From now till 15 October, 11.59 a.m Singapore time, regular Marriott Bonvoy members will receive a 50% bonus when purchasing points. Silver Elites and above will receive a slightly higher 55% bonus.
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| Buy Marriott Bonvoy points |
Marriott Bonvoy normally charges 1.25 US cents per point, so a 55% bonus reduces the price to 0.81 US cents per point.
Bonuses are awarded with a minimum purchase of 2,000 points, and the annual purchase limit has been doubled to 100,000 points.
Most Marriott Bonvoy points sales max out at a 50% bonus, so a 55% bonus is one of the largest we’ve ever seen (though there was a 60% bonus offered in November 2020). A new member may buy points 30 days after enrollment if their Marriott Bonvoy account has a qualifying activity (like a stay). Otherwise, they’ll need to wait 90 days to purchase points.
What can you do with Marriott Bonvoy points?
Here’s Marriott’s award chart, which now features off-peak and peak pricing (these dates may change every month).
| Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
| 1 | 5,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 |
| 3 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| 4 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 |
| 7 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 |
| 8 | 70,000 | 85,000 | 100,000 |
Marriott Bonvoy is currently offering off-peak pricing at 4,000+ properties worldwide, for stays booked between 7-14 October 2021 and stayed by 31 October 2021. Needless to say that doesn’t give you a whole lot of time, but if you already have something booked, it’s worth cancelling and rebooking to take advantage of the lower price.
Otherwise, the best scenarios to buy Marriott Bonvoy points typically exist at the extremes of the spectrum- either Category 1 or Category 8 hotels. Do the math and see whether buying points is cheaper than paying the revenue rates, and keep in mind that you don’t need to pay taxes when redeeming points.
It’s probably not a good idea to buy points with the goal of redeeming Singapore staycations, however, as staycation packages tend to offer a better deal (e.g breakfast, late check-out).
Marriott Bonvoy points can also be converted to airline miles with the following programs:
| Marriott Bonvoy Airline Transfer Partners (Bonvoy: Partner) | |||
| FFP | Ratio | FFP | Ratio |
| AEGEAN Miles+Bonus | 3:1 | Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club | 3:1 |
| Aeroflot Bonus | 3:1 | Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles® | 3:1 |
| Aeromexico ClubPremier | 3:1 | Iberia Plus | 3:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 3:1 | InterMiles | 3:1 |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | 3:1 | Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank | 3:1 |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 3:1 | JetBlue TrueBlue | 6:1 |
| Air New Zealand Airpoints | 200:1 | Korean Air SKYPASS | 3:1 |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ | 3:1 | LATAM Airlines LATAM Pass | 3:1 |
| Alitalia MilleMiglia | 3:1 | Multiplus Fidelidade | 3:1 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage® | 3:1 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 3:1 |
| ANA Mileage Club | 3:1 | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 3:1 |
| Asiana Airlines Asiana Club | 3:1 | SAA Voyager | 3:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 3:1 | Saudia Alfursan | 3:1 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 3:1 | Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer® | 3:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 3:1 | Southwest Rapid Rewards® | 3:1 |
| China Eastern Airlines Eastern Miles | 3:1 | TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | 3:1 |
| China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club | 3:1 | Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 3:1 |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | 3:1 | Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 3:1 |
| Delta SkyMiles® | 3:1 | United MileagePlus® | 3:1.1 |
| Emirates Skywards® | 3:1 | Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 3:1 |
| Etihad Guest | 3:1 | Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer | 3:1 |
| FRONTIER Miles | 3:1 | ||
If you happen to have miles in an “exotic” account that doesn’t partner with any bank in Singapore, buying Bonvoy points could be a way of topping it up.
Assuming a ratio of 3:1 (and factoring in 5,000 mile bonus for transferring 60,000 points), you’re paying 1.93 US cents per mile when buying Marriott points with a 55% bonus.
That’s actually a decent price for Alaska Mileage Plan miles (better than a 50% bonus even), but way too steep for KrisFlyer.
What card should I use to buy Marriott Bonvoy points?
Purchases of Marriott Bonvoy points are processed by Points.com in USD, so they won’t code as hotel purchases. Here’s the best cards to maximize the miles earned on your purchase:
| Card | Earn Rate | Remarks |
 Citi RewardsApply here | 4 mpd | Cap of S$1K per s. month |
 UOB Visa SignatureApply here | 4 mpd | Min S$1K Max S$2K FCY spend per s. month |
 SCB Visa InfiniteApply here | 3 mpd | Min spend S$2K per s. month |
 UOB PRVI MilesApply here | 2.4 mpd | No cap |
| S. Month= Statement Month | C. Month= Calendar Month | ||
Remember, you can always pair the Citi Rewards Card with the Instarem Amaze Card to earn 4 mpd on Points.com purchases, without foreign currency transaction fees.
I generally don’t advise you to use the DBS Woman’s World Card, as past data points have indicated there are issues with getting the bonus points credited.
Conclusion
A 55% bonus on Marriott Bonvoy points purchases is the biggest we’ve seen in recent memory, and could even be a good way of topping up some Alaska Mileage Plan miles at a reasonable price (remember, doing so helps extend your balance for a further 24 months).
That said, you should not be buying points or miles speculatively, so only pull the trigger if you have something in mind.
