I broke the cardinal rule of the factors and miles world: I hoarded factors. Over the past three years, I’ve amassed over 800,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors, and I’m considering what to do with them.
It wasn’t my intention to hoard my Marriott Bonvoy factors, as I initially deliberate on redeeming them for a luxurious resort keep or transferring them to one among Marriott’s airline companions. Nevertheless, resulting from devaluations inside the Bonvoy program and simply merely discovering different journey offers, I by no means acquired round to redeeming any of my factors.
Though it sounds neat to say that I’ve amassed practically one million factors, not all factors and miles are price the identical. In response to TPG’s August 2025 valuations, Marriott factors are price 0.7 cents apiece, which suggests my 807,500 Bonvoy factors are price $5,653.
Up to now, my Marriott factors would’ve been price extra, however with the resort program devaluations, they’ve misplaced worth. Subsequently, now’s the time to redeem my Bonvoy factors and attempt to maximize their worth.
Listed here are some methods I plan to redeem 800,000 Bonvoy factors.
The most effective methods to redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors
Regardless of having so many Marriott Bonvoy factors, I have never discovered a necessity for a cobranded bank card. As a substitute, I earned my Marriott factors via paid stays and occasional bonus level promotions.
You’ll be able to earn Marriott factors in various methods. The simplest approach is to credit score your Marriott bookings to your Bonvoy account; another choice is to use for a cobranded Bonvoy card and earn a welcome bonus whereas additionally incomes factors as you spend on the cardboard. For instance, proper now, new cardmembers of the Marriott Bonvoy Sensible® American Specific® Card can earn 185,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership. Provide ends Sept. 24.
There are a number of methods to redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors, together with:
- Award nights
- Marriott Bonvoy Moments
- Room credit, merchandise and reward playing cards
- Journey redemptions and airline transfers
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The 2 sorts of redemptions that stand out to me are redeeming my factors for award nights and transferring them to an airline. Marriott has 38 airline companions to which you’ll be able to switch your Bonvoy factors.
I’ll deal with these two redemptions as a result of I do know I can get the utmost worth for my factors. Redeeming factors for a resort keep is helpful in a number of eventualities. One state of affairs is that if the money value of a resort per evening is kind of excessive, I can depend on utilizing my factors — and since I’ve so lots of them, most redemptions are attainable. Then again, I do want utilizing my factors to e-book an award ticket for a premium cabin flight.
Regardless of most transfers from Marriott to an airline associate having a 3:1 switch ratio, the place it looks as if I am shedding worth, I personally really feel reserving enterprise or first-class airfare is a greater use of my factors. Premium cabin airfare tends to value greater than a mean resort keep, and on the minimal, my 807,000 Bonvoy factors are price at the very least 269,000 miles with most airline companions.
For instance, a one-way business-class ticket from Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Zurich Airport (ZRH) averages $6,000 if paid in money, or 70,000 Aeroplan factors. Such a redemption provides me 8.57 cents per level, way over what Marriott and Aeroplan factors are price in keeping with TPG’s August 2025 valuations.
Redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors for resort stays
Probably the most simple approach to redeem Bonvoy factors is to e-book award nights at a Marriott portfolio property. Whether or not it is an surprising journey that requires a resort reserving or an aspirational journey to a far-off vacation spot, Bonvoy factors will help lower journey prices.
To seek for resort redemptions, I merely enter my vacation spot or property of curiosity and my most well-liked dates to see what number of factors the Bonvoy program is charging. Since Marriott costs are dynamic, remember to mess around with the dates, as you possibly can rating a greater redemption that approach.
FIFA World Cup 2026 lodging in Mexico Metropolis
I’m an enormous soccer fan and have attended the final two FIFA World Cups: Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Lodging throughout a world occasion may be robust to come back by and fairly costly. Nevertheless, having a stash of factors is usually a lifeline in a lot of these conditions.
For instance, a 10-night keep on the Le Meridien Mexico Metropolis Reforma will value me solely 41,000 factors per evening. Nevertheless, because of the Bonvoy program’s ‘Keep 5 Pay for 4’ perk, I might solely pay for eight nights, which suggests I would solely spend a complete of 328,000 Bonvoy factors.
It is a unbelievable use of my factors, for the reason that common value per evening is $1,200. I can redeem my factors for 3.65 cents every, greater than 5 instances TPG’s August 2025 valuations. With out my Bonvoy factors, I would not be capable to afford staying in Mexico Metropolis for as lengthy to expertise the FIFA World Cup — and if I did, it might value me an astounding $12,000.
Redeeming my factors for the FIFA World Cup brings me aid that hoarding my factors helped me safe a resort keep for an expertise of a lifetime.
An opulent getaway to the Maldives
If I wish to use practically all of the factors I’ve earned, then reserving a once-in-a-lifetime journey might be the best choice. This contains reserving a resort award redemption within the Maldives, which often has eye-watering prices, from airfare to personal seaplane transfers to the dear meals bills.
A five-night keep on the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, will value me 780,000 factors, so I am going to burn up practically all of my Bonvoy factors. Remember that I nonetheless need to pay for the resort’s transportation, a speedboat switch from Velana Worldwide Airport (MLE) to the property — which prices about $1,100 per individual. So, though I’m saving over $11,000 in lodging prices, there are nonetheless different prices related to this keep.
Total, with a money value of $2,200 per evening, my redemption nets me 1.41 cents every, greater than double TPG’s August 2025 valuation of 0.7 cents every.
Associated: The place is the Maldives, and is the lengthy journey price it?
Switch Marriott Bonvoy factors to an airline associate
With a view to discover award seat availability, I exploit Seats.aero, which has entry to 20-plus airline loyalty applications. Seats.aero is a superb software to search out seats throughout completely different cabins inside seconds and actually helps scale back the burden of trying to find award tickets one loyalty program at a time.
Even when you do not have a whole lot of Marriott Bonvoy factors, it might be a greater choice to switch your factors to e-book a flight. Since redemption charges are dynamic, your Marriott Bonvoy level steadiness will not be sufficient to cowl a free evening. In case you have 20,000 Bonvoy factors (or one other quantity you’re feeling is inadequate), these may be price about 6,666 miles with an airline.
It is a good approach to high off your required frequent flyer account should you’re brief on miles, or it lets you switch fewer factors from a bank card that earns transferable factors.
A weeklong household journey to Hawaii
Marriott Bonvoy provides members 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors they switch to an airline associate. Nevertheless, because of the shut partnership between Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus, MileagePlus members will obtain 10,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors transferred.
For a household of 4, airfare for a one-week keep in Hawaii will value 149,600 United miles. To e-book these award tickets, I would want to switch 300,000 Bonvoy factors to United MileagePlus, which provides me 100,000 United miles. Then I earn an extra 50,000 bonus miles as I earn 10,000 bonus United miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors, bringing my whole to 150,000 United miles.
Remember that Marriott Bonvoy limits the variety of miles you possibly can switch to an airline associate per day, so chances are you’ll must switch them over two days. Make certain there are sufficient award seats obtainable, and attempt to put them on maintain if this system permits it to forestall you from shedding them whereas the switch is in progress.
In the long run, the equal money ticket would value me $528 per individual, however because of transferring factors and reserving a redemption ticket, I internet 0.70 cents per level. Though I get the identical worth per level per TPG’s August 2025 valuations, throughout peak journey durations, the financial savings is usually a lot extra. In the long run, the over $2,000 saved on airfare may be put towards lodging comparable to a resort or Airbnb.
Associated: When does it make sense to switch Marriott factors to airways?
Fly on Virgin Atlantic Higher Class to London
Nothing will get me extra excited than redeeming my factors for high-value redemptions like a business-class ticket. Virgin Atlantic has an incredible business-class product, and because of the airline’s transfer to dynamic pricing for Virgin Atlantic award flights, you possibly can rating some unbelievable offers on premium cabin airfare.
Take, for instance, the next flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) to Heathrow Airport (LHR). For 29,000 Virgin factors and about $580 in taxes and costs, I can fly one-way in enterprise class. I might solely need to switch 74,000 Bonvoy factors to get 24,666 Virgin factors — plus I am going to get one other 5,000 for transferring at the very least 60,000 Bonvoy factors, giving me a complete of 29,666 factors.
This is a superb use of Marriott Bonvoy factors as a result of the money value for a similar ticket is $2,008 per individual. This provides me a price of 1.93 cents per level, which is greater than double what TPG values Marriott factors at.
Associated: Bringing the enjoyable again to flying: Virgin Atlantic A350 Higher Class evaluation
Backside line
Though it is not finest apply to hoard rewards, having over 800,000 Marriott factors can be a perk. I really feel now could be the right time to redeem them as a result of I’ve sufficient factors to cowl the vast majority of my aspirational redemptions.
Though I not often redeem factors for resort stays, this can be why I achieve this: I’ve the possibility to expertise some unbelievable properties worldwide. Nonetheless, I ought to act sooner relatively than later — since you by no means know when the following devaluation is coming, and it is about time I loved my hard-earned factors.
