Marriott Bonvoy points are on sale at a 25% discount rate through December 20, 2022 when you buy 2,000 or more points. The regular rate for Marriott Bonvoy points is $12.50 per 1,000 points. You can buy up to 100,000 points for $937.50 during this sale.
Honestly, I struggle to find any good value deals buying Marriott points for any hotel with a rate under $250 per night. Buying 25,000 points will cost $235 and there are hardly any hotels you can find with a 25,000 points price tag that are over $200 per night. In places I plan to travel over the next six months there are plenty of hotels with rates around $125 per night that cost over 25,000 points for a points night.
My analyses of hotel rates across different chains in several European cities places Marriott at or close to the bottom in redemption value compared to the price to buy points with Best Western, Choice Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG.
Generally the best rate savings strategy I find for Marriott brand hotels is purchasing Marriott gift cards when offered at 20% off periodically during the year. At the price to buy Marriott points, even during their best discount sales, there are only a small fraction of hotels where there will be a good value points redemption compared to the posted rates.
A points rate analysis example from Vienna, Austria:
Courtyard Vienna Prater/Messe = 117 EUR or 15,500 points for King Bed room.
- $122 best flexible cash rate for room and earns Marriott Bonvoy points.
- $145.31 to buy 15,500 points with the 25% discount sale.
- Both cash or points rate have same flexible cancellation policies.
Renaissance Wien Hotel = 117 EUR or 22,000 points for King Bed room.
- 105 EUR = $109.12 nonrefundable cash rate and earns Marriott Bonvoy points.
- 117 EUR = $122 best flexible cash rate for room and earns Marriott Bonvoy points.
- $206.25 to buy 22,000 points for reward night.
Moxy Vienna Airport = 131 EUR or 9,200 points for Queen Bed room or Two Twin Beds.
- 105 EUR = $109.12 nonrefundable cash rate and earns Marriott Bonvoy points.
- 131 EUR = $136.21 best flexible cash rate for room and earns Marriott Bonvoy points.
- $86.25 to buy 9,200 points for reward night.
Moxy Vienna Airport is an example of where buying Marriott Bonvoy points for $86.25 is a good deal for this hotel night priced at $136.21 with the same flexible cancellation policy. That is great for one night, but there are no other Marriott hotel deals using points for the eight other hotels within the city of Vienna.
The primary value I see personally for buying Marriott points at a discount is to have up to 15,000 more points in my account to combine with my annual American Express free night valued at 35,000 points. Marriott allows members to top off free night certificates with up to 15,000 additional points to book a hotel night at 50,000 points. While 50,000 points is unlikely to score a $500 per night hotel, I can probably find a $350 per night hotel that I can buy with my AMEX Free Night + $140 in purchased points.
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