Marriott Bonvoy

Use it for

• ANA business US to Japan on ANA's own flights, low season 50,000 miles one-way or 100,000 round trip: four 60,000-point blocks (240,000 points, about USD 1,944 at the 55 percent sale) give exactly 100,000 miles, plus fuel surcharges reported at about USD 300 to 400 per round trip
• Singapore Airlines business Saver US West Coast to Singapore, 112,500 KrisFlyer miles one-way: 277,500 points (about USD 2,250 at the 55 percent sale) plus about USD 50 in taxes (one observation)
• British Airways business US East Coast to London via JAL Mileage Bank, 42,000 miles one-way: 111,000 points (about USD 900) plus about USD 210 in taxes and surcharges
• Emirates business Saver New York to Milan or Newark to Athens, 59,000 Skywards miles one-way: 147,000 points (about USD 1,190) plus about USD 300 in taxes and charges (one observation)

Do not use it for

• Programs that sell their own miles for less: Aeroplan, LifeMiles, Avios, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish and Alaska all sold miles in 2026 at 1.27 to 1.88 US cents, below Marriott's best of about 1.94 cents per mile
• American AAdvantage, Delta and LifeMiles: no 5,000-mile bonus, so 60,000 points become 20,000 miles, about 2.43 US cents each at the sale price
• Buying outside a sale or transferring speculatively: at the standard 1.25 US cents a mile costs 3 cents, and transfers take 1 to 7 days and cannot be reversed

Where to search

Marriott sells no flights, so search on the airline program you will transfer to and confirm the seat on that program's own site, with taxes, before you buy. Favor programs where you can protect the seat during a multi-day transfer: ANA phone holds, Asia Miles and Emirates phone holds, or the KrisFlyer waitlist. seats.aero and similar tools show KrisFlyer, Emirates and United space, but always recheck live.

How to book, step by step

1. Find the award on the airline's own site, take it to the payment page to see the full price, and place a hold if that airline offers one.
2. Check that your Marriott account is at least 30 days old (new members cannot buy earlier) and that your Marriott name matches the airline account exactly; Marriott refuses transfers to an airline account in someone else's name.
3. Buy points on marriott.com while a sale runs (up to 55 percent bonus to 23 November 2026, targeted from 20 to 55 percent, so log in to see your tier). Minimum 2,000; up to 200,000 purchased points a year during this sale, normally 100,000; points post within 72 hours.
4. Or transfer in from your bank first: Chase runs a 70 percent bonus to Marriott until 15 October 2026, which is cheaper than buying.
5. In your Marriott account open Points to Miles, add the airline and your airline account number, and transfer in exact 60,000-point blocks to collect the 5,000-mile bonus (10,000 for United). Minimum 3,000, maximum 240,000 points per day, so split larger moves over two days.
6. Wait for the miles: about 1 day for Cathay, Alaska and Turkish, 3 days for JAL and Emirates, 4 days for KrisFlyer, 2 to 5 days for United and 4 to 7 days for ANA (AwardWallet user averages).
7. When the miles post, recheck the seat and book on the airline site, following that program's own steps.
8. Leave any spare points in Marriott; they expire after 24 months without activity.

When you need to phone

Not needed for most bookings. Buying and airline transfers are both done online at marriott.com.

Fees

No fee to transfer points to airlines or between Marriott members. Purchase price 1.25 US cents per point standard; 0.81 cents at the 55 percent sale running to 23 November 2026. All award fees are charged by the airline you book with.

Surcharges

Set by the airline you transfer to. None on United, on KrisFlyer bookings of Singapore Airlines flights, on Alaska, Aeroplan or Qatar Avios on Qatar. Heavy on ANA's own flights (reported at about USD 200 to 400 per round trip), on Emirates via Dubai and on British Airways flights booked with Avios. Cathay adds up to USD 174.60 per long-haul segment.

Getting points in

Amex MR US 1:1 (30 percent bonus ran 4 August to 3 September 2026), Chase Ultimate Rewards 1:1 (70 percent bonus to 15 October 2026), Bilt 1:1. UK: Amex MR 2:3 (2 points become 3 Bonvoy). Canada: Amex MR 5:6 (30 percent bonus ran August to September 2026). Germany: Amex MR 3:2 (30 percent bonus to 31 October 2026). India: Amex MR 1:1, HSBC TravelOne 1:1, HDFC Infinia and Diners Black 2:1 (Regalia Gold 3:1); Axis removed Marriott on 2 April 2026. Japan: Marriott Bonvoy Amex cards earn Bonvoy directly. Moving bank points to Marriott and then to an airline at 3:1 only makes sense for airlines your bank does not reach (for example ANA, JAL or Alaska outside the US) or during a large transfer bonus.

Booking for other people

Members can send up to 100,000 points a year to another Marriott member and receive up to 500,000, free and online, with a limit of 2 transactions a month; use this to combine a family's points into one 60,000 block. Airline transfers must go to an airline account in the Marriott member's own name.