Amex Membership Rewards points transfer to Marriott Bonvoy with a 35% bonus through December 10, 2026, so 1,000 Amex points become 1,350 Marriott points. Upgraded Points reported the bonus on October 20 with a screenshot from Amex’s site. Even with the bonus, an Amex point moved to Marriott is worth about 0.95 cents at Upgraded Points’ 0.7 cent Marriott valuation, less than half what Amex points fetch with airline partners.
Log in and check the Marriott tile on Amex’s transfer page before you plan a stay. Some past Amex bonuses to Marriott went only to targeted members.
The deal
- Offer: 35% bonus on transfers from Membership Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy, 1:1.35 instead of 1:1
- Dates: through December 10, 2026
- Increments: 1,000 Membership Rewards points, from 1,000 up to 999,000 Amex points in one transfer, per Amex’s transfer partner page
- Transfer time: Amex estimates 48 hours for Marriott
- Example: 54,000 Amex points become 72,900 Marriott points
- Direct link: the Marriott tile in your Amex account’s transfer page
Key terms
- Amex’s description: Amex calls Marriott a program with “world-class benefits at more than 30 hotel brands worldwide” on its transfer page. Amex’s offer terms sit behind the login under “See Offer Terms,” so read them before you move points.
- Prices move: Marriott’s program rules say, “Points required per night are updated continuously and may change at any time.” Price the night before you transfer.
- Fifth night free: under Marriott’s rule 3.3.d, a member booking five award nights in a row “will only need to redeem Points for four nights.” The free night is the cheapest of the five.
- Taxes: the rules say an award stay covers the room, “room tax, service charge,” and extra-person charges. Resort fees stay with you.
- No reversal: transfers to Marriott are final, and the points don’t move back to Amex. Amex’s Membership Rewards page lists transfers to “participating airline and lodging loyalty programs” as one of several ways to redeem.
A night at the Aruba Marriott for 54,000 Amex points
Thrifty Traveler priced the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino on September 15, 2026 at 72,000 Marriott points a night, against a cash rate a little over $800. Marriott’s redemption page lists award stays from 12,000 points a night, so this is a high-end example.
At 1:1.35, 72,000 divided by 1.35 is 53,334 Amex points. Amex moves points in 1,000-point steps, so you’d transfer 54,000 and land 72,900 Marriott points.
| Aruba Marriott, 1 night | Without the bonus (1:1) | With the 35% bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott points needed | 72,000 Marriott points | 72,000 Marriott points |
| Amex points to transfer | 72,000 Amex points | 54,000 Amex points |
| Taxes | $0 (room tax included), plus the $69 resort fee | $0 (room tax included), plus the $69 resort fee |
The bonus saves you 18,000 Amex points on this night, about $360 at the 2 cents per Amex point in our points valuation guide. That price is a month old and the room will likely cost something different by the time you read this, so run your own search on marriott.com first.
Book five nights and Marriott’s fifth-night rule cuts the bill again. If all five nights priced at 72,000 Marriott points, you’d pay 288,000 Marriott points, or 214,000 Amex points with the bonus (288,000 divided by 1.35, rounded up to the next 1,000).
Our take
Most people should skip this bonus. Amex points are worth about 2 cents each in our guide when you send them to airline partners, and Upgraded Points values them at 2.2 cents. With the bonus, 1,000 Amex points become 1,350 Marriott points, which at Upgraded Points’ 0.7 cents per Marriott point buys about $9.45 of hotel. That’s 0.95 cents per Amex point.
The Aruba example looks better on paper. 54,000 Amex points for a room priced a little over $800 works out to about 1.5 cents per Amex point. That’s still below the 2 cents we’d expect from a good airline award, and you’d pay the $69 resort fee on top.
Act only if you need a few thousand Marriott points to top off a specific award you’ve already priced, or if you hold Amex points you’ll never use with airlines. Skip it if you have flexible travel dates and any interest in airline partners such as Flying Blue, where Amex’s 25% Flying Blue bonus runs through October 31.
For comparison, Chase paid a 70% bonus to Marriott in September, which we covered in our Chase to Marriott post. If you hold both currencies, wait for a Chase bonus before you move Amex points. Our transfer bonus guide explains how to judge one, and Amex’s new separate points accounts mean you should check which account holds your points before you transfer.
FAQ
What is the Amex to Marriott transfer bonus?
35% through December 10, 2026. Every 1,000 Membership Rewards points become 1,350 Marriott Bonvoy points instead of 1,000.
Is the Amex to Marriott bonus worth it?
Usually not. At 0.7 cents per Marriott point, a bonused transfer returns about 0.95 cents per Amex point, against the 2 cents our valuation guide gives Amex points with airline partners.
How long do Amex transfers to Marriott take?
Amex estimates 48 hours. Transfers go in 1,000-point increments.
Do Marriott award nights include taxes?
Yes. Marriott’s rules include room tax and service charges in an award stay. Resort fees aren’t included, such as the $69 fee at the Aruba Marriott.
Does Marriott give a free night on award stays?
Yes. Book five consecutive award nights on one reservation and you pay points for four. The free night is the cheapest of the five.
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