Review: Is Marriott Bonvoy the best hotel loyalty scheme? (Part 1)

This is part of our overview series of the main hotel loyalty schemes. Each scheme will be covered over two articles on different days. One will list the basic facts of the scheme – basically “How does Marriott Bonvoy work?” – and the other will be my subjective view of what is of particular merit.

The full series of articles can be found here:

• Review: Is Accor Live Limitless the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is Hilton Honors the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is IHG One Rewards the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is Radisson Rewards the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is World of Hyatt the best hotel loyalty scheme?

Marriott Bonvoy is the loyalty scheme launched by Marriott in February 2019 following its acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. It covers almost 9,000 hotels globally across 36 different brands.

These include AC Hotels, Aloft, Autograph, Bulgari, City Express, Courtyard, Delta Hotels, Design Hotels, Edition, Element, Fairfield Inn, Four Points, Four Points Express, Gaylord, JW Marriott, Le Meridien, Marriott, Moxy, Protea, Renaissance, Residence Inn, St Regis, Sheraton, Springhill Suites, The Luxury Collection, The Ritz Carlton, Towneplace Suites, Tribute, W Hotels and Westin.

The Marriott Bonvoy home page is here.

What is the geographic spread?

Marriott has a decent spread of UK and European properties, and the low-cost end of the market has seen the rapid growth of Moxy and the relaunch of Courtyard.  Wherever you are in the world, you probably won’t be far from a Marriott-operated hotel. That said, outside London it doesn’t have the UK coverage of Hilton or IHG.

Since the acquisition of Starwood, Marriott now has a vastly improved high-end portfolio via The St Regis and The Luxury Collection.  The Ritz Carlton has also raised its game in recent years.

The Autograph brand is ‘adopting’ interesting boutique properties such as The University Arms in Cambridge and gives Marriott a much-needed shot in the arm in term of luxury hotels.  Buying Elegant Resorts to get its hands on seven Barbados hotels shows a commitment to invest in luxury expansion.

Do I use them?

I was historically a Starwood person rather than a Marriott person, although I did have the occasional stay at The Ritz Carlton. This has changed substantially since the Starwood / Marriott merger, and I have had Platinum Elite or Titanium Elite status for the last few years. I am Lifetime Gold Elite (for what it’s worth) and should hit Lifetime Platinum Elite within three years.

We have reviewed a lot of Marriott Bonvoy hotels on HfP in recent years if you search through our full hotel reviews index here.

In 2024 we reviewed W Hollywood, TIAD Nagoya (Autograph), The Bodrum EDITION, Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly, Domes Novos Santorini (Autograph), Hotel Arts Barcelona (The Ritz Carlton), Edinburgh Marriott Hotel Holyrood, Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place, Sheraton Grand Krakow, Westin Grand Frankfurt, The St Regis Dubai The Palm, Dorothea Hotel Budapest (Autograph), Aloft London Excel, Berlin Marriott and W Edinburgh.

Note that these were all comped review stays except for Bodrum, Barcelona, Aloft London and Berlin. I did a number of stays for cash which I enjoyed but which were not reviewed including a few Moxy nights – a chain I find, perhaps surprisingly, very good.

We had the 2019, 2022 and 2023 Head for Points Summer Party at the lovely Renaissance St Pancras and are likely to return in 2025.

Elite membership levels in Marriott Bonvoy

If you have an American Express Platinum credit card you receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status for free, along with status at Hilton, Melia and Radisson.

If you have the Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card, you receive 15 elite night credits each year. This is enough to get you Silver Elite status directly but, more importantly, puts you closer to the status which really counts – Platinum Elite. These 15 nights even count towards lifetime status.

If you don’t have either of these cards, this is what you need:

• Silver Elite – requires 10 nights. Benefit is a 10% bonus on base points and priority for late checkout (based on availability).

• Gold Elite – requires 25 nights. Benefits are 25% bonus on base points, room upgrade, high-speed internet, 2pm late check-out (based on availability, not at resorts and conference hotels) and a welcome gift.

• Platinum Elite – requires 50 nights. Benefits are 50% bonus on base points, room upgrade to best available room or suite, high-speed internet, lounge access (or breakfast if the lounge is closed), guaranteed late check-out until 4pm (not at resorts) as well as an annual ‘choice benefit’ from five options including five elite night credits or five ‘nightly upgrade awards’ and a welcome gift.

• Titanium Elite – requires 75 nights. Benefits are 75% bonus on base points, an annual ‘choice benefit’ from six options as well as all the benefits enjoyed by Platinum.

• Ambassador Elite – requires 100 nights and $23,000 spend. Benefits include all those of Titanium Elite (there is no increase in points bonus) as well as a 24/7 personal assistant service, the ability to choose the exact 24 hours of your stay.

The full table of elite benefits is here.

Protea and Four Points Flex only offer 1 elite night credit for every TWO nights you stay. This is a recent policy change. Whilst Marriott Executive Apartments only give one elite night per THREE nights stayed, the clue is in the name – this brand offers apartments for long term stays.

Free internet is given to all guests as long as they book direct. Members with Gold Elite or above receive high-speed internet for free.

In North America, it is common for executive lounges to be closed at weekends.

Marriott Bonvoy has a joint venture with United Airlines whereby Marriott Titanium Elite and Ambassador members receive Silver status in the United programme. United members who are Gold or higher receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.  There is a similar Marriott Bonvoy joint venture with Emirates and a new one with Singapore Airlines.

Reward nights DO count for status.

Marriott Bonvoy offers lifetime status at Silver Elite, Gold Elite and Platinum Elite level. You need to achieve targets for both nights stayed and number of years as an elite member. Details can be found here.

How do you earn Marriott Bonvoy points?

Marriott Bonvoy gives you 10 points per $1 spent, plus any elite status bonus. The only exceptions are Residence Inn, Towneplace Suites, Protea, Four Points Flex and element which offer 5 points per $1 and Marriott Executive Apartments and ExecuStay where you earn 2.5 per $1. The full breakdown per chain is here.

At most brands, you will receive points on all of your in-hotel spending.

Marriott runs regular promotions although they are often less aggressive than those from IHG One Rewards or Hilton Honors.

For the last three years, Marriott has run a ‘double elite nights’ promotion between February and April – it returns from next Tuesday. If you can push a decent number of nights towards Marriott during this period, plus pick up 15 elite night credits for having the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card, it can be surprisingly easy to hit Platinum Elite status.

Details of the current promotion can be found on our ‘Hotel Offers‘ page.

What are Marriott Bonvoy points worth?

We have an article dedicated to working out what Marriott Bonvoy points are worth which you can find here.

Our mid-point valuation is 0.5p per point although you can easily beat this.

I have managed to average 0.75p on my redemptions in recent years, although this was done by paying cash for stays when using points did not give a good return. You will average 0.5p if you use points for every stay irrespective of the valuation.

How do you spend Marriott Bonvoy points?

I used to link to a redemption chart at this point, but Marriott Bonvoy got rid of them.

Redemption rates are now linked to cash rates although it is certainly not a linear relationship. Each property retains an unpublished points cap which gives you some protection on peak dates in key cities.

All members receive ‘five nights for the price of four’ when redeeming.  The ‘free’ night is the cheapest – in points terms – of the five nights in your itinerary.

A 5-star 60,000 point redemption would typically require a Silver member to spend $5,500.  In reality this figure will be lower due to points earned from promotions, although these have less of an impact with Marriott Bonvoy than at other chains.

Marriott offers ‘instant redemption’ for in-hotel benefits. At selected hotels, these lets you redeem points for a cash credit against incidental charges on your room bill. 2,500 points is worth $10 through to 125,000 points being worth $500.

Marriott has an excellent ‘experiences’ programme called Marriott Moments which allows you to use points for cultural and sporting events. The company has a permanent suite at The O2 arena in London and a suite at Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground in Manchester, allowing for a steady stream of good redemption options. The current London events are listed here.

You can use Marriott Bonvoy points to book cash flights with any airline as this article shows. It isn’t as bad a deal as you may expect and, as Marriott is buying you a cash ticket, it would earn miles and tier points back.

Do Marriott Bonvoy points expire?

According to the programme rules, if you do not earn or spend points during a 24 month period then your points will be removed (see clause 1.6).

I wrote a full article here on different ways to stop your Marriott Bonvoy points from expiring.

Can you upgrade using points?

Not from a cash booking, no.

Some properties allow you to book upgraded rooms, including suites, for an additional co-pay on top of the standard redemption cost.  This is one of the strongest benefits of the programme in my view.

We have used this feature at JW Marriott Venice to get a junior suite, sleeping four, for the same number of points as a standard room. We also used it at The Bodrum EDITION last year to get larger and sea facing rooms.

Marriott Bonvoy also allows you, at selected hotels, to book larger or upgraded rooms entirely with points.

Are ‘cash and points’ redemptions available?

Yes. Some hotels allow to book reward nights using a mix of cash and points. This is usually 50% of the standard number of points plus roughly 50% of the cash rate.

Can you transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to airline miles?

Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred to 39 airlines including British Airways / Avios.  For most airlines, it is a direct 3:1 transfer ratio.

For every 60,000 points you transfer you get a 5,000 miles bonus so it is worth transferring in chunks of 60,000 points if you can.

The full list of airline partners is here. A handful no longer offer the bonus 5,000 miles when transferring 60,000 points. United Airlines is a ‘preferred’ partner and offers a more attractive rate of 30,000 miles for every 60,000 points transferred.

Marriott Bonvoy is the ONLY hotel programme where the maths makes sense if you are considering transferring into airline miles.

Can you earn Avios directly without collecting points?

Yes, see ba.com here. You can earn Avios by showing your British Airways Executive Club or avios.com card at check-in. The amount will depend on which brand you are staying with, but is usually 2 Avios per $1.

You will not earn any Marriott Bonvoy points. However, you must still be a member of Marriott Bonvoy in order to do this.

Marriott Bonvoy UK credit card partnerships

Can you get elite status with a UK credit card?  Yes.

Via The Platinum Card from American Express:

American Express Platinum gives you Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status for as long as you hold the card.

The huge 50,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum converts into 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

The Platinum Card earns 1 American Express Membership Rewards point per £1 of spending which converts into 1.5 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Via the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card:

The Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card was launched in 2020.  The Marriott Bonvoy Amex gives triple Bonvoy points (6 points per £1) when used at a Marriott property and 2 points per £1 elsewhere.

You also receive 15 elite night credits per year, which would trigger Silver Elite status for as long as you hold the card.

It is also possible to earn Gold Elite status via the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card.  This requires £15,000 of annual spend, however, and is not an exceptionally generous return.

If you spend £25,000 in a card year you also receive a voucher for a free reward night worth up to 25,000 points.

You receive a sign-up bonus of 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points with the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card.

Is Marriott Bonvoy an Amex Membership Rewards partner?  Yes. You can transfer Membership Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy points at a rate of 2:3.

A Nectar partnership will launch in 2025

Marriott Bonvoy and Nectar have announced a partnership which will launch during 2025.

This will allow Nectar points, including those earned from Nectar credit cards, to be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy, and vice versa. There are no further details so far.

Purchasing and transferring points

You can buy Marriott Bonvoy points for $12.50 per 1,000 via this link.

You can transfer your Marriott points to anyone up to a cap of 100,000 points per year. This is free to all members and can now be done online.

What is my personal opinion of Marriott Bonvoy?

Part 2 of our Marriott Bonvoy review, click here, gives you my personal opinion of the programme.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (March 2025)

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.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

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.