Typically, the use of Marriott Bonvoy points for personal stays is sufficient for most members. However, the Marriott Bonvoy program offers additional flexibility and utility by allowing these points to be utilized in multiple ways. The most popular options include transferring Marriott points to another account and converting Marriott points into air miles.

Transferring Marriott points from one account to another.

When it comes to the ability to transfer points to another account, Marriott Bonvoy is the most generous one among all major loyalty programs. Allow me to explain why:

• Point transfers can be completed online, often instantly.
• Marriott doesn’t charge any fee to transfer points.
• Unlike IHG Points transfer, you don’t need any elite status to transfer or receive points. It’s available to all members, regardless of their elite status with Marriott.
• Up to 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred per calendar year from one account to another.
• An account can receive up to 500,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per calendar year from other accounts.
• The only condition is that both accounts should be in good standing and have been open for at least 30 days with a Qualifying Activity or 90 days without one.

Marriott has made it easy and simple to transfer points to another account without any unnecessary hindrances.

How to transfer points from one Marriott account to another?

You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points from one account to another online using this Marriott points transfer tool.

To successfully complete the transfer, you must enter the recipient’s first and last names exactly as they appear on their Marriott Bonvoy account. The minimum transfer amount is 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points and increments must be made in multiples of 1,000 points.

Why transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to another member?

There are several instances where the ability to transfer points online can prove useful. Here are a few examples.

• To pool points for a stay, when neither of you have enough points to book the stay.
• To accumulate points for Marriott’s 5th night free benefit. For instance, if you have enough points for three nights and your partner or friend can contribute points for a fourth night, you can use these points for Marriott’s fifth night free on point benefit. You get 1 night extra vs. if you booked 3 nights and 1 night from separate accounts.
• To concentrate on re-qualifying one partner’s elite status. For example, all Marriott stays occur from your account and any IHG stays from your partner’s. By doing this when traveling together, you can shuffle points depending on the hotel you’re staying at.
• To utilize elite status benefits. It is often more beneficial to book from the account of a person who has an elite status with Marriott. Transferring points lets you do just that.
• When traveling with friends, pooling points into one account and then booking your stay simplifies the process by a lot.
• You can also use this option to split the cost of an award booking.

How to convert your Marriott Bonvoy points to air miles?

Another enticing feature of the program is converting your Marriott Bonvoy points into air miles. Marriott has partnerships with various airlines, allowing members to transfer their Bonvoy points into miles, which can then be used to book award flights.

With most airlines, there is a 3:1 transfer ratio; one airline mile for every three Marriott Bonvoy points. In most cases, there’s also an added bonus of 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred.

In the case of United MileagePlus, you get 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points you transfer. Therefore, typically, the best value you can get is when you transfer 60,000 points to United. With a bonus of 10,000, you get a total of 30,000 points. i.e., a ratio of 2:1. United occasionally offers a bonus on points transfer (We cover such promotions here on MilesCop). It’s even better to transfer during such promotions.

List of Marriott points to miles transfer partners.

Below is a list of all the frequent flyer programs that Marriott Bonvoy currently partners with for point to mile conversions.

** The offer of 5,000 bonus miles does not apply to these airlines.

Transferring Marriott points from a deceased member’s account.

In the unfortunate event of a member’s death, Marriott allows points to be transferred to family members or close friends, given that their account is at least 30 days old.

Further details about the process and terms can be found here.

Conclusion

Not only does Marriott allow points transfer between accounts without charging a fee, it also provides more flexibility compared to most competitors. In addition to point transfers, you can convert your Marriott points into miles with several frequent flyer programs. United Mileage Plus being the best option.