Points

[cp73]

Reading all the posts on this board about points and their value, plus based on my own experience in having a Marriott Credit Card and earning and using points I have concluded the following:

That in order to get the most value out of points you must use the 7 day travel packages and preferably the ones with air. Any other use of Marriott points for stays less than this yield results valuing the points at about $.01 or less.

Has anyone found anything to the contrary on this or another way to exceed a $.01 per point value without using extended stay travel packages?

 

[Big Matt]

I think you are on the ball regarding points.

Where you may find a lot of value with the hotel points is when you can get a regular points redemption in places like New York City where rooms approach $450 per night. Spending 150,000 points in a category 7 for five nights with a value of about $3000 is an example. The same thing is true in Europe for the high end hotels.

Your greatest value is being able to get a very high end hotel and business class air using the package. Traveling with more than two people makes it tough given the amount of airline miles needed.

 

[kjd]

I think there is one more instance where points are valuable. I agree with all of the previously mentioned uses. The other use of points that I find personally valuable is using points for hotels in areas where no acceptable timeshares exist or when I wish to stay less than a week. Even though the room rates are less, making the value of points less, the convenience of using points is a plus.

 

[thinze3]

Chris,
We travel to visit my DD in Fort Worth a couple of times a year and stay at the CY nearby. It has inched up in cost the last couple of years and is now $189/nt on the weekends we usually go. This totals a over $400 for a two night stay.

I use points each time we go because it takes only 19,000 points for two nights (cat 2). Each time I make a Marriott branded reservation, I check the points total required for the same stay. Most often is doesn't work, but in FW it does.

Terry

 

[Dave M]

I agree with you, Chris, that the best value is in the air-hotel travel packages.

In addition to the expensive hotel examples, there are a few others that can generate value in excess of one cent per point. A good example is a 7-day Alaska cruise for two in an outside cabin on Holland America. In July 2009, that would cost about $2,500 before considering the taxes and port charges that have to be paid with a Marriott Reward.

At 165,000 points, that works out to a little more than 1.5 cents per point.

 

[jimf41]

Buying points

I have a question about buying points. If you and your spouse each buy 50k points can you then combine those points for a 100k hotel package? I'm pretty certain you can't but so many posters give this as an example of how to accumulate large amounts of points w/o buying direct that I'm wondering if I have it wrong.

 

[mas]

I have a question about buying points. If you and your spouse each buy 50k points can you then combine those points for a 100k hotel package? I'm pretty certain you can't but so many posters give this as an example of how to accumulate large amounts of points w/o buying direct that I'm wondering if I have it wrong.

According to these rules you can buy 50K points and then 'gift' them to another MR member.

 

[LAX Mom]

However, each MR account can only be credited with 50,000 points per year.

"A member may purchase or receive as a gift a combined maximum of 50,000 points per calendar year."


http://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/earning.mi

When you are ready to redeem a reward, you can transfer points from one spouse to the other.

"Immediately prior to redemption, a member may authorize the transfer of the necessary number of Marriott Rewards points into the Marriott Rewards account of his/her spouse or domestic partner, in order to qualify for a specific reward."