The Value of a Marriott Reward Point

Dollar value of 1 Marriott Reward point is
$0.0081

Dollar value of 1 point	Flexibility of points	Can points cover taxes and fees?
$0.0081	Medium	Yes

Before we begin, it is important to note that "Marriott Rewards" and "Points" are equivalent and will be used interchangeably.

Ratehub.ca has found the value of a Marriott Reward point to be worth $0.0081 per point. Below is the methodology we used to calculate this value.

First, it is important to highlight that the Marriott Rewards program charges you a fixed number of Marriott Rewards points for each hotel category. These categories are shown below.

Category	Points Needed
1	7,500
2	10,000
3	15,000
4	20,000
5	25,000
6	30,000
7	35,000
8	40,000
9	45,000

As you can see, the points needed for each category of hotel can vary considerably, and it is reasonable to assume that the price of hotels within each category will vary amongst other hotels in the same category, depending on location. To take into account this variance, we have used the following method to calculate the value of a Marriott Reward point:

Look up a hotel in a specific category and region
Take the lowest standard room rate
Divide the lowest standard room rate by the number of required points to find the value of one point

Example: Redeeming your Marriott Rewards points for the TownPlace Suites Dallas Bedford category 1 hotel in Dallas, US

Price of the lowest standard room = $121.56

Marriott Rewards points required = 7,500

Value of one point:

^$121.56 price of
lowest room ÷ 7500 points required =

^$0.0162 value per point

If you redeem 7,500 points for a category 1 hotel in Dallas you only receive 1.62¢/point. You typically receive good value when you redeem at lower levels. This is because most hotels in North America start at $80/night. Since $80/7,500pts = 1.07¢, regardless of which hotel you pick in category 1, you are almost guaranteed a return better than 1¢/point.

Example: Redeeming your Marriott Rewards points for the Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel & Spa category 8 hotel in Niagara Falls, Canada

Price of the lowest standard room = $245.14

Marriott Rewards points required = 40,000

Value of one point:

^$245.14 price of
lowest room ÷ 40000 points required =

^$0.0061 value per point

In this example you only get 0.61¢/ point compared to 1.62¢/point in the previous example. You get less value when you redeem for higher category hotels because the price of the hotel room does not increase as fast as the points needed to redeem them. While a stay in Niagara Falls costs twice as much as a stay in Dallas, the points needed for redemption is more than four times as much.

Average Value of a Marriot Rewards Point for a Hotel in Every Category and Region

To provide the average value of a Marriott Rewards point when redeeming for hotels, we looked at hotels in every category and region. To find these results we used the same method as above and used three hotels for each region in each category.

As shown in the above example the value of a Marriott Rewards point is dependent on hotel price but we also learned that certain regions and categories on average, offer more value than others and are worth saving your points for.

Category	North America	Central & South America	Europe	Africa	Middle East	Asia Pacific	Category Average
1	$0.0120	N/A	$0.0072	N/A	$0.0304	$0.0088	$0.0146
2	$0.0082	$0.0119	$0.0117	$0.0175	$0.0162	$0.0107	$0.0127
3	$0.0076	$0.0087	$0.0074	$0.0042	$0.0168	$0.0100	$0.0091
4	$0.0064	$0.0070	$0.0052	N/A	$0.0063	$0.0101	$0.0070
5	$0.0042	$0.0071	$0.0041	N/A	$0.0103	$0.0043	$0.0060
6	$0.0048	$0.0087	$0.0045	N/A	$0.0064	$0.0072	$0.0063
7	$0.0049	$0.0064	$0.0050	N/A	$0.0052	$0.0055	$0.0054
8	$0.0057	$0.0057	$0.0058	N/A	$0.0061	$0.0063	$0.0059
9	$0.0057	$0.0084	$0.0042	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.0061
Region Average	$0.0066	$0.0080	$0.0061	$0.0108	$0.0122	$0.0079	$0.0081

Overall Flexibilty: Medium

Taxes and fees covered?	Consistent value?	Transferable to/from other rewards programs?
Yes	No	Yes
Yes, points can be used to cover taxes and fees.	No, the value you receive for your Marriott Rewards points depends on which hotel category and location you redeem your points towards.	Yes, you may redeem your Marriott Rewards points for mileage on your preferred airline’s frequent flyer program when you book an ‘air mileage reward’.
More than one airline involved in program?	Can the points be used retroactively?	Expiration date on points?
Yes	No	No
Yes, there are many airlines available using the Marriott Rewards program including Delta Airlines, Air Canada, and West Jet.	No, your points must be used up front	No, Marriott Rewards points do not expire when your account is active. They will expire after 24 months of inactivity.

Marriott Reward points are not as flexible as some travel reward systems such as TD Rewards and Scotia Rewards because your points must be used upfront to purchase hotel nights, rather than making a purchase with your credit card and at a later date using your points towards this travel purchase. This is not as ideal as you cannot gain points on the nights you book, as you are simply using your points to purchase the nights.

But, the ability to use points for flights and cruises adds to its flexibility. Alternatively, points can be used to purchase a variety of merchandise, such as electronics, gift cards and appliances. However, you will receive less value per point on these purchases, compared to using points to book nights at a Marriott hotel.

Marriott Rewards can be used to cover taxes and fees.

Best Way to Use Your Marriott Reward Points

The value you receive for your Marriott Rewards points depends on which hotels you redeem your points towards. The math to determine the value of a Marriott Rewards point can be seen in our post How the Marriott Rewards Program Works. Some hotels offer you very little value for your points and if you think you’ll be travelling again in the near future, you may want to save your Marriott Rewards point for more valuable hotels.

Our methodology showed that the average value of a Marriott Reward point is $0.0081, so keep this benchmark in mind when redeeming your points.

Maximization Rules

Category	North America	Central & South America	Europe	Africa	Middle East	Asia Pacific	Category Average
1	$0.0120	N/A	$0.0072	N/A	$0.0304	$0.0088	$0.0146
2	$0.0082	$0.0119	$0.0117	$0.0175	$0.0162	$0.0107	$0.0127
3	$0.0076	$0.0087	$0.0074	$0.0042	$0.0168	$0.0100	$0.0091
4	$0.0064	$0.0070	$0.0052	N/A	$0.0063	$0.0101	$0.0070
5	$0.0042	$0.0071	$0.0041	N/A	$0.0103	$0.0043	$0.0060
6	$0.0048	$0.0087	$0.0045	N/A	$0.0064	$0.0072	$0.0063
7	$0.0049	$0.0064	$0.0050	N/A	$0.0052	$0.0055	$0.0054
8	$0.0057	$0.0057	$0.0058	N/A	$0.0061	$0.0063	$0.0059
9	$0.0057	$0.0084	$0.0042	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.0061
Region Average	$0.0066	$0.0080	$0.0061	$0.0108	$0.0122	$0.0079	$0.0081

Book hotels in categories 1, 2, and 3

Certain hotel categories offer greater value for your points. For example, on average when you book a category 1 hotel, you receive 1.76¢/point. This is more than double the value you receive when booking a category 5 hotel, 0.89¢/point. Hotels in categories 1 and 2 offer the greatest value for your Marriott Rewards points but are often in undesirable locations such as near airports or in small cities.

If you are looking to redeem your points for nicer hotels, categories 3 (1.18¢/point) and 6 (1.01¢/point) generally offer good value and better locations. It is important to remember that prices vary considerably within each category so you can still receive great value for your points when redeeming for hotels in other categories.

Redeem your Marriott Rewards points for hotels in the right regions

Hotel prices can vary between regions and categories. The majority of Marriott member hotels are in North America giving you many hotels to redeem your points for. As a result there are many expensive hotels available in North America that offer great value for your points.

The Middle-East and South/Central America provide good value for lower category hotels. Europe and North America offer the best value for categories 8 and 9 where luxury hotels are available for redemption.

If you find yourself travelling to a location with low hotel prices, it is beneficial to pay for those hotels with cash or credit card and save your points for another time. See the chart below for the average value of Marriott Rewards points for each category and region.

Compare hotel prices on Marriott’s website

The value you receive for your Marriott Rewards points is largely tied to the price of the hotel. When redeeming points it’s important to take note of the varying prices of hotels in that category.

For example, on average you receive great value when booking a category 6 hotel in Europe but not all hotels in this group provide great value. A category 6 hotel in Milan (Italy) is priced at $472.03 while a category 6 hotel in Malmo (Sweden) is priced at $173.14. Due to the price difference you would receive 1.57¢/point for the hotel in Milan and 0.58¢/point for the hotel in Malmo. If you are visiting Malmo, it may be better to pay for that hotel in cash or credit and save your points for another destination where the category 6 hotels are more expensive.

Be on the lookout for PointSavers opportunities

Another great feature of the Marriott rewards program is PointSavers room rates. With PointSavers, you save up to 33% of your points when booking on select dates at participating hotels. PointSavers gets you the most value when you use it with Category 3 hotels.

Hotel Category	Points for Redemption	With PointSavers	Discount on Points
1	7,500	6,000	20.00%
2	10,000	7,500	25.00%
3	15,000	10,000	33.33%
4	20,000	15,000	25.00%
5	25,000	20,000	20.00%
6	30,000	25,000	16.67%
7	35,000	30,000	14.29%
8	40,000	35,000	12.50%
9	45,000	40,000	11.11%

PointSavers can significantly increase the value of your points. For instance, the Renaissance Las Vegas hotel is a category 5 hotel which means 25,000 points are needed for redemption. At $203.41 CAD a night, this values each Marriott Rewards points at 0.81¢/point. However, with PointSavers, you can get the same room for only 20,000 points a night if you book on select dates. This increases the value of each point to 1.02¢.

By booking hotels in specific categories, comparing hotel prices, and using PointSavers whenever possible, you can ensure that you are getting the best value for your Marriott Rewards points.