Chase Ultimate Rewards has just launched its latest transfer bonus, though this isn’t a promotion I’d recommend taking advantage of (I think the 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a better value, for example).
In this post:
Chase offering 40% bonus on Marriott Bonvoy transfers
Through Saturday, June 15, 2024, you can receive a 40% bonus when you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy.
This promotion is being offered on Chase’s end (in the United States), and is hard coded into the transfer ratio, meaning you should see the bonus at the time that you make the transfer. You can take advantage of this offer an unlimited number of times. Transfers from Chase to Marriott Bonvoy are generally instant. It seems that we see a bonus like this a couple of times per year, and we last saw an offer like this late last summer.
We’ve seen three similar transfer bonuses in the past year or so, ranging from a bonus of 40-50%. So this isn’t quite as good as the best such offers that we’ve seen.
Why this promotion (probably) isn’t worth it
A 40% transfer bonus sounds like it could be valuable, though this isn’t a deal I’d recommend taking advantage of. Why? I value Marriott Bonvoy points at ~0.7 cents each, while I value Chase Ultimate Rewards points at ~1.7 cents each. Even when you’re getting 1.4 Marriott Bonvoy points per Ultimate Rewards point, you’re still only getting roughly one cent of value per Ultimate Rewards point, by my valuation.
At a minimum, you can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for 1.25-1.5 cents each toward a travel purchase through the Chase Travel Portal. Personally I value World of Hyatt points at more than twice as much as Marriott Bonvoy points, yet Chase Ultimate Rewards points ordinarily transfer to both currencies at a 1:1 ratio.
Now, in fairness, there are situations where you could get value with this transfer, in terms of the hotel stay being worth more than the value of the points transferred. However, there are probably more efficient ways to acquire those points:
- Marriott Bonvoy often sells points at a discount, and acquiring them that way is a better value, in my opinion
- Marriott has co-branded credit cards that could be better options for earning Bonvoy points
Keep in mind that nowadays Marriott Bonvoy has dynamic award pricing, so there’s no maximum for the number of points hotels can charge for award stays. Nonetheless there are still good uses of Marriott Bonvoy points.
Bottom line
Through June 15, 2024, you can receive a 40% bonus when you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy. While it’s good to see Chase offer another transfer bonus, this isn’t one to get too excited about.
Personally I don’t think this offer is worth it. Marriott Bonvoy isn’t an efficient Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, and I’d argue that applies even with a 40% bonus. I’d give this offer a “pass,” but I’m sure some will find this to be worthwhile.
What’s your take on this Chase transfer bonus to Marriott?
hmm, bonvoy points expire in 5 months and I have no stays planned in that time. Better to use chase points or buy points?
RIP 200,000 points for 5 nights at Bodrum Edition