Check your award bookings: Marriott's switch to dynamic pricing might let you reclaim points

Marriott's dynamic award pricing went live last night. So, today I went through my upcoming Marriott Bonvoy award bookings and checked what these bookings would cost me if I booked (or rebooked) them today.

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I found I could reclaim 13,500 points and $20 by rebooking two of my stays. Here's a quick look at my Marriott awards and how the pricing shifted from when I had initially booked them.

Out of my four stays, only Al Maha was on the list of Marriott properties that won't stay within the previous award chart bounds for stays through the end of 2022. And, as you can see, the award price increased overnight by 26,250 points per night for my two-night stay.

But, at the more modestly priced Protea Hotel Kruger Gate and Courtyard Agra, dynamic pricing caused award rates to drop. And with the decreased award cost, I'd still be getting an impressive 1.74 cents per point on my 10-night stay at the Protea Hotel Kruger Gate.

Related: 7 ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award night redemptions

My stays aren't a fluke, either. TPG points and miles editor Andrew Kunesh rebooked a stay at the Westin Galleria Houston for 4,000 points less per night. And TPG reporter Kyle Olsen checked all his upcoming Marriott awards and found award pricing shifted as follows:

• Bodrum EDITION: Redeemed 200,000 points for five nights; now, the stay would cost 290,000 points.
• Ritz Carlton Istanbul: Redeemed 80,000 points for two nights; now, the stay would cost 65,000 points.
• JW Marriott Mauritius: Redeemed 230,000 for five nights; now, the stay would cost 209,000 points.
• Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa: Redeemed 85,000 points for five nights; now, the stay would cost 103,000 points.
• Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay: Redeemed 120,000 points for five nights; now, the stay would cost 240,000 points.
• The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico: Redeemed 370,000 points for five nights; now, the stay would cost 449,500 points.
• The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hobart: Redeemed 105,000 points for three nights; now, the stay would cost 119,000 points.
• JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa: Redeemed 60,000 points for one night; now, the night would still cost 60,000 points.

If Kyle rebooks the stays that dropped in award cost, he will get 36,000 points returned to his account.

So, let's look at how to rebook an award stay with Marriott and get the difference in points back.

Related: 17 ways to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points

How to rebook a Marriott award

Start by logging into your Marriott account and clicking on "My Trips" in the upper right-hand corner. Scroll down to the stay you want to rebook, click the "Details" drop-down and select "View/Modify."

Scroll down, check the current number of points you redeemed and click "Edit room."

When you scroll down, check the listed redemption rate. If it's less than you'd seen on the previous page, click "Update."

On the next page, select the points option instead of the free night award (unless you want to use a free night award). You'll see a notice stating how many points will be credited back to your account. Click "Yes" to confirm the changes if you want to rebook at the new rate.

As you can see, it's quick and easy to rebook Marriott award stays when rates drop. So, I recommend checking your award stays frequently for price drops.