I broke the cardinal rule of the factors and miles world: I hoarded factors. Over the past 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 among Marriott’s airline companions. Nonetheless, on account of devaluations inside the Bonvoy program and simply merely discovering different journey offers, I by no means obtained round to redeeming any of my factors.
Though it sounds neat to say that I’ve amassed almost one million factors, not all factors and miles are value the identical. Based on TPG’s August 2025 valuations, Marriott factors are value 0.7 cents apiece, which implies my 807,500 Bonvoy factors are value $5,653.
Previously, my Marriott factors would’ve been value extra, however with the lodge program devaluations, they’ve misplaced worth. Due to this fact, 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.
One of the best methods to redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors
Regardless of having so many Marriott Bonvoy factors, I have never discovered a necessity for a cobranded bank card. As an alternative, I earned my Marriott factors by way of paid stays and occasional bonus level promotions.
You’ll be able to earn Marriott factors in quite a lot of methods. The best 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 Good® American Categorical® 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 be able to switch your Bonvoy factors.
I will 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 situations. One state of affairs is that if the money value 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 want utilizing my factors to e-book 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 dropping worth, I personally really feel reserving enterprise or first-class airfare is a greater use of my factors. Premium cabin airfare tends to value greater than a median 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 offers me 8.57 cents per level, excess of what Marriott and Aeroplan factors are value in accordance with TPG’s August 2025 valuations.
Redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors for lodge stays
Essentially the most simple technique to redeem Bonvoy factors is to e-book award nights at a Marriott portfolio property. Whether or not it is an surprising journey that requires a lodge reserving or an aspirational journey to a far-off vacation spot, Bonvoy factors might help reduce 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 should definitely 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 might be robust to come back by and fairly costly. Nonetheless, having a stash of factors generally is a lifeline in these kind of conditions.
For instance, a 10-night keep on the Le Meridien Mexico Metropolis Reforma will value me solely 41,000 factors per night time. Nonetheless, due to the Bonvoy program’s ‘Keep 5 Pay for 4’ perk, I might solely pay for eight nights, which implies I would solely spend a complete of 328,000 Bonvoy factors.
It is a implausible use of my factors, because the common value 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 have the ability to afford staying in Mexico Metropolis for as lengthy to expertise the FIFA World Cup — and if I did, it will value me an astounding $12,000.
Redeeming my factors for the FIFA World Cup brings me aid that hoarding my factors helped me safe a lodge keep for an expertise of a lifetime.
An opulent getaway to the Maldives
If I need to use almost all of the factors I’ve earned, then reserving a once-in-a-lifetime journey might be the most suitable choice. This consists of reserving a lodge award redemption within the Maldives, which often 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 value me 780,000 factors, so I am going to burn up almost all of my Bonvoy factors. Understand that I nonetheless should 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.
Total, with a money value 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
In an effort to discover award seat availability, I exploit Seats.aero, which has entry to 20-plus airline loyalty applications. Seats.aero is a wonderful software to search out seats throughout totally different cabins inside seconds and actually helps cut back the burden of trying to find award tickets one loyalty program at a time.
Even when you do not have quite a lot of Marriott Bonvoy factors, it might be a greater choice to switch your factors to e-book a flight. Since redemption charges are dynamic, your Marriott Bonvoy level steadiness might not be sufficient to cowl a free night time. In case you have 20,000 Bonvoy factors (or one other quantity you’re feeling is inadequate), these might be value about 6,666 miles with an airline.
It is a good technique to high off your required frequent flyer account should you’re quick on miles, or it means that you can switch fewer factors from a bank card that earns transferable factors.
A weeklong household journey to Hawaii
Marriott Bonvoy offers members 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors they switch to an airline companion. Nonetheless, 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 value 149,600 United miles. To e-book these award tickets, I would wish 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 complete to 150,000 United miles.
Understand that Marriott Bonvoy limits the variety of miles you may switch to an airline companion per day, so chances are you’ll must switch them over two days. Ensure that there are sufficient award seats obtainable, and attempt to put them on maintain if this system permits it to stop you from dropping them whereas the switch is in progress.
Ultimately, the equal money ticket would value me $528 per individual, however due to transferring factors and reserving a redemption ticket, I web 0.70 cents per level. Though I get the identical worth per level per TPG’s August 2025 valuations, throughout peak journey durations, the financial savings generally is a lot extra. Ultimately, the over $2,000 saved on airfare might be put towards lodging reminiscent of 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 an incredible business-class product, and due to 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 costs, I can fly one-way in enterprise class. I might solely should switch 74,000 Bonvoy factors to get 24,666 Virgin factors — plus I am going to 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 wonderful use of Marriott Bonvoy factors as a result of the money value for a similar ticket is $2,008 per individual. This provides 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 evaluate
Backside line
Though it isn’t greatest apply to hoard rewards, having over 800,000 Marriott factors can be a perk. I really feel now’s the right time to redeem them as a result of I’ve sufficient factors to cowl the vast majority of my aspirational redemptions.
Though I not often redeem factors for lodge stays, this can be why I accomplish that: I’ve the possibility to expertise some implausible properties worldwide. Nonetheless, I ought to act sooner quite than later — since you by no means know when the subsequent devaluation is coming, and it is about time I loved my hard-earned factors.
