Are Marriott Bonvoy Airline Mileage Transfers Worth It?

Marriott Bonvoy points are unique in that they can be converted into airline miles. Most major hotel loyalty programs allow for the conversion of hotel points into airline miles, but it is usually a bad value.

I wanted to see if converting Marriott points into airline miles is worth it.

Basics of Marriott’s points to miles transfer option

You can convert Marriott Bonvoy points into airline miles with a variety of frequent flyer programs. Let's look at Marriott Bonvoy's partners and transfer ratios.

Marriott Bonvoy points to airline miles transfer ratio

You can get 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer.

60,000 Bonvoy points will be converted into 25,000 airline miles. You can convert Marriott Bonvoy points into airline miles at a ratio of up to 2.4:1, thanks to the bonus of 5,000 miles.

A maximum of 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred per day. If you want to transfer more than 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you need to do it over several days.

Marriott Bonvoy’s airline mileage transfer partners

You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to 38 airlines.

• Aegean Miles+Bonus
• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• Air New Zealand Airpoints
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• American Airlines AAdvantage
• ANA Mileage Club
• Asiana Airlines Asiana Club
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
• Delta SkyMiles
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• Frontier Miles
• Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club
• Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
• Iberia Plus
• InterMiles
• Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
• Korean Air SkyPass
• LATAM Pass
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Saudia Alfursan
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• United Airlines MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer
• Vueling Club

There are exceptions to the 3:1 ratio.

• Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Air New Zealand Airpoints at a 200:1 ratio; this simply reflects the different scale of Air New Zealand’s rewards currency
• Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to United MileagePlus at a 3:1.1 ratio, so the transfer ratio is 10% better than with other partners; this reflects the special partnership between Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus

Marriott Bonvoy airline mileage transfers aren’t instant

It's easy to convert points into airline miles with the major points currencies. Marriott Bonvoy points don't convert into airline miles immediately. It usually takes anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to transfer.

This is a weakness of the opportunity. If you have a specific use in mind, and you find award space on a particular flight, you should convert points into airline miles.

It could take a couple of weeks for the transfer to happen, and if you were looking at award availability you would be out of luck.

Are Marriott Bonvoy mileage transfers worth it?

Marriott Bonvoy points can be converted into airline miles, but I don't use them to redeem my Bonvoy points.

Bonvoy points are valued at 0.7 cents per point. It costs 1.68 cents per airline mile at a transfer ratio of 2.4:1, which is a decent price.

Marriott Bonvoy points are not converted into airline miles.

• Marriott Bonvoy points can’t efficiently be earned through credit card spending, so your only options to earn them efficiently are through hotel stays, or by buying Bonvoy points (typically at a higher cost than what I value them)
• I earn transferable points currencies for my credit card spending, so I’d rather use points earned with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Citi ThankYou, for flights, since I can earn those points at a faster rate with credit card spending
• I’d rather use my Marriott Bonvoy points for luxury hotel stays where there’s outsized value with the points
• In theory the one situation where it could make sense to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to airline miles is for programs that don’t otherwise partner with the major transferable points currencies, like Korean Air SkyPass; however, even there I don’t think it’s terribly compelling

Marriott Bonvoy points can be converted into airline miles. I don't think the value is there for most, and it's not how I redeem my points.

If you can't get value elsewhere, it's more of a last resort redemption. That may be the direction the program is going. The mileage conversion options have not changed much over the years.

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy points can be converted into airline miles. It is the best hotel points to airline miles transfer ratio, but it is not how I would redeem my Bonvoy points.

Since it creates a floor value for Bonvoy points, I appreciate the "insurance" that this redemption option provides. I prefer to save Bonvoy points for hotel stays since they are hard to earn through other things. Credit card points can be converted into airline miles.

What do you think about Marriott Bonvoy mileage transfers? Is it possible to redeem Bonvoy points this way?