4 reasons it took a pandemic for me to redeem 100,000 Marriott points
Like most of you, my travel over the last three months slowed to nothing. I've canceled all future bookings, returning points to my accounts and bonus points from increased card offers continue to roll in. With the addition of free night certificates from credit cards and elite status, I've found myself stockpiling hotel points and free nights to a level that goes against my longstanding "earn and burn" mentality.
While too many points is a good problem to have, I've continued to have a problem redeeming my Marriott Bonvoy points. When I am looking at a destination, time and time again, it's a far better value to use Hyatt or Hilton points. I finally found a great redemption option with my Bonvoy points this week that let me get both a safe change of scenery during COVID-19 and great value for a truly free stay.
I redeemed 112,500 points for a two-bedroom villa at Marriott's Harbour Lake in Orlando. The Marriott Vacation Club is open with the majority of its activities also operating. Let's take a look at why it took a pandemic for me to redeem a large amount of my Bonvoy points.
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Space for a family
I have two kids and having a bit of extra space during hotel stays makes for a much more enjoyable experience for my wife and I. My young kids still go to bed relatively early, meaning a standard hotel room would also end my night at their early bedtime.
When looking for space on award nights, my Hyatt Globalist status and suite night upgrade certificates usually let me confirm a sizable room in advance. If Hyatt doesn't have availability at a destination, Hilton will let you redeem Honors points for any available room at the property. Simply paying more points per night means I can get my family a spacious set up.
With Marriott, there is comparatively a much larger barrier to getting suites or larger rooms when using points. There simply is no easy avenue to getting the space we need. Sometimes properties let you use a combination of points and cash or points upgrades to get larger rooms, but often they're a poor value or not available. This time when searching for a socially distanced space, the Marriott Vacation Club Harbour Lake in Orlando presented itself as a great option for a relatively low amount of points.
Related: How to use points to save money at Universal Orlando
Thanks to the new off-peak award night pricing promo from Marriott, we paid 37,500 points per night for a two-bedroom condo with full kitchen, porch, two bathrooms and our own washer/dryer.
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is closed and other spacious options in Orlando are either still closed, their amenities are closed or cost too many points per night. Marriott finally won the space battle when redeeming points and we are comfortable during our stay.
No resort fees
Marriott still charges you resort fees when redeeming points for a night while Hyatt and Hilton do not. We've covered this before and it's always top of mind when looking for a family or exotic destination with Marriott. A "free" stay can still end up being hundreds of dollars (don't forget the resort fee is taxed as if it were the room rate) and very often leads me to quickly shy away from redeeming Marriott points at properties with a destination/resort/urban fee.
To my surprise, Marriott Harbour Lake with all of its robust amenities (I'll cover below) does not charge a resort fee. This means our stay at a resort has the potential to truly be free — as long as we don't encounter the next fee I'll discuss below.
Related: How to avoid resort fees
No parking fees
When I saw Harbour Lake has gated entry, and since many properties and attractions in Orlando charge for parking (including now Disney hotels and resorts), I thought for sure we'd be tagged for parking. Sure enough, there is no parking fee here at the Marriott Vacation Club. When I called the front desk before booking to confirm no resort fee, or amenity fee or parking fee, she cackled and said, "We only charge the room rate and local taxes here at Harbour Lake."
Hyatt Globalist receive free parking when redeeming points for any award night and in Orlando (or any beach stay) where a rental car is a great asset to have, parking can be a hefty expense for a week's stay. This usually leaves me to redeem Hyatt points if I know the family will have a car. It was great to find a Marriott resort that doesn't charge parking.
The right amenities
When traveling with kids in a socially distant environment, the property we are going to stay at needs to have fun things to do, and plenty of them to allow spacing. When searching Orlando for a place to stay that had space and amenities, many properties were still closed and open properties had many of their activities closed, including pools.
Harbour Lake has a kids pool with an interactive pirate ship water feature, a full-on splash park called Florida Falls, a rather legitimate waterslide, putt-putt golf course, basketball courts, pool tables, Ping-Pong and other outdoor recreation activities. For my kids, this means Harbour Lake is a gold mine of fun, all contained within the resort walls. With all of these included amenities, I am shocked the property hasn't snuck in a resort fee.
Bottom Line
The stars finally aligned this week where I could use my Marriott points to get a great-sized space, no resort fee, no parking fee and tremendous amenities for a much-needed few nights away. This isn't to say it's hard for everyone to get value out of Marriott points -- just that for my typical needs, Hyatt or Hilton points usually present a much better option. I typically transfer Marriott points to airlines to get outsized value, but Marriott Harbour Lake will surely remain top of my list for the next needed family getaway and my next Marriott points redemption.
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Rewards
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.