Marriott Bonvoy offering 40% bonus on points purchases

Marriot Bonvoy has launched its latest points sale, which offers a 40% bonus on points purchases made by 14 April 2023, 12.59 p.m SGT. 

Buying points can be a useful way of saving on hotel stays, though you should always comparison shop with cash rates and never buy them speculatively. 

Marriott Bonvoy 40% bonus on points purchases

Buy Marriott Bonvoy points

During this sale, Marriott Bonvoy members can buy points with a 40% bonus. 

Do take note of the following:

• A minimum of 2,000 points must be purchased
• The annual purchase limit (pre-bonus) is 100,000 points
• New Marriott Bonvoy members may purchase points 30 days after enrolment
• Purchased points will be posted to the member’s account within 72 hours after completing the transaction

Marriott Bonvoy normally charges 1.25 US cents per point, so a 40% bonus reduces the price to 0.89 US cents per point.

For context, the previous Marriott Bonvoy points sale in November offered a 25% bonus. Historically speaking, 50% is the biggest bonus we ever see, although buying points with a 40% bonus can still make sense in certain scenarios.

What can you do with Marriott Bonvoy points?

Marriott Bonvoy eliminated its award chart in 2022, and all hotels now adopt dynamic pricing. This means the cost of award nights now fluctuates depending on factors like seasonality and occupancy. 

It doesn’t necessarily mean the end of sweet spots, however. If you’re heading to the Maldives in March, for example, buying points could help you save big. 

The real limitation is that you’re capped at buying 100,000 points per year (or 140,000 post-bonus, for this sale), so you’d need to receive points from a partner to make it work. Every member can receive up to 500,000 points per calendar year. 

Apart from hotel stays, Marriott Bonvoy points can also be converted to airline miles with the following frequent flyer schemes. Most transfers take place at a ratio of 3:1, with a minimum transfer of 3,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. 

Every transfer of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points will receive a bonus of 5,000 partner miles (except for American Airlines AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, Delta SkyMiles and Korean Air SKYPASS). For example, if I transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to British Airways Executive Club, I’ll receive 25,000 Avios in total. 

Could this be a cheaper way of buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles? It depends. 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points purchased during this sale would cost US$535, and give you 25,000 miles in total. That works out to 2.14 US cents per mile, roughly the cost of buying Mileage Plan miles with a 40% bonus. If you never get targeted for a bonus that big (though most people should be, really), then this is a potential workaround. 

When do Marriott Bonvoy points expire?

Marriott Bonvoy points will expire if 24 months pass without qualifying activity. 

Earning or redeeming more than one Marriott Bonvoy point will count as qualifying activity. 

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 transactions.

Here’s the best cards to maximize the miles earned on your purchase:

Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Apply	4 mpd	Cap of S$1K per s. month
UOB Visa Signature Apply	4 mpd	Min S$1K Max S$2K FCY spend per s. month
SCB Visa Infinite Apply	3 mpd	Min spend S$2K per s. month
UOB PRVI Miles Apply	2.4 mpd	No cap
S. Month= Statement Month | C. Month= Calendar Month

Remember, you can 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 using the DBS Woman’s World Card for Points.com purchases, as past data points have indicated issues with getting the bonus points credited. 

Conclusion

Buy Marriott Bonvoy points

Marriott Bonvoy members can now buy points with a 40% bonus, or 0.89 cents per point. This can help you save on upcoming hotel stays, but remember: never buy points speculatively- only buy them when you’re ready to redeem.

There’ll always be other sales!