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Let’s get to the point, my Marriott Bonvoy review is positive. Ever since Marriott Rewards merged with Starwood Preferred Guest and Ritz-Carlton Rewards in August 2018, the combined program has easily become the best hotel loyalty program in the world. On Feb. 13, 2019, the program changed their name to Marriott Bonvoy.

Full disclosure, my dad worked for Starwood Hotels for 30+ years, so I have a bias towards the brand and their current owners. That being said, as someone who loves hotels and loyalty points, I absolutely love Marriott Bonvoy since there are multiple ways to redeem your points and you can transfer them to various airline partners. Oh, and did you know when you book your stays directly at Marriott.com, you’re guaranteed the lowest rate.

Read my Marriott Rewards review now to find out my full thoughts on the program.

Marriott Bonvoy properties

The Marriott brand consists of 6,500+ properties in more than 110 countries. You can redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points at any of these properties which is why the program is so appealing. There is simply no other hotel loyalty program that gives you access to more rooms. Here’s a list of the 29 Marriott brands:

AC Hotels

Aloft Hotels

Autograph Collection Hotels

Courtyard by Marriott

Delta Hotels

Design Hotels

Edition Hotels

Element Hotels

Fairfield by Marriott

Four Points by Sheraton

Gaylord Hotels

JW Marriott

Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts

The Luxury Collection

Marriott

Marriott Executive Apartments

Marriott Vacation Club

Moxy Hotels

Protea Hotels

Renaissance Hotels

Residence Inn by Marriott

The Ritz-Carlton

Sheraton Hotels and Resorts

Springhill Suites by Marriott

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts

TownePlace Suites by Marriott

Tribute Portfolio

W Hotels Worldwide

Westin Hotels & Resorts

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

Before you can start earning Marriott Bonvoy, you need to sign up for the program. Joining Marriott Bonvoy is free, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t. As for earning Marriott Rewards, there are a few ways to do so:

Staying at Marriott Properties – Whenever you stay at a Marriott property, you’ll earn 10 points per US$1 spent on eligible hotel charges, except at Element, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites hotels, where you’ll earn five points per eligible US$1. Eligible hotel charges usually refer to your room rate, food and beverage, and some other things such as spa treatments at select properties. You normally don’t earn points on taxes, resort fees or parking.

Co-branded credit card – The quickest way to earn points is by using a credit card that allows you to earn collect Marriott Bonvoy on your everyday purchases. The number of points you earn will depend on your credit card which can vary by country so it’s best to see what’s available to you locally.

Promotions – Quite often Marriott runs promotions and contests where you can earn additional points. Usually, you play a little game and you’re then awarded a random amount of points.

Travel partners – Marriott has a few travel partners where you can earn Marriott Rewards points. You can get up to 3,000 points with Hertz car rental. You’ll earn 3 points for every $1 you spend when you book your next cruise vacation through Cruises only and if you use Travelling Connect, you can earn up to 10 points per minute of call time abroad with participating networks

Redeeming your Marriott Bonvoy points

To redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points, simply go to Marriott.com and enter your destination/dates. You’ll see a checkbox that says “use points” which you need to select. Your search results will show you how many points it takes to make a redemption. The amount of points depends on the category and season. See the chart below for the points break down.

What you’ll also notice is that you may have the option to use cash and points which is handy if you don’t have enough points to make a redemption. Alternatively, you can purchase additional Marriott Rewards points in increments of 1,000 if you need a top up.

If you plan on paying cash, always book through Marriott.com since you’re guaranteed the lowest rate. As a Marriott Bonvoy member, you’ll even save a few extra dollars.

CATEGORY STANDARD OFF PEAK PEAK 1 7,500 5,000 10,000 2 12,500 10,000 15,000 3 17,500 15,000 20,000 4 25,000 20,000 30,000 5 35,000 30,000 40,000 6 50,000 40,000 60,000 7 60,000 50,000 70,000 8 85,000 70,000 100,000

Airline transfer partners

Besides using your points for hotel stays, you can also transfer your points to more than 40 airline partners. Most of the programs have a 3:1 Marriott to airline transfer ratio and you get an additional 5,000 miles per 60,000 points transferred. With so many airline partners available, you can see why my Marriott Bonvoy review is positive. Here are some of the current airline transfer partners:

Air Canada

Air France/KLM

Alaska Airlines

American Airlines

ANA

British Airways

Delta Air Lines

Frontier Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines

Iberia Airlines

Japan Airlines

Jet Airways

JetBlue

Lufthansa

Qantas

Qatar Airways

Singapore Airlines

Southwest Airlines

TAP Air Portugal

Turkish Airlines

United Airlines

Virgin Atlantic

Marriott Bonvoy Elite levels

With Marriott Bonvoy, you earn different elite levels depending on how many nights you’ve stayed and how much you’ve spent. Each tier gives you additional benefits so it pays to be loyal.

Silver Elite

Reached after 10 nights

10% bonus points on stays

Priority late checkout

Dedicated reservation line

Gold Elite

Reached after 25 nights

25% bonus points on stays

Room upgrade when available

2PM priority late checkout

Welcome gift

Dedicated reservation line

Platinum Elite

Reached after 50 nights

50% bonus points on stays

Room upgrade when available

4PM priority late checkout

Welcome gift

Breakfast at participating hotels

Lounge access

Dedicated reservation line

Titanium Elite

Reached after 75 nights

75% bonus points on stays

Room upgrade when available

4PM priority late checkout

Welcome gift

Breakfast at participating hotels

Lounge access

48-Hour guarantee

Dedicated reservation line

Ambassador Elite

Reached after 100 nights + $20,000 spend

75% bonus points on stays

Room upgrade when available

24 hour check-in and checkout

Welcome gift

Breakfast at participating hotels

Lounge access

48-Hour guarantee

Ambassador service

Dedicated reservation line

The best credit cards to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

As mentioned above, the quickest way to earn Marriott Rewards us by using a credit card that earns you points. All of the cards featured below make my list of the best travel credit cards in Canada so they’re all great picks.

American Express Marriott Bonvoy



$120 Annual fee

50,000 sign up points

5 points per $1 spent on eligible purchases at participating SPG and Marriott Bonvoy properties

2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases

Annual Free Night Award (redemption value of up to 35,000 points)

Complimentary upgrade to Silver Elite Status

15 Elite nights credit

No annual fee on supplementary cards

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy card is the official co-branded credit card of Marriott and it comes packed with benefits. The 50,000 point sign up bonus is enough for 5 free nights at a category 2 hotel since there’s an ongoing promotion where you get the 5th-night free when you book 4 nights on points. What’s nice about the

American Express Platinum Card

$699 annual fee

25,000 Membership Rewards points sign up bonus

Earn 3 points per $1 spent on dining

Earn 2 points per $1 spent on travel

Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

$200 Annual travel credit

Unlimited airport lounge access

Special benefits at Toronto Pearson International Airport

Hotel status upgrades

Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits

Exclusive dining experiences with the Global Dining Collection

Comprehensive travel insurance package

Buyer’s assurance

Purchase protection

Although the American Express Platinum Card doesn’t earn you as many points as the Starwood Preferred Guest card from American Express, you can transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1.2 ratio. That means you could quickly earn even more Marriott Bonvoy points if you transfer your Membership Rewards over.

Final thoughts

My Marriotts Bonvoy review is positive, there is no other rewards program like it. With so many different properties available, you really have a lot of choices when it comes to earning and redeeming your points. If you travel a lot for business, it makes sense to be loyal to the Marriott brand since you’ll earn many additional perks as you increase your status.