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Get a 40%-50% bonus when you buy Marriott hotel points – and 10% off redemptions

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UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly summary of the top hotel bonus point offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ menu above.

Marriott Bonvoy is offering 1,000 bonus points per night and double elite night credits on stays between 13th February and 29th April. Click here to read more and click here to register.

Keep up to date with new hotel offers by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.

Marriott Bonvoy is running another deal when you buy their hotel points.

Via this page of the website, you will get a 40% bonus on all points purchases until 22nd March.

Some members will have been emailed with a higher bonus of 50%.  This is only visible when you log in during the purchase process.  For clarity, it doesn’t whether or not you are logged in to Marriott Bonvoy – you will not see the 50% bonus until you start the check-out.

This isn’t as good as the ‘never seen before’ 60% bonus we had last year.  That said, as this offer runs until 22nd March it is possible that we won’t see anything better until mid-April or later.

Marriott Bonvoy buy points bonus

If you wanted to lock in some rooms for May Bank Holiday or early Summer, this might be your best chance.

The annual purchase cap has now been permanently raised to 100,000 points.  With the bonus, this means that you could pick up 140,000 or 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

If you have the 40% bonus, at the top end you are paying $1,250 (£900) for 140,000 points.

My rule of thumb is that a Marriott Bonvoy point is worth 0.5p so this offer is not great at 0.64p per point.  This drops to 0.60p if you have the higher 50% bonus.

However, you might find it worthwhile if:

you are topping off your account before making a points booking, or

you are close to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and want to make a transfer into airline miles (you get a bonus of 5,000 airline miles when you transfer 60,000 Bonvoy points into 20,000 airline miles), or

you are planning a stay at a property where you know you will get outsized value

Last chance to save 10% on off-peak Marriott Bonvoy redemptions

The ‘buy points’ combines nicely with the current discount on off-peak redemption bookings.

ALL Marriott Bonvoy hotels have seen their points cost reduce by 10% for off-peak redemptions.

You can book until tomorrow, 21st February, for stays until 30th September.

The snag is that there is no sign of greater off-peak availability. You would expect virtually all Marriott Bonvoy hotels to be selling redemption nights at off-peak prices at the moment, but it isn’t happening. There is no evidence that the split between peak, standard and off-peak has changed.

That said, as redemption rooms are fully refundable in almost all cases it makes sense to book now for later in the year if the hotel you want is showing off-peak for your dates.

Remember that Marriott Bonvoy lets you book five night stays for the points of four. The cheapest of your five nights is free. This increases your value per point sharply.

Remember that The Langley goes up in price on 3rd March

The Langley – Marriott’s only ‘luxury country house weekend break’ option in the UK, in Iver near Slough – is the only UK Marriott hotel increasing in points price this year.

On 3rd March it goes up from Category 6 to Category 7.

In plain English, this means it goes from 40,000 to 60,000 points per night to 50,000 to 70,000 per night, depending on date.

With the current 10% discount for off-peak bookings, you can lock in stays at The Langley for (40,000 points – 10%) 36,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. From booking made from 3rd March you will pay at least 50,000 points per night.

This change is frustrating but not altogether surprising given how expensive this ‘country house’ hotel is for cash. It is also very pleasant as my review of The Langley shows – hopefully it is now less chaotic than it was at opening.

As an example, a 2-night weekend break from 28th-30th May is 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.  With a 50% bonus you can buy 97,500 points – let’s assume you have the other 2,500 already – for $812.50 (£580).  The same room will cost £942 (non-refundable) or £1,047 (pay on departure) for cash.

You can find out more about The Langley on the Marriott website here.


How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

and for small business owners:

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Comments (56)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Track says:

    I have a sceptical voice on Bonvoy points value.

    First, 45-50% is not the max bonus and we will see 60%.

    Second, aspirational redemptions such as Domes of Elounda etc are nice but set you back above 300,000 points for a week. They only look good in value against an overpriced 900EUR price tag.

    Third, Marriott approach to category change — now for third year — confirms simple thing, large city or aspirational properties will NEVER go down in category. Even if no one stays in them as in New York, Paris or Hawaii.

    For the next 1-2 years, only limited proportion of people will be able to travel (wealthy with private jets, or well off, older cohort who are eligible for vaccines, and top percentile of middle class who has spare cash for tests and contingencies). There is competition from 5* properties at places like Thailand, Turkey and SE Asia altogether — and they will prefer your cash for under 100GBP/night peak season, especially if you book a long stay.

    • Harry T says:

      Domes Miramare on the other hand is an excellent redemption – it’s all about spotting when the category is low for a property where the cash rates are usually high.

      I don’t think you’re right about travel only being open to certain groups over the next couple of years.

      • Track says:

        Domes Miramare looks good value on paper only — if you would really be paying EUR400-500 per night in September booking direct. They are Marriott Cat 5. Same problem as comparing Cat 7-8 to EUR800-900.

        But again, buying Bonvoy points to pay 250EUR/night equivalent is not a good deal, better book it as BA holiday with their room credit or cheaper CE return. The hotel will recognise your status, but not much to be lost as BA holiday usually have ‘upgrade upon availability’, and 500 Bonvoy Platinum Welcome amenity… no thank you, especially when there is a chance of 100EUR+ daily resort credit to spend via a holiday booking.

        • TGLoyaly says:

          The resort credits were available direct too EZR rate code.

          Also worth talking to Emyr for deals.

        • Harry T says:

          Emyr has got me a deal for Domes of Elounda that is 280 euros a night and includes half board, free dinner, free spa treatments, and very good cancellation flexibility. Additionally, as a Titanium member, DOE will offer me a free lunch, special welcome reception and drinks, spa visits, additional bonus points to the mandatory Bonvoy ones, and an upgraded room. I’d be mad to pay points. But that doesn’t mean points aren’t useful – they are very good for properties like Miramare which have high cash rates but low redemption costs.

    • Track says:

      PCR or equivalent testing requirements will remain over 1-2 years. It is an expense and will add up for a family of 4x — have to test before outbound, and again before inbound.

      UK, US, Europe and even SE Asia countries will all have test requirement.

      Hesitation about vaccine passports is due to if one country introduces them, then others will follow quickly (have to). Then travel will be de facto limited to ‘vaccinated travellers only’.

      • Harry T says:

        Market competition and technology innovation will drive down the price of testing and make it more convenient. And it’s not just pensioners who will be vaccinated by the summer, so testing might not be necessary for entering some countries.

        • Track says:

          This year, testing will be necessary regardless of vaccination. Greek islands might make exception but frankly, they so much dependent on seasonal tourism that they would let anyone in, tested or not (as it was in Summer 2020).

          Next year, testing will depend on the mass evidence of vaccine effectiveness in presence of virus mutations.

          Bureaucracies will insist on ‘gold standard’ PCR tests performed by a list of affiliated labs.

          Spain accepts some kind of more efficient innovative tests, produced by a Spanish startup.

          There is a UK startup working on a promising fast testing solution, likely to be accepted by the UK but not other countries.

          I am happy to enter a bet that Covid-19 testing in the UK will not be anywhere near 26.60 GBP (30 EUR at todays rate) which an average EU consumer will pay. I can further bet it will not be cheaper than 69EUR Premium-24 RT-PCR test available at Frankfurt airport today.

          We still back to 4x 100-150GBP tests on outbound for a family of four this Summer.

      • meta says:

        Iceland has already introduced them. There is no hestitation, but rather discussion about global standards.

        • meta says:

          Plus Thailand and Japan have announced that they will let vaccinated peoplew Seychelles is already doing it. I’m sure Maldives will drop the testing requirement soon as well. Greece and Croatia have announced it too.

          • LST says:

            My wife and I are both healthcare workers so vaccination for us isn’t an issue, but it’s the costs and requirements for our kids (all three in primary school) that will determine what we do.

          • TGLoyalty says:

            I look forward to Seychelles 2021 with my grandparents.

          • Track says:

            Only for specific purpose, eg Olympics.

            If Thailand and Japan were happy to close from tourists completely, what would they gain by dropping test requirements for EU/UK travellers?

            They will be more interested to gain traffic from the region (eg China), which is considered much safer country. Ergo, Thailand will lift testing requirements for China/Singapore/Vietnam but will keep them for visitors from further away.

          • Track says:

            “Last week, the Seychelles said it would welcome fully vaccinated travelers from any nation, but also require travelers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test.”

            Testing is not going anywhere.

        • Track says:

          Absolutely fringe information.

          Iceland ‘vaccine passports’ are only FOR RESIDENTS to skip quarantine/stay at home. That is most likely how such certificates to be utilised in other countries.

          Vaccine passports are not the means to invite hordes of non-essential visitors.

          Iceland has a minuscule population, and low density even in towns. Same for Greek Islands.

          Now, given the debacle of Track & Trace (its IT costs), how long would it take HMG to introduce digital vaccine passports? It will be of no priority to make travel or quarantine regime easier for holiday makers.

          • Rob says:

            They already exist. The NHS app shows your vaccinations I believe.

          • Track says:

            The fact that NHS app shows something, doesn’t mean that billions will not be spent on another app with barcode for a ‘digital vaccine passport’ and it will take nearly a year to pilot with selected destinations/’travel corridors’ only.

            This all reminds me arguments on this forum I had in April 2020. I was pointing out that airline passenger traffic effectively shut (eg 2-3 flights to HKG a week) and was repeatedly told in denial that Summer 2020 will be normal.

            Now, I am being told by the same pundits that the nearly normal travel will return Summer 2021..

    • Harry T says:

      @Matthew
      I booked first week of October and just the basic room type – I assume that I won’t be getting that room due to Titanium status!

      • memesweeper says:

        Depends entirely how busy they are. If they need to upgrade to make space you’ll be front of the queue — but if they’re totally full, sorry, you’ll get only what you booked.

  • Harry T says:

    Miramare is only 35k points a night and you get free nights if you stay in multiples of five. I’m staying six nights and only paying the equivalent of £146 of points per night (base valuation of 0.5p). Plus I am Titanium so will receive a large upgrade and free breakfast. If you don’t think £146 a night for a luxury adults only resort in Greece during peak season is a good deal, then fair enough. Domes of Elounda is a rip off for points this summer because the cash rates are actually pretty good and Emyr has some decent deals.

    • YC says:

      Be careful with Miramare, they have a 14 day cancellation window for points which prevented me from staying last year. Travel corridors made things tricky to commit 14 days prior

      • Harry T says:

        Thanks, I’ve made a note in my diary to cancel in advance, if needed. Hopefully the situation will be less turbulent than last year!

    • Track says:

      @Harry T. This is all good, and above advise sensible.

      But I wouldn’t be buying points to stay at Miramare — that was my original thesis. With 50% ‘discount’ 36,000 points = $300. Adjusting by 0.8 for 5th night free, it comes out as $240 = 176 GBP a night.

  • Boon says:

    Just two tips for anyone looking to buy points to top-up for a redemption:
    1) Don’t forget you can also transfer free of charge between Marriott Bonvoy members. The transfer is instant. But need to call them to do it.
    2) Just did a bonus points purchase, and it doesn’t look like it is instant! Was surprised as I think the Hilton process was instant, and they use the same Points.com third party to process the transaction. It has now been 12 hours and still no points, and the confirmation email did say up to 7 working days.

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