Thursday, July 25, 2024

Can You Use Marriott Points For Cruises

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Redeem Points On Marriott Shopping

The Best Use of Marriott Bonvoy Points!

What if you’re not a frequent traveler and want some other way to use your Marriott points than travel rewards? With the , you can use your points for tech, fashion, home decor, and more. The Marriott shopping portal includes popular items from top brands like HP Chromebooks, 23andMe ancestry tests, YETI tumblers, and iRobot Roomba vacuums. You can also use your points for gift cards.

As a general rule, redeeming your Marriott points for merchandise gives you a low value for your points.

For example, the iRobot Braava Jet 240 Mopping Robot costs 57,500 points in the Marriott shopping portal. You could buy the same model for $170. That gives your Marriott points a value of just 0.3 cents each compared to the standard value of 0.8 cents each.

Gift cards have a similar, poor value of 0.2 to 0.3 cents per point.

Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points

Marriott Bonvoys Cruise With Points program allows you to cash in Marriott points for credit towards any cruise thats bookable on the Cruise With Points website.

You can pay for a cruise with a full or partial points payment, starting at 63,000 Marriott points for a $250 cruise credit.

Unfortunately, your value per Bonvoy point isnt great when redeemed for cruises. The value maxes out at 0.4 cents per point, while TPG values Marriott points at 0.8 cents each.

Pool Your Points With Other Members

Although Marriott Bonvoy doesnt have an official points pooling feature where family members can automatically combine their accounts, the program does allow you to share between 1,000 to 100,000 points per year with another Marriott Bonvoy member for free. Doing so can be just the way to add enough points together for a booking rather than having to make a hodgepodge of reservations from various accounts.;

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Transfer Chase Points To Marriott

In addition to earning Marriott points with Marriott’s co-branded credit cards, you can also earn Marriott points indirectly with the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. This program allows you to transfer your points to a long list of Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners at a 1:1 rate, including the Marriott Bonvoy program. In the table below, youll find Chases main Ultimate Rewards-earning credit cards.

Card
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchaseswith no limit to the amount you can earn. $95

Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy is easy and fast you simply log into your Ultimate Rewards account and provide your Marriott Bonvoy member information. Transfers are typically processed by the following business day.

Earn Tons Of Points When Booking A Cruise

Best Ways to Use Marriott Bonvoy Points (2021)

If you decide you would rather pay for your cruise and save your points for a better redemption, be sure to set yourself up to earn the most points on your next cruise:

  • American Airlines Cruises: Earn up to 100,000 bonus American Airlines miles on select cruises when you book through American. However, most cruises earn 1-2 bonus miles per dollar .
  • You can earn up to 30,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points when you book a cruise through Marriott.
  • SkyMiles Cruises: When you book your cruise through Delta you can earn up to 30,000 Delta SkyMiles when you book a balcony or suite stateroom.
  • United Cruises: You can earn up to 100,000 bonus United MileagePlus miles when you book select cruises through United. Most cruises offer the chance to earn up to 25,000 miles, but United MileagePlus credit cardmembers can earn up to 45,000 bonus miles per cruise.

Hot Tip:;If youve booked your trip and its time to start prepping, check out our Ultimate Cruise Packing List !

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Book Your 2019 Owner Cruise Today

Enjoy an extraordinary adventure at sea when you choose from various Owner cruise itineraries that include special perks and events exclusively for Marriott Vacation Club® Owners.

There’s no better way to travel the sunny Caribbean than aboard an Owner cruise, and you can use Vacation Club Points to choose from several upcoming sailings. Share the fun with other Marriott Vacation Club Owners as you sail aboard a premier cruise ship to desirable ports of call.

Owner cruises, while incredibly popular, offer a limited number of Owners the chance to share the fun of cruising together.

Sail aboard a premier cruise ship to desirable ports of call and enjoy access to diverse entertainment, dining options and amenities, as well as special perks available only to Owners, including:

  • Welcome cocktail party
  • Two complimentary private shore excursions
  • Owner meeting

Choose from these fantastic cruises in the Caribbean:

Use Points And Miles For Positioning Hotels And Flights

Flights, rental cars and hotels can add up quite quickly, so dont forget to look up your best points and miles options for those portions of the trip as well.

For instance, you could fly Southwest to a cruise port such as Fort Lauderdale, Orlando or Houston Hobby near the Galveston Port on points and with the Companion Pass! then use hotel points to spend the night before the cruise near the port, so you dont have to worry about a delayed flight leading to a missed cruise.

For another example, you can use 12,000 World of Hyatt points or an annual Category 14 award from the World of Hyatt Credit Card;to pay for a room at the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport before heading to Port Canaveral the next day.

Related: What to do if you miss your cruise

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Use Points For Marriott Bonvoy Moments

With the official launch of Bonvoy, the program now has a new experience platform called Marriott Bonvoy Moments. This offers destination-specific activities think bus tours, sporting events, and culinary experiences in many cities where Marriott has a hotel presence. You can book these experiences using your Marriott Bonvoy points, giving you a free way to experience new cities. In many cases, these arent awards you could purchase using cash, so it can provide some unique activities on your next trip.

To see whats currently available, head to the and click on the category youd like to explore at the top. Just note that certain experiences are bookable for a flat number of Marriott points. Others are an auction against other bidders, so be sure to read the terms and conditions of a moment before you commit to purchasing one, as most are nonrefundable.

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

Buy Marriott Points Resale Vs Direct

Rent Marriott Vacation Club Points for More Vacations!

You can buy Marriott points directly from them or you can buy them resale. Buying Marriott points resale can save you hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dollars. If you buy timeshare points resale, you can skip that timeshare presentation and get straight to work with a trusted timeshare resale company.

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So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about , but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.Here is a list of our partners.

Book Cruises Via An Airline Portal

If you are paying cash and want to earn miles simultaneously, airlines allow you to earn bonus miles by booking cruises via their site. For example, there are United Cruises, American Airlines Cruises, Delta SkyMiles Cruises and more.

The cruises we priced out via United Cruises were the same price as booking directly with the cruise lines; the only difference is that you would earn bonus United miles per dollar spent for booking via the United site.

On our test Royal Caribbean cruise booking, United credit cardholders can earn up to 7 miles per dollar spent on the cruise cabins base rate;for booking via the airline website. Your earnings are capped at 45,000 MileagePlus miles per purchase.

Keep in mind that these bookings are considered third-party purchases, so cruise lines are not obligated or may not be inclined to allow you to make changes.

For this Royal Caribbean sailing for a family of four, that could mean picking up 8,372 United miles valued by TPG at a total of $109 in miles.

Those with United elite status can also cash in on some perks. Bonuses vary per cruise line and are based on your elite status tier, but you could get anything from relaxing spa treatments to complimentary wine, or even up to $300 to spend onboard.

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Get 5000 Bonus Airline Miles For Transferring 60000 Marriott Points

Transferring points from Marriott to airline programs is generally best when you just need to top off your account for a redemption. However, Marriott rewards those that transfer larger amounts of points with extra miles.

Youll get a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer from Marriott to an airline.;That means youll get 25,000 airline miles for every 60,000 points transferred.

  • Air New Zealand: 375 Airpoints
  • JetBlue: 12,500 TrueBlue points
  • United: 27,500 MileagePlus miles

Its important to note that you do not need to make multiple separate transactions to get the transfer bonus multiple times. Marriott has confirmed that youll earn a 5,000-mile bonus for every multiple of 60,000 points that you transfer:

  • Transfers of 60,000 to 119,000 points earn a 5,000-mile bonus
  • Transfers of 120,000 to 179,000 points earn a 10,000-mile bonus
  • Transfers of 180,000 to 239,000 points earn a 15,000-mile bonus
  • Transfers of 240,000 points earn a 20,000-mile bonus

Transfer Points From A Non

How to book a cruise using points and miles

Even if youre not a Marriott loyalist, you might already have points from a credit card that transfer to the program.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is a 1:1 transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy. So if you carry the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can convert your Ultimate Rewards points into Marriott Bonvoy ones. American Express Membership Rewards points earned on cards like the Platinum Card® from American Express; and the American Express Gold® Card; also transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio.

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How To Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points

Now that youve seen just how valuable Marriott points can be, lets review some of the ways you can earn Bonvoy points.

The most obvious way to earn Marriott points is from paid stays at Marriott properties. At most Marriott properties, members earn 10 Bonvoy points per U.S. dollar spent. However, members earn between 2.5 and 5 points per dollar at some extended-stay properties.

Members can also earn points through Marriotts partnerships with car rental companies, Marriotts cruise booking portal and Marriotts Eat Around Town dining program.

However, the easiest way of earning Marriott Bonvoy points is through Marriotts co-branded credit cards. And now is a great time to consider these cards.

is the prestige Marriott Bonvoy Card. It has a high $450 annual fee , but also offers a welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Plus, earn up to $200 in Statement Credits for eligible purchases at U.S. Restaurants within the first 6 months of Card Membership. The annual fee isnt quite as bad as it seems since the card offers a $300 Marriott hotel credit for eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program and a free anniversary night as well as Marriott Gold Status.

To view rates and fees for Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express® Card please visit this page.

Buy Marriott Points Resale For Less

is a giant in the vacation industry and offers incredible resorts around the world. Their points-based program allows flexibility in timeshare ownership. Owners have access to not only Marriott Resorts, but also St. Regis, the Sheraton, Westin, and more. This trusted brand offers vacation ownership at over 60 club properties in 10 countries, so there are endless opportunities for incredible vacation memories. If youre highly considering buying Marriott points, we strongly suggest checking the resale market first.

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Pay For A Cruise In Cash And Earn Points

Its always fun to earn a free trip thanks to points and miles. But there are a few times when it will make more sense to pay cash for a cruise rather than splurge your precious travel currency on the ocean.

You might wonder, When is this the case?

While these factors will vary by person, the following scenarios may help guide your decision:

How To Use The 50k Marriott Certificates

Marriott Bonvoy: Tips on Earning and Redeeming Points

You can use these 50,000-point Marriott certificates at any Category 16 Marriott hotel with standard award availability on standard and off-peak dates. With the introduction of peak and off-peak pricing, the certificates have gotten a little more complicated to use.

TPG has a story on great ways to redeem Marriott 50,000-point free night certificates, and theyre fabulous uses of these annual free nights. But they arent all practical for families. With spring breaks, winter breaks, summer and long weekends in mind, here are some of the best uses of the Marriott 50,000-point certificates for traveling families.

Note: Be aware that many of these resorts do charge resort fees in addition to the annual award certificate.

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Redeeming Marriott Points For Hotel Stays

The higher the category, the higher the points cost.

You can see which hotels are in what category searching a location using Marriotts hotel redemption tool.;

These dates roughly translate to low, medium, and high demand times for the hotel, and can change at any time.

For example, a hotel could be Off-Peak for a date and then a week later, it could be changed to a Peak date. If you already made a booking at the Off-Peak rate, it will stay at that rate.

You can use your Marriott points at any of their hotel brands.;

The full list is below:

  • Homes & Villas by Marriott International
  • JW Marriott
  • Enter the location, dates, rooms.
  • Check the Use Points / Certificates box.
  • Select your desired hotel.
  • Best Uses Of The Marriott 50000

    The Points GuyMSN has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. MSN and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers.

    Editors note:;This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

    Within the Marriott Bonvoy program, you can book hotels using your points, but you can also use award night certificates that typically come in two different denominations: 35,000 points or 50,000 points. A 50,000 point certificate is typically awarded each year by the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express® Card. Every time you renew, you get another certificate to use at hotels priced up to 50,000 Marriott points per night.

    But right now, the 50k certificates are much more accessible than normal as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card;] is offering an elevated welcome bonus that awards three of these certificates worth up to 50,000 points each with $3,000 in spending within the first 3 months of a new account opening. Plus, you will earn 10x total points on up to $2,500 in combined purchases at grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations within the first 6 months of account opening.

    This means you can spend three nights in Marriott properties that cost up to 50,000 points per night from just one card bonus, which is generous for this card.

    Elevated bonus: Earn three 50,000-point Marriott award certificates with $3,000 in spending after opening a new Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card

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    Cruise Privileges For Platinum Members

    As a cardholder of The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, youre eligible for exclusive benefits when you book a cruise through Amex Travel.

    On eligible cruises of 5 nights or more, youll receive a shipboard credit of $100-$300 per stateroom plus an additional exclusive amenity based on your cruise line.

    Here are the extra amenities you can expect to receive from each cruise line :

    • AMA Waterways: $100 spa voucher per stateroom
    • Azamara: Behind the scenes ship tour and a bottle of premium Champagne
    • Celebrity Cruises: Bottle of Champagne or wine
    • Crystal Cruises:$200 shore excursion credit per stateroom
    • Cunard: Bottle of wine
    • Princess Cruises: Plate of canapés
    • Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Exclusive private galley tour
    • Royal Caribbean: Bottle of premium Champagne or wine
    • Seabourn: Exclusive suite dreams turndown service which includes one glass of wine per person and a bowl of strawberries with white chocolate mousse plus a bottle of wine
    • Silversea: Bottle of Dom Perignon per suite plus an exclusive tour of the ships galley
    • Uniworld Boutique River Cruises: Bottle of Champagne and a box of chocolates
    • Windstar Cruises: Canapés, a bottle of Champagne, and chocolate-covered strawberries

    To redeem these benefits, book online with your Amex Platinum or call the Platinum Travel Service at 800-525-3355.

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