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Should you buy Marriott points with a 50% bonus?

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From now through Oct. 13, 2022, you’ll get a 50% bonus when you purchase 2,000 or more Marriott Bonvoy points, dropping the cost to just 0.83 cents apiece.

This is just under TPG’s current valuation of 0.84 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, so it could be a good deal depending on how you redeem your points. The promotion is a part of Marriott’s annual Week of Wonders promotion, where the hotel group offers a handful of special offers including discounted paid and award stays.

Let’s take a closer look at the promotion and discuss times when it makes sense to purchase Marriott points.

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Marriott buy-points promotion details

Marriott Week of Wonders buy points sale
MARRIOTT.COM

You can take advantage of this promotion by heading to Marriott’s buy-points page and purchasing a minimum of 2,000 points.

If you’re new to Marriott Bonvoy, note that the terms say you may purchase points 30 days after enrollment if your Marriott Bonvoy account has other mileage-earning activity from hotel stays or credit card spending. You’re eligible to purchase points regardless of your account activity after your account is open for at least one year.

Additionally, you can only buy up to 100,000 points per year, though the bonus points are not part of this maximum. For instance, with this promotion, you could purchase 100,000 points and get 50,000 bonus ones.

Related: Current promotions on buying points and miles

Who should buy Marriott Bonvoy points?

St. Regis Bal Harbour (Photo by Nick Ellis / The Points Guy)
NICK ELLIS/THE POINTS GUY

If you’ve already earned the bonuses on the best Marriott credit cards, buying points with this discount could be enticing, but only under the right circumstances.

TPG’s monthly valuations estimate Marriott points to be worth 0.84 cents each. So, with this promotion, you’re paying just under our valuation. This can make the promotion a good deal, but only if you have an immediate plan to use the points to book expensive stays at a discount.

Remember, Marriott eliminated its award chart earlier this March. However, it will keep most hotels within its off-peak-to-peak pricing bands through the end of this year, so you can predictably book hotels for the time being. However, pricing bands will be removed in 2023 and we could see prices increase.

You’ll receive an even better value when you book five or more consecutive award nights, thanks to Marriott’s fifth-night-free perk. In turn, you may want to buy Marriott Bonvoy points with this bonus to top up your account for a five-night redemption.

Related: Maximizing redemptions with Marriott Bonvoy

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

THE POINTS GUY

Purchasing Marriott Bonvoy points isn’t the only way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. One of the easiest ways to accrue these points quickly and inexpensively is with Marriott’s cobranded credit cards.

American Express and Chase both offer Marriott cobranded credit cards — here’s a look at the current welcome offers:

The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Which Marriott Bonvoy credit card is right for you?

Use the right credit card to buy points

The terms of this promotion state that purchasing points with a Marriott Bonvoy cobranded credit card will earn points as an everyday purchase, so you won’t earn bonus points like you would on a Marriott stay.

Instead, to maximize your spending when buying Marriott points, look at cards like The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, which offers 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent (on the first $50,000 per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar; terms apply), or the Chase Freedom Unlimited, with 1.5% cash back (1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar).

Additional reporting by Benji Stawski, Stella Shon, Joseph Hostetler and JT Genter.