Overall, Marriott has a decent rewards program. If you prefer Hyatt or another chain, you may not care for Marriott Rewards. However, even if you don’t care to stay at a Marriott, you can convert Marriott Rewards to airline miles where you may get more benefit. Let’s review some transfer options.
Marriott allows its points to miles redemptions in 2 ways:
Marriott Rewards redemptions for airline miles
You can transfer Marriott Rewards to multiple airlines. The transfer rates vary by airline. The best transfer ratio is for United since they have a partnership called Rewards Plus. Redeeming 56000 Marriott Points gets you 25000 United Miles, and redeeming 112000 Marriott Points gets you 50000 United Miles.
You can transfer to other airlines as well (see image below). Take a look at Southwest Airlines. You can redeem 70000 Marriott Points for 25000 Southwest Points. These transferred points count toward the companion pass. Thus, a 70000 Marriott credit card offer = 25000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Marriott Rewards Redemptions for flight + hotel Package
Marriott Rewards can also be redeemed for a flight + hotel Package. This allows more bang for your points when transferring to airlines. For example, if you transfer 270000 Marriott Rewards as a United Flight + Hotel Package, you will receive 132000 United Miles and a 7 night stay at a Marriott category 1-5 hotel.
You can redeem for airlines other than United as well.
Redeeming 270000 Marriott Rewards for a Southwest flight and hotel package will give you 120000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points (enough for a companion pass) and a 7 night stay at a Marriott category 1-5 hotel.
That’s the basics of redeeming Marriott Rewards for airline miles. There are ways to leverage this to your advantage.
Marriott lets you combine points
Per Marriott’s FAQ:
Providing your spouse or domestic partner is a Rewards member, you can transfer your points to them. To transfer points, call Marriott Rewards Customer Support at 801-468-4000 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada), or contact a worldwide reservation center nearest you.
Marriott lets you buy points
Marriott lets you buy points at a price of 1.25 cents per 1000 points. A maximum of 50000 points is allowed in a calendar year. Buying the maximum of 50000 points would cost you $625.
Wait for a good Marriott credit card offer
One of the current Marriott credit card offers is for 80000 Marriott Rewards after $3k spend in 3 months. Plus, you get an additional 7500 points when you add an authorized user and they make a purchase. The fee of $85 is not waived first year.
Putting it together
Let’s say you and your spouse apply for the above offer of 80K + 7.5K points. After both of you have met the minimum spend of $3k each, you will have 90.5k points in each account. Since you can combine your points, you have a total of 181k Marriott points (let’s make it 180k to simplify the math).
You need 90K more points for a Southwest flight + hotel package. Although expensive, you can buy 45k points for $562.50 in each account. That’s $1125 for purchasing 90K points.
You now have a total of 270k Marriott Rewards. If you redeem them for the Southwest flight + hotel package, you will end up with 120000 Rapid Rewards, a companion pass, and a 7 night stay at a Marriott category 1-5 property.
Benefit:
- 120000 Rapid Rewards points (worth ~1.43 cents each) = $1716
- A companion pass to double the value of your points
- Total airfare benefit: $3432
- A 7 night hotel stay
Your out of pocket cost
- Credit card annual fee x 2: $170
- Cost to purchase 90k Marriott points: $1125
- Total cost: $1295
Thus, you have paid $1295 to create travel value over $3400. That is fairly good arbitrage. This is a good idea for someone who spends a lot of money on Southwest revenue tickets.
Conclusion:
Marriott Rewards can be transferred to a number of different airlines. If you don’t stay at Marriott properties or don’t have use for Marriott points, consider transferring them. Combined with good credit card offers and the ability to purchase points, you can leverage them to outright “buy” the Southwest companion pass with the flight + hotel package. If you don’t have that many points, you can transfer them to your airline of choice. If you are just shy of getting the companion pass, Marriott points can put you over the edge to get it.