Your complete guide to earning Marriott Bonvoy points

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Redeeming Marriott points for stays can provide a lot of value, but first, you have to earn the points. I earn most of my Marriott Bonvoy points from credit cards and stays at participating hotels and resorts. But, as you’ll learn …

Apr 24, 2025 - 21:39

Your complete guide to earning Marriott Bonvoy points

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Redeeming Marriott points for stays can provide a lot of value, but first, you have to earn the points.

I earn most of my Marriott Bonvoy points from credit cards and stays at participating hotels and resorts. But, as you’ll learn in this story, you can earn Marriott points in many ways. Let’s dive in.

Earn Marriott points at participating properties

You can earn points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels and resorts on qualifying stays and events. But you can also occasionally earn Marriott points at a participating property even if you’re not a guest.

Earn Marriott points on qualifying stays

Marriott Bonvoy members earn as follows at participating properties when staying on a qualifying rate:

10 base points per dollar of qualifying charges at most properties
5 base points per dollar of qualifying charges at Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Protea Hotels, City Express, Four Points Express, Element, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Sonder Apartments and Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
4 base points per dollar of qualifying charges at StudioRes
2.5 base points per dollar of qualifying rates at Marriott Executive Apartments

Courtyard by Marriott New York — COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT NEW YORK MANHATTAN/CHELSEA/FACEBOOK

The Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions state, “Qualifying rates include most business and leisure rates, such as rates found on Marriott.com without an application of a discount code, standard and premium retail rates, advanced purchase rates, corporate negotiated rates, and national/regional/local government rates.” You’ll only earn Marriott points on qualifying rates, so you will usually want to book directly with Marriott.

You can include charges for your room and up to two additional guest rooms with the same check-in and checkout dates on your folio if you provide your Marriott Bonvoy number at the time of reservation or check-in. Qualifying charges include:

Qualifying rates for stays
Food and beverages (excluding alcoholic beverages or tobacco where prohibited by law; may exclude charges incurred at some outlets)
Direct-dialed in-room telephone and fax
In-room movies and video games
Select charges incurred as part of an all-inclusive package

AC Hotel Los Angeles — DAN SOLOMON/AC HOTEL BY MARRIOTT LOS ANGELES SOUTH BAY/FACEBOOK

If you have Marriott elite status, you’ll also earn bonus points on stays as follows:

Silver Elite: 10% more points
Gold Elite: 25% more points
Platinum Elite: 50% more points
Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite: 75% more points

As such, if you have Platinum Elite status, you’ll earn 10,000 base points and 5,000 bonus points on $1,000 of qualifying charges at most Marriott brands.

Host an event at a Marriott hotel

Bonvoy members can earn Marriott points when they book and hold qualifying group meetings and events at participating properties through the Marriott Bonvoy Events program.

JW Marriott Anaheim — JW MARRIOTT ANAHEIM RESORT/FACEBOOK

You can earn 2 points per dollar spent on actualized qualifying event charges. Marriott Bonvoy caps your base earnings at 60,000 points per event, and it caps your total earnings after promotions, elite bonuses and incentives at 200,000 points per event. You can split your event earnings with another member if both are recorded in the qualifying event agreement.

Earn Marriott points without staying

You can sometimes earn 5 base points per dollar on eligible purchases at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel or resort without a stay (see this page for participating properties and outlets). When paying at a participating outlet, provide your Marriott Bonvoy number to earn points. Be prepared to show picture identification matching the name tied to your number.

Earn Marriott points with cobranded cards

Cobranded Marriott Bonvoy credit cards make it easy to earn points on purchases. Here’s a quick look at how you can earn points with these cards, including current Marriott credit card offers:

Card	Welcome offer	Earning rates	Annual fee
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card	Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. Offer ends May 14.	6 points per dollar for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases	$650 (see rates and fees)
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card	Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. Offer ends May 14.	6 points per dollar for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and supermarkets per calendar year, then 2 points per dollar) 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases	$250 (see rates and fees)
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (see rates and fees)	Earn three free nights (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within three months of account opening. Plus, earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 total on eligible purchases within six months of account opening with your card. Certain hotels have resort fees	6 points per dollar at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 3 points per dollar on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on gas stations, grocery stores and dining 2 points per dollar on all other purchases	$95
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (see rates and fees)	Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months from account opening	3 points per dollar at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 2 points per dollar on purchases at grocery stores, for rideshare and select food delivery and for select streaming, internet, cable and phone service purchases 1 point per dollar on all other purchases	No annual fee
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card	Earn three free night awards after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership (each free night award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy). Certain hotels have resort fees.	6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program 4 points per dollar on purchases at restaurants worldwide, gas at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping 2 points per dollar on other purchases	$125 (see rates and fees)

I have the Marriott Boundless and Marriott Business Amex, primarily for the annual elite night credits and free night awards these cards provide. I often use my Marriott Business Amex when paying for stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties, especially since doing so is required when I book the Marriott Business discount rate. However, it’s also nice to boost my Marriott points balance by putting everyday purchases on these cards.

Transfer rewards to Marriott Bonvoy

You can also earn points by transferring rewards from other programs to Marriott Bonvoy. I usually save my transferable points for higher-value uses, but it can occasionally make sense to transfer rewards to Marriott Bonvoy. Here’s a look at your options.

Transfer Amex points to Marriott

You can transfer Amex points to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio, although you must transfer at least 1,000 points.

Woman using a laptop — D3SIGN/GETTY IMAGES

According to our Amex transfer times research, transfers from American Express Membership Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy usually occur instantly.

Transfer Bilt Points to Marriott

You can transfer Bilt Points to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio, but you must transfer at least 1,000 points. For every increment of 20,000 Bilt points you convert to Marriott points in a single transaction, you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 additional Marriott points. According to our Bilt Rewards transfer times research, transfers from Bilt Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy usually occur within minutes.

Transfer Chase points to Marriott

You can transfer Chase points to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio, although you must transfer at least 1,000 points. According to our research on Chase transfer times, transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy usually occur instantly.

Convert MGM Rewards points to Marriott points

You can convert MGM Rewards points to Marriott points at a ratio of 10:8. You must convert at least 1,000 points per transaction and can’t convert more than 30,000 points per calendar year.

Woman using her laptop outdoors — OSCAR WONG/GETTY IMAGES

Once you’ve linked your accounts, you can also convert BetMGM Rewards points to Marriott points. You can convert points at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1.

Transfer United miles to Marriott

You can transfer United miles to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio if you have United Premier status. You can transfer up to 100,000 United miles into Marriott points each calendar year.

Transfer other airline miles to Marriott

You can transfer the following types of airline miles to Marriott:

Air Canada Aeroplan: 1:1 ratio
ANA Mileage Club: 1:1 ratio for up to two transfers of 10,000 miles per April 1 to March 31 period, then 2:1 ratio for subsequent transfers
Cathay Pacific Cathay: 2:1 ratio
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles: 2:1 ratio
JAL Mileage Bank: 4:3 ratio
Qatar Privilege Club: 2:1 ratio
Singapore KrisFlyer: 2:1 ratio

Transfer points between Marriott accounts

You can also earn Marriott points by getting another member to transfer you some of their points. It’s possible to transfer Marriott points between accounts online in increments of 1,000 points without paying fees.

Both Marriott accounts must be in good standing and open for at least 90 days without qualifying activity or 30 days with qualifying activity. However, each member can only transfer up to 100,000 Marriott points per calendar year to other accounts, and you can only receive up to 500,000 Marriott points per calendar year from other members. Additionally, you can only give or receive points up to two times per month and six times per calendar year.

Buy Marriott points

Another way to earn Marriott points is to buy them. The standard rate for buying Marriott points is 1.25 cents per point. However, some promotions will bring the purchase rate as low as 0.83 cents per point, which may be worth considering in some situations.

Other ways to earn Marriott points

You can also earn Marriott points in many other ways. Here’s a look at some of them.

Marriott Eat Around Town

Marriott Eat Around Town is a dining rewards program that lets you earn points when you use an enrolled payment card to pay for a qualifying meal at participating bars, restaurants and clubs. Marriott elite members earn 6 points per dollar, while others earn 4 points per dollar.

People paying bill with a credit card — ANDRESWD/GETTY IMAGES

You can only enroll each one of your payment cards into one dining rewards program. But, to earn more Marriott points, you may want to enroll all your favorite rewards cards for dining purchases into the Eat Around Town program.

Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty rental cars

You can earn Marriott points when renting a vehicle with Hertz, Dollar or Thrifty and providing your Marriott Bonvoy account number. Specifically, you can earn 500 points per Hertz rental and 250 points per Dollar or Thrifty rental. Plus, Marriott elite members earn 200 more points per Hertz rental and 250 more per Dollar or Thrifty rental.

Starbucks purchases

Through the Marriott and Starbucks partnership, you can earn 100 Marriott points when you make three qualifying purchases at Starbucks during any Marriott Bonvoy Week. Of course, you must have your Marriott Bonvoy and Starbucks Rewards accounts linked to earn points.

Mobile phone in front of Starbucks — CONNOR SURDI/STARBUCKS

Qualifying purchases must be at least $2, made via an eligible method and made at a U.S. location where you can earn Starbucks Stars.

Cruises

You can earn 3 base Marriott points per dollar when you book a new cruise through Cruise with Points. Only the booking member who pays for the cruise can earn points. To do so, they must be a U.S. resident with a U.S. billing address and provide their Marriott Bonvoy number when they make their cruise deposit.

Vacation packages

Through Vacations by Marriott Bonvoy, you can book vacation packages that combine hotel stays with flights and car rentals.

Woman booking a flight — XAVIER LORENZO/GETTY IMAGES

The vacation package savings alone may not always be lucrative, but you can often find some compelling bonus point offers. For example, while writing this guide, I saw an offer for 25,000 bonus points if you book a Vacations by Marriott Bonvoy package with a four-night or longer stay in Hawaii or Florida.

Ride or order food with Uber

You can also link your Marriott Bonvoy and Uber accounts to earn points on qualifying rides and Uber Eats restaurant and grocery orders throughout the U.S. Specifically, you can earn

3 points per dollar on Uber Premium (UberXL, Uber Black, Uber SUV and Uber Comfort) rides, including those booked with Reserve
2 points per dollar on UberX Reserve rides
2 points per dollar on Uber Eats restaurant and grocery orders of $40 or more delivered to Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites or Element hotels
1 point per dollar on Uber Eats restaurant and grocery orders of $40 or more

Bottom line

As you can see, you have plenty of options for earning Marriott points. I highly recommend enrolling in Marriott Bonvoy promotions to maximize your stay earnings. I also recommend getting one or more Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. These cards offer useful perks — including elite night credits, free night awards and elite status — but also let you earn Marriott points on everyday purchases.

Of course, earning Marriott points isn’t worthwhile if you don’t redeem them. So, check out the following guides about redeeming Marriott points for inspiration:

For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, click here

For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, click here

For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card, click here