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If you are short on Marriott Bonvoy points, you may consider a Cash & Points redemption for your next stay.
The availability of Marriott Cash & Points redemptions varies by hotel, and properties participating in Cash & Points redemptions are not listed anywhere on the Marriott website. Unless you know before searching for a reservation that the hotel is offering Cash & Points, it's sheer luck if you stumble onto a property when searching by location.
We've touched on Cash & Points bookings in other posts, but we want to dive deeper into how much they cost, when best to use them, and other frequently asked questions.
Page Contents
- How Much Does a Marriott Cash & Points Stay Cost?
- Are There Blackout Dates Using Marriott Cash & Points?
- Do Marriott Cash & Point Stays Earn Elite Night Credits?
- Do You Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points on the Cash Portion of Cash & Points Stays?
- When To Book a Marriott Cash & Points Stay
- How To Book a Marriott Cash & Points Stay
- Is Marriott Cash & Points Worth It?
- When To Build Your Own Cash + Points Combination
- Final Thoughts
How Much Does a Marriott Cash & Points Stay Cost?
Marriott Cash & Points stays start at $55 plus 3,500 points for a standard redemption.
The number of points required per night for a specific property can vary when you book a Cash & Points stay. That's because Marriott Bonvoy uses fully dynamic award pricing. However, the nightly cash portion for that specific property should remain constant on these bookings.
Before booking a Cash & Points stay, consider whether it would be better to book a paid rate or buy Marriott points during a promotion. Specifically, calculate the rate at which you'd effectively be buying Marriott points before booking a Cash & Points stay.
Are There Blackout Dates Using Marriott Cash & Points?
There are no blackout dates explicitly listed on Marriott's website for using Cash & Points, but it does say the rate is “subject to availability.” The only exclusion mentioned for Cash & Points bookings is all-inclusive resorts.
Unfortunately, it is not easy to determine which hotels offer Cash & Points since availability is up to the discretion of each property. There's no way to tell whether Cash & Points will be available for a particular hotel until you reach the room selection page when searching on Marriott’s website. It's not possible to filter by available hotels or start your search with Cash & Points stays as your preference; you'll only see this availability as you go through the reservation process.
Related: Do Marriott Points Expire?
Do Marriott Cash & Point Stays Earn Elite Night Credits?
Yes, all Cash & Points stays at Marriott properties earn elite night credits. If you are close to reaching the next elite tier status and don’t quite have the points to cover the nights required, Marriott Cash & Points stays may offer a cheaper alternative than shelling out cash for the entire stay.
Do You Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points on the Cash Portion of Cash & Points Stays?
Unfortunately, you will not earn Marriott Bonvoy points from the cash portion of your reservation when booking Cash & Points stays.
You will, however, earn credit card points on the cash portion if you pay with a credit card. So we suggest using a co-branded Marriott Bonvoy card or one of the best rewards cards for travel purchases.
Related: Credit Cards That Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points
When To Book a Marriott Cash & Points Stay
There are two primary times you might want to book a Marriott Cash & Points stay:
- When you are short on points for a chosen redemption. Don’t let being short on points keep you from chasing your dream holiday. Marriott Cash & Points redemptions can be another way to buy points for less than you otherwise could. Plus, Cash & Points redemptions let you bypass the annual limit on purchasing and gifting points since members can purchase up to 100,000 additional points in the Cash & Points channel.
- When you are trying to reach a specific elite status. If you are on the verge of achieving a specific Marriott Bonvoy elite status tier and you need a few more nights, Cash & Points stays can reduce the cost required to get there. They also provide an alternative to transferring valuable points from flexible programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards into your Marriott account to book these stays.
How To Book a Marriott Cash & Points Stay
To book a Marriott Cash & Points stay, head to the Marriott Bonvoy website and search for a hotel stay as you normally would. Be sure to check the “Use Points/Certificates” box.
Once you search, the next screen shows the full award redemption rate for each property in the results.
Click on “View Rates” for each result to see whether a “Cash & Points Redemption” option is available. If you have some flexibility in hotel choice and/or dates, your chances of finding a Cash & Points option increases. In our example trip to Charleston, South Carolina, we got lucky and found a “Cash & Points Redemption” in the second hotel option, the Lindy Renaissance Charleston Hotel.
As you can see, you can select from either the Cash & Points Redemption option or the Redemption option, which is the full stay in points.
Is Marriott Cash & Points Worth It?
Whether or not Cash & Points bookings are a good deal depends on the stay. The above hotel is charging 59,000 points for the full redemption or 29,500 points plus $200 for a Cash & Points Redemption. The cash booking option is $360 per night including taxes. To save $160, you'd spend 29,500 points — a redemption value of 0.54 cents per point. Given that I try to get anywhere from 0.8¢ to 1¢ per point from my Marriott Bonvoy points redemptions, I would not consider the Cash & Points or the full points redemption a good deal. If I had to book this specific hotel, I would pay cash.
For context, AwardWallet users tend to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.94¢ apiece.
However, consider the Union Station Nashville Yards. When searching for Cash & Points bookings for September 2024, I found the following options.
Since this same room is priced at $778 plus taxes, the Cash & Points Redemption here gets you 1.75 cents per point, which is a great deal. In this case, I would absolutely consider booking with the Cash & Points option.
When To Build Your Own Cash + Points Combination
If you have a multi-night stay and the property does not offer a fixed “Cash & Points Redemption,” you can use the “Cash + Points” option to select which nights you'd like to redeem points for and which nights you'd like to pay for in cash. Searching for a four-night stay at the Sheraton Grand Nashville Hotel shows this option to “Use Cash + Points.” For each night, you'll click the appropriate button to select whether you want to redeem points or pay cash.
Keep in mind, however, that if you are using a mix of points and cash, you will not be able to take advantage of the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 perk, which gives you a free night on a five-night reward stay.
Final Thoughts
Marriott Cash & Points stays (and multi-night Points + Cash stays) can prove especially useful if you lack the required points for a redemption and don't want to buy points. But it always pays to run the numbers on different payment options to discover whether you will be better off paying in cash, points, or a mixture of the two.
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