I LOVE the Marriott Bonvoy program. I've been using it for over a decade, and Marriott stays are behind some of our family's favorite trips. But I'll be honest with you right up front: it is not the most beginner-friendly hotel program. The card rules are confusing, the card names all sound the same (Bold, Boundless, Bountiful, Bevy, Brilliant), there are two different banks that issue Marriott co-branded cards, three different programs that transfer to Marriott, and award pricing can be all over the place.

Here's the great news, though. There IS a strategy for earning a lot of Marriott Bonvoy points, and I am going to break it down for you so it's easy to follow and do. Also, the Chase Marriott cards' welcome offers can be earned every 24 months, so you can repeat part of the process over and over. This is the exact strategy Jason and I used to earn over a million Marriott points in the last two years, and it's how we booked our recent safari in the Serengeti, plus several other incredible trips.

That safari piece alone would have cost $22,490 in cash. Instead, we booked five nights at Mapito Luxury Safari Camp, Serengeti, Autograph Collection for 884,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. It was incredible, and included:

• Our own private game driver and vehicle
• A nyota (think the best butler you've ever had to arrange absolutely everything)
• All of our food
• Unlimited game drives inside Serengeti National Park and on the camp's private concession (which is part of the Great Migration Corridor), and all of the associated park fees

The only thing we paid for was our bush flights to and from the lodge. It was so awesome, and there were no additional taxes or fees. So we got a $22,000+ luxury safari all on points.

This strategy isn't fast because of the card application rules. If you don't have a ton of spending, plan on being dialed in for about 18 months to 2 years. It took us about two years working together. We did use Marriott points for other trips along the way (Tokoriki Island in Fiji, several nights in Hawaii, and a Disney World property), so we probably could have done it a bit faster. But if you have your eye on something aspirational, like an overwater villa in Bora Bora for a larger family or a luxury safari lodge, you absolutely can do this.

I do want to mention that we ran this Marriott earning strategy concurrently while earning other types of points as well. So while it does take a bit of time, you can still earn a lot of other points alongside!

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⏰ Time-Sensitive Tip:
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card currently has an elevated offer: 125,000 bonus points plus a $150 statement credit after you spend $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months of card membership. It ends September 30, 2026.

The Strategy at a Glance

The first thing you'll want to do is apply for a Marriott credit card and get started. Welcome offers are hands down one of the best ways to earn Marriott points quickly, and the steps below are the order, and timing, I recommend so you can earn as many of them as possible. You will pay annual fees, so at the end of this earning cycle, you'll want to decide which Marriott card is your favorite, keep it, and then perhaps downgrade or cancel the others.

• Step 1: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card
• Step 2: Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
• Step 3: Refer your partner so they can start the same ladder
• Step 4: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
• Step 5: A Chase Marriott card: the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card
• Step 6: Upgrade to The Ritz-Carlton® Credit Card
• Along the way: Transfer Chase, Bilt, and Amex points in during transfer bonuses

The #1 Rule for Pricey Award Stays: Book 5 Nights

Before we get into the cards, this is the most important thing in the whole post. When you book five consecutive award nights with points, you only pay for four. Marriott calls it "Stay for 5, Pay for 4," and the lowest-priced night of your stay is free. That's why you'll hear people call it the 5th night free, and it is hands down the best way to increase your Marriott point values. On an 884,000-point safari, saving the 5th night is a LOT of points.

There are two catches:

• It has to be ALL points, on ONE reservation. You can't book four nights on your account and a one-night stay on your spouse's and get the free night.
• Free night certificates don't count. If you use certificates for some nights and points for the rest, you won't get the free night.

So if you and your partner are both earning, one of you has to move points to the other before you book. You can transfer Marriott points between accounts for free, but each person can only send 100,000 points per calendar year and receive 500,000 points per calendar year. You're also limited to 6 transfers a year (no more than 2 a month). If you're working toward a big goal, plan those transfers across calendar years so you aren't stuck waiting. For us, Jason sent me three 100k transfers: one in December, one in January, and one the following January.

Step 1: Start With the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card

For most people, the absolute best place to start right now is the Bevy. There are a few reasons for this. One, the Boundless card usually earns free night certificates as its welcome offer. While I like this offer for a lot of things, it doesn't really work for aspirational stays where you need a lot of points. The second reason is that starting at the Bevy allows you to get both the Bevy and the Brilliant. So you're starting at the bottom of the family product line and moving up. For Marriott loyalists, you're going to want the Brilliant card, but just trust me, the Bevy is going to be the best credit card to get started with.

Get it when it has an elevated offer (like right now!) The Bevy tends to bounce between a standard offer around 85,000 points and elevated offers well above 100,000. The difference is huge, so if the offer is low, wait. Remember that for a few more days the offer is at 125,000 points and a statement credit. So if you want to jump on the Marriott bandwagon, do it now.

What you get:

• Annual fee: $250
• Status: Complimentary Gold status and 15 elite night credits each year
• Marriott hotel stays: 6x points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, plus 1,000 bonus points per eligible paid stay
• Everyday spending: 4x at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (up to $15,000 a year, then 2x), and 2x on all other eligible purchases

Pro Tip: Read the offer terms before you apply. Amex will show you a pop-up if you aren't eligible for the welcome offer, so you can withdraw your application without wasting it.

Step 2: Add the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

You can hold the Business card at the same time as your personal card, and its welcome offer rules are separate from the Bevy and Brilliant. If you have a business, including a side business, this is an important part of the strategy.

Space it about 90 days after your Bevy. Amex generally won't approve more than two new credit cards in a 90-day window.

• Annual fee: $125
• Status: Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits each year
• Anniversary bonus: A free night award (up to 35,000 points) every year after renewal

Business card welcome offers often include free night certificates instead of (or in addition to) points. Certificates are wonderful for shorter trips, but remember they can't go toward your five-night aspirational stay. When you can, choose the offer with the most points.

Step 3: Refer Your Partner

This is where things really speed up. Once you have your Bevy, refer your partner (or player two) through your Amex account. You earn referral points, they earn the welcome offer, and then they follow the exact same ladder you are.

This is how Jason and I did it. Two people working the same steps earn close to double the points, and then one of us transferred points to the other so we could book all five nights on one reservation.

Hot Tip: Referral bonuses change often and there's a yearly cap, so check the current referral offer in your Amex account before you send the link to your spouse or partner.

Step 4: Get the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Wait at least 90 days after your Bevy (Amex appears to treat them as the same product), and again, wait for a strong offer. The Brilliant has the highest annual fee of the Marriott cards, so be honest with yourself about whether you'll use the benefits:

• Annual fee: $650
• Status: Platinum Elite status and 25 elite night credits each year
• Annual free night: A free night award (up to 85,000 points) every year after renewal, which you can top off with up to 25,000 points
• Dining credit: Up to $300 in dining credits each year ($25 a month)
• Lounges: Priority Pass Select lounge membership

For me, it's worth it. The status alone changes our stays, and with Platinum status you can earn up to 21x points at Marriott properties. Plus free breakfast with a family of six is a game changer.

Now that you have the Brilliant, you can easily cancel or downgrade the Bevy at this stage, as long as you have had the Bevy open for at least 12 months.

Step 5: Add a Chase Marriott Card

Chase's Marriott cards are on hold if you were approved for an Amex Marriott card in the last 90 days or earned an Amex Marriott bonus in the last 24 months. So this step usually comes about two years after your last Amex Marriott bonus. Yes, it's a long game.

A few things to know:

• 5/24: Chase will deny you if you've opened five or more personal cards (with any bank) in the last 24 months.
• One bonus every 24 months: The Bold, Boundless, and Bountiful (all Chase Marriott cards) share one bonus clock, so you can only earn one of their welcome offers every 24 months.
• Choose points over certificates: The Boundless often runs free night certificate offers. For this strategy, go with whichever Chase card has the best POINTS offer.

Step 6: Upgrade to The Ritz-Carlton® Credit Card

You can't apply for the Ritz-Carlton card directly. You upgrade to it after holding a Chase Marriott card (like the Boundless) for at least a year. I have this card and love it:

• Annual fee: $450
• Annual free night: An 85,000-point free night award every year (you can top this one off with up to 25,000 points too)
• Lounges: Priority Pass Select plus Chase Sapphire Lounges, with up to 2 guests, which is so helpful for families
• Airline credit: A $300 annual airline credit for things like seat upgrades and bag fees (you'll need to call to request it within 4 billing cycles of the purchase)

Upgrading also means you no longer hold a Chase Marriott personal card, which opens that spot back up down the road.

Am I Eligible to Apply?

Marriott has some of the most confusing card rules out there, so here's the quick version. Always read the offer terms before you apply, because these change. These are confusing. If you want to avoid the rule headaches, just stick to the strategy above.

• Chase 5/24: No Chase Marriott cards if you've opened 5+ personal cards in the last 24 months.
• Amex 2 in 90: Amex generally approves no more than two new credit cards in 90 days.
• Bevy: No welcome offer if you have or have had the Bevy or the Brilliant in the past. Need to wait 24 months if you've had a Chase Marriott card.
• Brilliant: No welcome offer if you've had the Brilliant before, if you currently hold (or closed in the last 30 days) any Chase Marriott card, including the Ritz-Carlton, or if you've earned a Chase Marriott personal bonus in the last 24 months.
• Amex Business: No welcome offer if you've had it before, or if you've earned a Chase Marriott personal bonus in the last 24 months.
• Chase Bold, Boundless, Bountiful: No welcome offer if you were approved for an Amex Marriott card in the last 90 days or earned an Amex Marriott bonus in the last 24 months.
• Ritz-Carlton: Upgrade only, after 12 months with a Chase Marriott card.

Keep track of your application dates and bonus dates with my free card organizer. This is the one program where it is soooo needed.

Transferring Points In From Chase, Amex, and Bilt

Here's what makes Marriott unique. You can transfer points in from Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and Bilt, all at 1:1. So if you need additional points to finish off a big booking, you can top off with points from other programs.

My two rules for transferring to Marriott:

1. Do the math first. Marriott uses dynamic pricing, so the number of points a room costs rises and falls with room rates. Before you transfer, compare the points price to the cash rates and look at all your redemption options, including the travel portals (Chase Points Boost or Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts properties are worth a look). Run the numbers with my points value calculator to see if it's a good deal before you move anything.
2. Wait for a transfer bonus. If you are transferring with the hope of booking an aspirational property soon, wait for a transfer bonus! Chase runs them a couple of times a year, sometimes as high as 70%, and Amex runs them too. If you have an aspirational property in mind and flexible points sitting in your account, a transfer bonus can turn an okay redemption into a really good one. Transfers can't be reversed, so have a plan before you move points.

Bilt: We didn't use Bilt for our safari strategy, but if you need some extra points or options, it's another 1:1 transfer partner.

Grab my free transfer partner cheat sheets to see every partner for each program in one place.

⏰ Time-Sensitive Tip: Chase is running a 70% transfer bonus to Marriott through October 15, 2026, so 1,000 Chase points become 1,700 Marriott points. The bonus points are deposited by Marriott and can take up to a couple of weeks to show up.

Extra Ways to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points

Once your cards are working, these add up:

• Register for Marriott promotions. Marriott runs great promos throughout the year. One we did last year earned 5x on groceries for the last few months of the year, and I put my spending on my Marriott card instead of opening a new card.
• Charge extras to your room. Anything you pay at checkout earns your card's Marriott multiplier. With the Brilliant, I'll have laundry done or book a spa treatment at our Marriott property. I've even bought Disney tickets through a Good Neighbor hotel.
• Eat Around Town. Link a card and earn points at participating U.S. restaurants (6 points per dollar if you have elite status).
• Uber. Link your Uber and Marriott Bonvoy accounts to earn points on premium rides (like UberXL and Comfort) and Uber Eats orders over $40. This one is U.S. only.
• Rental cars. Earn 500 points per Hertz rental (250 with Dollar or Thrifty), plus a little extra if you have elite status.
• Cruises. Book through Marriott's Cruise with Points partnership to earn 3 points per dollar.
• Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy. If you're paying cash for a vacation rental anyway, compare these. They sometimes run big bonus-point promos.
• Tours and activities. Marriott's tours and activities platform earns points too.
• Refer friends to Marriott Bonvoy. When someone new joins through your referral, you both earn 2,000 bonus points for each of their first five paid stays. You can refer up to five people a year.
• Meetings and events. Planning a corporate meeting or event at a Marriott can earn a lot of points. This isn't something we did, but if you have a business that runs events, it's worth knowing.

Marriott Bonvoy Status: The Brilliant Fast Track

The fastest way to Marriott status is the Brilliant card. It gives you Platinum Elite status automatically. With Platinum, I've almost always been upgraded, we get breakfast at many properties (especially internationally), and you get a guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout at most hotels (resorts are based on availability).

The Bevy and Business cards each come with Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits. The Business card's credits can stack with your personal card's, which helps if you're working toward a higher tier.

Pro Tip: To make the most of your points, book a standard room. That's what I almost always do. Sometimes I'll apply a Nightly Upgrade Award (formerly Suite Night Awards), but most of the time our status gets us upgraded anyway.

FAQ

How do I know which Marriott card I'm eligible for?

If you're applying for an Amex Marriott card, personal or business, you can use their Apply with Confidence feature, which tells you if you're approved before a hard pull hits your personal credit. And if you aren't eligible for the welcome offer, a pop-up will let you know before your application goes through. If you're applying for a Chase Marriott card, read through the offer terms carefully, because Chase doesn't give you that heads-up. The general rule of thumb: expect a 24-month gap between your Amex Marriott application and a Chase one.

Is Hyatt or Marriott better for beginners?

Hyatt, for sure. Hyatt is simpler and the points typically go further. But where Marriott outshines Hyatt is its global footprint. Marriott has the largest portfolio of any hotel chain, so I can almost always find a great Marriott property, even in countries where there isn't a single Hyatt. And some of those aspirational properties, like safari lodges and overwater villas, are Marriott-only.

How long does it take to earn enough Marriott points for a safari or overwater villa?

For us it took about 18 months to two years, working as a couple and using points for other trips along the way. The amount of points you need depends on the property, your dates, and your spending, but without a lot of spending, plan on at least two years.

Can I get the Bevy and then the Boundless?

Yes, but not right away. You'll need to wait 24 months after earning your Bevy bonus (and 90 days after approval) before you can earn the Boundless welcome offer.

How much are Marriott points worth?

Marriott points are worth less per point than Hyatt points, so don't let big point prices scare you. Historically, getting 0.7 to 0.9 cents per point is a good deal. I aim for at least 1 cent per point, which I can often hit internationally. Run your numbers with my points value calculator before you book.

Can my spouse and I combine Marriott points?

Yes, for free. Each person can send up to 100,000 points and receive up to 500,000 points per calendar year, with a maximum of 6 transfers a year.

Do free night certificates count toward the 5th night free?

No. The free night only applies when all five nights are booked with points on one reservation.

Can I rebook if the points price drops after I book?

Often, yes. Because Marriott pricing is so dynamic, I check my award stays again about 14 days out. If the price has dropped and my reservation is still within the cancellation window, I cancel and rebook at the lower price. It doesn't happen every time, but it has saved me a lot of points.

Do I have to pay resort fees on Marriott award stays?

At some properties, yes. Unlike Hyatt, Marriott doesn't waive resort or destination fees on award stays. Check the total before you book so you aren't surprised at checkout. We didn't have fees or taxes at our safari, though.

Do Marriott Bonvoy points expire?

They expire after 24 months of account inactivity. Any card spending, stay, or earning activity keeps them active.

Is it worth transferring Chase points to Marriott?

Sometimes. Do the math, compare the portal, and wait for a transfer bonus if you can. It works best when you have a specific property in mind.

Which Marriott credit card should I get first?

For this strategy, the Bevy, ideally when it has an elevated offer. Starting there keeps you eligible for the Brilliant, the Amex Business card, and eventually the Chase cards.

The Bottom Line

Marriott is a long game, and it takes some strategy. But start with the Bevy, add the Business card, bring in your partner, move up to the Brilliant, and add Chase when the timing is right. Book five nights and top off with transferred points during a bonus, and those aspirational stays are absolutely within reach.