Marriott Bonvoy is the hotel loyalty program of choice for many travellers, both for hotel bookings and for its flexibility to transfer to a huge variety of airline partners.

Marriott Bonvoy has just unveiled its latest buy points promotion for anyone looking to boost their points balance in preparation for travel this fall and winter.

This time, you can earn up to a 45% bonus when you buy 2,000 points or more through December 23, 2024. Plus, get a gift of 1,000 points when you buy at least 20,000 points.

Buy Marriott Bonvoy Points with a 45% Bonus

Marriott Bonvoy is offering a bonus of up to 45% when you buy 2,000 points or more by December 23, 2024. Plus, you’ll get a gift of 1,000 additional points when you buy at least 20,000 points.

Depending on how many points you purchase and depending on the offer available in your account, you can earn up to a 45% bonus, which could represent a good deal in some circumstances.

To access the offer, head over to the promotion’s landing page and login using your credentials.

Typically, Marriott charges 1.25 cents per point (USD) to buy directly from the program. With a 45% bonus, the rate comes to 0.86 cents per point (USD), which you’ll get as long as you buy at least 2,000 points.

Buying Bonvoy points at this rate is above our current valuation of 0.6 cents per Bonvoy point (USD). As far as bonus offers go, this latest one of 45% is a fairly strong offer for buying Marriott points, just shy of the previous offer of 50%.

We’ve seen Marriott go as high as a 60% bonus on promotions before, but we don’t know if/when that bonus might return. So, if you need to buy points, you’ll save some cash with this promotion – just make sure you’re certain that you’ll get more value than the cost of acquisition.

How many Marriott Bonvoy points can you buy?

Marriott Bonvoy typically imposes a limit of 100,000 points purchased per calendar year. This is the second time that the cap has been boosted to 150,000 for a promotion in the last little while.

This limit includes points purchased for yourself, plus points you receive that were purchased and gifted by others.

If you were to max out this offer, it’d cost $1,875 (USD) for 217,500 Bonvoy points.

Which credit card should you use to buy Marriott Bonvoy points?

Marriott sells points through an external vendor, Points.com. They don’t count as a travel purchase, and there’s no extra benefit to using a co-branded Amex Marriott Bonvoy card issued in Canada or the US.

Instead, you should use any card with a high base earn rate, or one where you’re working on meeting the minimum spend requirement.

Because the purchase is charged in USD, you might consider using a Canadian-issued card with no foreign transaction fees, or any US credit card.

Who Should Buy Marriott Bonvoy Points?

Buying points can be a good way to top up your account if you’re keen to make a redemption soon.

Booking a High-Value Aspirational Hotel

The Marriott Bonvoy portfolio contains some of the most exceptional hotel brands in the world, including Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and EDITION, among others.

With sky-high cash prices, booking on points can bring these experiences within reach, despite the demise of the Marriott Bonvoy award chart.

The best of the best go for 80,000–150,000+ points per night. Compare that to the cash price at the Luxury Collection’s Al Maha Desert Resort Dubai, which can easily exceed $1,400 (USD) per night.

At a cash price of $1,875 (USD) for 217,500 points (with the current 45% bonus), that’d be enough for two nights at Al Maha on many dates, with some points leftover to boot. In this case, it definitely makes sense to buy points instead of paying cash if a luxury booking is on your radar.

Or if the desert isn’t your style, you could indulge in decadence at the JW Marriott Maldives. Even with “relatively” more reasonable prices under $1,000 (USD) per night, a points booking is still the way to go.

Of course, you’ll want to make sure you’ve lined up the award availability at the hotel before pulling the trigger on a points purchase, especially if you’re trying to maximize the Fifth Night Free benefit.

Quick Top-Up for Any Upcoming Redemption

For travellers with a more humble taste, the top end of the Marriott Bonvoy chart isn’t the only place to find good value.

At the end of the day, as long as the value of your redemption is above the acquisition cost of 0.86 cents per point (USD), you’ll come out ahead on any booking.

However, compared to aspirational properties, the value proposition in buying Bonvoy points for lower-end redemptions is less clear-cut. It’s heavily dependent on finding a discrepancy between the cash price and the points price, and that can often be hard to predict.

Therefore, since Bonvoy points are rather easy to earn anyway, I’d recommend exhausting the cheaper sources first before buying points outright.

Transfer to Exclusive Airline Partners

Marriott Bonvoy has 39 airline partners. For most programs, Bonvoy points can be transferred to airline miles at a rate of 3:1, with a 5,000-mile bonus for transferring in increments of 60,000 Bonvoy points for most airlines.

By buying 60,000 Bonvoy points at 0.86 cents per point (USD) and transferring to frequent flyer programs, you’re effectively purchasing airline miles for 2.06 cents per mile (USD).

This is certainly quite expensive, but the real benefit is gaining access to exclusive airlines.

For example, Singapore Airlines doesn’t make First Class award space bookable for partner programs like Aeroplan. Usually, you can only book Singapore Suites with its own KrisFlyer loyalty program.

And with virtually no transfer partner in Canada, Marriott Bonvoy can provide a rare gateway to sample this luxurious experience.

Other niche transfer partners include Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan for its unique partner-based sweet spots, ANA Mileage Club for its generous round-the-world award ticket, or any other airline loyalty program with a weaker footprint in the credit card industry.

Multi-Player Mode: Pool Points Among the Family

One of Marriott Bonvoy’s greatest strengths lies in the ability to transfer points freely between accounts, and it’s even easier these days with its online transfer tool. Each member may send up to 100,000 points per calendar year and receive up to 500,000 points per calendar year.

If you have Marriott Bonvoy Elite status on the primary account in your household, it’s ideal to pool your points in the elite member’s account to make bookings, especially for high-end properties where the perks of hotel status really shine.

Once you’ve hit your points purchase cap on your main account, you can buy more points on another account to take advantage of any remaining transfer room. Note that members must be enrolled for 30 days and have some activity on their account before they are eligible to purchase points.

Other Ways to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points

Marriott Bonvoy uses dynamic pricing, so it can be a risky proposition to commit money to their loyalty program if you aren’t imminently planning a booking.

If you aren’t in a rush to acquire Bonvoy points but would like to build your balance slowly for a bigger redemption down the road, I’d recommend looking at credit card opportunities first.

Canadian Credit Cards by American Express

American Express issues two co-branded Marriott Bonvoy cards in Canada:

• American Express Marriott Bonvoy Card: Earn up to 50,000 Bonvoy points after you spend $1,500 (CAD) on your card in your first three months, with an annual fee of $120.
• American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business Card: Earn 60,000 Bonvoy points after you spend $5,000 (CAD) on your card in your first three months with an annual fee of $150.

At 0.22–0.25 cents per point (CAD), the annual fees on both cards represent extremely favourable acquisition costs compared to today’s valuation of 0.8 cents per point (CAD).

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

Credit Card	Best Offer	Value
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card 60,000 Bonvoy points $150 annual fee	60,000 Bonvoy points	$410	Apply Now
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card 55,000 Bonvoy points $120 annual fee	55,000 Bonvoy points	$368	Apply Now

American Express Membership Rewards can also be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy at a rate of 1:1.2. All MR-earning cards are good options

Credit Cards by American Express & Chase

In the United States, American Express issues three co-branded Marriott Bonvoy cards:

• American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card: Earn 95,000 points upon spending $6,000 (USD) in the first six months, with an annual fee of $650 (USD).
• American Express Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card: Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points upon spending $5,000 (USD) in the first six months, with an annual fee of $250 (USD).
• American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business Card: Earn three Free Night Awards worth 50,000 points apiece, upon spending $6,000 (USD) in the first six months, with an annual fee of $125 (USD).

In addition, Chase has also partnered with the hotel chain, offering three co-branded personal cards on the Visa network:

• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card: Earn one Free Night Award worth 50,000 points plus 60,000 points upon spending $2,000 in the first three months, with an annual fee of $0.
• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card: Earn 125,000 points upon spending $5,000 (USD) within the first three months, with an annual fee of $95.
• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card: Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points upon spending $4,000 in the first three months, with an annual fee of $250 (USD).

Also, keep in mind that if you’ve received the welcome bonus on an Amex Marriott Bonvoy card within the last 24 months, you’re not eligible for the Chase offers, and vice versa.

So even though there are many ways to earn Bonvoy points from credit cards, you’ll have to choose just one that suits you best in the short term.

Previous Promotions

As you decide whether this promotion is a good opportunity for you to meet your travel goals, here’s a look back at Marriott Bonvoy’s past bonuses on purchasing points:

Conclusion

With so many other ways to collect Marriott Bonvoy points, you shouldn’t rush to speculatively buy points at 0.86 cents per point (USD).

But if you need to push your balance over the hump for a dream redemption, this promotion can help you make it happen.

Consider loading up with a 45% bonus – cash rates at top-tier properties are astronomical, and points bookings are only getting further out of reach as well, so don’t let the opportunity pass you by.

Make sure to purchase Marriott Bonvoy points before December 23, 2024 to take advantage of this offer if you’re interested.