Marriott Bonvoy Members Can Buy Points During Award Booking

Marriott and Points.com have launched new functionality that is only available on Marriott’s website and not on the app.

Marriott Bonvoy members can top up their accounts during the award booking process and purchase required points from Points.com.

You can access Marriott Bonvoy here.

Here are the interesting parts of the T&C’s:

Members may purchase Points or receive Points purchased by another Member as a gift for a maximum of 100,000 Points annually through the promotion’s Buy Points or Gift Points pages.

Members may purchase up to an additional 100,000 Points annually while booking a hotel stay through the reservation path on Marriott.com.

This means that you can purchase up to 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points during the booking process (before bonus) that are in addition that you can buy during the regular points sales.

Once Points have been purchased or gifted, no refunds will be permitted.

The purchase of points during the booking process cannot be reversed. It means that if you cancel the underlying award booking, full points are refunded to your account.

Purchasing Points using a Marriott Bonvoy cobranded credit card will earn Points as an everyday purchase.

Purchase of points, handled by Points.com, is not a Marriott purchase and won’t count as such.

Points purchases will be processed within 72 hours after the purchase is complete.

If it can take 72 hours for the points to be credited to the member account, how the award reservation can be completed during the process?

Case: Royal Orchid Sheraton Bangkok

You can book the hotel for 67,500 Marriott Bonvoy points for five nights or pay 10,298 THB ($316).

The breakdown shows the point rates for various nights and you get the fifth night free.

I only have 30,691 points in my account, as I have liquidated all before the award devaluation takes place later this month.

Then the purchase window pops up that would allow me to purchase the missing 37,000 points + 45% bonus for $462,50.

Conclusion

It is unclear if the points purchase is instantaneous, as it is with IHG Rewards that allows you to purchase points (Cash + Points) during the booking process.

If the points deposit is not instantaneous, as the wording suggests, you may be left with a reservation that requires more points by the time the purchase is deposited to your account. Putting an award on hold, won’t guarantee that the points required will stay the same.

This purchase facility opens up an opportunity for members to purchase an additional 100,000 points (before bonus) in every calendar year. It remains to be seen how useful this is when the “flexible” awards are rolled out at the end of March.

The example above clearly illustrates how out of whack some of these redemption values are. You need 67,500 points for a reservation that costs only $316 when all the fees have been factored in. Why would a Marriott Bonvoy member use $462.50 to purchase the missing points?

Here are the terms and conditions of this points purchase:

Transactions must be completed between 9:00 a.m. EST February 15, 2022, and 11:59 p.m. EDT March 23, 2022, to be eligible for the bonus Points purchase offer with a minimum purchase of 2,000 Points.
Bonus percentage is determined by the amount of points purchased. Buy 2,000 to 9,000 points and get a 40% bonus. Buy 10,000 to 39,000 points and get a 45% bonus. Buy 40,000 to 100,000 points and get a 50% bonus.
This offer is valid only for Points purchased through the promotion’s Buy Points and Gift Points pages or while booking a hotel stay through the reservation path on Marriott.com.
Purchased Points do not count toward Marriott Bonvoy® Elite Status.
Members may purchase Points or receive Points purchased by another Member as a gift for a maximum of 100,000 Points annually through the promotion’s Buy Points or Gift Points pages.
Members may purchase up to an additional 100,000 Points annually while booking a hotel stay through the reservation path on Marriott.com.
Points that have been already purchased through this Buy Points Points.com-powered window on Marriott websites, Marriott Mobile Apps or the Customer Engagement Centers in 2022 are included in the 100,000 Points purchase limit. The bonus Points earned while booking a hotel stay through the reservation path on Marriott.com during this promotion are not included in the 100,000 Points annual purchase limit.
Points may be purchased in increments of 1,000, up to 50,000 Points (with a minimum purchase of 2,000 Points required for promotion eligibility), or in increments of 5,000, up to 100,000 Points.
Points can be purchased at a rate of US$12.50 per 1,000 points (US$62.50 per 5,000 Points) with a minimum purchase of 2,000 Points.
Points purchases will be processed within 72 hours after the purchase is complete.
A member must be an active member in good standing to purchase and/or receive Points.
New members may purchase Points thirty (30) days after enrollment in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
Once Points have been purchased or gifted, no refunds will be permitted.
Purchasing Points using a Marriott Bonvoy cobranded credit card will earn Points as an everyday purchase.
This is an exclusive, nontransferable offer for the intended recipient only and may not be forwarded.
For members purchasing Points using a foreign currency, Points are sold in U.S. dollars (US$). Points can be redeemed globally for stays at hotels that participate in Marriott Bonvoy, as well as with third-party programs that have a business relationship with Marriott Bonvoy, such as airline frequent flyer programs. Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy program here and ways to redeem your points here. Please refer to your credit card company for foreign exchange rates. Once purchased, Purchaser’s credit card statement will reflect payment in their home currency on an itemized line displaying the Foreign Exchange rate charged by their issuing bank.
All Marriott Bonvoy Program Rules apply and can be found at marriott.com/loyalty/terms/default.mi
**UnionPay Terms
In order to receive the 10% UnionPay discount, you must purchase 2,000 or more Points with a UnionPay credit card (starting with 62).
Beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST November 4, 2021, for a limited time, purchases of 2,000 or more Marriott Bonvoy Points made with a UnionPay credit card with card number starting with 62 are eligible for a 10% discount.
This is a limited time offer subject to promotional availability on a first-come, first-served basis.
UnionPay Cardholders can receive a 10% discount (up to US$62 per transaction) issued to your card account for eligible Points purchases charged to your UnionPay credit card. A maximum of five individual transactions with a combined total discount of US$310 per cardholder is permitted during the promotion period.
The UnionPay 10% discount can be combined with other eligible Points Purchase promotions.
The 10% discount will be applied after a purchase is completed. If a registered UnionPay card is used, the final billed amount will reflect the 10% discount on your card statement.
Members who elect to purchase Marriott Bonvoy Points using their UnionPay single-logo credit cards (with card number starting with digits 62) can do so by choosing Discover/UnionPay as their payment option.
Promotion is subject to UnionPay Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The offer is made by a US entity for a global point program and purchase can only be made in USD out of China. Shanghai Gingerroot Hotel Management Co., Ltd., or any Marriott Chinese entity has nothing to do with the offer. UnionPay Cardholders can redeem their Marriott Bonvoy Points at all hotels worldwide that participate in Marriott Bonvoy.