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Marriot Bonvoy and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles launched two-way point conversions. From now you can transfer your Marriott points to Asia Miles and your Asia Miles to Marriot Bonvoy points. Transfers occur at a ratio of 3:1 and 2:1, respectively.
How the Conversion Works
Marriott Bonvoy to Asia Miles
On the Marriott side, it works like virtually every other partner Marriott has. You transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Asia mile at a ratio of 3:1. Also, at this point in time, you can receive the built-in Marriott Bonus when you transfer 60,000 points.
When you transfer 60,000 Marriot Bonvoy points to most airlines, you receive an additional 5,000-mile bonus in addition to the 20,000 you receive for the 3:1 transfer ratio. That's a total of 25,000 miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points converted.
Keep in mind that we have no idea how long this bonus will remain. Recently, Marriott ended this bonus when you transfer points to Delta SkyMiles, AAdvantage miles, Avianca LifeMiles, and Korean SKYPASS.
Asia Miles to Marriott Bonvoy points
Asia Miles convert to Marriot Bonvoy points at a ratio of 2:1 with a minimum transfer of 2,000 miles. Transfers are in increments of 500 miles, and you can transfer a maximum of 240,000 Asia Miles per day.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is not clear how long transfers from Asia Miles to Marriott will take. Currently, Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Cathay Asia Miles in 1 day. However, it is unclear if the reverse will be true or with the transfers be faster or slower.
Should you convert Asia Miles To Marriott?
The simple answer is no! Unless you need a handful of points, a few thousand (less than 10,000) for a stunning Marriott award redemption, and have no other options.
On one hand, AwardWallet members have been able to leverage their Asia miles for 3.91 cents per mile on average (in some cases, it can be even higher). On the other hand, AwardWallet members have only been able to leverage their Marriott Bonvoy points for an average of 1 cent per point.
Keeping in mind a transfer ratio of 2:1, it means for every 1 Marriott point you receive (worth 1 cent), you are paying with 2 Asia miles (worth an average of 7.82 cents). Therefore transferring your Asia miles loses you significant value for every Marriott point you gain.
Other Options for Generating Marriott Bonvoy Points
There are much better ways to get Marriott Bonvoy points than transferring Asia Miles. You can transfer points to Marriott from:
- American Express Membership Rewards at a 1:1 transfer ratio
- Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 transfer ratio — plus a 40% transfer bonus now through December 20
- United miles at a 1:1 transfer ratio — but only for United MileagePlus elites
You can also earn a bunch of Marriott Bonvoy points by signing up for one of the many Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. Plus, you'll get Marriott Bonvoy elite status to boot.
- Earn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when the stay is booked with a Qualifying Rate at hotels that participate in Marriott Bonvoy, subject to availability upon check-in.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Brilliant Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy® Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- Enroll in Priority Pass Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection*, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. *Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
Our Take
On the one hand, the transfer ratios are not great, and in almost every case, you would pass on transferring your Asia Miles to Marriott points. On the other hand, more options are always better, and you can never have too few options and opportunities to leverage your points and miles for different awards. This new partnership is welcome news and strengthens the Asia Miles program. However, it's not that useful to most travelers.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
