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Last Updated: 8 October 2020
Marriott Bonvoy is “mash-up” loyalty program that replaced the Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest (aka SPG), and Ritz-Carlton Rewards.
The Bonvoy program provides has a fairly strong elite program, more travel partners than any other loyalty program, and offers a plethora of hotel options given it is the world’s largest hotel chain.
If you’re just getting started with miles and points, Bonvoy points provide a great foundation to earning and redeeming points for amazing flights and hotels.
The next step in this equation is understanding WHO you can transfer your points to and HOW to do it. After reading this you’ll be ready to book your bucket list getaway!
EARNING MARRIOTT BONVOY POINTS
Both, American Express and Chase offer personal and business credit cards that earn Bonvoy points. Let’s take a look…
American Express Cards:
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card [READ MORE] – This card earns 75,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. You’ll also get a $300 travel credit per year which wipes away a big chunk of the $450 annual fee. |
| Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card [READ MORE] – Earn 75,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. |
Chase Cards:
| Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card – Earn 5 Free Nights after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
| Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card – This simple, no annual fee card earns 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
BONVOY TRANSFER PARTNERS
The Bonvoy Rewards Transfer Partner program currently has 44 airline transfer partners. Below are the partners, transfer ratios, and transfer times.
Bonvoy Airline Transfer Partners
| Chase Airline Transfer Partner | Transfer Ratio (Bonvoy to Airline) | Transfer Time |
| AEGEAN Miles+Bonus | 3:1 | 3 days |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 3:1 | ??? |
| Aeroflot Bonus | 3:1 | 21 days |
| Aeromexico ClubPremier* | 3:1 | 4 days |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 3:1 | 5 days |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | 3:1 | 5 days |
| Flying Blue (AIR FRANCE / KLM) | 3:1 | 3 days |
| Air New Zealand Airpoints | 200:1 (this is bad!) | <24 hours |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | 3:1 | 4 days |
| Alitalia MilleMiglia | 3:1 | 7 days |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 3:1 | <48 hours |
| ANA Mileage Club | 3:1 | 4 days |
| Asiana Airlines Asiana Club | 3:1 | 4 days |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 3:1 | <24 hours |
| British Airways Executive Club | 3:1 | 3 days |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 3:1 | 5 days |
| China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club | 3:1 | 3 days |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | 3:1 | 3 days |
| Delta SkyMiles | 3:1 | <24 hours |
| Emirates Skywards | 3:1 | 3 days |
| Etihad Guest | 3:1 | 3 days |
| FRONTIER Miles | 3:1 | 40 days |
| Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club | 3:1 | 7 days |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | 3:1 | <24 hours |
| Iberia Plus | 3:1 | <24 hours |
| InterMiles | 3:1 | 7 days |
| Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank | 3:1 | <48 hours |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 6:1 (this is bad too!) | <24 hours |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | 3:1 | <48 hours |
| LATAM Airlines LATAM Pass | 3:1 | 2 days |
| Multiplus Fidelidade | 3:1 | 2 days |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 3:1 | <48 hours |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 3:1 | 3 days |
| South African Airways (SAA) Voyager | 3:1 | 3 days |
| Saudia Alfursan | 3:1 | 5 days |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 3:1 | <48 hours |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | 3:1 | <24 hours |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | 3:1 | ??? |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 3:1 | 4 days |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 3:1 | 3 days |
| United MileagePlus | 3:1.1 | 3 days |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 3:1 | <48 hours |
| Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer | 3:1 | <48 hours |
| Vueling Club | 3:1 | ??? |
It’s important to remember that given the 3:1 transfer ratio, Bonvoy requires a minimum of 3,000 points per transfer, but will allow you to transfer up to 240,000 points/day. If you need to transfer more, I would recommend that you spread out your transfers over multiple days.
Additionally, the Bonvoy loyalty program also adds 5,000 miles for every 60,000 points you transfer to airline miles, therefore 60,000 points = 25,000 miles.
Caveat#1: I’m not sure why it would be different, but for most airline partners, your member name on the frequent flyer program account MUST MATCH your Marriott Bonvoy first and last name or the transfer will not be processed.
Caveat #2: Although transfers to AeroMexico appear to be at a 3:1, the program uses the metric system. In short, 3,000 Bonvoy points = 1,610 Club Premier points (1 mile = 1.61 km).
DIVING INTO THE DETAILS
You may have noticed some question marks in the chart, so before we go any further, let’s talk about the finer details of my experience.
The ??? represent a combination of factors including: my points never appeared in my airline frequent miler account or I encountered an “error” message before transferring my points.
Additionally, I reached out to the Bonvoy program when transfer never appeared and was told:
“We sent the information that you provided to our airline partner and will be working with them to resolve the issue.”
Bonvoy Representative
However, when pressed about how long the process could take and when I would hear from them, the representative replied “it varies. Is there anything we can help you with?”
In other words, be cautious with these programs.
HOTEL TRANSFER PARTNERS
Bonvoy is hotel loyalty program, so (obviously) there are no opportunities to transfer your points directly to a different hotel rewards program. However, there is an indirect way to do it. But be forewarned, in most cases this is a TERRIBLE IDEA.
For example:
Marriott to Hilton: First, transfer Bonvoy to Virgin Atlantic. Then convert Virgin Atlantic miles to Hilton (ratio 1: 1.5). Not a bad choice but certainly not a great choice.
Marriott to IHG: Again, first transfer Bonvoy to Virgin Atlantic. Then convert Virgin Atlantic miles to IHG (ratio 1:1). This is a bad use of points!
Marriott to Wyndham: First, transfer Bonvoy to Hawaiian Airlines miles. Then convert Hawaiian to Caesar’s Total Rewards (ratio 2:1). Then convert Caesar’s Total Rewards to Wyndham (ratio 1:1).
STEP-BY-STEP: TRANSFER POINTS TO PARTNERS
So, now that we know how to earn points (i.e. credit cards), and we know where we can transfer them to (i.e. travel partners), it’s time to transfer those points.
Step 1: Simply, login to your Bonvoy account HERE by clicking on the “Transfer Points” button.
Step 2: Once logging into your account, a separate window that contains your current points balance and the list of partners will appear. It should look similar to the box below (and hopefully the balance is similar to the one I’ve given myself). 😉
Step 3: Select a Frequent Flyer Program
Step 4: Enter your frequent flyer number for the selected airline program
Step 5: Enter the amount of points you want to convert
Step 6: Select “Continue.” Note: The program will not allow you to move forward until all of the information has been entered.
Step 7: Tag @1tattedpassport in all your destination photos that you’ve been able to check off your list because of points.
FINAL STAMP
If you are interested in having access to a plethora of partner programs and/or are a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist, you’ll find that these points to be important in your points-earning strategy.
Personally, if I were just getting started with miles and points, I would recommend transferrable points (e.g Chase and Amex) to set a foundation, but Marriott is a strong program particularly if you need to top-off for an award ticket.
With Bonvoy points, you’ll have lots of ways to earn and redeem your points. Before you know it, you’ll be taking a trip of a lifetime…and then doing it again!
Do you have any questions about Marriott Bonvoy points?
Don’t forget to check out the other partner guides:
GUIDE: Chase Ultimate Rewards Partners
GUIDE: American Express Membership Rewards Partners
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