How I plan to redeem more than 800,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
I broke the cardinal rule of the points and miles world: I hoarded points. Over the last three years, I have amassed over 800,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, and I am contemplating what to do with them.
It wasn't my intention to hoard my Marriott Bonvoy points, as I initially planned on redeeming them for a luxury hotel stay or transferring them to one of Marriott's airline partners. However, due to devaluations within the Bonvoy program and just simply finding other travel deals, I never got around to redeeming any of my points.
Although it sounds neat to say that I have amassed nearly a million points, not all points and miles are worth the same. According to TPG's August 2025 valuations, Marriott points are worth 0.7 cents apiece, which means my 807,500 Bonvoy points are worth $5,653.
In the past, my Marriott points would've been worth more, but with the hotel program devaluations, they've lost value. Therefore, now's the time to redeem my Bonvoy points and try to maximize their value.
Here are some ways I plan to redeem 800,000 Bonvoy points.
The best ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points
Despite having so many Marriott Bonvoy points, I haven't found a need for a cobranded credit card. Instead, I earned my Marriott points through paid stays and occasional bonus point promotions.
You can earn Marriott points in a number of ways. The easiest way is to credit your Marriott bookings to your Bonvoy account; another option is to apply for a cobranded Bonvoy card and earn a welcome bonus while also earning points as you spend on the card. For example, new cardmembers of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card can earn up to 150,000 bonus points: 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership, plus an additional 50,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases (for a total of $8,000) in the first six months of card membership.
There are several ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points, including:
- Award nights
- Marriott Bonvoy Moments
- Room credits, merchandise and gift cards
- Travel redemptions and airline transfers
The two types of redemptions that stand out to me are redeeming my points for award nights and transferring them to an airline. Marriott has 38 airline partners to which you can transfer your Bonvoy points.
I'm going to focus on those two redemptions because I know I can get the maximum value for my points. Redeeming points for a hotel stay is useful in multiple scenarios. One situation is if the cash price of a hotel per night is quite high, I can rely on using my points — and because I have so many of them, most redemptions are attainable. On the other hand, I do prefer using my points to book an award ticket for a premium cabin flight.
Despite most transfers from Marriott to an airline partner having a 3:1 transfer ratio, where it seems like I'm losing value, I personally feel booking business or first-class airfare is a better use of my points. Premium cabin airfare tends to cost more than an average hotel stay, and at the minimum, my 807,000 Bonvoy points are worth at least 269,000 miles with most airline partners.
For example, a one-way business-class ticket from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Zurich Airport (ZRH) averages $6,000 if paid in cash, or 70,000 Aeroplan points. Such a redemption gives me 8.57 cents per point, far more than what Marriott and Aeroplan points are worth according to TPG's August 2025 valuations.
Redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for hotel stays
The most straightforward way to redeem Bonvoy points is to book award nights at a Marriott portfolio property. Whether it's an unexpected trip that requires a hotel booking or an aspirational trip to a far-off destination, Bonvoy points can help cut travel costs.
To search for hotel redemptions, I simply enter my destination or property of interest and my preferred dates to see how many points the Bonvoy program is charging. Since Marriott prices are dynamic, be sure to play around with the dates, as you can score a better redemption that way.
FIFA World Cup 2026 accommodations in Mexico City
I am a huge soccer fan and have attended the last two FIFA World Cups: Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Accommodations during a world event can be tough to come by and quite expensive. However, having a stash of points can be a lifeline in these types of situations.
For example, a 10-night stay at the Le Meridien Mexico City Reforma will cost me only 41,000 points per night. However, thanks to the Bonvoy program's 'Stay 5 Pay for 4' perk, I would only pay for eight nights, which means I'd only spend a total of 328,000 Bonvoy points.
This is a fantastic use of my points, since the average cost per night is $1,200. I'm able to redeem my points for 3.65 cents each, more than five times TPG's August 2025 valuations. Without my Bonvoy points, I wouldn't be able to afford staying in Mexico City for as long to experience the FIFA World Cup — and if I did, it would cost me an astounding $12,000.
Redeeming my points for the FIFA World Cup brings me relief that hoarding my points helped me secure a hotel stay for an experience of a lifetime.
A luxurious getaway to the Maldives
If I want to use nearly all the points I have earned, then booking a once-in-a-lifetime trip could be the best option. This includes booking a hotel award redemption in the Maldives, which usually has eye-watering costs, from airfare to private seaplane transfers to the pricey food expenses.
A five-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, will cost me 780,000 points, so I'll use up nearly all of my Bonvoy points. Keep in mind that I still have to pay for the hotel's transportation, a speedboat transfer from Velana International Airport (MLE) to the property — which costs about $1,100 per person. So, although I am saving over $11,000 in accommodation costs, there are still other costs associated with this stay.
Overall, with a cash price of $2,200 per night, my redemption nets me 1.41 cents each, more than double TPG's August 2025 valuation of 0.7 cents each.
Related: Where is the Maldives, and is the long journey worth it?
Transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to an airline partner
In order to find award seat availability, I use Seats.aero, which has access to 20-plus airline loyalty programs. Seats.aero is an excellent tool to find seats across different cabins within seconds and really helps reduce the burden of searching for award tickets one loyalty program at a time.
Even if you don't have a lot of Marriott Bonvoy points, it could be a better option to transfer your points to book a flight. Since redemption rates are dynamic, your Marriott Bonvoy point balance may not be enough to cover a free night. If you have 20,000 Bonvoy points (or another amount you feel is insufficient), those can be worth about 6,666 miles with an airline.
It's a nice way to top off your desired frequent flyer account if you're short on miles, or it allows you to transfer fewer points from a credit card that earns transferable points.
A weeklong family trip to Hawaii
Marriott Bonvoy gives members 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points they transfer to an airline partner. However, thanks to the close partnership between Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus, MileagePlus members will receive 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred.
For a family of four, airfare for a one-week stay in Hawaii will cost 149,600 United miles. To book these award tickets, I would need to transfer 300,000 Bonvoy points to United MileagePlus, which gives me 100,000 United miles. Then I earn an additional 50,000 bonus miles as I earn 10,000 bonus United miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points, bringing my total to 150,000 United miles.
Keep in mind that Marriott Bonvoy limits the number of miles you can transfer to an airline partner per day, so you may need to transfer them over two days. Make sure there are enough award seats available, and try to put them on hold if the program allows it to prevent you from losing them while the transfer is in progress.
In the end, the equivalent cash ticket would cost me $528 per person, but thanks to transferring points and booking a redemption ticket, I net 0.70 cents per point. Although I am getting the same value per point per TPG's August 2025 valuations, during peak travel periods, the savings can be a lot more. In the end, the over $2,000 saved on airfare can be put toward accommodations such as a hotel or Airbnb.
Related: When does it make sense to transfer Marriott points to airlines?
Fly on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to London
Nothing gets me more excited than redeeming my points for high-value redemptions like a business-class ticket. Virgin Atlantic has an amazing business-class product, and thanks to the airline's move to dynamic pricing for Virgin Atlantic award flights, you can score some fantastic deals on premium cabin airfare.
Take, for example, the following flight from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) to Heathrow Airport (LHR). For 29,000 Virgin points and about $580 in taxes and fees, I can fly one-way in business class. I would only have to transfer 74,000 Bonvoy points to get 24,666 Virgin points — plus I'll get another 5,000 for transferring at least 60,000 Bonvoy points, giving me a total of 29,666 points.
This is an excellent use of Marriott Bonvoy points because the cash price for the same ticket is $2,008 per person. This gives me a value of 1.93 cents per point, which is more than double what TPG values Marriott points at.
Related: Bringing the fun back to flying: Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class review
Bottom line
Although it's not best practice to hoard rewards, having over 800,000 Marriott points is also a perk. I feel now is the perfect time to redeem them because I have enough points to cover the majority of my aspirational redemptions.
Although I rarely redeem points for hotel stays, this may be why I do so: I have the chance to experience some fantastic properties worldwide. Nonetheless, I should act sooner rather than later — because you never know when the next devaluation is coming, and it's about time I enjoyed my hard-earned points.
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