Marriott Bonvoy has just released a new limited-time promotion which might be of interest for those with upcoming hotel stays. This is a decent offer from Marriott on purchasing Bonvoy points.
From February 16 until March 22, 2021, Marriott Bonvoy is offering a targeted bonus of either 40% or 50% on purchased points when you buy at least 2,000 points in one transaction.
40% bonus points or 50% bonus points for targeted members
The basic offer is for 40% bonus points but some Marriott members have been targeted for 50% bonus points. Alas, neither of these offers are as high as the previous offer of 60% bonus points back in November 2020.
Nonetheless, during this promotion Marriott Bonvoy members can buy up to a maximum of 100,000 points, pre-bonus. Keep in mind that any points already purchased this year count towards that limit. E.g. if you already bought 50,000 points earlier in 2021, you would only be able to buy 50,000 points during this promo.
Thus, if you decide to buy the maximum of 100,000 points, it would cost $1,250 USD (approximately $1,573 CAD). The amount of points you would receive would depend on your bonus offer:
- 40% bonus offer: 140,000 points
- 50% bonus offer: 150,000 points
Marriott Bonvoy usually charges 1.25 US cents per purchased point. But with this new promotion, you’re potentially looking at paying just 0.83 US cents per point (at 50% bonus) or 0.89 US cents per point (at 40% bonus).
So, what are some of the uses for Bonvoy points?
Obviously, Bonvoy points can be redeemed for hotel nights at Marriott properties. But they can also be converted to over 40 different airline frequent flyer programs. Additionally, you can redeem your points for unique experiences and events with Marriott Bonvoy Moments.
Please refer to my previous article for more tips and strategies to use when redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points.
Use Marriott Bonvoy points for hotel stays
You can redeem Bonvoy points at 6,700 Marriott properties world wide based on their reward chart.
As a reminder, the Marriott Bonvoy reward chart is based on 8 categories with off-peak, standard and peak pricing.
Each Marriott hotel is assigned to a particular category. So, the number of points required for a free hotel night will vary depending on occupancy and the time of year.
Here is the Marriott Bonvoy hotel reward chart.
So, if you have any upcoming hotel stays, it could be cheaper to use points instead of paying cash.
For example, the TownePlace Suites hotel in Petawawa, Ontario is a category 1 hotel (one of the few in Eastern Canada). For the first 2 weeks of April, it’s only 5,000 or 7,500 points per night to stay at this hotel.
If you were targeted for the 50% bonus points promotion, you could purchase:
- 6,000 Bonvoy points for $50 USD (~62.95 CAD)
- 7,500 Bonvoy points for $62.50 USD (~$78.70 CAD)
For the same time period, a stay at this hotel costs anywhere between $133 and $148 CAD per night! Therefore, it makes much more sense to buy and redeem points for your stay rather than paying cash.
I stayed at this hotel last July so check out my full review of the TownePlace Suites Petawawa.
Terms and conditions
There are some terms and conditions to be aware of for this promotion. Notably, no refunds will be permitted. So, make sure you have a specified use in mind before buying points.
Also, new Marriott Bonvoy members can purchase points depending on their situation.
- within 30 days after enrollment with qualifying account activity (e.g. hotel stay)
- within 1 year from enrollment regardless of account activity.
Keep in mind that purchases are processed by points.com and not directly with Marriott. This means that if you buy points with the Marriott Bonvoy Amex card, you’ll earn at the everyday regular rate of 2 points per dollar spent.
Finally, purchased points do not count towards Marriott Bonvoy Elite status and can take up to 7 business days to process.
Summary
Marriott is currently offering a targeted promotion with up to a 50% bonus on buying Bonvoy points (until March 22, 2021). Members can buy up to 100,000 points at rate of 0.83 US cents or $1.04 CAD per point.
Bonvoy points have multiple uses but are best used for hotel stays. Therefore, this promotion could be great deal if you have any upcoming hotel stays in 2021 as it could be cheaper to use points instead of paying cash.
Finally, I would only suggest buying Bonvoy points with a specific use in mind as there are no refunds allowed!
Will you be buying Bonvoy points during this promotion? Let me know in the comments below.
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