Do you know you possibly can switch sure lodge loyalty rewards to 40-plus frequent flyer packages?
I consider that flexibility is king in terms of lodge rewards, which is why I’ve traditionally stored a modest stash of Marriott Bonvoy factors to redeem free nights slightly than transferring these lodge factors to companion airline packages. But, as I stare at my stability of simply 30,000 Bonvoy factors, which is barely sufficient for a single off‑peak evening at many choose manufacturers, I’ve determined I am altering my technique.
Let me clarify why I am lastly changing these factors to American Airways AAdvantage miles and the way you may determine whether or not the mathematics works for you, too.
Why Marriott Bonvoy factors do not stretch so far as they used to
Dynamic award pricing and better redemption prices imply that 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors sometimes will not unlock aspirational stays anymore. In check searches for stays this summer season, I noticed mid‑tier Fairfield and Courtyard properties in North America persistently pricing between 28,000 and 42,000 factors per evening — hardly a rewarding deal when money charges hover round $150.
I’ve had these Bonvoy factors for effectively over a 12 months now (about the identical time as my final Marriott keep), and I am aware that these factors will expire if I haven’t got any qualifying exercise in my account after 24 months, so I have to do one thing with them.
My 30,000 Bonvoy level stability seems stranded. It appears too large to disregard and too small to guide something luxurious or save actual money.
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Why an airline switch appears to be like smarter proper now
For a number of causes, I worth American Airways AAdvantage miles increased than Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus miles, so of all of the airline companions to switch my Marriott Bonvoy factors to, AAdvantage is my prime decide.
One purpose is that these miles have historically been tougher to earn by way of transferable bank card packages, although this has just lately modified due to Citi ThankYou Rewards including American Airways AAdvantage as a switch companion.
To not point out, I just lately earned a 60,000-mile AAdvantage welcome bonus (not out there) on the AAdvantage® Aviator® Crimson World Elite Mastercard®.
With that bonus in thoughts, transferring 30,000 Bonvoy factors to AAdvantage at the usual 3:1 ratio will internet me an extra 10,000 AAdvantage miles, nudging my stability to 70,000 miles. These miles might assist me unlock a number of redemption candy spots, together with Qatar Airways Qsuite from North America to the Center East, the Maldives and Southeast Asia, which I consider is probably the only greatest option to redeem AAdvantage miles and save hundreds of {dollars}.
The knowledge for the AAdvantage Aviator Crimson World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Is that this an excellent deal?
TPG values Marriott Bonvoy factors at 0.7 cents every in our August 2025 valuations (so 30,000 factors are price $210). On the airline aspect, we at the moment worth AAdvantage miles at 1.55 cents every, making 10,000 miles price roughly $155. That appears like a poor deal, however here is why I believe it is smart:
- It is unlikely I am going to discover a lodge for 30,000 factors per evening the place I am going to get greater than 0.7 cents per level in worth primarily based on the locations I am visiting.
- Including 10,000 AAdvantage miles to my account brings my complete to over 70,000 miles, opening up many extra redemption choices.
- I am going to have the ability to expend these Bonvoy factors instantly on a excessive‑worth AAdvantage flight redemption; in any other case, they could languish in my Bonvoy account till dynamic pricing causes redemption charges to climb even increased or they expire.
- As Bonvoy just isn’t my go-to lodge loyalty program for reserving lodge stays with money (that may be World of Hyatt), if I selected to attend to earn 30,000 extra Bonvoy factors to set off the 5,000‑mile switch bonus on the 60,000-point tier, realistically, that would take me one other six months of stays.
Briefly, I am comfy “overpaying” on paper as a result of the incremental miles set off a redemption I truly need to make.
In case you’re contemplating doing this, too, listed below are some issues to recollect:
- Verify companion ratios: Most airways switch at a 3:1 ratio, however some are much less.
- Goal for a 60,000-point bonus, if potential: When you’ve got, say, 50,000 Bonvoy factors to switch, it is in all probability price ready till you attain the magic 60,000 Bonvoy factors quantity and selecting an airline switch companion that awards an additional 5,000 bonus miles (United MileagePlus affords a beneficiant 10,000 bonus miles).
- Transfers can’t be reversed: In case you are contemplating shifting Bonvoy factors to an airline program, it is a good suggestion to redeem them instantly slightly than transferring speculatively. Sadly, airline packages can and do devalue, and you do not need to be caught with airline miles you can not use.
Backside line
In an period of dynamic lodge pricing, flexibility typically means letting go of a forex that not serves you. By changing 30,000 doubtlessly nugatory Marriott Bonvoy factors into 10,000 American Airways AAdvantage miles, I am not chasing a theoretical cents‑per‑level benchmark; I am enabling a particular excessive‑worth award that may in any other case be out of attain.
Will this technique swimsuit everybody? Completely not. In case you routinely extract 1 cent or extra in worth per Bonvoy level on luxurious stays — otherwise you’re sitting on 300,000 factors as an alternative of 30,000 — preserve them within the lodge ecosystem. When you’ve got orphaned lodge balances and premium cabin aspirations, it might be time to assume past the mattress run and let these lodge factors take flight.
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