Marriott Bonvoy is offering members the chance to buy Marriott Bonvoy Points at a 30% discount in its latest points sale. The offer is valid when buying 2,000 or more points, and is valid for points purchased between now and 20 June 2021.
In addition to the discount, Marriott Bonvoy are also allowing members to purchase up to 100,000 Points. As such, you can buy double the usual maximum of 50,000 Points.
Click here to purchase Marriott Bonvoy Points
Marriott Bonvoy Points Discount
Marriott usually sells points at $US12.50 per 1,000 points or 1.25 cents per point. With the 30% discount, you would be paying 0.875 cents per point.
This may be of interest to those with a specific redemption in mind or needing to top off their accounts.
Buying Marriott Bonvoy Points
When you buy Marriott Points, you should keep in mind a few limits that are made to what you can do.
- You need to have been a member for at least 30 days, and your account must be in good standing
- Purchased points do not count towards Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- You may purchase or receive as a gift from another member a combined maximum of 50,000 points per calendar year.
- Points may be purchased in increments of 1,000, up to 50,000 points (with a minimum purchase of 2,000 points required for promotion eligibility), or in increments of 5,000, up to a maximum of 100,000 points
- Normally, the purchase rate is 12.50 (USD) per 1,000 points.
- Please allow 72 hours for the transaction to be completed and points awarded to the recipient.
Using Marriott Bonvoy Points
If you were a member of SPG, then you may remember how valuable these points could be. The good news is that some of the features that made these points valuable have come across to Marriott Bonvoy,
Firstly, they are useful for booking hotel rooms.
Secondly, and this is an interesting one, is that you can transfer points to a range of airline partners. It gets even better. If you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonviy Points, Marriott will add an extra 25% bonus onto the transfer.
Hotel Rooms
The following table shows the number of Marriott Bonvoy points required for each category, together with the cost of obtaining those points if you buy them.
| Category | Points Required | Standard Points Cost | Discounted Points Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7,500 | $93.75 | $65.62 |
| 2 | 12,500 | $156.25 | $109.38 |
| 3 | 17,500 | $218.75 | $153.13 |
| 4 | 25,000 | $312.50 | $218.75 |
| 5 | 35,000 | $437.50 | $306.25 |
| 6 | 50,000 | $625.00 | $437.50 |
| 7 | 60,000 | $750.00 | $525.00 |
| 8 | 85,000 | $1062.50 | $743.75 |
To put that table into perspective, most Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Australia are in Category 5. The Aloft and Four Points hotels are typically in Category 3 or 4 hotels.
In many cases, you may well be better off just paying the cash rate for the room. You really need to consider each option.
Airline Transfers
As mentioned, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to a range of airline programs, including Virgin Australia and Qantas.
For most airlines, the transfer rate is 3:1. Air New Zealand and United are the main standouts, with rates of 200:1 and 3:1.1 respectively.
In addition, if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, or more, Marriott tip in an extra 5,000 airline points. So, if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you end up with 25,000 airline points.
Final Words
This may be worth it if you are just a little short of an award night.
Generally, however, I would say only buy them if you have some idea in mind for them.