Now that you have accumulated all of these Marriott/SPG Points, how can you use these points for free travel? The options are listed below.
1. Convert Points to Free Nights
You can convert your Marriott/SPG points into free nights at Marriott Resorts (and their partner Ritz Carlton Resorts) and SPG Resorts. The number of points you need, depends on the Hotel Category. There are 7 ascending categories, with an 8th being added in 2019. The redemption rates are further broken down into peak and off-peak periods. In contrast to other hotel loyalty programs, Marriott/SPG has the added benefit of allowing you to book stays on points before you even have the points in your rewards account. Also, when you redeem 4 nights, you get the 5th night free. Note, when you use rewards nights, these nights count towards Elite Status. Lastly, if your dates are flexible, Marriott/SPG offers PointSavers, where rooms usually require less points to redeem.
Click here to view the free night award chart.
Read about how the Points Mom used Marriott/SPG Points for free stays in Beaver Creek.
Read about how The Points Mom used SPG points (pre merger) for free stays in London, Israel, Oahu, Kauai, Colorado, Whistler 1X, 2X, LA, Miami, Costa Rica, San Francisco, Monarch Beach, Boston 1X, 2X, Denver, Beaver Creek, Washington D.C., Scottsdale, Vermont 1X, 2X, New York City, Niagara Falls, Hershey Park, Disney and my best one yet, Aspen!
Also click here to read about how The Points Mom used Marriott Rewards Points (pre merger) for free travel in Hawaii, Florida, Vegas, Park City, and Paris.
2. Use Points With Cash
If you don‘t have enough points to cover a full free night or you don‘t want to pay the entire cash amount, you can combine cash and points to stay. Click here to view the cash and points redemption chart.
3. Use Points For Room Upgrades
Point Upgrade rewards can only be used when redeeming points for the stay. Some upgrades require payment in cash and cannot be purchased with Marriott/SPG points. So be sure to check the room description when you book online.
4. Use Points For Travel Packages
Redeem your points for a week of hotel accommodations with airline miles included. Click here to learn about point requirements for the packages.
5. Transfer Points To Airline Miles
With most programs, you can transfer 3 Marriott/SPG points to receive 1 airline mile. Whenever you transfer 60,000 points, you get a 15,000 point bonus. So if you have 60,000 points, you can yield 25,000 miles…60,000 becomes 20,000 miles and the extra 15,000 that you get becomes 5,000 airline miles. However, if you transfer to JetBlue TrueBlue, the ratio is a ridiculous 6:1 (not advisable). On a brighter note, if you transfer to United MileagePlus, you receive a 10% mileage bonus through the RewardsPlus program. Transfer your points here.
6. Use Points For Instant Redemptions
You may use Points during your stay to redeem an “Instant Redemption Award,” which may apply as a credit against your room folio upon check-out.
7. Use Points For Moments
Members may use Points to redeem or bid on experiences and events with the Moments Program through the Moments online auction websites: www.moments.marriottrewards.com/ and www.spgmoments.com.
8. Use Points In Other Ways
You can use your points in other ways too like using them for gift cards or merchandise, donating them, etc. Click here to learn more about using Marriott/SPG points.
9. Learn More About Using Marriott/SPG Points
Learn About Earning Marriott/SPG Points Here