Marriott Bonvoy has just launched its latest promotion on purchased points, which is also the program’s first such offer of 2025. This has the potential to be a great deal, so let’s go over the details.
In this post:
Promotion on purchased Marriott Bonvoy points
Through Sunday, March 30, 2025, Marriott Bonvoy is offering a bonus on purchased points. It’s possible that different members are eligible for different offers, though the accounts I manage all show a bonus of up to 45%, structured as follows:
- Buy 2,000-9,000 points, receive a 35% bonus
- Buy 10,000-19,000 points, receive a 40% bonus
- Buy 20,000+ points, receive a 45% bonus
You’ll want to log into your account to see if that’s what you’re eligible for, as you may have a different offer.
How much does it cost to buy Marriott Bonvoy points?
Ordinarily you can buy Marriott Bonvoy points for 1.25 cents each, before any discounts or bonuses. If you were eligible for the 45% bonus and maximized the offer, you could receive a total of 217,500 Bonvoy points at a cost of $1,875, which comes out to 0.86 cents per point.
Typically when we see promotions from Marriott Bonvoy on buying points, the offer is somewhere in the range of a 30-50% bonus. So this is among the better offers we typically see from the program.
How many Marriott Bonvoy points can you buy?
Marriott Bonvoy ordinarily lets members buy up to 100,000 points per calendar year, before any bonuses. However, during this promotion, the cap has been increased by 50%, to 150,000 points, meaning members can buy more points than usual.
Do note that Marriott Bonvoy lets you share up to 100,000 points per year with another member, which could be an opportunity to potentially acquire even more points.
The terms suggest that it could take up to seven business days for purchased points to post. Furthermore, there are some eligibility restrictions to be aware of:
- A new member may purchase points 30 days after enrollment if they have some qualifying activity
- Without qualifying activity, a new member may purchase points only one year after enrollment
Which credit card should you buy Marriott Bonvoy points with?
Marriott Bonvoy points purchases are processed by points.com, meaning they don’t count as a hotel purchase for the purposes of credit card spending.
I’d recommend using a card with which you’re trying to reach a minimum spending requirement, or a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review), Citi Double Cash® Card (review), or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (review).
When in doubt, review which credit cards are best for buying points and miles.
- Earn 1% cash back when you make a purchase, earn 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase
- $0
- Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
- Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
- Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
- $0
- Earn 2x miles per dollar on every purchase
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary
- $395
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check Credit
- $95
- 2x points on purchases up to $50k then 1x
- Access to Amex Offers
- No annual fee
Is buying Marriott Bonvoy points worth it?
While I’m not particularly loyal to Marriott as such, there’s no denying that Marriott Bonvoy has some phenomenal hotels around the world. At a low acquisition cost, there are situations where you can get outsized value for your Bonvoy points, especially if you’re topping off an account for a redemption.
Nowadays Marriott Bonvoy has dynamic award pricing, so there’s no longer an award chart that redemptions follow (though there is an unofficial award chart). However, there are still all kinds of properties where you can get a ton of value, especially for peak season redemptions, when cash rates would be especially high.
How many points do you need for a free night with Marriott?
In the past Marriott Bonvoy had an award chart, and hotels cost anywhere from 5,000 to 100,000 points per night, not factoring in a fifth night free when redeeming for five nights. Nowadays there are no longer maximum amounts that can be charged, though you will find that a vast majority of properties don’t charge more than what was previously in the pricing range. However, we have seen some devaluations over time at top properties, including the cap being increased.
Do Marriott Bonvoy points expire?
Marriott Bonvoy points don’t expire as long as you have at least some account activity once every 24 months. This could include any activity whereby you earn or redeem points.
How much are Marriott Bonvoy points worth?
Everyone will value points differently, but personally I value Marriott Bonvoy points at ~0.7 cents each, and I tend to value points pretty conservatively. The purchase price is a bit higher than what I value the points, though like I said, there are ways to get much more value.
Does Marriott Bonvoy have blackout dates?
Marriott Bonvoy doesn’t have blackout dates on award nights, but the program does have capacity controls on a limited number of dates. While on most dates all standard rooms will be available for redemptions, on some dates hotels can limit the number of standard rooms that they make available using points.
How else can you earn Marriott Bonvoy points?
Aside from outright buying points or staying at a Marriott, the best way to earn Bonvoy points is with a co-branded Marriott Bonvoy credit card. These cards offer big welcome bonuses and in some cases a decent return on spending.
Marriott Bonvoy is also transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, though I tend to think there are better ways to redeem those points, given the amount of flexibility they offer.
Bottom line
Marriott Bonvoy is offering a promotion on purchased points. It appears to me that the standard offer is for up to a 45% bonus, which you can unlock as long a you purchase at least 20,000 points in one transaction. This is an opportunity to buy points for as little as 0.86 cents each. While I wouldn’t proactively pick up points without a specific use in mind, this has the potential to represent a good value.
Do you plan on purchasing Marriott points with a bonus?
LoLz @ Bonvyed customers buying points
Unfortunately as one example the cost to buy 35,000 Bonvoy points @ 300 dollars with this so called sale may get you on average a 200 dollar night if one is lucky. They make a killing on someone dumb enough to buy points and redeem
The devaluation of Bonvoy points is simply shocking just 3 years ago or less quality redemptions (some)could be had for almost half of what they are going for today...
Unfortunately as one example the cost to buy 35,000 Bonvoy points @ 300 dollars with this so called sale may get you on average a 200 dollar night if one is lucky. They make a killing on someone dumb enough to buy points and redeem
The devaluation of Bonvoy points is simply shocking just 3 years ago or less quality redemptions (some)could be had for almost half of what they are going for today at least in premium properties.
I regularly buy points with Hilton, IHg and Hyatt happily and can always find value without question one night or multiple nights.
However I can’t for the life of me even redeeming with 5th night free see much value in this offering.In Australia redemptions that were 35 to 39k now 54k a night or 220 to 240 in cash
Marriott is hoping for a sea of uneducated customers who simply are blind to Marriott lack of redemption valuations
If Marriott greed has proven anything is that competing programs can follow their lead and they have to some degree.Hopefully someone can prove value and I’m the one who is clueless
I’ve been in all these programs since 1994
And earned and redeemed an extraordinary amount of points
I’m 100% out!
Lolz @ Marriott.