There’s a new Marriott Bonvoy points sale but you should almost certainly avoid it

a beach with huts and a body of water

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Marriott has launched a new points sale that will run for most of what is left of this year but for a couple of reasons, most Bonvoy members should probably be keeping their credit cards in their pockets and ignoring Marriott’s latest effort to part them from their money.

The sale

As is often the case with these Marriott points sales, this couldn’t be simpler. Anyone buying at least 2,000 Bonvoy points will be given a 25% discount.

Key terms

  • Transactions must be completed by 11:59 p.m. ET December 20, 2022, to be eligible for the 25% discount Points purchase offer with a minimum purchase of 2,000 Points.
  • Marriott Bonvoy® members worldwide are eligible for the 25% discount Points purchase offer with a minimum purchase of 2,000 Points.
  • This offer is valid only for Points purchased through the promotion’s Buy Points and Gift Points pages.
  • In 2022, members may purchase or receive as a gift a combined maximum of 100,000 Points per calendar year when purchased through our Buy Points and Gift Points pages (this website), Buy Points Points.com-powered window on Marriott websites, Marriott Mobile Apps or the Customer Engagement Centers.
  • Members may purchase up to an additional 100,000 Points annually while booking a hotel stay through the reservation path on marriott.com.
  • Purchased or gifted Points do not count toward Marriott Bonvoy® Elite Status.
  • Purchase rate is $12.50 USD per 1,000 Points.
  • Points will be posted to the Member’s Account within 72 hours after the transaction is complete.
  • A member must be an active member in good standing to purchase and/or receive Points.
  • New members may purchase Points thirty (30) days after enrollment in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
  • Once Points have been purchased or gifted, no refunds will be permitted.
  • Purchasing Points using a Marriott Bonvoy® cobrand credit card will earn Points as an everyday purchase.
  • For members purchasing Points using a foreign currency, Points are sold in U.S. dollars (US$).

Full terms and conditions can be found on the promotion page

The numbers

As long as you buy a minimum of 2,000 points, you’ll be getting the best rate that Marriott is offering in this sale. Here’s the proof:

If you buy the minimum number of points required to trigger the discount (2,000), you’ll pay just $18.75.

a close-up of a price chart

That works out to a cost/point of ~0.94 cents.

If you buy 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ll pay $937.50.

a close-up of a price chart

And that also comes to a cost/point of ~0.94 cents.

Click To Buy Marriott Points

Is this a good deal?

No, not really. And there are two key reasons for that.

Firstly, this is far from the best rate at which Marriott is prepared to sell its points. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen sales offering points at just 0.78 cents each and just a month ago Marriott was selling points at just 0.83 cents each. Unless you’re absolutely desperate for points (presumably, to book an award right away), why would you overpay in this sale?

Secondly (and this is the key reason to avoid this sale), Marriott’s move to dynamic pricing will kick into top gear in 2023 and that’s almost certainly going to mean big rises in the number of points needed to book awards (across the board). We have no idea how bad or disastrous the increases will be but until the Bonvoy landscape becomes a lot clearer, buying points whose real-world value is indeterminable is not a good idea.

Having said all of that, if you’re prepared to make an award booking right away (i.e before award costs go through the roof) but are a few points short of what you need, buying points in this sale may make sense as long as it’s obvious that doing so will save you some cash.

Bottom line

Marriott is selling Bonvoy Points from ~0.94 cents through 20 December but unless you have an immediate and economical use for any points that you buy, this is a sale that you should be avoiding.

Click To Buy Marriott Points

Featured image: The JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort courtesy of Marriott