Originally Posted by
hanly2
Last year I transferred 35k chase points to MR so that we could spend a night at Atlantis, but that trip didn't happen. Now I have been trying to use the Marriott points before they expire but they are worthless. I just looked up a Marriott in Pompano beach. It is $153 per night but it cost 35k points. How is that even possible that is less then 1/2 cent per point. Where as if they were chase points I could get 3 times that. Man this just really irks me, and I wanted to know if others feel the same.
Understand that while some loyalty programs offer points that can be redeemed at a fixed dollar value, Marriott Rewards is not like that. The effective value you receive with MR points depends on the cash rate of the hotel at the time you book relative to the points rate. A property's points rate is basically flat across the whole year while its cash rate can vary enormously with demand by season, midweek vs. weekend, special events, etc. So there will be cases where a 35k point hotel is a bad deal on points in the low season when you can pay $153 for the room while the same hotel is a great deal on points in the high season when rates are $300+. Savvy MR members hold their points for opportunities when cash rates soar. If you rarely stay at MR hotels and your points are about to expire you may not have the luxury of choice.