Update 11/7/22: Marriott has announced that it is also ending the points-to-miles transfer bonus for Korean Air SkyPass, effective December 1, 2022. American, Delta and Avianca ended on 11/1. I’m sure there will be more to follow.
One of the many uses of Marriott Bonvoy points is that they are transferable to a diverse selection of 38 different airline partners. In most cases the transfer ratio is 3 Marriott points to 1 airline mile. However, if you transfer 60,000 points, you’ll get 25,000 miles instead of 20,000, making the transfer ratio 3 to 1.25, a much better deal and something that can be useful in obtaining some hard to come by currencies like JAL (particularly for those folks that are awash in Marriott points – unlike me).
Earlier this week, Marriott suddenly announced that it was ending the the 5,000 miles conversion bonus with American, Delta and Avianca, effective November 1, 2022. It appears that, for the moment, the bonus remains intact for the other 35 partners.
The News
- Starting November 1st, Marriott Bonvoy members who convert 60,000 points to airline miles will no longer receive the a 5,000 mile conversion bonus, reducing the maximum conversion rate to 3:1 from 3:1.25.
See Marriott’s full list of airline transfer partners here.
Quick Thoughts
I’ve only taken advantage of Marriott’s points-to-miles transfer once, as it’s more difficult for me to efficiently generate their points (as opposed to Hilton and Hyatt). That said, there’s a significant chunk of folks that linger with 7- and 8-figure balances for which this avenue has been a productive use…especially as Bonvoy award prices climb.
While this announcement doesn’t effect the utility of the points-to-miles transfers as a whole, it does hamstring the value of two of the three biggest domestic partners (United, on the other hand, currently has a 10% bonus for Marriott transfers). My assumption is that Delta and American were two of the more popular destinations and Marriott no longer feels the need to encourage their use.
This devaluation came as somewhat of a surprise, and I suspect that it may be a harbinger of future change. Hilton has already battered its airline transfer chart to the point of irrelevance and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Marriott follow suit, especially once the program moves to full dynamic pricing next year.
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[…] from other airlines. On Nov. 7, Marriott announced that it would also be getting rid of the Bonvoy partnership transfer bonus it previously had in place with Korean Air, Frequent Miler first […]
[…] This was first reported yesterday by FrequentMiler and we have contacted Marriott to confirm that the bonus will… […]
[…] hoped this would be it. But today, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
When I got SPG / Marriott cards years back, it was almost exclusively to generate transferrable miles. And even now that we use more hotel points than before, I’ve always thought of the airline transfer option as providing a floor of value for Marriott points. I guess not so much any more… too bad. They seem likely to hold onto United, but most of us can get United miles via Chase.
Thank you so much for the heads up. I was going to transfer to Korean Air to get 3 tickets sometimes next year. Guess I’m making the transfer now!
Glad you found before it as too late!
The transfer for Marriott points was already the lesser deal even with the bonus points. If you’re utilizing their bonus categories on this card, they are already available on the business gold card which has a better value if you know what you’re doing with them. Just use the skypass visa to get your Korean miles on the non-bonus categories and you’re better off than using the Bonvoy card. I think I’ll be getting rid of my card soon because the annual fee is crap for what little use it is. Hotel redemptions are RARELY worth it, usually only with their cheaper/budget hotels. Otherwise, paying cash makes more sense. The only reason I even had millions of points with marriott is because of a windfall of shipping charges in 2020 where my gold cards were maxed and I couldn’t get new cards fast enough. That is no longer an issue so goodbye, Marriott.
[…] hoped that would be it. But on Monday, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
[…] hoped this would be it. But today, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
[…] hoped this would be it. But today, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
[…] hoped this would be it. But Monday, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
[…] hoped this would be it. But today, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
[…] hoped this would be it. But today, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
[…] hoped this would be it. But today, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
[…] hoped this would be it. But today, Frequent Miler reported that the 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points transferred is ending for Korean Air on Dec. […]
I feel like a lobster in a pot
We are frogs enjoying a nice warm soak. What could possibly be bad about that?