Marriott Rewards members have the choice of earning points with Marriott MegaBonus or miles with Marriott MegaMiles. The Marriott MegaMiles February 1 to April 30, 2015 earns 2,500 bonus miles for every second stay, up to 50,000 bonus miles during the promotion period. Marriott Rewards has 30 airline partners.
Now, it will take 50 stays to max out this miles offer and few members will have that kind of activity. The way I look at this offer is earning 5,000 bonus miles after four stays could be a good alternative to 7,500 or 9,000 bonus points in Marriott Rewards if you have some low cost stays.
Assume four $100 stays.
My Marriott Rewards MegaBonus offer is 3,000 bonus points for every stay beginning with second stay. Other targeted offers include 2,000 or 2,500 bonus points beginning with second stay.
So for me, I can earn 9,000 bonus points after four stays. You might have an offer with as few as 6,000 bonus points after four stays. In this case, miles can be a much better value.
5,000 bonus frequent flyer miles can offer far more value than 6,000 to 9,000 Marriott points with four eligible stays. You also earn 1 or 2 miles per dollar in hotel spend, depending on brand.
I changed my Marriott Rewards account earning preference to miles and registered for Marriott MegaMiles linked to my American AAdvantage account. You must have miles selected as your earning preference to register for Marriott MegaMiles. Registration is required by March 31. 2015.
