Marriott 70% Transfer Bonus

Chase is now running a 70% transfer bonus to Marriott through October 15.

​Let’s go over two examples of when it does and does not make sense to use a bonus like this…

​For example, a 5-night stay at the Westin Bora Bora would cost $10,351 or 400,000 Marriott points.

​WOAH! 😱

​Instead, we could transfer 236,000 Chase UR Points with a 70% transfer bonus and only pay $575 in fees for the same booking.

​($10,351 - $575) / 236,000 points = 4.14 CPP

​A nice bonus when redeeming Marriott points includes a 5th night free - so that brings the overall cost to about 47,200 points per night.

​The Westin Bora Bora and other high-end properties are where you can get the most “bang for your buck” when considering a large hotel transfer bonus like this 70% bonus.

​Now, let’s review an average Marriott property in the US for example #2.

​The Courtyard by Marriott New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue is charging 262,000 points for a 5-night stay.

​​That would require 155,000 Chase UR Points to be transferred to Marriott with a 70% transfer bonus - and that's 31,000 points per night using the same 5th night free benefit.

​BUT rates for the dates selected are $323 per night, leading to a very low redemption value compared to our first example.

​$323 / 31,000 points = 1.04 CPP

​Cash prices are relatively cheap, while point prices are fairly high - and the same story is true for many other comparable Marriott properties within the US.

Always be aware that huge transfer bonuses do not always guarantee better value when transferring points…

​Rather, do some quick math and target the aspirational properties you probably wouldn’t pay for in cash - OR opt to save your points for a different transfer partner down the road.