Chase has just launched a promotion if you convert your Ultimate Rewards points into Marriott Bonvoy points. This is the third transfer bonus the program is offering at the moment, as you can also get a 30% bonus on transfers to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (through November 12, 2022), and a 30% bonus on transfers to Air Canada Aeroplan (through November 30, 2022).
In this post:
Chase offering 40% bonus on Marriott Bonvoy transfers
Chase is offering a 40% bonus when you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy between November 1 and December 20, 2022.
The bonus isn’t hard-coded into the transfer ratio, meaning that when you transfer Ultimate Rewards points you won’t see the bonus on the transfer page. Rather the bonus will be deposited by Marriott Bonvoy once your transfer is complete.
We’ve seen two similar transfer bonuses in the past year, though they were for a 50% bonus, rather than for a 40% bonus. So this one isn’t quite as good, and that’s not even accounting for the Bonvoy devaluation we’ve seen this year.
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 ~0.98 cents 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 probably situations where you could technically 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
Historically Marriott Bonvoy has charged anywhere from 5,000 to 100,000 Bonvoy points per night for free night redemptions, but as of March 2022 we saw award charts eliminated, as dynamic award pricing was introduced. Award pricing for many properties has increased considerably.
Bottom line
Through December 20, 2022, 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?
It was honestly a little confusing to understand what you are saying with the math, but I 100% agree that all these travel bloggers assigning a money value to points does not make sense. The REDEMPTION is the only place you can put a specific value on a point.
I remember the days you got 3 points per dollar for starwood, and everybody loved it. Yes, bonvoy fucked up with the dynamic pricing, but...
It was honestly a little confusing to understand what you are saying with the math, but I 100% agree that all these travel bloggers assigning a money value to points does not make sense. The REDEMPTION is the only place you can put a specific value on a point.
I remember the days you got 3 points per dollar for starwood, and everybody loved it. Yes, bonvoy fucked up with the dynamic pricing, but you can still find a lot of mismatched deals where you get a strong redemption.
Can you give a direct comparison between redemptions? Why 1.5 hyatt points (if you are using the correct card) is so much more valuable than 3 marriott points?
I ran into a hiccup with this promotion. I transferred UR points to Marriott via this promotion and never received the 40% bonus. After many days of frustrating emails back and forth with Marriott and Chase (Chase said Marriott was supposed to add the bonus points and Marriott said I needed to contact Chase...). So ridiculous. Chase finally sent me this: "Currently, we show that there is a promotion where customers can transfer Ultimate Rewards...
I ran into a hiccup with this promotion. I transferred UR points to Marriott via this promotion and never received the 40% bonus. After many days of frustrating emails back and forth with Marriott and Chase (Chase said Marriott was supposed to add the bonus points and Marriott said I needed to contact Chase...). So ridiculous. Chase finally sent me this: "Currently, we show that there is a promotion where customers can transfer Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy and earn 40% additional. It appears there was a miscommunication with the current promotion; however, I am happy to let you know that the bonus should post to your account within the next billing cycle. If you have additional concerns, please let me know."
Cahn't make this stuff up...
It's good that you made it clear that the claim is based on your own valuations rather than on some evidence- or reality-based valuations, because only in la-la land could Hyatt possibly offer a product that is "worth" 2x more than any of its competitors', especially those with a lot more resources. Just...
Cahn't make this stuff up...
It's good that you made it clear that the claim is based on your own valuations rather than on some evidence- or reality-based valuations, because only in la-la land could Hyatt possibly offer a product that is "worth" 2x more than any of its competitors', especially those with a lot more resources. Just common sense should tell you that the claim is ridiculous. In the real world the major hotel loyalty points currencies are "worth" exactly the same. I provided the incontrovertible mathematical proof in this space, which means that your claim won't suddenly become valid no matter how often you repeat it.
As in my comment below, it is simply baffling to me to that after I have shown ad nauseam in this space that it makes b>zero sense to compare the magnitudes of the numerators ("cents") in "cents/point", while completely ignoring the denominators ("points currency denomination") because different programs' points currencies are not equivalent and cannot be treated as simply generic "points", the practice continues unabated.
That 1.5cents/Hyatt point is worth more than twice 0.7cent/BONVoY point is nonsensical.
You are comparing the "cents" part to make the claim, but look at the "point" part. It consists of b>Hyatt point and b>BONVoY point, which you cannot simply wish away and treat as just generic "points". There is no such thing!!!
If you can claim that
1.5cents/Hyatt point >> 0.7cent/BONVoY point
then you also believe that one can directly add and subtract 1.5cents/Hyatt and 0.7cent/BONVoY point, so that
1.5cents/Hyatt point + 0.7cent/BONVoY point = 2.2 cents/(what exactly?)
or
1.5cents/Hyatt point - 0.7cent/BONVoY point = 0.8 cent/(what exactly?)
After all, it is only the "cents" part that matters, so why not simply add them or subtract them?
You do not do that because that math is as ridiculous as in your claims, which you seem quite proud of, that
"Personally I value World of Hyatt points at more than twice as much as Marriott Bonvoy points..."
or
"Personally I value World of Hyatt points at more than 3 times as much as Hilton Honors points"
or
"Personally I value World of Hyatt points at more than 5 times as much as Radisson points..."
Only in la-la land could Hyatt possibly offer a product that is "worth" 5x more than any of its competitors'.
Just common sense should tell you that the claim is ridiculous...
It is time, at long last, to stop disseminating and perpetuating the nonsense.
The transfer is not worth it, but not because of the claimed "fuzzy" math that makes no sense by any "valuation".
Comparing 1.7cents/UR point vs. 0.7cent/BONVoY point is...
The transfer is not worth it, but not because of the claimed "fuzzy" math that makes no sense by any "valuation".
Comparing 1.7cents/UR point vs. 0.7cent/BONVoY point is utterly ridiculous. Why isn't it obvious!!!
I guess we are also to believe that this "math" makes sense
1.7cents/UR point - 0.7cent/BONVoY = 1.0cent/UR point
or that
1.7cents/gallon point - 0.7cent/liter = 1.0 cents/gallon point
Right???!!!
I according to this site, the answer is that 'yes, it makes sense'.
According to kindergarten-level math the answer is that "no, it is nonsense."
"gallon point", a "mixed metaphors" due to cutting and pasting. Make that
1.7cents/gallon - 0.7cent/liter = 1.0 cent/gallon
The point was crystal clear, regardless: beware travel blogosphere's "fuzzy" math!
I messed up because I thought it was a 2:1 redemption as that’s what would make sense because a marriott card gives you 2 points per dollar. so that already blows the argument out of the water because even with the transfer bonus you could still earn 2 points directly.
Had it BEEN 2:1, thus making roughly 3 marriott points, that is when there would be great value.
Here is the issue, Ben...
I am starting to look at 2023 bookings at some Marriott properties I want to visit - these are highly reviewed/regarded properties. On some of the peak weekends/times I want to book, rooms cost over $1,000 in cash, around 100K points a night. Rooms that cost $400-$600/$700 can be priced up to 75K, 80K a night.
I could easily redeem 1 million Marriott points a year on 10-15 nights a...
Here is the issue, Ben...
I am starting to look at 2023 bookings at some Marriott properties I want to visit - these are highly reviewed/regarded properties. On some of the peak weekends/times I want to book, rooms cost over $1,000 in cash, around 100K points a night. Rooms that cost $400-$600/$700 can be priced up to 75K, 80K a night.
I could easily redeem 1 million Marriott points a year on 10-15 nights a year at some high-end hotels, and really enjoy the experience.
How does one generate 1 million Marriott points a year? Or should I just expect to spend $8K to $12K or so on Marriott in cash a year?