I broke the cardinal rule of the factors and miles world: I hoarded factors. During the last three years, I’ve amassed over 800,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors, and I’m considering what to do with them.
It wasn’t my intention to hoard my Marriott Bonvoy factors, as I initially deliberate on redeeming them for a luxurious lodge keep or transferring them to one in every of Marriott’s airline companions. Nevertheless, resulting from devaluations inside the Bonvoy program and simply merely discovering different journey offers, I by no means bought round to redeeming any of my factors.
Though it sounds neat to say that I’ve amassed practically one million factors, not all factors and miles are value the identical. In line with TPG’s August 2025 valuations, Marriott factors are value 0.7 cents apiece, which implies my 807,500 Bonvoy factors are value $5,653.
Up to now, my Marriott factors would’ve been value extra, however with the lodge program devaluations, they’ve misplaced worth. Subsequently, now’s the time to redeem my Bonvoy factors and attempt to maximize their worth.
Listed here are some methods I plan to redeem 800,000 Bonvoy factors.
The perfect methods to redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors
Regardless of having so many Marriott Bonvoy factors, I have not discovered a necessity for a cobranded bank card. As an alternative, I earned my Marriott factors via paid stays and occasional bonus level promotions.
You may earn Marriott factors in various methods. The simplest means is to credit score your Marriott bookings to your Bonvoy account; another choice is to use for a cobranded Bonvoy card and earn a welcome bonus whereas additionally incomes factors as you spend on the cardboard. For instance, proper now, new cardmembers of the Marriott Bonvoy Sensible® American Specific® Card can earn 185,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership. Supply ends Sept. 24.
There are a number of methods to redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors, together with:
- Award nights
- Marriott Bonvoy Moments
- Room credit, merchandise and present playing cards
- Journey redemptions and airline transfers
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The 2 sorts of redemptions that stand out to me are redeeming my factors for award nights and transferring them to an airline. Marriott has 38 airline companions to which you’ll switch your Bonvoy factors.
I’ll concentrate on these two redemptions as a result of I do know I can get the utmost worth for my factors. Redeeming factors for a lodge keep is beneficial in a number of eventualities. One state of affairs is that if the money worth of a lodge per night time is kind of excessive, I can depend on utilizing my factors — and since I’ve so a lot of them, most redemptions are attainable. Then again, I do favor utilizing my factors to ebook an award ticket for a premium cabin flight.
Regardless of most transfers from Marriott to an airline companion having a 3:1 switch ratio, the place it looks like I am shedding worth, I personally really feel reserving enterprise or first-class airfare is a greater use of my factors. Premium cabin airfare tends to price greater than a mean lodge keep, and on the minimal, my 807,000 Bonvoy factors are value no less than 269,000 miles with most airline companions.
For instance, a one-way business-class ticket from Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Zurich Airport (ZRH) averages $6,000 if paid in money, or 70,000 Aeroplan factors. Such a redemption provides me 8.57 cents per level, excess of what Marriott and Aeroplan factors are value based on TPG’s August 2025 valuations.
Redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors for lodge stays
Essentially the most simple solution to redeem Bonvoy factors is to ebook award nights at a Marriott portfolio property. Whether or not it is an sudden journey that requires a lodge reserving or an aspirational journey to a far-off vacation spot, Bonvoy factors may also help lower journey prices.
To seek for lodge redemptions, I merely enter my vacation spot or property of curiosity and my most well-liked dates to see what number of factors the Bonvoy program is charging. Since Marriott costs are dynamic, you’ll want to mess around with the dates, as you may rating a greater redemption that means.
FIFA World Cup 2026 lodging in Mexico Metropolis
I’m an enormous soccer fan and have attended the final two FIFA World Cups: Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Lodging throughout a world occasion may be robust to come back by and fairly costly. Nevertheless, having a stash of factors is usually a lifeline in these kinds of conditions.
For instance, a 10-night keep on the Le Meridien Mexico Metropolis Reforma will price me solely 41,000 factors per night time. Nevertheless, due to the Bonvoy program’s ‘Keep 5 Pay for 4’ perk, I’d solely pay for eight nights, which implies I might solely spend a complete of 328,000 Bonvoy factors.
It is a implausible use of my factors, because the common price per night time is $1,200. I can redeem my factors for 3.65 cents every, greater than 5 instances TPG’s August 2025 valuations. With out my Bonvoy factors, I would not be capable to afford staying in Mexico Metropolis for as lengthy to expertise the FIFA World Cup — and if I did, it could price me an astounding $12,000.
Redeeming my factors for the FIFA World Cup brings me reduction that hoarding my factors helped me safe a lodge keep for an expertise of a lifetime.
An expensive getaway to the Maldives
If I wish to use practically all of the factors I’ve earned, then reserving a once-in-a-lifetime journey might be the most suitable choice. This contains reserving a lodge award redemption within the Maldives, which normally has eye-watering prices, from airfare to personal seaplane transfers to the expensive meals bills.
A five-night keep on the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, will price me 780,000 factors, so I will expend practically all of my Bonvoy factors. Take into account that I nonetheless need to pay for the lodge’s transportation, a speedboat switch from Velana Worldwide Airport (MLE) to the property — which prices about $1,100 per individual. So, though I’m saving over $11,000 in lodging prices, there are nonetheless different prices related to this keep.
General, with a money worth of $2,200 per night time, my redemption nets me 1.41 cents every, greater than double TPG’s August 2025 valuation of 0.7 cents every.
Associated: The place is the Maldives, and is the lengthy journey value it?
Switch Marriott Bonvoy factors to an airline companion
With a purpose to discover award seat availability, I exploit Seats.aero, which has entry to 20-plus airline loyalty packages. Seats.aero is a superb device to seek out seats throughout totally different cabins inside seconds and actually helps scale back the burden of looking for award tickets one loyalty program at a time.
Even when you do not have a variety of Marriott Bonvoy factors, it might be a greater choice to switch your factors to ebook a flight. Since redemption charges are dynamic, your Marriott Bonvoy level steadiness will not be sufficient to cowl a free night time. In case you have 20,000 Bonvoy factors (or one other quantity you are feeling is inadequate), these may be value about 6,666 miles with an airline.
It is a good solution to high off your required frequent flyer account for those who’re quick on miles, or it lets you switch fewer factors from a bank card that earns transferable factors.
A weeklong household journey to Hawaii
Marriott Bonvoy provides members 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors they switch to an airline companion. Nevertheless, due to the shut partnership between Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus, MileagePlus members will obtain 10,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors transferred.
For a household of 4, airfare for a one-week keep in Hawaii will price 149,600 United miles. To ebook these award tickets, I would want to switch 300,000 Bonvoy factors to United MileagePlus, which supplies me 100,000 United miles. Then I earn a further 50,000 bonus miles as I earn 10,000 bonus United miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors, bringing my whole to 150,000 United miles.
Take into account that Marriott Bonvoy limits the variety of miles you may switch to an airline companion per day, so it’s possible you’ll must switch them over two days. Be certain there are sufficient award seats out there, and attempt to put them on maintain if this system permits it to forestall you from shedding them whereas the switch is in progress.
Ultimately, the equal money ticket would price me $528 per individual, however due to transferring factors and reserving a redemption ticket, I internet 0.70 cents per level. Though I get the identical worth per level per TPG’s August 2025 valuations, throughout peak journey intervals, the financial savings is usually a lot extra. Ultimately, the over $2,000 saved on airfare may be put towards lodging comparable to a lodge or Airbnb.
Associated: When does it make sense to switch Marriott factors to airways?
Fly on Virgin Atlantic Higher Class to London
Nothing will get me extra excited than redeeming my factors for high-value redemptions like a business-class ticket. Virgin Atlantic has a tremendous business-class product, and because of the airline’s transfer to dynamic pricing for Virgin Atlantic award flights, you may rating some implausible offers on premium cabin airfare.
Take, for instance, the next flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) to Heathrow Airport (LHR). For 29,000 Virgin factors and about $580 in taxes and charges, I can fly one-way in enterprise class. I’d solely need to switch 74,000 Bonvoy factors to get 24,666 Virgin factors — plus I will get one other 5,000 for transferring no less than 60,000 Bonvoy factors, giving me a complete of 29,666 factors.
This is a superb use of Marriott Bonvoy factors as a result of the money worth for a similar ticket is $2,008 per individual. This offers me a price of 1.93 cents per level, which is greater than double what TPG values Marriott factors at.
Associated: Bringing the enjoyable again to flying: Virgin Atlantic A350 Higher Class evaluation
Backside line
Though it is not greatest follow to hoard rewards, having over 800,000 Marriott factors can also be a perk. I really feel now could be the right time to redeem them as a result of I’ve sufficient factors to cowl nearly all of my aspirational redemptions.
Though I not often redeem factors for lodge stays, this can be why I achieve this: I’ve the prospect to expertise some implausible properties worldwide. Nonetheless, I ought to act sooner moderately than later — since you by no means know when the following devaluation is coming, and it is about time I loved my hard-earned factors.
