Marriott Bonvoy offering up to 50% bonus on points purchases

Marriot Bonvoy has launched its latest points sale, which offers up to a 50% bonus on points purchases. 

Buying points can be a useful way of saving on hotel stays, depending on what the cash rates happen to be for the dates and destinations you’re looking at. 

Marriott Bonvoy offering up to 50% bonus on points purchases

Buy Marriott Bonvoy points

From now till 3 July 2023, 11.59 a.m SGT, Marriott Bonvoy members can buy points with up to a 50% bonus. Different accounts are targeted for different bonuses, so you’ll need to login and see what your offer is. 

The following conditions apply:

• A minimum of 2,000 points must be purchased to enjoy the bonus
• 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 50% bonus reduces the price to 0.83 US cents per point. For context, 50% is the biggest bonus we ever see, normally bonuses range from 25-40%. 

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. There are still opportunities to get outsized value, particularly if you’re visiting a high cost destination like the Maldives. 

If you can’t accumulate enough points by yourself (every account is limited to buying 100,000 points per year, pre-bonus), you can 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; United MileagePlus receives a 10,000 bonus). 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? Possibly. 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points purchased with a 50% bonus during this sale would cost US$500, and give you 25,000 miles in total. That works out to 2 US cents per mile, roughly the cost of buying Mileage Plan miles with a 50% bonus. If you never get targeted for a bonus that big, then this is a potential workaround. 

When do Marriott Bonvoy points expire?

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

What card should I use to buy Marriott Bonvoy points?

Purchases of Marriott Bonvoy points are processed by Points.com in USD, and code as MCC 7399 (Business Services Not Elsewhere Classified) instead of 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, while paying lower FCY fees than banks.

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 up to a 50% bonus, or 0.83 cents per point. This can help you save on upcoming hotel stays, but remember: never buy points speculatively- only buy them when you have an immediate redemption in mind.

Marriott Bonvoy runs points sales fairly frequently, so there’ll always be a next time.