Marriott Bonvoy selling points with 50% bonus (+10% off for UnionPay cards)

From now till 4 April 2022, 12.59 p.m (SGT), Marriott Bonvoy is offering up to a 50% bonus on points purchases, with a further 10% discount for UnionPay cardholders. 

If you stack the two offers, you could be paying as little as 0.75 US cents per point, one of the lowest prices we’ve ever seen Bonvoy points on sale for.

However, you also need to keep in mind Marriott’s upcoming switch to dynamic pricing, which may result in higher pricing at certain properties. I’ve analysed the changes and found they’re relatively less dramatic for those of us in Singapore, though the real test will come in 2023 when all Marriott properties will be allowed to price outside their current bands.

Marriott Bonvoy points sale

Buy Marriott Bonvoy points

During the promotional period, Marriott Bonvoy members can buy points with up to a 50% bonus. Here’s what my bonus structure looks like; yours may be different: 

• Buy 2,000-9,000 points: 40% bonus
• Buy 10,000-39,000 points: 45% bonus
• Buy 40,000-100,000 points: 50% bonus

The annual purchase limit (pre-bonus) is 100,000 points. A new member may buy points 30 days after enrollment. 

Marriott Bonvoy normally charges 1.25 US cents per point, so a 50% bonus reduces the price to 0.83 US cents per point.

If you pay with a UnionPay card, you’ll receive a further 10% discount, on top of the bonus.

The maximum discount you can receive is US$62 per transaction, and a maximum of five individual transactions with a combined discount of US$310 per cardholder is permitted. For example, you could buy 75,000 points (50,000 points + 50% bonus) and pay US$563 (US$625- 10% discount), or 0.75 US cents per point. 

Do note that the discount is not reflected at the time of purchase; you’ll still see the regular undiscounted prices. The 10% discount will be applied to the final billed amount on your card statement.

While UnionPay cards are mainly issued by Chinese banks such as BOC and ICBC, you can also get a card through UOB. DBS issues a UnionPay card too, but it’s a debit card and you’ll need a credit card for this offer. 

• BOC Zaobao Credit Card
• BOC Travel Card
• ICBC Horoscope Credit Card
• ICBC UnionPay Dual Currency Credit Card
• ICBC Koipy Dual Currency Gold Credit Card
• ICBC Koipy Dual Currency Platinum Credit Card
• UOB UnionPay Card

What can you do with Marriott Bonvoy points?

As a reminder, here’s Marriott Bonvoy’s current award chart:

From now till 28 March 2022, you can still make bookings under this award chart, for any date in the future. On 29 and 30 March 2022, you’ll start seeing prices adjusted to match Marriott Bonvoy’s new dynamic pricing model. 

If you made a booking up till 28 March 2022 and subsequently wish to change it, you’ll be subject to the new dynamic pricing- which could be higher or lower than what you paid. Points reservations are usually flexible, however, so you can always cancel and rebook if that’s more advantageous to you.

Under dynamic pricing, 218 hotels will see their current pricing increase from 5,000 to 30,000 points per night.

1. 37 hotels where min. & max. points are increasing by up to 5,000 points 
2. 60 hotels where min. & max. points are increasing by up to 10,000 points
3. 79 hotels where min. & max. points are increasing by up to 20,000 points
4. 42 hotels where min. & max. points are increasing by up to 30,000 points

All other hotels will continue to fall within the same high low range of their current categories for the rest of 2022 .

For stays in 2023 and beyond, Marriott has stated the following:

For stays in 2023, Marriott International is focusing on ensuring even its most aspirational properties offer a mix of great rates during the year. Changes in rates for stays in 2023 above or below the high low range for stays in 2022 are planned to be incremental.

In my opinion, now is the time to book those aspirational Marriott properties you’ve always dreamed about, like the St. Regis Maldives. If you’re just shy of the points needed for a redemption, buying some during this sale is a good way to get yourself over the threshold. 

Marriott Bonvoy points can also be converted to airline miles with the following programs:

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. 

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.

Assuming you’re not taking advantage of the UnionPay offer (see above), here’s the best cards to maximize the miles earned on your purchase:

Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Apply here	4 mpd	Cap of S$1K per s. month
UOB Visa Signature Apply here	4 mpd	Min S$1K Max S$2K FCY spend per s. month
SCB Visa Infinite Apply here	3 mpd	Min spend S$2K per s. month
UOB PRVI Miles Apply 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 for Points.com purchases, as past data points have indicated there are issues with getting the bonus points credited. 

Conclusion

Marriott Bonvoy is offering up to a 50% bonus on points purchases, plus 10% off for UnionPay cardholders. This yields a cost per point as low as 0.75 US cents, which is certainly enticing.

But given the upcoming changes to Bonvoy, I would only recommend buying points if you need to top-up your account to lock in an aspiration redemption under the existing award chart. I certainly wouldn’t buy points speculatively, especially since there’s no knowing what will happen in 2023 when the entire system goes fully dynamic.