A couple who are each members of MR can each buy 50,000 pts for $625 in December and another equal purchase in January adding up to 200,000 MR points for $2500 if they need them for package purposes, which can be very beneficial if used properly (for business class flights and category 6+ hotels).

https://buy.points.com/PointsPartner...EN&product=BUY

I can't imagine an airline or hotel program locking up one's account for buying a lot of miles/points when they sell it legitimately on their website. Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I can see how they can get suspicious if you were buying their on the "gray" market as some consolidators sell "business class" tickets at a discount using FF miles.

I can see where some Marriot properties have a rate of $400-$500+ per night and it may be less expensive to buy some points and redeem them for a couple of extra nights stay.

but if you are redeeming an award you can combine accounts so each person at 50,000/yr totals 100,000

Is that a calendar year (Jan. 1-Dec. 31)? In other words, can I purchase 50,000 points on Dec. 31, 2011 and purchase another 50,000 points on January 1, 2012?

^ I've got until 2014 to get a bit more than 100K points. If I don't have 2.0M points by the time I hit 12 years in the program, I'll buy as many points as needed for LT Plat.

Per Marriott's Transfer/Purchase Points website, the limit is based on calendar year. So you should be able to purchase the 100K points as you described.

does anyone know the answer:

Also, does the purchase from points.com definitely qualify for the 5-point reward on a Marriott credit card?

(Points.com purchases of SPG points don't qualify for double Starpoints with an SPG AmEx.)

today is last day to buy points for 2012.. Anyone else buy them this yr?

The T&C on point purchases are very specific and clear - 1 point per dollar on point purchases charged to a Marriott credit card.

Art

As a former US CP, I am very curious, did they give you a reason for why they would audit your account for points purchased from US Dividend Miles program?

Does anyone know of any audits done by MR for any reasons?

No. I thought about it as a way to guarantee lifetime, I mean Emeritus, Gold faster but I'll reach it anyway during 2013 unless something changes in my stay patterns. (Now that it's published, I'm not so worried about the requirements being increased, at least not during the coming year.) Even if my projections for points during the year are wrong, I can still buy 50,000 points in 2013 if it begins to look like this might matter and I decide to race for lifetime Gold rather than just waiting for it to happen, although of course that would be easier and faster with maximum points being purchased in both years.

I don't need the points now to spend, although if the $1000 gift cards were still available, I would have been much more tempted to buy the points.

welookgood.com:

Did you ever find out if you get the 5-point reward for buying points on a MR credit card?

David

(According to this post, you don't.) You get one Marriott point per dollar for using the Marriott Rewards credit card at points.com. (Thanks, ArtM!)