🎉 Double Dipping or Double Disaster? Navigating the Maze of Marriott Points and Chase Bookings! ✈️🏨
Listen up, all you point-hoarding, travel-hacking, gotta-get-the-most-bang-for-your-buck folks! You’ve got that sweet stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and you’re eyeing a swanky Marriott stay. The million-dollar question, the one that keeps us up at night scrolling through loyalty program terms and conditions, is this: "Can you score Marriott Bonvoy points if you book your hotel through the Chase Travel Portal?"
Grab your strongest coffee, settle in, and prepare for a deep dive that's wilder than a last-minute flight deal. This is where the rubber meets the road, or, you know, where your credit card rewards meet a plush Marriott bed. Spoiler alert: The simple answer is usually no, but the full story is a twisty, turny, hilarious saga of loophole hunting and the glorious power of points transfers!
Step 1: Understanding the Great Third-Party Divide (The "Direct Booking" Gospel)
The first, and frankly, most crucial piece of intel you need to wrap your head around is the "third-party booking" conundrum. Marriott Bonvoy, like most major hotel loyalty programs, is a jealous god. They want you, the esteemed traveler, to book directly with them—on their website, through their app, or by calling their central line. Why? Because they want that sweet, sweet, un-commissioned revenue, and they want to foster that iron-clad loyalty.
1.1. The Bone-Chilling Reality of Third-Party Bookings
When you book a Marriott stay through the Chase Travel Portal, or any Online Travel Agency (OTA) like Expedia or Orbitz, that reservation is typically classified as a third-party booking. And in the world of loyalty programs, that means:
No Earning of Base Marriott Bonvoy Points: You generally will not earn the standard 10 points per dollar (or whatever the rate is) on the room rate and incidentals. That whole pile of points just vanishes like a magician’s rabbit!
No Elite Night Credits (EQNs): Those crucial nights that get you closer to Silver, Gold, Platinum, or the mythical Titanium status? Forget about 'em. Booking through the portal is like the night never happened in the eyes of Bonvoy.
Benefits are a Crapshoot: Got elite status? Your complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, and late check-out privileges are now entirely at the whim of the hotel's front desk agent. They technically don't have to honor them for third-party bookings, and sometimes, they simply don't. It’s a total buzzkill.
1.2. The Silver Lining (AKA the Chase Points You Do Earn)
Hold up, don't throw your phone across the room yet! The good news is you are still raking in Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points like a boss. Depending on your Chase card (looking at you, Sapphire Reserve and Preferred holders), booking travel through the Chase portal often earns a massive 5x or 10x points multiplier. That's a fat chunk of points you wouldn't get booking direct! It's a trade-off, a real "Sophie's Choice" of the rewards world: Hotel Status and Points versus Massive Chase UR Earning. Choose wisely, player.
Tip: Reread key phrases to strengthen memory.
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| Can You Get Marriott Points If You Book Through Chase |
Step 2: The Actual Secret Move: Transferring Points (The Ultimate Power Play)
If you're a true Marriott loyalist and you absolutely need those Bonvoy points and elite nights, booking through the portal is a hard pass. Instead, the savvy traveler uses Chase's true superpower: the 1:1 points transfer. This is where you channel your inner travel Jedi.
2.1. The Magical 1:1 Transfer Ratio
Marriott Bonvoy is one of Chase Ultimate Rewards’ official transfer partners. That means you can take your valuable Chase UR points and transfer them directly into your Marriott Bonvoy account at a 1:1 ratio. This is the difference between a sad third-party booking and a full-on, points-earning Bonvoy stay.
2.2. The Step-by-Step Power Transfer Guide
This is the only way to book a Marriott stay with Chase points and still get your full suite of Bonvoy benefits and points.
Step 2.2.1: Log into Your Ultimate Rewards Account Navigate to the Chase Ultimate Rewards website. Make sure you're logged into the eligible card (like the Sapphire Reserve or Preferred).
Step 2.2.2: Find the "Transfer to Travel Partners" Button This button is your golden ticket. Click it and get ready to move mountains (of points).
Reminder: Save this article to read offline later.
Step 2.2.3: Select Marriott Bonvoy Marriott will be listed among the airline and hotel partners. Select it and link your Bonvoy membership number if you haven't already.
Step 2.2.4: Execute the Transfer Choose the amount you want to transfer. It's usually in 1,000-point increments. Pro Tip: Only transfer what you need! Once they leave Chase, they can't come back.
Step 2.2.5: Book Directly on Marriott.com Wait for the points to show up in your Marriott Bonvoy account (often instantaneous, but sometimes a few hours—don't book until they are there!). Once they've landed, go directly to Marriott's website and book your room using the points you just transferred. Boom! Full Bonvoy benefits, points, and Elite Night Credit earned. You just played the system, and you won!
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Step 3: When to Ignore the Rules (The YOLO Scenario)
So, why would anyone book through the Chase portal if they lose all those sweet Bonvoy perks? Well, sometimes, you just gotta embrace the chaos (and the better value).
3.1. When Chase's Redemption Value is King
If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your points are worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel through the portal. If the cash price of a hotel is super high, and the points required to book directly through Marriott is also high, you might find that redeeming through the Chase portal gives you a significantly better point value. Sometimes, a quick, one-off stay where you don't care about status or elite nights is the perfect time to just pocket the deep UR discount.
3.2. The "Elite" Exception (The 'Bonvoy Eligible' Myth)
QuickTip: Reading carefully once is better than rushing twice.
There's a whisper in the wind, a legend that sometimes, for stays booked through special Chase programs (like 'The Edit' for Sapphire Reserve holders), certain properties are marked as "Bonvoy Eligible." Don't bet the farm on this. While a front desk agent might add your Bonvoy number to the reservation as a courtesy, the official policy for most third-party bookings still says you won't earn points or elite credit. If it works, consider yourself lucky; if it doesn't, you were warned!
Ultimately, to earn your Marriott Bonvoy points and elite status credit, you need to book directly with Marriott after transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. That's the mic drop moment of this whole point-chasing adventure.
FAQ Questions and Answers
How to Transfer Chase Points to Marriott Bonvoy?
You must log into your Chase Ultimate Rewards account, navigate to the "Transfer to Travel Partners" section, select Marriott Bonvoy, and choose the amount of points (usually in 1,000-point increments) to move into your linked Bonvoy account.
Does Booking Through the Chase Portal Count as a Qualifying Stay for Marriott Status?
Tip: Every word counts — don’t skip too much.
Generally, no. Stays booked through the Chase Travel Portal are typically treated as third-party bookings by Marriott Bonvoy and do not qualify for earning Elite Night Credits (EQNs) or base loyalty points.
Can I Get My Elite Benefits on a Chase Portal Booking?
It's a total gamble. Elite benefits like late check-out or upgrades are at the sole discretion of the hotel property when you book through a third-party portal. It is not guaranteed.
Is Transferring Chase Points to Marriott a Good Value?
It can be! The 1:1 transfer ratio is standard. Look for periods when Chase or Marriott offers a transfer bonus (like 30% or 50% extra points) for the best value, or when the cost in points on Marriott.com is much lower than the cash price.
What is the Alternative to Booking Marriott on the Chase Portal?
The best alternative is to transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your Marriott Bonvoy account (at 1:1 ratio) and then use those Bonvoy points to book your stay directly on the Marriott website. This ensures you receive all Bonvoy points and elite night credits.
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