As Marriott International is the largest hotel company in the world with 30 brands under its control and about 8,000 properties in more than 130 countries, the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program is one of the most popular hotel loyalty programs out there, especially among U.S. travelers.

The program includes properties at a wide variety of price points, from budget hotels to ultra-luxurious resorts, and despite the massive size of this program, its rules and earnings are pretty easy to navigate.

From earning and redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points to upgrading to elite status, Marriott has streamlined most aspects of its rewards program. There are also a ton of ways to start racking up Marriott Bonvoy points, including staying at Marriott-owned hotels, spending on co-branded Marriott credit cards and dining at restaurants, to name a few.

The Marriott Bonvoy program is completely free to sign up for, so there’s really no downside to joining even if you don’t stay at Marriott properties often. Let’s talk about every element of the Marriott Bonvoy program and what it has to offer.

Elite Status Tiers

Before we move on to how you can accrue and spend Marriott Bonvoy points, let’s look at one of the best features offered by the Marriott Bonvoy program—elite status.

Marriott has five elite status tiers (Silver Elite, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite), all of which are usually earned by completing a certain number of qualifying nights at Marriott Bonvoy locations.

However, some co-branded Marriott credit cards come with automatic elite tiers as well as elite night credits that can help you achieve the next status level even quicker. We’ll discuss this more in-depth later in the article.

Regardless of which elite status you hold, you should be aware that you’ll receive the benefits of that status tier only if you book stays directly through Marriott. In most cases, you won’t receive your elite status benefits if you book through Booking.com, Expedia, Orbitz or any other third-party booking engine, even if you add your Marriott Bonvoy number to the reservation.

Let’s look at the different elite status levels in the Marriott Bonvoy program and what is offered at each tier.

marriott bonvoy silver elite

Member

Achieving Member status is as easy as enrolling in the Marriott Bonvoy program. You’ll receive a Marriott Bonvoy number that can earn you certain benefits when you book through Marriott’s website. These include free standard Wi-Fi, access to member rates and mobile check-in.

You’ll also be able to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and redeem them for free stays. So, even if you don’t stay at Marriott properties enough to achieve an elite status tier, you should still sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy program. After all, it’s free.

Silver Elite

You can achieve Silver Elite status by completing 10 qualifying nights at Marriott Bonvoy properties in a calendar year. Silver Elite members receive all benefits that come with Member status as well as a 10% point bonus on stays and priority late checkout (subject to availability).

Credit cards that earn automatic Silver Elite status include:

You can earn Lifetime Silver Elite status by completing 250 lifetime nights and achieving Silver Elite status or higher for at least five years.

Gold Elite

You can achieve Gold Elite status by completing 25 qualifying nights at Marriott Bonvoy properties in a calendar year. Gold Elite members receive all benefits that come with Silver Elite status as well as a 25% point bonus on stays, 2 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability), upgrades to an enhanced room, excluding suites (subject to availability) and a welcome gift of points each time you stay.

Credit cards that earn automatic Gold Elite status include:

You can earn Lifetime Gold Elite status by completing 400 lifetime nights and achieving Gold Elite status or higher for at least seven years.

marriott bonvoy program - gold elite

Platinum Elite

You can achieve Platinum Elite status by completing 50 qualifying nights at Marriott Bonvoy properties in a calendar year. Platinum Elite members receive all benefits that come with Gold Elite status as well as a 50% point bonus on stays, upgrades to an enhanced room, including select suites (subject to availability), guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability at resorts and convention hotels) and a welcome gift each time you stay.

The welcome gift you receive as a Platinum Elite member will vary from hotel to hotel. However, you’ll usually get to choose from welcome points, breakfast or an amenity. If you choose breakfast as your welcome gift, it’ll most likely be served in the lobby or on-site restaurant. Some hotels, though, will offer you a room service credit so you can order the complimentary breakfast right to your room.

Platinum Elite members also receive an annual gift choice after staying 50 qualifying nights, which allows you to choose one benefit each year from the following options: five suite night awards, the ability to gift Silver Elite status to someone else, 40% off a mattress through one of Marriott’s shopping portals, five elite night credits or a $100 charitable donation. Out of these options, the suite night awards almost always offer the greatest value.

Credit cards that earn automatic Platinum Elite status include:

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

 

 

It’s also possible to earn Platinum Elite status if you have the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card (no longer accepting new applicants) and spend $75,000 during a cardmember year.

You can earn Lifetime Platinum Elite status by completing 600 lifetime nights and achieving Platinum Elite status or higher for at least 10 years.

breakfast

Titanium Elite

You can achieve Titanium Elite status by completing 75 qualifying stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties in a calendar year. Titanium Elite members receive all benefits that come with Platinum Elite status as well as a 75% point bonus on stays, 48-hour guaranteed availability and United MileagePlus Silver status (compliments of Mariott’s RewardsPlus partnership agreement with United Airlines).

Titanium Elite members are also eligible for a second annual gift choice after staying 75 qualifying nights. In addition to the options that come with Platinum Elite status, Titanium Elite members can also elect to use their annual gift choice for a free night award worth up to 40,000 points or the ability to gift Gold Elite status to someone else.

marriott bonvoy platinum elite

Ambassador Elite

Ambassador Elite status is the highest status that you can earn in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. You can achieve Ambassador Elite status by completing 100 qualifying stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties in a calendar year and reaching $20,000 in qualifying spending at Marriott properties.

Ambassador Elite members receive all benefits that come with Titanium Elite status as well as access to the Ambassador service to help you manage your bookings and stays. You also get access to the Your24 benefit that allows you to choose your check-in and checkout times within a 24-hour window. So, if you arrive at 8 p.m. at your hotel, you could elect to check out at 8 p.m. the next day.

Elite Benefit Guarantees

One of the best parts about having Marriott Bonvoy elite status at any tier is their Ultimate Reservation Guarantee, which promises elite members compensation if Marriott isn’t able to honor the reservation. Marriott will pay to put you up in a nearby hotel and, in some cases, they’ll also throw in as much as $200 and 90,000 Bonvoy points to make up for the inconvenience.

For example, Marriott Bonvoy elite status members are entitled to $200 and 90,000 Bonvoy points if Marriott is unable to honor their reservation at any Gaylord Hotels property. All details about Marriott’s Ultimate Reservation Guarantee can be found on Marriott’s website.

Marriott also has a series of other charts that show the compensation you may be entitled to if you don’t receive your welcome gift, lounge access, guaranteed room type or the 48-hour guaranteed availability. If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy elite member and you’re ever denied the benefits that you’re entitled to, check these charts and ask for your due compensation.

marriott-bonvoy-ambassador-elite

Modern Luxury Villa With Large Terrace, Swimming Pool, Sofa And Lounge Chairs

Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points

The ability to receive elite status benefits is just one of the lucrative features of the Marriott Bonvoy program. The other major aspect is the ability to earn Marriott Bonvoy points, which can be redeemed for free night awards among other rewards.

There are many ways to earn points, and some are far more effective than others. In general, though, the two best ways to boost your Marriott Bonvoy points balance are to stay at Marriott properties and spend on co-branded Marriott credit cards.

Stay at Marriott Bonvoy Properties

The first and most straightforward way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is by completing qualifying nights at properties participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program. The Marriott International umbrella covers 30 hotel brands that span from budget hotels to top-of-the-line luxury resorts.

At most Marriott properties, Marriott Bonvoy members will earn a basis of 10X points per dollar spent on qualifying purchases. However, with some brands, such as Element, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Homes & Villas by Marriott, you’ll earn only 5X points. And you’ll earn just 2.5X points per dollar spent on room rates at Marriott Executive Apartments.

As mentioned before, you also can boost your earnings rates by having elite status. Here are the elite status earnings bonuses for each tier:

  • Silver Elite – 10% bonus
  • Gold Elite – 25% bonus
  • Platinum Elite – 50% bonus
  • Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite – 75% bonus

You should be aware that you can earn Marriott Bonvoy only for stays booked directly through Marriott. You won’t be awarded points for bookings made through online travel agencies or through a tour guide.

marriott-bonvoy-titanium-elite

Credit Card Bonuses and Spending

Several credit cards can earn you Marriott Bonvoy points. However, only six are currently open to new applicants (three from American Express and three from Chase). Here are those six co-branded Marriott cards, their annual fees and their main perks.

American Express Cards

  • Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
    • $250 annual fee (rates & fees)
    • Complimentary Gold Elite status, 15 elite night credits, free night award worth up to 50,000 Marriott points after spending $15,000 in a calendar year and 1,000 bonus points per stay at Marriott hotels
  • Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
    • $650 annual fee (see rates & fees)
    • Complimentary Platinum Elite status, 25 elite night credits, up to $300 dining statement credit, up to $100 Marriott bonvoy property statement credit, automatic free night award worth up to 85,000 Marriott points every cardmember year and fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
  • Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
    • $125 annual fee (see rates & fees)
    • Complimentary Gold Elite status, 15 elite night credits, automatic free night award worth up to 35,000 Marriott points every cardmember year, ability to earn second free night award by spending $60,000 in a calendar year and 7% room rate discount at Marriott hotels
hotel room

Chase Cards

  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
    • No annual fee
    • 15 elite night credits, which qualifies you for Silver Elite status
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
    • $95 annual fee
    • 15 elite night credits, which qualifies you for Silver Elite status, ability to earn Gold Elite status after spending $35,000 in a calendar year, ability to earn one elite night credit for every $5,000 you spend and automatic free night award worth up to 35,000 Marriott points every cardmember year
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card
    • $250 annual fee
    • Complimentary Gold Elite status,15 elite night credits, free night award worth up to 50,000 Marriott points after spending $15,000 in a calendar year and 1,000 bonus points per stay at Marriott hotels

On top of the aforementioned benefits, all of these cards offer spending bonuses in certain categories that allow you to rack up Bonvoy points. For each of these cards, the highest bonus category is at Marriott properties. So, if you frequently stay at Marriott properties anyway, you should definitely get one of these cards and start racking up Bonvoy points quickly.

For instance, with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, you can earn 6X points for eligible purchases at Marriott Bonvoy locations. The card also comes with complimentary Platinum Elite status, which means that you’ll also get a 50% points bonus on top of that.

Many of these cards also offer welcome bonuses for qualifying customers as well. Usually, you’ll have to spend a certain amount of money in a specified number of months to receive them. However, these can be a great way to earn a ton of points quickly.

Organizing Events

If you’re planning an upcoming meeting or event, you may want to consider holding it at a Marriott Bonvoy property to earn some points.

Marriott offers 2X points per dollar spent on events held at Marriott Bonvoy locations. There’s a maximum base earning of 60,000 points, but elite status members will still receive their points bonuses even beyond that. So, if you’re not a member, your maximum earning is 60,000 points. However, if you’re a Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite member, you could earn as many as 105,000 points for a single event.

Alternatively, Marriott Bonvoy also gives you the option to earn airline miles with one of its partner airline rewards programs instead of earning Marriott Bonvoy points. In general, though, you’re better off electing to earn Bonvoy points.

Here’s a breakdown of how many points or miles you’ll earn for organizing events, depending on your elite status tier:

Membership levelPoints bonusMax points earning per eventsMax miles earning per events
Member0%60,00020,000
Silver Elite10%66,00020,000
Gold Elite25%75,00020,000
Platinum Elite50%90,00020,000
Titanium Elite75%105,00020,000
Ambassador Elite75%105,00020,000

You’ll also earn an additional elite night credit for every 20 rooms that you book as part of your event, up to 20 elite night credits. That means that you could earn 20 elite night credits in a single night if you were somehow able to book 400 rooms as part of an event.

beautiful resort

Refer a Friend

The Marriott Bonvoy program allows you to earn points by referring friends or family to the program. You can refer up to five friends per calendar year. Each time they complete a paid stay at a Marriott hotel, you’ll receive 2,000 points, up to five stays per new member.

So, if you refer five friends and all of them complete five paid stays at Marriott hotels, you could earn 50,000 points just for sending out some referral links.

On top of that, each of your friends that you referred to the program also will earn 2,000 bonus points for each of their first five paid stays at Marriott hotels. Assuming that your friend completes five paid stays, they’ll receive a total of 10,000 bonus points because of your referral.

Dining Out

The Eat Around Town program offers 6X points per dollar spent for Marriott Bonvoy members with elite status and 4X points per dollar spent for Marriott Bonvoy members without elite status. To earnt these rewards, you have to link your credit card to the dining rewards program and then use that card at participating restaurants.

Points earned through Marriott’s Eat Around Town program are in addition to the other points that you’d earn from the dining purchase. So, if you use the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, which earns 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide, you’ll also earn 4X points from the Eat Around Town program (since you’re an elite status member if you have that card), essentially giving you 7X points on dining at restaurants worldwide.

dining

Buying Mattresses

If you’re in the market for a new mattress, you can earn 10,000 Marriott Bonvoy points by purchasing one from any of Marriott International’s online retail stores, including Shop EDITION, The Ritz-Carlton Shops, The Luxury Collection Store, St. Regis Boutique, W Hotels The Store, Curated by JW, Shop Marriott, Sheraton Store, Westin Store, Shop Le Meridien, Collect Renaissance, Gaylord Hotels The Store, Shop Courtyard, Fairfield Store and Shop Four Points.

Booking Travel

Marriott Bonvoy members can earn a minimum of 500 points for Hertz car rentals booked through Marriott’s Tours & Activities page.

You also can earn Marriott Bonvoy points when you book a cruise through Marriott Cruise with Points.

travel booking

Ride or Order Food with Uber

Marriott Bonvoy has partnered with Uber to give you the ability to earn points for both rideshare and food delivery. You’ll earn 3X points per dollar spent on Uber Premium rides (which includes Uber XL, Uber Black, Uber SUV and Uber Comfort). You’ll earn 6X points per dollar spent on Uber Eats deliveries when staying at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel (minimum $25 order) and 2X points per dollar spent on all other Uber Eats orders.

Buying Points

Marriott gives you the option to purchase up to 100,000 points per year. However, buying points is generally not a good idea unless you have a specific redemption in mind. The purchase rate is usually $12.50 per 1,000 points whereas the true value of Marriott Bonvoy points is somewhere around $8 per 1,000 points.

Again, if you need to top off your points balance for a specific redemption, then you might want to consider buying points. Most of the time, though, buying points isn’t a good deal.

Transferring Points from Other Programs

Another way to top off your Marriott Bonvoy points balance is to transfer rewards from partner programs. Chase Ultimate Rewards points and American Express Membership Rewards points both transfer at a 1:1 ratio.

However, as both of these other rewards currencies are usually more valuable than Marriott Bonvoy points, you probably don’t want to transfer them unless you have a specific redemption in mind.

As part of the RewardsPlus partnership between Marriott and United, United elite status members (Silver and above) can transfer MileagePlus miles into Marriott Bonvoy points, up to 50,000 miles per year. This partnership also provides reciprocal elite status benefits for both members with elite status in either program.

While there’s no fee for transferring your miles from United to Marriott, you’ll lose value when you do so. United miles are valued at 1.3 cents each whereas Marriott Bonvoy points are worth about 0.8 cents each. So, unless you have a specific redemption in mind, it’s probably better not to transfer your United miles.

Combining Points

Marriott Bonvoy gives its members the option to transfer points to other members, up to 100,000 per member per year. Each member is allowed to receive up to 500,000 points per year.

While most loyalty programs charge you to transfer points to other members, Marriott Bonvoy allows you transfer points for free. The minimum transfer amount is 1,000 points, and both accounts need to have been open for at least 30 days. You need to call Marriott to complete the transfer.

Earn Miles Instead of Points

Marriott Bonvoy also gives you the option to earn airline miles with select frequent flyer-programs instead of Bonvoy points when you stay at their properties. You’ll usually earn 2X miles per dollar spent on qualifying purchases. However, you may earn less than that based on what brand of hotel you stay at and which frequent-flyer miles you elect to earn.

Here are the frequent-flyer programs that you can choose to earn miles with:

Aegean Miles+BonusCopa Airlines ConnectMilesMultiplus Fidelidade
Aer Lingus AerClubDelta SkyMilesQantas Frequent Flyer
Aeroméxico Club PremierEmirates SkywardsQatar Airways Privilege Club
Air Canada AeroplanEthiad GuestSaudia Alfursan
Air France-KLM Flying BlueFrontier MilesSingapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Alaska Airlines Mileage PlanHainan Airlines Fortune Wings ClubSouthwest Rapid Rewards
American Airlines AAdvantage
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMilesTAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
ANA Mileage ClubIberia PlusThai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
Asiana Airlines Asiana ClubInterMilesTurkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Avianca LifeMilesJapan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank
United MileagePlus
British Airways Executive ClubKorean Air SKYPASSVirgin Atlantic Flying Club
Cathay Pacific Asia MilesLATAM Airlines LATAM PassVueling Club
Lufthansa Miles & More

Keep in mind that in almost every case, you’re better off electing to earn Marriott Bonvoy points instead of airline miles. The highest rate that you can earn with airline miles is 2X miles per dollar spent whereas Marriott will give you 10X Bonvoy points per dollar spent. Plus, after you earn your Bonvoy points, you can then transfer them to any of the airlines listed above. This method will typically earn you more miles than choosing to earn miles on stays directly.

Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy Points

Now that we’ve covered how to earn Marriott Bonvoy points, let’s discuss how you can spend those points. There are many ways to redeem your Bonvoy points, and some provide much better value than others. Marriott Bonvoy points are valued at 0.8 cent apiece, so you’re going to want to make sure you get at least that much value when you redeem your points.

While this section will cover all of the ways that you can redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points, the redemptions that provide the most value are typically hotel stays or transfers to frequent-flyer programs.

Hotel accommodations

Award Nights

Marriott has switched over to a dynamic pricing model for all award stays, meaning that redemption rates are more closely tied to cash rates (as well as occupancy levels and other factors). This also means that you won’t know exactly how much a redemption will cost until you actually go to book it.

You can book upgraded rooms with points through Marriott Bonvoy but only at certain properties. So, you’ll need to search for your award stay and then see if a redemption rate with a cash upgrade or a redemption rate with a points upgrade is available.

Marriott Bonvoy also offers a “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk, which gives you the lowest-priced night for free if you redeem your points for five or more consecutive nights in a standard room. This is one of the best ways to get the most value out of your points.

If you don’t have enough points to cover the entire cost of an award stay, you can reserve nights with Cash + Points when booking a standard room. You also can use Marriott’s Points Advance feature, which gives you the option to reserve an award stay even when you’re short on points and then earn those points later.

You should be aware, though, that the Points Advance feature doesn’t allow you to lock in a specific redemption rate—it simply reserves the space for you. So, the cost in points could potentially increase between the time that you reserve the room and the time that you earn the points and actually pay for the stay.

In general, award stays are one of the highest-value redemptions of Marriott Bonvoy points, especially when you use the fifth night free perk. And, while award stay redemption values will probably drop when Marriott shifts to the dynamic pricing model in 2023, there are still some sweet spots in the program that offer solid value.

award nights

Airline Transfer Partners

Another solid way to use your Marriott Bonvoy points is to transfer them into one of Marriott’s more than 40 partnered frequent-flyer programs. Most of these airlines have a transfer ratio of 3:1. However, the transfer ratio for Air New Zealand Airpoints is 200:1 because Airpoints are worth 1 New Zealand dollar apiece.

Also, as a part of the RewardsPlus partnership with United Airlines, Marriott offers a 10% points bonus when transferring to United MileagePlus, which means that the transfer ratio is effectively 3:1.1.

On top of that, Marriott also offers 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred to most of its airline partners. That means you will receive 25,000 miles for every 60,000 points transferred. Transfer times will vary based on the airline.

Booking Travel with Marriott

You can book flights and rental cars directly through Marriott via their Air and Car program. You also can book cruises with Marriott’s Cruise with Points program. Unfortunately, both of these redemption options provide a maximum value of only 0.4 cent per point, meaning that you’re probably better off using your Bonvoy points some other way.

Marriott Bonvoy Moments

If you’d rather use your points for a local experience instead of travel, you might want to check out the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program. This feature of Marriott Bonvoy allows you to use your points for concert tickets, sporting events, culinary events and other unique experiences.

The packages offered through Marriott Bonvoy Moments are always changing, so take a look at their website and see if any events appeal to you. Generally, using your points through Marriott Bonvoy Moments won’t provide the most value per point, but it might get you tickets to an event that you might not otherwise be able to access.

Hotel Credit

Rather than booking an award stay in advance, you can use your Bonvoy points as a hotel credit against a room bill already incurred at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel. This redemption option offers a redemption rate of just 0.4 cent per point, so we don’t recommend it.

airport lounge

Businessman reading a magazine while waiting for his flight at airline terminal lounge. Entrepreneur at airport waiting area reading a magazine.

Shop with Points and Gift Cards

You can use your points through Marriott’s Shop with Points program to buy consumer goods, such as electronics, kitchen appliances, sporting goods, tools and much more from a wide variety of brands.

It’s also possible to use your points to purchase gift cards from brands like Apple, Lowe’s, Nike, Olive Garden, Uber and more.

Unfortunately, using your points through Shop with Points to buy merchandise or gift cards usually yields a value of about 0.4 cent per point. So, you’re probably better off making these purchases with cash and saving your Marriott Bonvoy points for a higher-value redemption.

Donating Your Points

If you’d rather use your points to make a difference in the world, Marriott gives you the option to donate your points to one of their featured charities. Currently, Marriott is working with World Central Kitchen (which provides meals and supplies to people in Ukraine and neighboring countries) and UNICEF (which supports the children of Ukraine by improving access to safe water, nutrition, healthcare, education and more).

The minimum donation is 2,500 points, which will provide $10 of relief to either of these charities. You can donate up to a maximum of 125,000 points at a time, which provides $500 of relief to either charity.

The Best Ways to Use the Marriott Bonvoy Program

As you’ve just seen, there are many ways to use the Marriott Bonvoy program, but some options provide far superior earnings rates and redemption values than others. Here are the best ways to leverage the Marriott Bonvoy program.

Earn 30 Elite Night Credits with Marriott Credit Cards

Many co-branded Marriott cards offer 15 elite night credits annually. So, if you get a Marriott personal credit card and a business credit card, you can stack those elite night credits for a total of 30. That gets you to Gold Elite status automatically and puts Platinum Elite status well within reach for most travelers.

If you really want to maximize your elite night credits, you can get the Bonvoy Brilliant card (which comes with 25 elite night credits annually and has an annual fee of $650) and pair that with the Amex Bonvoy Business Card for a total of 40 elite night credits per year. That puts you just 10 elite night credits away from Platinum Elite status just for keeping these two cards open.

Fifth Night Free

Regardless of whether or not you have elite status, all Marriott Bonvoy members receive a free night on stays of five nights or longer in standard rooms. While some travelers might not want to stay at the same location for that long, booking a longer stay at the same hotel is one of the best ways to stretch those points.

Best Rate Guarantee

Marriott has a fantastic best rate guarantee policy that you should definitely keep in the back of your mind whenever you book a stay with this hotel chain. If you find a cheaper rate on another website after you book through Marriott, they’ll match that rate if you submit a claim within 24 hours.

On top of that, Marriott will give you an additional 25% discount on that lower rate or a 5,000-point bonus.

hotel credit

The Bottom Line

There are plenty of ways to rack up Marriott Bonvoy points, including stays at Marriott hotels, spending on co-branded credit cards, limited-time promotions and partner programs. We recommend linking your Marriott Bonvoy account with your Uber account because there’s no downside to it whatsoever.

However, after the shift from a fixed award chart to dynamic pricing, there’s no denying that it’ll be much harder to find high-value award stay redemptions. However, with some research, it’s definitely still possible to find some sweet spots in the program.

Even though that shift has led to a slight devaluation in Marriott Bonvoy points, we still believe that this is one of the best hotel loyalty programs, especially considering that you can climb the ladder of elite status tiers so quickly by signing up for Marriott’s credit cards.

And, of course, even if you don’t want to hold a Marriott credit card and you don’t stay at Marriott locations often, you should still sign up for the program. After all, it’s completely free.