Chase just dropped a pretty solid transfer bonus, offering 50% more points when you transfer Ultimate Rewards Points to Marriott Bonvoy.
And while "50% more" sounds amazing, let’s pump the brakes for a sec.
Marriott points don’t hold the same value as airline miles, so you don’t want to blindly transfer just because there’s a bonus. But in the right scenario? This could be a sneaky-good deal.
When This Makes Sense
Let’s take the Marriott hotel in Sarajevo, for example, where a night costs 17,000 points. With the 50% transfer bonus, you’d only need around 11,300 Ultimate Rewards Points per night to stay here. That’s a solid deal for a well-located chain hotel in the city center.
Or let’s talk about Mexico City, where some Marriott hotels are going for as little as 6,000 points per night. Thanks to Marriott’s "5th Night Free" perk, booking a five-night stay drops the total to 24,000 Marriott points.
With this transfer bonus, you’d only need 16,000 Ultimate Rewards Points for five nights in a hotel. Uhhhh…yes please. 🤯
The Catch
Before you start throwing Ultimate Rewards Points at Marriott, let’s talk about why this isn’t always the best move. Marriott points are generally worth less than airline miles.
While Ultimate Rewards typically transfer at a 1:1 ratio to airlines, this Marriott transfer bonus bumps that to 1:1.5—which still isn’t as strong as some of the insane flight redemptions you can get with Ultimate Rewards Points.
In general, if you’re looking to book a high-value hotel stay (especially in areas where Marriott properties are super cheap in points), this bonus could be a game-changer. But if your goal is to maximize every point, you may want to hold onto your Ultimate Rewards Points for a future airline transfer.
How to Transfer
If you’re sitting on a stash of Ultimate Rewards Points and want to take advantage, you’ve got until March 31st to make the transfer. Head over to Chase’s Ultimate Rewards portal, find the Marriott Bonvoy transfer option, and select how many points you want to move.
And if you don’t have a Chase card that earns Ultimate Rewards Points yet, well… might be time to fix that. Check out this page for a full list of cards that can earn you Ultimate Rewards.
Happy transferring (or not—totally your call).
