Marriott Rewards Points:  Why You Shouldn’t Underestimate Them.

Accrue Marriott Rewards points and you’ll be able to stay in a swanky hotel suite.  Personally, I’m hoping to get to the Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star resort in St. Thomas sometime soon. (pictured above)  Hotel rewards points are nice because you usually don’t end up paying any taxes or fees like you may end up doing redeeming airline miles. There are two Marriott rewards visa cards offered through Chase that come with sizable signup bonuses that will make those free hotel stays happen much faster.  The Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card and the Marriott Rewards Visa Signature Visa are slightly different and having reviewed the features of both cards, the Premier card stands out when you dig into the details and the rewards offering.  Other reviews of Marriott points have valued them at 1 cent, but we’ll show you how much they’re worth and how much that changes when you take advantage of upgrades.

What are Marriott Rewards Points Worth?

Overall we’ve found that Marriott Rewards points are worth from 1.1 cents to 2 cents per point when you maximize them, but let’s dive into exactly how much they are really worth with a few specific examples. 

As weather starts to turn frosty, a winter vacation in sunny St. Thomas starts to sound divine.  Staying at the Morning Star resort would chase away my winter blahs for sure.

A 3 night stay in February 2012 runs $1,651 including the $30/night resort fees, taxes, fees etc.

The same stay in Marriott Rewards points will take 105,000 points and includes all taxes and resort fees. So that works out to:

$1651 / 105,000 = $0.0157 value per point

However, if you take advantage of the upgrade to a garden view room option you can increase the value of your points.  A garden view room runs $792 per night in February 2012, and can be had by adding in $110 per night so running the numbers again:

(3 * $792) – (3 * $110) / 105,000  =  $0.0195 value per point

Based on our reviews, when you hit $0.02 per point you’re at the top of the point value pyramid.

Are Upgrades Worth It?

So does this mean you should take advantage of any upgrades that you’re offered when you book with Marriott Rewards points?  Were the St. Thomas Resort booking savings a fluke?   Let’s look at three more examples for the same time period (February):

 

 
Shanghai City Centre Marriott
(Category 5)
 
marriott rewards shanghai
Courtyard Marriott Salt Lake City
(Category 3)
 
marriott rewards salt lake
Champs Elysee Paris Mariott
(Category 8)
 
marriott rewards paris
Normal Cost
 
$458.21 for 2 nights
 
$337.39 for 2 nights
$1014.21 for 2 nights
Points Required
 
50,000 Marriott Rewards Points
 
30,000 Marriott Rewards Points
80,000 Marriott Rewards Points
Point Value
 
$0.010
 
$0.011
$0.013
Upgrade Option
($150)
$75 per night for an Executive Room
($40)
$40 per night for a Suite
 
($400)
$202 per night for their premier (view) room
 
  Cost for Upgraded Room
 
$721.45
 
($233.24 more)
 
$382.23
 
($44.84 more)
$1501.97
 
($487.76)
 
  Point Value with Upgrade
 
$0.011
$0.011
$0.014

 

What it means:

You can get a slight bump on point value by taking advantage of upgrades that are offered to you when you book, but you should be on the lookout for better value at  larger resorts and be aware of upgrades may be worth looking into.  (Let us know if you find any other great upgrade deals!)

More Free Nights and Upgrades:

There are a few other ways to fully take advantage of the Marriott Rewards program

1.   Take advantage of booking 5 nights with Marriott points (The 5th night is always free)  Doing this at the St Thomas resort would immediately make your points worth $0.02 each. (A 25% bonus)

2.   Take advantage of available upgrades when you check-in.  When I spoke with Marriott reservation agents, they told me that often if better rooms are available the front desk will offer them to anyone with status.  If you take advantage of the Marriott Rewards Credit Cards, in addition to the signup bonuses, you’ll also automatically have Silver Elite Status.

3.   Occasionally you can book a “PointSavers Reward” stay based on availability.  This means that you can use up to 5000 fewer points per night if the hotel you’re booking has enough availability.          

4.   Both the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card and the Marriott Rewards Visa Signature Visa offer additional free nights just for having the card. 

 

Here’s How the Two Cards Compare

Marriott Rewards Premier Card

Marriott Rewards Credit Card
 
marriott rewards premier card
 
 
marriott rewards credit card

Signing Bonus
 
50,000 Marriott Points Bonus - after first purchase & 1 Free Night
 
 
30,000 Marriott Points Bonus - after your first purchase & 2 Free Nights
 

Foreign Transaction Fee
 
No
 
Yes (3%)

Annual Fee
 
$0 the first year and $85 thereafter
 
$0 the first year and $45 thereafter

More Offer Details
  • Earn 50,000 Bonus Points after your first use
  • Receive 1 free night stay upon account approval and each year upon account anniversary
  • Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Marriott(R) locations
  • Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on qualifying airline, dining, and rental car purchases
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on other purchases
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Cardmembers achieve Silver elite status with 15 nights credit toward Elite status
  • Redeem Marriott Rewards(R) points at Marriott properties including Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Fairfield Inn & Suites
  • Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after your first use, redeemable for up to 4 free nights; plus receive 2 free night stay e-certificates upon account approval, that's enough up to 6 free nights at a category 1 hotel
  • No Annual fee for your first year that's a $45 value
  • Earn 3 points for every $1 spent at Marriott(R) locations
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on other purchases
  • Cardmembers achieve Silver elite status with 10 nights credit toward Elite status
  • Redeem Marriott Rewards(R) points at Marriott properties including Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Fairfield Inn & Suites

 

 

Conclusion: Which Marriott Card?

The Premier card outshines the standard Marriott Rewards card because of it’s signup bonus and annual free night.  With no foreign transaction fee it will save you 3% abroad and earn Marriott points 40% faster on amounts spent at Marriott locations.  Even if you don’t travel much and aren’t interested in a no foreign transaction fee card, the additional signup bonus points make the Premier card a great choice.