How Do Marriott Bonvoy Points Work: A Simple Explanation

Being one of the most popular hotel loyalty programs, the Marriott Bonvoy program is taking over the loyalty rewards scene. If you want to get more out of every hotel stay, you need to understand all the ins and outs. While it may seem complicated, in this guide, we will explain how to earn, save, and redeem Bonvoy points, as well as explore card options and lesser-known partner opportunities that can help you increase your balance. Let’s start with the basics.

First, the terms you’ll see everywhere

Marriott Bonvoy points are the loyalty “currency” you earn with Marriott. Think of them like store credit for hotel travel.

You collect points when you stay at Marriott brands (and through partners and credit cards). Then you spend them for free hotel nights, room upgrades, and things like experiences or gift cards. You can also move Bonvoy points to dozens of airline programs to book flights with miles.

Points don’t last forever—any earning or redemption activity keeps your account alive. And if you’re traveling together, you can transfer points to another Bonvoy member when you need to combine balances for a booking.

Bonvoy points are the units you earn and redeem. Think of them as store credit for hotel travel.

An award night is a room paid with points instead of cash. Marriott uses dynamic pricing, which means the points required move up or down with demand.

A standard room award is the base room you can book with points. Higher categories or suites may cost more points or be excluded unless you upgrade.

Elite Night Credits (ENCs) measure your progress toward elite status. You earn one ENC for most paid or award nights you actually stay.

Elite status unlocks extras like point bonuses, late checkout, breakfast at many brands, lounge access, and upgrades. Tiers are Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador.

Free Night Awards (certificates) are one-night vouchers, usually from co-branded credit cards. Each has a cap (e.g., 35K, 50K, 85K points). You can top up a certificate with up to 15,000 points to reach a pricier night.

Stay for 5, Pay for 4 is Marriott’s long-stay perk on awards: book five consecutive nights with points at one hotel and the cheapest night is free.

Transfer partners let you move Bonvoy points to airline miles. Most transfer at 3:1, and every 60,000 Bonvoy points you transfer earns a bonus (larger with United).

That’s the vocabulary. Now let’s put it to work.

How you earn Marriott Bonvoy points

1. Hotel stays

From spending on everyday purchases to staying at participating Marriott hotels, Marriott Bonvoy provides a multitude of ways to build up points that culminate in a great vacation.

Members will earn 10 points per dollar spent on qualifying charges for stays and most Marriott hotel brands.

With the exceptions are the following brands, where you’ll earn 5 points for every dollar on qualifying payments:

• Element
• Residence Inn
• TownePlace Suites
• Homes & Villas
• Protea Hotels
• City Express
• Four points Express by Sheraton

As well as some hotels and apartments of the Marriott Executive Apartments brand, which will only earn 2.5 points for every dollar on qualifying payments.

To earn points for a stay, you need to make sure you book directly with Marriott. If booking through an online travel agency, or staying as a part of an event, your stay will not acquire you points, as well as the nights not be counted as Elite Nights toward the next Elite Status tier.

On top of that, your elite status adds a bonus—from +10% at Silver up to +75% at Titanium and Ambassador.

Promotions run frequently. You’ll see seasonal promos (double points, extra elite nights) and brand-specific offers. Outside the hotel, you can earn via co-branded credit cards, dining and rideshare partners in some regions, and occasional partner tie-ins.

2. Meetings & events

Plan a qualifying meeting, wedding or group and earn 2 points per US$1, up to 60,000 points per event (elite tiers can earn up to 105,000). You’ll also earn 1 elite night for every 20 room nights, up to 20 elite nights per event. 

3. Uber & Uber Eats (U.S.)

Link your accounts to earn points on rides and orders. You’ll typically see 3x on premium rides (UberXL, Comfort, Black), 2x on $25+ Uber Eats orders, and up to 6x on $25+ Uber Eats deliveries to participating Marriott hotels (terms vary by product and location). 

4. Eat Around Town dining (U.S.)

Join Eat Around Town by Marriott Bonvoy and earn 4 points per US$1 at participating restaurants; elite members earn 6x. New members often get a limited-time bonus for first-60-day dining. 

5. Car rentals

Book through Marriott’s car rental page and add your Bonvoy number to earn 500 points per Hertz rental (and typically 250 with Dollar or Thrifty). Elite members may see occasional promos or status matches with Hertz. 

6. Cruises, tours & activities

Through Cruise with Points, members in the U.S. can earn 3 points per US$1 on cruise purchases—and during promos it can be 6x (e.g., balcony/suite offers). 

With Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities, you can also earn points on eligible experiences booked via Marriott’s activities portal. 

7. Earn Points with Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card

Marriott-branded Chase and American Express cards earn Bonvoy points on everyday spending and add multipliers for Marriott purchases. These points post to your Bonvoy account and stack with the base + elite earning you get from the stay itself. (See our comparison of cards in the table below to find out the exact earning rates.)

Marriott Bonvoy has four (4) Chase co-branded cards and three (3) American Express cards for earning Marriott Bonvoy points.

Chase

Marriott Bonvoy Bold

Earns 3X points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 2X at grocery stores, rideshare and select food delivery, select streaming, and internet/cable/phone services; 1X on other purchases. (Chase markets “up to 14X total” at Marriott when adding program points, but the card earn is 3X.) 

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Earns 6X at Marriott Bonvoy hotels; 3X on the first $6,000 per year combined at gas stations, grocery stores, and dining; 2X on other purchases. (Chase markets “up to 17X total” at Marriott when adding program points.) 

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful

Earns 6X at Marriott Bonvoy hotels; 4X on the first $15,000 per year combined at grocery stores and dining, then 2X; 2X on all other purchases. (Chase markets “up to 18.5X total” at Marriott when adding program points.) 

The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card (legacy).

Earns 6X at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 3X on dining, car rentals, and airline purchases; 2X on other purchases. (Closed to new applicants, but existing cardholders keep these earn rates.) 

American Express

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

Earns 6X at Marriott Bonvoy hotels; 3X at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines; 2X on other eligible purchases. 

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card

Earns 6X at Marriott Bonvoy hotels; 4X at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets on up to $15,000 per calendar year combined (then 2X); 2X on other eligible purchases. 

Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

Earns 6X at Marriott Bonvoy hotels; 4X at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, U.S. wireless telephone services purchased directly from providers, and U.S. shipping; 2X on other eligible purchases. 

Note: The “up to XXX total points at Marriott” language you’ll see on issuer pages includes Marriott’s own base/elite points in addition to the card’s earn; the bullet points above reflect the card-only earn rates.

Parameter \ Card	Bold (Chase)	Boundless (Chase)	Bountiful (Chase)	Ritz-Carlton (Chase, legacy)	Brilliant (Amex)	Bevy (Amex)	Business (Amex)
Annual Fee	$0	$95	$250 (closed to new)	$450 (legacy only)	$650	$250	$125
Sign-up Bonus	30,000 pts after $1k/3 mo	3× Free Night Awards (up to 50k each) after $3k/3 mo	85,000 pts after $4k/3 mo	Not open to new applicants	185,000 pts after $6k/6 mo (public offer window)	155,000 pts after $5k/6 mo (public offer window)	125,000 pts after $8k/6 mo (public offer window)
Point Earnings	3x Marriott; 2x grocery, rideshare/select delivery, select streaming, internet/cable/phone; 1x other	6x Marriott; 3x gas, grocery & dining (first $6k/yr), then 2x; 2x other	6x Marriott; 4x dining & grocery (first $15k/yr), then 2x; 2x other	6x Marriott; 3x dining, airlines (direct), car rentals; 2x other	6x Marriott; 3x restaurants worldwide & flights booked direct; 2x other	6x Marriott; 4x restaurants worldwide & U.S. supermarkets (combined $15k/yr), then 2x; 2x other	6x Marriott; 4x restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas, U.S. wireless (direct), U.S. shipping; 2x other
Free Night Awards	—	1× 35k FNA each anniversary	1× 50k FNA after $15k calendar-year spend	1× 85k FNA each anniversary	1× 85k FNA each renewal	1× 50k FNA after $15k calendar-year spend	1× 35k FNA each renewal + extra 35k FNA after $60k calendar-year spend
Elite Status (automatic)	Silver + 5 ENC/yr	Silver + 15 ENC/yr (Path to Gold w/ $35k spend)	Gold + 15 ENC/yr	Gold + 15 ENC/yr (Platinum w/ $75k spend)	Platinum + 25 ENC/yr	Gold + 15 ENC/yr	Gold + 15 ENC/yr
Additional Perks	$0 FX; basic travel protections	$0 FX; Visa travel protections; +1 ENC per $5k spend	1,000 bonus pts per paid stay; $0 FX; travel protections	$300 airline incidental credit; Priority Pass (unlimited guests incl. AUs); 3 Ritz club-level upgrade certs; GE/PreCheck credit; strong protections	$300 dining credit/yr ($25 monthly); $100 property credit on qualifying 2-night Ritz/St. Regis stays	1,000 bonus pts per paid stay (booked direct)	7% Marriott business-rate discount on eligible bookings

For every friend who is approved for a Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card, you have the opportunity to receive 40,000 bonus points. To invite an arc, follow the link.

8. Refer a Friend Reward

One benefit of the Marriott Bonvoy program that is often overlooked is its refer-a-friend rewards. Each year, you can refer up to five new members and earn 2,000 points for up to five of their stays. On top of this, if all the friends you refer complete five stays, you will be rewarded a bonus of 50,000 points a year. This referral can be filled out with the link below.

https://www.joinmarriottbonvoy.com/friends.aspx?promo=rewardafriend&ctycode=EN&source=

9. Buy from Marriott’s retail stores (mattresses, bedding, etc.)

Purchases at Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques (Westin Heavenly Bed, Ritz-Carlton linens, Sheraton bedding, and more) can earn Bonvoy points when you’re logged in at checkout. Marriott’s FAQ notes 5 base points per $1 on eligible boutique purchases. You can also pay with points, but the cash value is usually poor compared with saving points for hotel nights. If you use a Marriott credit card, you’ll also earn the card’s Marriott “merchant” multiplier on top. 

10. Transferring points to airlines (and from airlines)

Bonvoy points convert to 38+ frequent-flyer programs, typically at 3:1. Move 60,000 Bonvoy points in one go and Marriott adds a 5,000-mile bonus (so 60k → 25k miles). Transfers to United MileagePlus get an even bigger kicker: 10,000 bonus miles, so 60k → 30k United miles. Transfers are one-way, partner-dependent, and can take days—so line up award space first. (No 5k bonus on AA, Avianca, or Delta.) 

11. Transfer other Universal Credit Card Programs

You can top up Bonvoy instantly from major U.S. bank ecosystems:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: 1:1, in 1,000-point chunks. 
• American Express Membership Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: generally 1:1 in the U.S., with occasional transfer bonuses (e.g., recent +25–30% promos). 
• Bilt Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: 1:1, up to 500,000 points per day; transfers in 1,000-point increments. 
• These are great for last-mile top-ups. As always, transfer with a booking in mind—it’s one-way.

12. Marriott Bonvoy Moments

Another feature of the card, the Moments Program, allows you to cash in your points for unique experiences, ranging from entertainment to sports, even to culinary. The options change regularly and fluctuate in value.

13. Buying Points With a Bonus During Promotional Offers

From time to time, Merriott Bonavoy offers promotions for buying points with a bonus of 35% to 45%. Such promotions can be very useful when you have a certain lack of points for a certain redemption and you calculate that booking with points is cheaper than paying cash. Marriott also offers a separate points redemption mechanism called Point Multiplier, which allows you to purchase points at a 15%, 20% or 25% discount depending on your recent activity.

What an award actually costs—and why it changes

Because pricing is dynamic, the same hotel might cost 22,000 points on a quiet Tuesday and 48,000 on a holiday weekend. That’s normal. Use the flexible-dates calendar to scan a whole month at once and spot cheaper nights. Taxes on the room rate are baked into points bookings; resort/destination fees, parking, and incidentals may still apply, so check the rate details before you confirm.

Award space matters. You need a standard award room to use points or a certificate. If you don’t see it, try different dates, adjust length of stay, or check similar hotels nearby. Availability moves as the hotel fills and empties.

How to Redeem—Step by Step

Start in your Bonvoy account and search your destination. Toggle to “Use points/certificates.” Pick dates, then scan results for nights that fit your balance.

If you’re booking five nights, look for the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 line—one night will price at zero points automatically.

If you’re using a Free Night Award, select it at checkout. If the hotel is a bit over your certificate cap, add points with a top-up (up to 15,000). Certificates can’t be merged, and each covers a single night, but you can string multiple bookings together and ask the hotel to link them so you don’t switch rooms.

Award nights are cancellable under each hotel’s policy. If you cancel inside the free-cancellation window, your points or certificate come back; outside it, a penalty may be deducted—so always peek at the rules before you click “Book.”

Getting real value without making it complicated

Aim for nights that feel expensive in cash but still sit near your point sweet spot. That might be a city weekend, a resort shoulder-season date, or a special event. If the calendar shows wild swings, nudge your stay by a day to save thousands of points. When you’ve got a certificate, use it somewhere you’ll actually enjoy—even a local boutique Kimpton or a downtown weekend counts as a win.

Traveling as a pair? You can transfer points to another Bonvoy member (minimum 1,000; annual limits apply), or you can simply book an award in a companion’s name from your account. For longer trips, consider mixing: certificates for “treat” nights, points for the rest, and cash where rates are unusually low.

Do Marriott Bonvoy points expire?

Yes, Marriott Bonvoy points do expire if there's no qualifying activity in the member's account for a certain period. As of my last update in April 2023, Marriott Bonvoy points expire after 24 months of inactivity. Qualifying activity includes earning or redeeming points, so as long as you continue to earn or spend points within this timeframe, your points should remain active.

To prevent points from expiring, you can engage in activities such as staying at Marriott hotels, using a Marriott Bonvoy credit card for purchases, redeeming points for stays or other rewards, or even purchasing points. It's always a good idea to review the latest terms and conditions on the Marriott Bonvoy website or contact their customer service for the most current information.

How Do I Get the Fifth Night Free at Marriott?

Every Marriott Bonavoy member is entitled to a fifth free night when paying for their reservation with loyalty points.

This benefit is automatically applied when you log in to your loyalty account and search for hotels directly on the Marriott website when booking five consecutive nights.

For more information, please click here.