Marriott Bonvoy Transfer Partners
Marriott Bonvoy boasts a robust list of ~40 airline partners, including to some incredibly hard to get miles like Japan Airlines and Korean Airlines. However, the big reason Marriott is typically not highlighted as a transfer partner is because Marriott transfers are never 1:1—most hover around 3:1.
Consequently, it's imperative to understand the risks of transferring using Marriott points, since you risk losing significant value on your hard-earned points with Marriott transfers.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases.
Marriott's Full List Of Transfer Partners
Marriott has ~40 airline transfer partners. While some airlines have several transfer partners, others may have literally only Marriott as a transfer partner, which makes Marriott a compelling transfer partner for these rarer points.
Earning Marriott Points
There are two key ways to accumulate Marriott points: staying at Marriott hotels and getting the credit cards.
Staying At Marriott Hotels
For starters, when staying at Marriott properties, you earn 10x points per dollar (most properties, some exclusions apply). With Elite Status, your earnings are then accelerated even further:
- Silver Elite: 10%
- Gold Elite: 25%
- Platinum Elite: 50%
- Titanium Elite: 75%
- Ambassador Elite: 75%
For instance, for a base rate of $100, you'll earn at least 1,000 Marriott points. Your status will then help you earn 100, 250, 500, 750, or 750 more points, respectively.
Opening A Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card
Marriott cards can sometimes feature incredible offers with very large welcome bonuses. This can be a great way to rapidly accumulate Marriott points while getting a wealth of other Marriott benefits, including free nights, instant status, and increased earnings.
Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases.
Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Earn up to 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Bonus Points. Earn 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases and an extra 50,000 bonus points after you make an additional $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
| Credit Card | Annual Fee | Welcome Bonus | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
 Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card | $95 | Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases. | Learn more |
 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card | $650 (Rates & Fees) | Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. | Learn more |
 Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card | $125 (Rates & Fees) | Earn up to 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Bonus Points. Earn 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases and an extra 50,000 bonus points after you make an additional $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. | Learn more |
Transfer In 60,000 Point Increments
When you transfer 60,000 points, Marriott will typically offer an additional 5,000 miles. For instance, when transferring 60,000 Marriott points to Air Canada, you'll end up getting 25,000 miles instead.
However, some programs do not offer the bonus 5,000 miles for transferring 60,000 Marriott points. These include American Airlines, Avianca, Delta, and Korean Air.
Does It Make Sense To Leverage This Transfer?
This is a bit of a tricky answer because there's definitely a high opportunity cost to using up your Marriott points this way. For instance, Marriott already has so many good ways to use points—think 5th night free, topping off free night certificates, etc.
Some sources value Marriott points slightly less than 1 cent each. If that's the case, by converting 3 Marriott points to another currency, you're basically saying that the new currency is worth less than 3 cents per point. That's a pretty high bar to begin with.
Generally speaking, I'd say it makes the most sense to use this option when you need just a few thousand more points to book something. I would generally advise against putting all your eggs in one basket and pursuing a massive Marriott transfer, as it is generally just not worth it.
Conclusion
Marriott offers a significant, unprecedented number of transfer partners. However, this comes at a pretty steep opportunity cost, as you lose out on a lot of value when transferring your Marriott points to another partner. Use this transfer only if you must and make sure to think carefully about the opportunity costs at hand.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card
Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
