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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
When does it make sense to transfer Marriott points to airlines?
Kyle Olsen is the former points and miles reporter at TPG. He specializes in maximizing points and miles, elite status and credit cards so readers travel more comfortably and at a lower cost.
Ben Smithson is a senior writer for TPG and is based in London. Originally from Australia and a qualified lawyer with a financial services background, he has almost a decade of experience writing about a broad range of travel and loyalty topics.
also contributed to this story
May 27, 2024 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
Marriott points are typically most valuable when redeemed for hotel stays, but transferring to airline partners can offer strong value in certain cases.
Marriott partners with 38 airline loyalty programs, allowing point transfers that may unlock award flight opportunities, especially with hard-to-earn mileage currencies.
Transfer ratios and bonus structures vary by airline partner, and some redemptions, like Lufthansa first class or Emirates business class, can provide significant value if award space is available.
Alternative redemptions, such as gift cards or merchandise, generally yield lower value compared to travel-focused uses.
What to consider
Most airline transfers occur at a 3:1 ratio, with exceptions like Air New Zealand and United, and some partners do not qualify for transfer bonuses.
Transfers can take several days to process and may involve additional taxes and fees, particularly for premium cabin awards.
TPG values Marriott points at about 0.85 cents each as of June 2024, which can help you assess if a transfer is worthwhile.
What you'll miss from the article
Specific examples of high-value airline redemptions and detailed transfer strategies for maximizing Marriott points.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Typically, hotel points are most valuable when redeemed for hotel stays. However, Marriott Bonvoy has 40 airline transfer partners that can provide good value.
If you want to maximize your Marriott redemptions, you might wonder when transferring Marriott points to airline partners makes sense. Let’s take a closer look at this question to find out.
Why transfer Marriott points to airlines
You might prefer to transfer Marriott points to airlines over redeeming them for hotel stays for many reasons.
For example, many Marriott stays cost more points now that Marriott has removed its award categories. In fact, some high-end former Category 8 hotels clock in at over 100,000 points per night. So, you might consider transferring Marriott points to airlines if doing so will let you get more value from your Marriott points. After all, a free flight to Europe may be more appealing than a free hotel night, no matter how nice the hotel is.
You might also need to earn more rewards with one of Marriott’s transfer partners. Whether you need to top up your account or earn a hard-to-get mileage currency, transferring Marriott points to your airline loyalty account could help boost your mileage account balance.
Of course, if you transfer Marriott points to airline partners, you won’t have these points to redeem for Marriott stays. However, this might not be a concern if you earn a significant amount of Marriott points through stays or spending on cobranded Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.
Marriott has an impressive list of 38 airline loyalty program partners, including familiar programs like United MileagePlus and Delta SkyMiles. Know, though, that doing so usually won’t provide good value unless you’re topping off your account balance to get to a specific redemption.
That said, the list of Marriott’s airline partners does contain some hidden gems. In particular, some airline miles are difficult to earn yet extremely valuable. With some of these partners, you may find award flights for a fraction of the miles more well-known programs require.
With most airline partners, 3 Marriott Bonvoy points will convert to 1 airline mile. Air New Zealand Airpoints (200:1 ratio) and United MileagePlus miles (3:1.1 ratio) are the exceptions, converting at different rates.
Now, to help you determine when it could make sense to transfer Marriott points to airlines, let’s consider a few of the best airline award chart sweet spots you could book through Marriott’s transfer partners. In particular, we’ll focus on programs that don’t partner with other major transferable currencies.
Lufthansa first class to South Africa with Aegean Airlines miles
KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
You can redeem 75,000 Aegean miles to fly one-way from North America to South Africa in Lufthansa first class when there’s award space. You’ll still need to pay about $800 in taxes and fees, but 75,000 Aegean miles is a fraction of how many miles you’d need with Air Canada Aeroplan or United MileagePlus to book this luxurious award.
If you can’t find first-class award space, you could redeem 55,000 Aegean miles to fly one-way in business class. This option is also available on Swiss, another member of Star Alliance.
If you find first-class award space, you’d need to transfer 180,000 Marriott Bonvoy points — which TPG values at about $1,530 — to Aegean to get 75,000 miles. For business class, plan on redeeming roughly 135,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (worth about $1,147 at TPG’s valuations). Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy to Aegean will likely take about three days.
Emirates business class to Dubai with Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles
Although Emirates isn’t in the Oneworld alliance, you can redeem Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles for award flights on Emirates.
One of the sweet spots in the JAL Mileage Bank program is the ability to book a round-trip Emirates business-class award with a total trip distance of between 12,001 and 14,000 miles for 110,000 award miles.
You can book a round-trip Emirates business-class award from New York to Dubai for 110,000 miles (plus taxes and fees). Of course, you must find business-class award space (which can be difficult), and Emirates fuel surcharges are currently very high.
It’s important to note that if you book a one-way flight to Dubai — which would fall between 6,001 and 8,000 miles — you’d need to redeem 80,000 JAL miles.
Consequently, booking this award as a round-trip is in your interest. After all, a round-trip business-class award on this route would only require 30,000 more JAL miles than a one-way business-class award.
You could transfer 270,000 Marriott Bonvoy points — which TPG values at about $2,229 — to JAL Mileage Bank to get 110,000 miles. The transfer will likely take about 48 hours.
For example, you can travel from North America (excluding Hawaii and Mexico) to Europe for 40,000 miles each way in business class on Star Alliance airlines if you can find discounted award availability. Asiana Club passes on fuel surcharges, so taxes and fees vary significantly depending on the operating carrier and route.
You could transfer 105,000 Marriott Bonvoy points — which TPG values at about $892 — to Asiana Club to get 40,000 miles. The transfer will likely take about four days.
You’ll usually get the most value from your Marriott points when you redeem them for Marriott stays or transfer to airline programs for high-value redemptions. But if you want to redeem your Marriott points for something else, you have several options.
You could use your points for gift cards and merchandise through Marriott's Shop with Points page, but you’ll get a very low redemption value when doing so. For example, a $100 Apple gift card costs 30,000 points. TPG values 30,000 Marriott points at about $255, so you’ll almost certainly want to avoid this redemption.
You could also use your points for non-stay activities like sporting events and concerts through Marriott Bonvoy Moments. Here’s one example:
MARRIOTT.COM
You could redeem 75,000 points to see Odesza from the Marriott Bonvoy Luxury Suite at New York's Madison Square Garden. TPG values 75,000 Marriott points at about $637, making this a good value if you are an Odesza fan.
How to earn Bonvoy points
There are several cards you can use to earn Marriott Bonvoy points, but six are available to new applicants — three from American Express and three from Chase:
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Best for Marriott loyalists looking for perks
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Ideal for Marriott loyalists who travel for business
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card: Offers a solid bonus but lackluster benefits
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (see rates and fees): Great for Marriott loyalists looking for a modest annual fee
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (see rates and fees): A solid choice for Marriott loyalists looking for a no-annual-fee option
The information for the Bonvoy Bountiful credit card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
There’s no easy answer to when or whether you should transfer Marriott points to airlines. However, you can sometimes unlock less expensive award flights when you leverage Marriott’s airline transfer partners.
So, check award rates with Marriott’s airline transfer partners and crunch the numbers the next time you’re ready to book a long-haul award flight. Converting Marriott points to airline miles might get you a great deal.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
