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
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| 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:
| 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 |
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.
| Full List of Changes |
Under dynamic pricing, 218 hotels will see their current pricing increase from 5,000 to 30,000 points per night.
- 37 hotels where min. & max. points are increasing by up to 5,000 points
- 60 hotels where min. & max. points are increasing by up to 10,000 points
- 79 hotels where min. & max. points are increasing by up to 20,000 points
- 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:
| Marriott Bonvoy Airline Transfer Partners (Bonvoy: Partner) |
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| FFP | Ratio | FFP | Ratio |
| AEGEAN Miles + Bonus | 3:1 | Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club | 3:1 |
| Aeroflot Bonus | 3:1 | Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Miles | 3:1 |
| Aeromexico Club Premier | 3:1 | Iberia Plus | 3:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 3:1 | InterMiles | 3:1 |
| Air China Phoenix Miles | 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 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 3:1 | Multiplus Fidelidade | 3:1 |
| ANA Mileage Club | 3:1 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 3:1 |
| Asiana Airlines Asiana Club | 3:1 | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 3:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 3:1 | SAA Voyager | 3:1 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 3:1 | Saudia Alfursan | 3:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 3:1 | Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 3:1 |
| China Eastern Airlines Eastern Miles | 3:1 | Southwest Rapid Rewards | 3:1 |
| China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club | 3:1 | TAP Air Portugal Miles & Go | 3:1 |
| Copa Airlines Connect Miles | 3:1 | Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 3:1 |
| Delta SkyMiles | 3:1 | Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles | 3:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | 3:1 | United MileagePlus | 3:1.1 |
| Etihad Guest | 3:1 | Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 3:1 |
| FRONTIER Miles | 3:1 | Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer | 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.
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 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 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.
Is 100K+50K the max points I can purchase? Would like to buy 350K but not sure if I can buy more or if there are other ways to earn Mariott points quickly
If you’re travelling with a companion, he or she can open their own account.
Yes, I thought of transferring 100K (believe this is the max) from my husband’s ac but would still be 25K short. Any ideas?
You can start dining in participating restaurants under this promotion. Until 20 March
https://marriottbonvoyasia.com/doublepoints
you can also buy an additional 100k points (pre-bonus) during the reservation flow process: https://loyaltylobby.com/2022/03/03/marriott-bonvoy-members-can-buy-points-during-award-booking/
#dp UnionPay: Buying points outright, website would show the full amount but what is charged immediately to the card already has 10% discount, i.e., amount is US$500, card reflects a US$450 transaction. This discount is not applied when using the reservation path. Reservation path: As long as you have a shortfall of at least 1 point, the Buy Points option would appear at the booking summary page. You may actually complete & pay for your 100k+50k points transaction there, then choose not to continue your booking, and the points will still sit in your account. Sadly, the 10% UnionPay discount… Read more »
Thanks Alan, this is really helpful
Can the I buy the max points (100k) and in addition my wife gift me another 40k?
ocbc 90N visa no more 4mpd for foreign currency spend?
thanks- have removed that
Found a point arbitrage situation for NYC. New York Edition generally cost USD700-800/night but somehow, it is 200K points for 3 nights. Lucky me, I am heading to NYC next month and snagged the deal by buying 150K points (have 50K points in Bonvoy). Happy camper here!
nice find! have a great trip