I currently have about 220,000 points and don't know what to do with them.

It seems hard to redeem them for free rooms because: (1) the free room inventory is limited, (2) it's usually only redeemable for the lowest room category (e.g. "restricted view, etc), and (3) I constantly have free room certificates from the bonus promotions that I am trying to use before they expire, so I don't even have a chance to use the points for a free room even when there is award space available. I use the bonus cert instead.

I usually stay at Cat 5-7 Marriotts, or at Ritzes. Cat 1-4 Marriotts are rarely available in the cities or neighborhoods that I usually stay in.

I also normally don't stay in the same hotel for a full 7 nights (which makes me unsure whether I should save up to 300k-500k for the "vacation package" options, since I may end up using only 4-5 of the free nights, and the program can also be devalued more as I try to save up for bigger rewards).

So.. I am thinking of getting a $500 Ritz or Marriott gift card for 130,000 points (I have to choose Ritz or Marriott, and they are not interchangable if purchased using points, right?). And then trying to do a $500 instant redemption at a Marriott for "only" 100,000 points, if I can find an opportunity to do so (since it has to be $500 all at once). Or I can transfer 112,000 points to United and receive 50,000 miles.

Are these options reasonable ways to use this amount of points, or can I do better?

I also thought about buying a $1000 gift card for 255,000 points, but that rate seems a little to steep for me to go all-in on it, which is why I am thinking of doing just $500 for 130,000 points with half my points, and using half for Instant Redemption or transfer to UA.

Any advice would be much appreciated.