What's the difference between the points you earn from Marriott hotel stays and the ones you earn using an American Express Marriott Bonvoy co-branded card? And more importantly, how can you maximize your Marriott Bonvoy points to redeem free nights faster? Let's dive into all the details in our guide!

Our stay at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa

Earning and Maximizing Marriott Bonvoy Points

Let's take a quick look at the different ways we can earn Marriott Bonvoy points when staying at Marriott International properties.

Source #1: Hotel Stay Points

A view of the pool at the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa

Generally, when you book and stay at a Marriott property as a Marriott Bonvoy member, you'll earn points for your stay. If you log into your Marriott Bonvoy account, you'll see an earning breakdown that looks something like this:

+2,791 Points (1,194 Base + 597 Elite + 1,000 Extra)

The total points are calculated by adding up the base, elite, and extra sub-categories. But what do these actually mean?

Category	How to Earn
Base	Earn 10 points for every $1 USD spent. This applies to eligible hotel charges, including room rate, dining, golf, and spa services.
Elite	Bonus points based on your elite status: Silver (10%), Gold (25%), Platinum (50%), Titanium/Ambassador (75%).
Extra	Welcome gift points, promotional bonuses, etc.

Keep in mind that Base points vary slightly depending on the Marriott brand you're staying with. If you stay at an Element, Residence Inn, or TownePlace Suites property, you'll earn 5 points per $1 USD spent instead.

As you can see, your total points depend not only on how much you spend (Base) but also on your Marriott Bonvoy elite status (Elite). The higher your tier, the bigger the bonus! Since the bonus is percentage-based, the more you spend on your stay, the more these elite bonus points multiply. It's a great way for the hotel to reward loyal guests who spend more during their visits.

Different properties offer different welcome gifts, such as free breakfast, a local amenity, or points. If you choose points as your welcome gift at check-in, they'll be added to the "Extra" category.

These stay points usually post automatically to your Marriott Bonvoy account a few days after check-out. You can easily track them through your account activity on the Marriott website or the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app.

Source #2: Co-Branded Credit Card Points

(Source: American Express Canada)

In addition to the stay points we just covered, you can supercharge your earnings by paying for your hotel bill with a co-branded Marriott credit card.

Let's take a quick look at how the earning multiplier works on the Canadian version of the American Express Marriott Bonvoy card (since that's the one we use!):

2x Points	5x Points
Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points for every $1 CAD spent on everyday purchases.	Earn 5 Marriott Bonvoy points for every $1 CAD spent at participating Marriott International properties.

Our favorite strategy for this card is using it to pay for all our Marriott hotel stays to unlock that massive 5x bonus. Of course, you still get a solid 2x points on everyday spending, which really adds up over time to help you build your Marriott Bonvoy points balance. Points earned through the credit card are automatically transferred to your Marriott Bonvoy account shortly after your monthly statement closes.

Let's Look at a Real Earning Example

Let's say we're staying at the gorgeous JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa in Vietnam. We hold 'Platinum Elite' status. At check-in, we choose 'Free Breakfast' for our welcome gift. At check-out, our final hotel bill is $1,000 USD, and we pay using our Canadian Amex Marriott Bonvoy card.

How many Marriott Bonvoy points would we earn in this scenario?

Source #1: Calculating Stay Points

Based on the formula we went over earlier, let's break down the base, elite, and extra points:

Base: 10,000 = $1,000 x 10 (10 points per USD spent)

Elite: 5,000 = 10,000 x 50% (Platinum Elite bonus)

Extra: 0 (Since we chose 'Free Breakfast' as our welcome gift instead of points)

Total Stay Points: 15,000 = 10,000 (Base) + 5,000 (Elite) + 0 (Extra)

Source #2: Calculating Credit Card Points

Since we're paying the $1,000 USD / $1,300 CAD (assuming a 1:1.30 exchange rate) hotel bill with our Canadian Amex Marriott Bonvoy card at a Marriott property, we trigger the 5x multiplier.

6,500 = $1,300 CAD x 5 (5x multiplier per CAD spent)

Total Credit Card Points: 6,500

The Grand Total!

By combining our hotel stay earnings with our co-branded Amex card multiplier, we can rack up Marriott Bonvoy points incredibly fast.

21,500 Total Points = 15,000 (Stay Points) + 6,500 (Credit Card Points)

Adding both sources together, this single stay earned us a fantastic 21,500 Marriott Bonvoy points!

Marriott Bonvoy Amex Referral Bonus Offer

(Source: American Express Canada)

After seeing how quickly these points add up, if you're interested in grabbing the Canadian American Express Marriott Bonvoy card to maximize your own stay points, you can apply online using our referral link.

By applying through a referral link, you'll often get access to special seasonal Amex welcome offers—sometimes even higher than the standard public sign-up bonus! As the referrers, we also earn a small bonus through this program, so it's a wonderful win-win. Once you have the card, sharing your own referral link with friends and family is a great way for everyone to benefit!

More Travel Guides

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