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Travelers have a neat way to earn a boatload of Marriott Bonvoy points, and it works by taking the points you've earned on a prior stay and multiplying them by up to 4X. Effectively, this is an opportunity to buy Marriott points for as little as 0.94¢ apiece.
Multiplying your Marriott points is an interesting proposition. But is it worth your time and money? Let's take a look.
What Is Marriott’s ‘Multiply Your Points’ Feature?
Nestled in the details of the Marriott buy points page is a tile with the words “Multiply Points.” This tool allows you to boost eligible points you've earned from your latest qualifying stay within the past 12 months by up to 4X. Put differently, this is an opportunity to buy Marriott points — but not in the way you'd traditionally think of.
Each year, you can purchase up to 100,000 Marriott points through multiplying. It's also worth noting that these points don't count toward Marriott elite status qualification; they're only good for future redemptions. And if you were wondering, multiplying your points won't restrict you from purchasing additional Marriott points via other avenues.
The terms and conditions are pretty simple, but we'll draw attention to a couple more things:
- Points.com facilitates these transactions, so it's worth using a card optimized for everyday spending.
- Points may take up to 72 hours to post to your account.
- You must be a Marriott Bonvoy member for at least 30 days before you can multiply points.
- There are no refunds.
Related: The Beginner's Guide To Buying Points and Miles
How To Multiply Your Marriott Bonvoy Points
So, how does this feature work? It's very simple. If you've earned points on a qualifying stay within the last 12 months, you can multiply your earnings up to 4X. Unfortunately, this points multiplier is only on your most recent stay, and this refreshes monthly.
To illustrate how this works, here's an example. Last September, I booked a positioning flight to Washington, D.C., and spent a night at the Westin Crystal City Reagan National Airport. After checking out, I earned 2,138 points — a good portion of which came courtesy of the complimentary Gold Elite status afforded to me by The Platinum Card® from American Express (Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.).
Since this was my most recent eligible Marriott stay, I can multiply all 2,138 points, including what I earned from my elite bonus plus the welcome gift of points. Marriott shows I have three options: Multiply 2X, 3X, or 4X.
The math breaks down like this, with the highest multiple offering the most attractive rate:
- Multiply by 2X: Buy 4,276 points for an effective rate of 1.06¢ apiece after a 15% discount.
- Multiply by 3X: Buy 6,414 points for an effective rate of 1¢ apiece after a 20% discount.
- Multiply by 4X: Buy 8,552 points for an effective rate of 0.94¢ apiece after a 25% discount.
To make a purchase, select a multiplier, enter your card details, and click “Multiply Points.”
Is It Worth Multiplying Your Marriott Bonvoy Points?
The answer to the “Is it worth multiplying your points?” question is the same as the “Is it worth buying points?” question. Buying points is only worth pursuing if you can unlock value from your purchase that exceeds what you'd otherwise pay for a stay.
Moreover, at the top end 4X multiplier, the best-available rate you can buy points is 0.94¢ apiece. And with that, we'll note two things:
- Every so often, Marriott puts its points on sale. In the past 12 months, we've seen five promotions for buying Marriott points, with the best rate being 0.83¢ apiece. You might find better value in waiting for one of these sales to come around than multiplying your points.
- On average, AwardWallet users redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for 0.94¢ apiece. It's possible to unlock greater value at certain luxury properties or budget-friendly brands, but 0.94¢ per point is the baseline. To justify your purchase, you'll want to meet or exceed this average redemption rate before buying points.
In the right circumstances, multiplying your Marriott points can make sense. But that's really only if there's not an active opportunity to secure points for a cheaper rate — or if you're close to a redemption but maxed out on the number of points you can buy outright annually.
Related: Do Marriott Bonvoy Points Expire?
Final Thoughts
We always appreciate any opportunity to earn more points. Marriott's feature to multiply your points is an interesting additional way to build your Marriott Bonvoy points balance rather than buying them outright, waiting to accumulate them through earning points on Marriott stays, or collecting a welcome bonus from a Bonvoy credit card.
However, the Marriott points booster will not offer compelling value for all travelers. Before you boost your Marriott points, consider your other earning options and ensure your redemption rate is higher than the purchase rate.
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