Years ago I fell in love with Marriott Hotels. Actually, to be more specific, Marriott Points. As a frugal family of 4, going on family vacations is important to me. My kids could care less, but I like making memories for them without spending their RESP. Marriott points are an easy way to get free accommodation for part of or all of your next family trip.
How many hotels are managed by Marriott?
The Marriott Hotel network is among the largest in the world. You can find accommodations at one of their 30 brands in 139 countries at over 8000 hotel properties across the world.
Similar to many large businesses, Marriott has a points reward platform that allows you to book free nights using points. I’m so hooked into Marriott that it is difficult for me to stay at another hotel brand unless the deal is significantly cheaper.
How can you earn Marriott Points?
There are 2 ways that you can earn Marriott Points.
1) The first way is to sign up for a free Marriott account. When you have an account, you can start earning points each time you stay at a Marriott Property booked through the website.
Note: you can not earn Marriott points if you book a stay through a third-party booking site such as Trivago or Expedia.
2) The fastest and easiest way to earn Marriott Points is to sign up for an Amex Bonvoy Credit Card.
How to use Marriott Bonvoy Points?
Marriott uses a dynamic pricing model to display rates booked with points. Basically, the more expensive the hotel, the more points required to book a free night. A free night can range anywhere in between 5000 and 85 000 points per night, depending on the fanciness and demand for the property. Below is a screenshot of Fairfield Inn & Suites for a stay I was looking at in May. You can see that points fluctuate based on demand with Sunday nights often being the cheapest.
What are the benefits of booking with Marriott Points?
Flexibility – You can cancel for free up to 24 hours before your stay in some cases.
No Tax – When you book with Marriott points you don’t pay any tax. Your stay is 100% free! Unlike other travel rewards the make you pay tax on top of your free night, Marriott points cover the whole night.
How to get a fifth night free?
If you are planning on going somewhere for at least 5 consecutive nights this deal is for you. When you book 5 consecutive nights at the same property using points, you only pay for 4. Below is an example of a booking at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel in Bangkok. You can see 5 nights were booked but one night was deducted from the total. Note: Marriott will always deduct the night with the lowest points.
How much can you save booking with Marriott Points?
To figure out how much you can save with Marriott Points, simply look up the number of points required to book your stay compared to the amount required to pay cash. Below is a booking for the Sheraton Orlando North Hotel. 76 500 points are needed to book 5 nights.
If we wanted to book that same room for 5 nights with cash, it would cost us $1, 341.28 USD ($1819 CDN). That is huge value!
Since every family trip is unique, you will have to look at different cities and hotels to find a booking that works for you. Signing up for the Marriott Convoy Amex Card is the fastest and most efficient way to earn Marriott Points.
Conclusion and Recommendation
I’ve used Marriott Points to book trips and staycations for the past 7 years. It has saved me thousands of dollars and adds value to every trip my family goes on. Only sign up for the card if you can easily make the $3000 spend limit in the first 3 months. To make it easy to reach that amount, I switch all my recurrent monthly charges (cell phone, internet, Netflix, etc) to the card. I also try to sign up for cards around times of year that I know I will be making large lump sum purchases such as annual house insurance premium or my kids’ extra curricular activities.
Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card
- Earn 55 000 Bonus points after you spend $3000 in the first 3 months
- Receive a free night (35 000 points) on the anniversary of your card
- $120 Annual Fee
- Earn 2 Points for each dollar spent
- Earn 5 Points for each dollar spent at a Marriott Property
I don’t always like to pay an annual fee, but the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card ticks all the boxes. Even if you don’t use the card to make purchases after your first year, the free annual night that comes with the card is well worth it.
For example, the annual free night that comes with the card is worth 35 000 points. That is enough to book a night at the JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America. If you were to pay cash for that stay, it would cost you $334 USD ($453 CDN).
If you are interested in signing up for the card, please consider supporting the site by using the referral link below.