Points conversion rate
Feb 19, 2020, 1:34 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,047
Each hotel makes up its own FX rate. You also need to strip out VAT, etc. from the all-in room rate quoted in the UK.
Feb 19, 2020, 4:59 pm
#4
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: California
Programs: Marriott: Titanium, SQ: Gold, UA: Silver, Hilton: Diamond, Wyndham - Diamond, TR - Diamond
Posts: 233
Feb 19, 2020, 5:49 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, United Silver, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 2,276
UPDATED TO CORRECT VAT RATE
Dekmac,
If I understand your question correctly, you want to calculate how many Marriott Bonvoy points (which are based on USD) you should get for a hotel stay in the UK paid with GBP.
So far this year, the £1.00 GBP has hovered around $1.30 USD. Sometimes higher. Sometimes lower. But a multiplier of 1.3 is a good rule of thumb these days.
There are no Marriott Bonvoy points on the VAT (Value Added Tax), which is 20%.
Let's suppose you booked a hotel room that's 240 GBP per night. The actual room is £200 GBP, which is an eligible charge. The VAT is £40 GPB which is not an eligible charge.
£200 GPB x 1.3 = $260 USD, so your points are based on $260 USD.
You get 10 points per $1 USD spent at most Marriott Bonvoy brands. You get 5 points per $1 USD spent at Element, Residence Inn, and TownePlace Suites. For this exercise, we're assuming it's the former.
$260 USD x 10 = 2600 points. The actual number of points may be somewhat higher or lower, depending on the exchange rate. If you get significntly fewer points, then it's worth pursuing.
You also get points on other eligible charges, such as meals at the hotel restaurant (in most cases). The same formula applies.
If you're eligible for a Gold or Platinum welcome gift, and you choose points, there's no multiplication factor on those points — because they're already points.
If I understand your question correctly, you want to calculate how many Marriott Bonvoy points (which are based on USD) you should get for a hotel stay in the UK paid with GBP.
So far this year, the £1.00 GBP has hovered around $1.30 USD. Sometimes higher. Sometimes lower. But a multiplier of 1.3 is a good rule of thumb these days.
There are no Marriott Bonvoy points on the VAT (Value Added Tax), which is 20%.
Let's suppose you booked a hotel room that's 240 GBP per night. The actual room is £200 GBP, which is an eligible charge. The VAT is £40 GPB which is not an eligible charge.
£200 GPB x 1.3 = $260 USD, so your points are based on $260 USD.
You get 10 points per $1 USD spent at most Marriott Bonvoy brands. You get 5 points per $1 USD spent at Element, Residence Inn, and TownePlace Suites. For this exercise, we're assuming it's the former.
$260 USD x 10 = 2600 points. The actual number of points may be somewhat higher or lower, depending on the exchange rate. If you get significntly fewer points, then it's worth pursuing.
You also get points on other eligible charges, such as meals at the hotel restaurant (in most cases). The same formula applies.
If you're eligible for a Gold or Platinum welcome gift, and you choose points, there's no multiplication factor on those points — because they're already points.
Last edited by Horace; Feb 19, 2020 at 7:03 pm
Feb 19, 2020, 6:35 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,179
Dekmac,
If I understand your question correctly, you want to calculate how many Marriott Bonvoy points (which are based on USD) you should get for a hotel stay in the UK paid with GBP.
So far this year, the £1.00 GBP has hovered around $1.30 USD. Sometimes higher. Sometimes lower. But a multiplier of 1.3 is a good rule of thumb these days.
There are no Marriott Bonvoy points on the VAT (Value Added Tax), which is 17.5%.
Let's suppose you booked a hotel room that's 235 GBP per night. The actual room is £200 GBP, which is an eligible charge. The VAT is £35 GPB which is not an eligible charge.
£200 GPB x 1.3 = $260 USD, so your points are based on $260 USD.
You get 10 points per $1 USD spent at most Marriott Bonvoy brands. You get 5 points per $1 USD spent at Element, Residence Inn, and TownePlace Suites. For this exercise, we're assuming it's the former.
$260 USD x 10 = 2600 points. The actual number of points may be somewhat higher or lower, depending on the exchange rate. If you get significntly fewer points, then it's worth pursuing.
You also get points on other eligible charges, such as meals at the hotel restaurant (in most cases). The same formula applies.
If you're eligible for a Gold or Platinum welcome gift, and you choose points, there's no multiplication factor on those points — because they're already points.
If I understand your question correctly, you want to calculate how many Marriott Bonvoy points (which are based on USD) you should get for a hotel stay in the UK paid with GBP.
So far this year, the £1.00 GBP has hovered around $1.30 USD. Sometimes higher. Sometimes lower. But a multiplier of 1.3 is a good rule of thumb these days.
There are no Marriott Bonvoy points on the VAT (Value Added Tax), which is 17.5%.
Let's suppose you booked a hotel room that's 235 GBP per night. The actual room is £200 GBP, which is an eligible charge. The VAT is £35 GPB which is not an eligible charge.
£200 GPB x 1.3 = $260 USD, so your points are based on $260 USD.
You get 10 points per $1 USD spent at most Marriott Bonvoy brands. You get 5 points per $1 USD spent at Element, Residence Inn, and TownePlace Suites. For this exercise, we're assuming it's the former.
$260 USD x 10 = 2600 points. The actual number of points may be somewhat higher or lower, depending on the exchange rate. If you get significntly fewer points, then it's worth pursuing.
You also get points on other eligible charges, such as meals at the hotel restaurant (in most cases). The same formula applies.
If you're eligible for a Gold or Platinum welcome gift, and you choose points, there's no multiplication factor on those points — because they're already points.
Makes it easier to calculate 😄
Well, not really! I use this calculator: https://www.tonicfusion.com/vat-calculator
It’s actually good for working out BRG NET rates in any country as you can change the VAT rate (or points as in this case).
Feb 19, 2020, 7:02 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, United Silver, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 2,276
VAT has been 20% in the UK since 4th Jan 2011. It was 17.5% before that.
Makes it easier to calculate 😄
Well, not really! I use this calculator: https://www.tonicfusion.com/vat-calculator
It’s actually good for working out BRG NET rates in any country as you can change the VAT rate (or points as in this case).
Makes it easier to calculate 😄
Well, not really! I use this calculator: https://www.tonicfusion.com/vat-calculator
It’s actually good for working out BRG NET rates in any country as you can change the VAT rate (or points as in this case).
Feb 19, 2020, 8:56 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,008
Feb 19, 2020, 11:55 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
However as the conversion is made by marriott for the purpose of awarding points, and not for processing payments, it is a single exchange rate per currency pair worldwide. It’s the same rate they use for their site’s currency converter which is provided by bloomberg.
Feb 20, 2020, 12:23 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,047
This thread has a few attempts at explaining how it should work. Marriott's IT doesn't agree with any of them...
Hotel A in London last week gave me a vastly different number of base points per £ than Hotel B from the next night. Weekend... so no changes in FX.
By all means do the maths to see whether you are getting completely screwed. But otherwise just accept that the points you earn will not reflect current FX rates and you will come out ahead a fair amount of the time...
Hotel A in London last week gave me a vastly different number of base points per £ than Hotel B from the next night. Weekend... so no changes in FX.
By all means do the maths to see whether you are getting completely screwed. But otherwise just accept that the points you earn will not reflect current FX rates and you will come out ahead a fair amount of the time...