Amongst resort loyalty applications, one factor that makes Marriott Bonvoy factors distinctive is the power to (pretty) effectively convert them into airline miles. Whereas most main resort loyalty applications enable some type of alternative to transform resort factors into airline miles, it sometimes represents a really unhealthy worth.
On this submit I needed to check out the chance to transform Marriott factors into airline miles, and whether or not it’s value it.
Fundamentals of Marriott’s factors to miles switch choice
It’s attainable to transform Marriott Bonvoy factors into airline miles, along with your selection of 38 completely different frequent flyer applications. Let’s check out which companions Marriott Bonvoy has, what the switch ratios are, and so forth.
Marriott Bonvoy factors to airline miles switch ratio
Marriott Bonvoy factors usually convert into airline miles at a 3:1 ratio, and with most companions you get 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors you switch.
In different phrases, 60,000 Bonvoy factors will convert into 25,000 airline miles (together with the 5,000 bonus miles). You may reap the benefits of that bonus of 5,000 miles a number of occasions, that means that you could convert Marriott Bonvoy factors into airline miles at a ratio of as much as 2.4:1.
Be aware that you could switch a minimal of three,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors and a most of 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors per day. So if you wish to switch greater than 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors, you’ll wish to accomplish that over a number of days.
Marriott Bonvoy’s airline mileage switch companions
Listed below are the 38 airline frequent flyer applications you possibly can switch your Marriott Bonvoy factors to:
- Aegean Miles+Bonus
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Aeromexico Membership Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air China PhoenixMiles
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Air New Zealand Airpoints
- Alaska Airways Mileage Plan
- American Airways AAdvantage
- ANA Mileage Membership
- Asiana Airways Asiana Membership
- Avianca lifemiles
- British Airways Government Membership
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- China Southern Sky Pearl Membership
- Copa Airways ConnectMiles
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Visitor
- Frontier Miles
- Hainan Airways Fortune Wings Membership
- Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- InterMiles
- Japan Airways Mileage Financial institution
- LATAM Move
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Membership
- Saudia Alfursan
- Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airways Speedy Rewards
- TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles
- United Airways MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
- Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer
- Vueling Membership
Be aware that there’s one exception to the three:1 switch ratio, which is that Marriott Bonvoy factors switch to Air New Zealand Airpoints at a 200:1 ratio. This merely displays the completely different scale of Air New Zealand’s rewards foreign money.
There are additionally a number of exceptions to the 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors transfered:
- For transfers to American AAdvantage, avianca lifemiles, and Delta SkyMiles, you don’t obtain 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors transfered, so the ratio is 3:1 no matter how massive your switch is
- For transfers to United MileagePlus, you really obtain 10,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Bonvoy factors transfered, that means the switch ratio in the best increments might be 2:1 (that is because of a particular partnership between the 2 manufacturers)
Marriott Bonvoy airline mileage transfers aren’t instantaneous
With the key transferable factors currencies, changing factors into airline miles is often an instantaneous course of. So it’s value being conscious that Marriott Bonvoy factors don’t convert into airline miles immediately. Quite, transfers usually take anyplace from a few days to a few weeks.
I’d take into account this to be a significant weak level of this chance. I usually advocate changing factors into airline miles in conditions the place you could have a selected use in thoughts, and that might be a state of affairs the place you discover award area on a selected flight.
Clearly that’s not precisely helpful right here, because it might take a few weeks for the switch to occur, and odds are that no matter award availability you had been might be gone at that time.
Are Marriott Bonvoy mileage transfers value it?
Whereas I feel changing Marriott Bonvoy factors into airline miles might symbolize an excellent worth, it’s not how I select to redeem my Bonvoy factors.
To briefly crunch some numbers, I worth Bonvoy factors at 0.7 cents every. At a 2.4:1 switch ratio (60,000 factors per 25,000 miles), that’s like “paying” 1.68 cents per airline mile, which is a reasonably respectable value.
Why do I select to not convert Marriott Bonvoy factors into airline miles?
- Marriott Bonvoy factors can’t effectively be earned by means of bank card spending, so your solely choices to earn them effectively are by means of resort stays, or by shopping for Bonvoy factors (sometimes at the next value than what I worth them)
- I earn transferable factors currencies for my bank card spending, so I’d slightly use factors earned with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Final Rewards, or Citi ThankYou, for flights, since I can earn these factors at a sooner charge with bank card spending
- I’d slightly use my Marriott Bonvoy factors for luxurious resort stays, the place there’s outsized worth with the factors
- In concept the one state of affairs the place it might make sense to switch Marriott Bonvoy factors to airline miles is for applications that don’t in any other case associate with the key transferable factors currencies; nonetheless, even there I don’t assume it’s terribly compelling
I completely don’t assume anybody is off base for selecting to transform Marriott Bonvoy factors into airline miles. Nonetheless, it’s not how I select to redeem my factors, and I don’t assume the worth is there for many.
It’s extra of a final resort redemption choice, when you’re really unable to get worth elsewhere. In equity, that may simply be the route this system is headed. Whereas Bonvoy factors have been considerably devalued over time for resort redemptions, the mileage conversion choices have remained largely constant.
What about changing Marriott Bonvoy factors into airline miles?
Whereas the power to transform Marriott Bonvoy factors into airline miles has been round for a very long time, we’re more and more seeing two-way transfers, the place you possibly can convert airline miles into Marriott Bonvoy factors.
The concept behind that is nice — possibly somebody has a number of airline miles, however actually desires to redeem for a resort keep. Is that this an excellent deal, although? Sadly the reply is nearly all the time “no.”
At the moment the next applications allow you to convert airline miles to Marriott Bonvoy on the following ratios:
- Convert Air Canada Aeroplan factors to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio
- Convert All Nippon Airways Mileage Membership miles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio
- Convert United MileagePlus miles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio
- Convert Japan Airways Mileage Financial institution miles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 4:3 ratio
- Convert Cathay Pacific miles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 2:1 ratio
- Convert Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 2:1 ratio
- Convert Qatar Airways Privilege Membership Avios to Marriott Bonvoy at a 2:1 ratio
- Convert Singapore Airways KrisFlyer miles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 2:1 ratio
Whereas I suppose extra flexibility is all the time an excellent factor, these transfers are nearly by no means value it. As a reminder, I worth Bonvoy factors at 0.7 cents every, and also you’re getting at most one Bonvoy level per airline mile.
When you’ve got the identical valuation I do, at a 1:1 switch ratio you’re getting as much as 0.7 cents per mile, whereas at a 2:1 switch ratio, you’re getting as much as 0.35 cents per mile. That’s not a charge at which I’d be joyful cashing in miles.
Backside line
It’s attainable to transform Marriott Bonvoy factors into airline miles with over three dozen applications. Whereas that is one of the best resort factors to airline miles switch ratio that you just’ll discover with any program, it’s nonetheless not how I’d select to redeem my Bonvoy factors.
Sure, I admire the “insurance coverage” that this redemption choice offers, because it primarily creates a flooring worth for Bonvoy factors. Nonetheless, Bonvoy factors are arduous to effectively earn by means of something aside from resort stays, so I want to avoid wasting them for resort stays. I’d slightly convert bank card factors currencies into airline miles.
The place do you stand on the worth of Marriott Bonvoy airline mileage transfers? Have you ever ever redeemed Bonvoy factors this fashion?
