Earn Cash Back at Marriott The three best credit cards to use to accumulate Marriott Bonvoy points include the no-fee Marriott Rewards(r) Premier Card, Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express(r) Card and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card. Each offers up to 2 points per dollar on everything other than Marriott stays, while up to 18 Bonvoy points may be earned per dollar spent at participating hotels – earning 18.5 Bonvoy points on every $1 spent there! All three come with free award nights each year upon card anniversary; in addition to that elite benefits such as 25% faster earnings boost when dining at Marriott-owned restaurants.
Marriott stands apart from other hotel programs by giving cardholders the ability to buy points at a marginal value; on average, TPG valuations find them worth approximately 0.9 cents each. Still, in certain instances it can make sense to invest in Marriott points as doing so can allow you to score high-end award nights at much less expense than booking them directly through cash booking channels.
There are several other ways Marriott points can bring additional value, including redeeming them for airfare or vacation activities, hotel upgrades (if available), or gifting.
Option 2 is using any of the aforementioned cards to earn Marriott points or general travel rewards cards that provide a good return on your spending (such as Chase Sapphire Preferred and Platinum Card from American Express) which will generate thousands of Marriott points every month via bonus categories and transfer them at 1:1 rate to Marriott.