trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage re and purchase protection
Sign up bonus: 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first three months
Why this card is a good choice: If you are hesitant to take on a card with an annual fee, this card is a great place to start.
The 15 elite qualifying nights will jumpstart your status journey for the year, and the 3x multiplier will build up points faster than you think.
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful
Annual Fee: $250
| Multiplier | Category |
| 6x | Marriott Stays |
| 4x | Gas, dining, grocery (up to $15000) |
| 2x | Travel Purchases |
| 2x | Every other purchase |
Other Benefits:
- 1000 bonus points per stay
- 15 Elite Night Credits annually
- Automatic gold elite status
- Annual free night award up to 50,000 points
- Trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage re and purchase protection
Sign up bonus: 85,000 points after $4000 spend in the first three months
Why this card is a good choice: The final option for a Marriott credit card is the Bountiful card. The biggest difference between this card and the Boundless is the higher annual fee and corresponding higher value free night.
If you tend to stay in higher-end resorts, the annual free night will cover the annual fee and will allow you to stay at more luxurious properties. In addition, this card comes with gold elite status versus just silver.
Credit Cards that are Marriott Bonvoy Transfer Partners
In addition to credit cards that directly earn Marriott points, there are credit cards that earn rewards that can be transferred to Marriott.
What is a Transfer Partner?
Big credit card companies such as Chase, American Express, and Capital One have created their own points currencies, called Chase Ultimate Rewards, Membership Rewards, and Capital One Rewards respectively.
These points are earned through spending on their portfolio of credit cards. The points are known as transferable point currencies because they can be spent directly through the bank’s portal or transferred to travel partners.
Travel partners are different airlines and hotel programs, which vary by bank.
Below, I list the best credit cards to earn points that can be transferred to Marriott. The benefit of these cards versus co-branded cards is flexibility.
If you choose, you can spend your points on a flight or different hotel, instead of being locked into one hotel brand. In addition, there are higher value earning categories than you can earn with some of the Marriott cards, allowing you to accumulate points more efficiently.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Annual Fee: $550
| Multiplier | Category |
| 5x | Flights booked through Chase |
| 10x | Hotels and car rentals booked through Chase |
| 3x | Travel expenses |
| 3x | Dining |
| 10x | Chase dining |
| 10x | Lyft |
| 1x | All other purchases |
Other Benefits:
- $300 annual travel credit
- Travel protection
- Priority Pass lounge access
- Global Entry / TSA Precheck credit
- Lyft pink membership
- DoorDash DashPass membership
Sign up bonus: 60,000 bonus points after spending $4000 in the first three months
9 Tips to Maximize Your Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
Why this card is a good choice: The Chase Sapphire Reserve is my favorite premium credit card. The annual fee can be hard to swallow, but it’s easily made up through the benefits. The annual travel credit alone cuts the annual fee in half.
In addition to all the travel benefits such as lounge access and travel protection, this card earns points quickly. Strategically spend in the bonus categories such as dining or Lyft to quickly accumulate points.
Finally, Chase has a ton of great travel partners. Even though this guide is focused on earning Marriott points, it’s very valuable to own points that can be transferred to a variety of partners for different travel needs.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Annual Fee: $95
| Multiplier | Category |
| 5x | Travel booked through Chase |
| 2x | Travel expenses |
| 3x | Online grocery |
| 3x | Dining |
| 3x | Streaming services |
| 5x | Lyft |
| 1x | All other purchases |
Other Benefits:
- $50 annual credit for hotels booked through Ultimate Rewards
- Travel protection
- DoorDash DashPass membership
Sign up bonus: 60,000 bonus points after spending $4000 in the first three months
Why this card is a good choice: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is like the little brother to the Reserve, mentioned above. It has a lot of the same great benefits, with a much lower annual fee. Again, the annual fee is cut in half by the travel credit.
This card has very valuable bonus categories, such as online grocery, dining, and streaming that you likely are already spending money on. Switching that spend to this card will allow you to earn 3x more points and quickly earn rewards.
In addition, the Chase Sapphire preferred has a very high sign-up bonus for a low annual-fee card. I’ve seen the SUB ranging from 60,000 up to 100,000 points!
AMEX Platinum
Annual Fee: $695
| Multiplier | Category |
| 5x | Flights |
| 5x | Hotels booked through Amex travel |
| 1x | All other purchases |
Other Benefits:
- $200 hotel credit
- $240 digital entertainment credit
- $155 Walmart+ credit
- Centurion lounge access
- Priority pass
- $200 uber cash
- $200 airline fee credit
- $300 Equinox credit
- $100 Sax credit
- Clear credit
- Purchase protection and travel benefits
Sign up bonus: 80,000 points after $6,000 spend in the first 6 months
Why this card is a good choice: The American express platinum is the direct competitor to the Chase Sapphire Reserve above.
The two cards are the top two premium travel cards on the market. As you will see with the long list of benefits above, there are a ton of perks with this card.
In fact, I didn’t even list all the perks. If you are deciding between this card and the CSR, it really comes down to which benefits you value the most.
In terms of the AMEX platinum being a good choice for Marriott points, the sign up bonus is a quick way to accumulate a lot of Marriott points quickly.
In addition, the high category multipliers on flights and hotels will allow you to earn points fast if you are a frequent traveler.
The benefit of using the AMEX platinum versus a co-branded card is additional flexibility.
Unique Ways to Earn Marriott Points
In addition to credit cards or hotel stays, there are a few unique ways to earn Marriott points.
Marriott Eat Around Town Promotion – Link a credit card with the Marriott eat around town program, then use that card at participating restaurants to earn 1 point per dollar spent.
These points are on top of the points you will earn through your credit card itself. If you link the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless you will earn 4x points per dollar (3x from the credit card and 1x from the promotion).
Hertz Partnership – Book your rental car with Hertz through Marriott’s website to earn up to 2000 points on 2+ day rentals.
Cruising – Book a cruise through Marriott’s website to get special offers and earn Marriott points for your cruise spend.
You can also redeem Marriott points for cruises, but I don’t think it’s the best use of points.
What hotels are in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio?
The main reason that I love Marriott Bonvoy is their sheer scale of properties around the world. They have hotels in almost any city or town you will travel to.
In addition, there are a lot of luxury and premium options that appeal to my luxury travel taste. Of the below list, I love being able to redeem points for Luxury and Collection brand since they are typically very expensive with cash.
Luxury – The Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott, Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Edition
Collections – Autograph Collection, Design Hotels, Tribute Portfolio
Premium – Marriott, Sheraton, Marriott Vacation Club, Delta Hotels, Le Meridian, Westin, Renaissance, Gaylord
Select – Courtyard, Four Points, SpringHill Suites, Protea, Fairfield Inn & Suites, AC Hotels, Aloft, Moxy
Longer Stays – Marriott Executive Apartments, Residence Inn, Towneplace Suites, Element, Homes & Villas
The Best Ways to Redeem Marriott Points
Now that you’ve accumulated a bunch of Marriott points, let’s talk about how to spend them. My golden rule for Marriott rewards stays is to book either 5 or 10 nights to take advantage of the fifth night free. If I want to book shorter stays, I try to use free night awards from credit cards.
Below are three examples of five-night stays that can be booked with points and their relative cash price and point value.
W Maldives 323,500 points / $8405 / 2.6 cpp – One of the best ways to use points is to take a trip that you couldn’t otherwise afford.
At nearly $8500 cash, this vacation is out of reach for most people. However, by redeeming points you will get a ton of value and be able to take a bucket list vacation to the Maldives.
Westin Ubud 58,500 points / $953 / 1.63 cpp – This hotel in Ubud is fantastic for the cash price and the points value. In general, Southeast Asia has great value for hotels.
This is a good redemption at 1.6 cents per point and a relatively small number of points that can be earned through one sign up bonus.
Tirana Marriott 75,000 points / $780 / 1.04 cpp – This isn’t the highest value redemption, but I added this here to show that you can even travel to Europe for five nights completely on points.
At only 75,000 points this five-night stay can be paid for with a single credit card sign up bonus.
Summary of How to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points Fast
To summarize, there are three main ways to earn Marriott points fast:
Stay in hotels – The simplest way to earn points is by staying in hotels and having a Bonvoy account. Never stay in any hotel without joining the loyalty program and earning points!
Get a Marriott credit card – If you are Marriott loyal, the perks of a Marriott credit card are a no-brainer.
My personal favorite is the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless because of the high earning potential on Marriott purchases and the annual free night.
Transfer points – Transferrable point currencies are extremely valuable in the world of travel hacking. If you are a frequent traveler, I highly suggest having at least one credit card to earn transferrable points.
Fortunately, both Chase and Amex are Marriott transfer partners, making it easy to apply this strategy to the Marriott Bonvoy program.
Related Posts:
- How To Book Hotels With Points? Guide To Hotel Rewards
- How To Earn Hyatt Points Fast – Beginners Guide
- 9 Tips to Maximize Your Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
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