Written by
Despite decreasing point value and a brand where you won’t earn any elite night credits on stays, many travelers — myself included — continue using the Marriott Bonvoy program. After all, Marriott Bonvoy has a massive footprint, so you’ll likely find a participating property in most destinations you visit.
Plus, it’s relatively easy to earn Marriott points. Card offers, including the following two limited-time welcome offers, can be a great way to earn points or free night certificates:
Whether you use the Marriott Bonvoy program frequently or periodically, you’re likely interested in getting maximum value from your Marriott points. You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to airline partners, but I usually prefer to redeem Marriott points for hotel stays. Here are some of my favorite ways to maximize Marriott award night redemptions.
Stay for 5, Pay for 4
One of the easiest ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award redemptions is to use the program’s Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer. This offer automatically lets Marriott Bonvoy members enjoy a free night every time they redeem points for four nights on a stay of five consecutive nights or longer.
You can enjoy the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer more than once on a single Marriott award stay. For example, if you redeem Marriott points for a 10-night stay, you’ll get the two least expensive nights free.
However, your free night will only cover the standard cost if you book an upgraded room using Marriott points.
This perk means you usually won’t want to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for a four-night stay, as it likely won’t cost you much more to redeem points for a five-night stay. By booking an extra night, you can extend your vacation — or effectively guarantee early check-in or late checkout — and get one more night toward qualifying for the next tier of Marriott elite status.
Related: Maximize your rewards by getting a fourth or fifth night free on award stays
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
Combine points and cash
TPG’s June 2025 valuations show that Marriott points are worth 0.7 cents each. However, even with dynamic award pricing, you may still find some nights within a specific stay with higher or lower redemption rates.
In this case, you can call Marriott Customer Care to book a customized Marriott cash and points reservation. With a customized payment reservation, you can pay for one or more nights entirely in cash and one or more nights fully in points within a single reservation. A Marriott spokesperson confirmed to TPG that members will earn points on paid nights, even when combined with points nights.
Related: 30 best Marriott hotels in the world
Use the award calendar
If you have flexible travel dates, use Marriott Bonvoy’s calendar search to find less expensive award dates for your desired property.
To use the calendar search, select “Flexible Dates” when starting an award search on Marriott’s website. Click “Find Hotels,” then select “View Rates” for the property of your choice. Doing so will load an award calendar that you can view month by month.
As you can see in the above example, if I wanted to stay at the Element Austin Downtown next April, I could redeem as few as 88,000 Marriott points or as many as 124,000 Marriott points for a one-night stay. So, if you have flexible dates for your getaway or staycation, you might be able to snag a lower award rate.
Related: How to use Awayz to improve your hotel award searches
Book Marriott PointSavers award nights
Marriott Bonvoy properties can offer discounted award rates for specific room types and stay dates through the Marriott PointSavers program. You won’t find a centralized list of PointSavers properties. Instead, you’ll need to discover them while searching for upcoming stays.
PointSavers usually provides a decent redemption rate. However, only certain room types are bookable at PointSavers rates at some properties. For example, on the dates I checked, you can only book PointSavers rates at the Four Points by Sheraton Orlando International Drive for rooms with two queen beds.
Related: Data shows it’s time for Marriott to update point thresholds on free night certificates
Use your free night awards strategically
Finally, you can maximize Marriott award night redemptions by using your free night awards strategically. You can sometimes earn free night awards through welcome offers, but most Marriott credit cards also offer a free night award each year on your account anniversary. Plus, you can select a free night award worth up to 40,000 points as a Marriott Annual Choice Benefit each calendar year if you accrue 75 or more elite night credits.
I usually seek out one-night stays with a points rate around the maximum value of the certificate. For example, I might use a 35,000-point certificate for this night that would otherwise cost me 35,000 points.
Of course, you can also top up award certificates with up to 15,000 points from your account. So, I could use a 35,000-point certificate plus 14,000 points for this one-night stay.
Checking the nightly award cost on longer stays can also make sense. You may want to apply free night awards to some nights instead of redeeming points.
However, don’t apply a free night award to a five-night stay you’re booking with Marriott points, as then you won’t benefit from the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer.
Related: Which credit card should you use for Marriott stays?
Bottom line
As you can see, many ways exist to maximize Marriott award redemptions. Following the suggestions in this guide, including using the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer, you should find it easy to get decent value when redeeming Marriott points.
Discover more from Desi Rover
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.