Marriott Rewards made an announcement late last year (read more here) that they would offer real Cash + Points program in the early 2016.
Marriott Rewards and properties have been slowly introducing this from late March and thought that it would be a time to have a look at it.
You can access Marriott’s web page for Cash + Points here.
READ MORE: Marriott Rewards Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions
You have to remember that properties are NOT required to offer Cash + Points. When this would be most beneficial for the consumer, the option is likely blocked.
Here are the Cash + Points charts:
Here’s the “purchase” price of points in Cash + Points:
Here are some examples:
Courtyard New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue
You have to remember that Cash + Points is not always a deal exactly like awards. You always must compare paid rates. Here the paid rates is almost the same as the Cash portion of the Cash + Points.
London EDITION
Bad value here as well. Paid option would be the best.
Ritz-Carlton Istanbul
The cash portion of Cash + Points is 29 euros less than the paid rate?
JW Marriott Bangkok
17,500 Marriott Rewards points would be worth $50 if you choose the Cash + Points over paid rates.
The Plaza Autograph Collection Seoul
The Cash + Points would save you $84 but requires 21,000 points.
Conclusion
Marriott Rewards was misleading members for several years by advertising Cash + Points when this merely meant that you can have FULL priced room (not discounted) and award merely on the same reservation.
This Cash + Points can make sense when the hotel room rates are very high and you are then essentially partially paying for the room using fixed number of points and cash. I would assume that hotels will close this rate plan when the rates are high so that members cannot take advantage of if.
When I was making the searches, none of the properties were offering the Cash + Points. In some cities the participation rate was in the 20% range.
