Marriott Bonvoy members earn 10 points per dollar spent at most Marriott hotel brands. That base rate can climb significantly higher when you layer in elite status bonuses and a co-branded credit card, pushing your total earning rate above 20 points per dollar on hotel stays.
Base Earning Rate at Hotels
The standard earning rate is 10 Bonvoy points for every eligible dollar you spend at Marriott properties. This applies to your room rate and most incidental charges billed to your room, including dining, spa services, and room service. Taxes and resort fees generally do not count as qualifying charges.
Some budget and extended-stay brands earn at a lower rate. Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, and Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy all offer slightly reduced earning. If you frequently stay at these properties, expect fewer points per dollar than the standard 10.
Elite Status Bonuses
Each Bonvoy elite tier adds a percentage bonus on top of the base rate. The bonus applies to room charges and incidentals like dining and spa purchases billed to your room. Here’s what each level earns:
- Silver Elite: 10% bonus, bringing you to 11 points per dollar
- Gold Elite: 25% bonus, bringing you to 12.5 points per dollar
- Platinum Elite: 50% bonus, bringing you to 15 points per dollar
- Titanium Elite: 75% bonus, bringing you to 17.5 points per dollar
- Ambassador Elite: 75% bonus, bringing you to 17.5 points per dollar
Titanium and Ambassador earn the same point bonus. The difference between those two tiers comes from other perks like a dedicated ambassador service, not from the earning rate itself.
Credit Card Earning on Hotel Stays
Paying for your Marriott stay with a co-branded Bonvoy credit card adds card-level points on top of your base hotel earning and any elite bonus. The card points and hotel points stack together, which is how the advertised “up to” numbers get so high.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card advertises up to 21 points per dollar on hotel stays, the highest among Bonvoy cards. The Bevy American Express Card and Business American Express Card each advertise up to 18.5 points per dollar on stays. On the Chase side, the Boundless card advertises up to 17 points per dollar, and the no-annual-fee Bold card advertises up to 14 points per dollar.
These “up to” figures assume you also hold elite status. A Brilliant cardholder without any elite status will earn fewer than 21 points per dollar. The card contributes its own fixed earning rate, and the rest comes from whatever elite bonus you’ve achieved through qualifying nights or card-granted status.
Credit Card Earning on Everyday Spending
Bonvoy credit cards also earn points on non-hotel purchases, though at much lower rates. The earning varies by card and spending category.
The Bevy American Express Card and Business American Express Card offer the richest everyday earning at 4 points per dollar. On the Bevy, that rate applies at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets, capped at $15,000 in combined spending per calendar year before dropping to 2 points. The Business card earns 4 points at restaurants, U.S. gas stations, wireless phone services, and U.S. shipping purchases.
The Brilliant card earns 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. The Boundless card earns 3 points per dollar on the first $6,000 spent annually across gas stations, grocery stores, and dining combined. The Bold card earns 2 points per dollar on groceries, food delivery, rideshare, streaming, and internet or phone services.
Every Bonvoy card earns at least 1 to 2 points per dollar on purchases that fall outside bonus categories.
Earning Through Partners
You can also earn Bonvoy points through select partners outside of hotels and credit cards, though the rates are modest. The Uber partnership, available for U.S. transactions only, pays 3 points per dollar on premium Uber rides (UberXL, Uber Black, Uber SUV, and Uber Comfort) and 2 points per dollar on UberX Reserve rides. Uber Eats orders of $40 or more before taxes and fees earn 1 point per dollar, or 2 points per dollar if the delivery goes to a Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, or Element hotel.
Maximizing Your Points Per Dollar
The biggest earning happens when you combine all three layers: base hotel points, an elite status bonus, and a co-branded credit card. A Platinum Elite member paying with the Brilliant card, for example, earns 15 points per dollar from the hotel side alone, plus whatever the card contributes on top. That total can exceed 20 points per dollar on a single stay.
If you stay at Marriott properties only a few times a year, the base 10 points per dollar is what you’ll realistically earn at the hotel. In that case, choosing a card with strong everyday earning categories matters more than chasing elite status. The Bevy or Business cards, with their 4 points per dollar at restaurants and other common categories, will generate more points from daily spending than the occasional hotel night.