Marriott/Uber Eats partnership adds groceries, offers 1k bonus points but increases minimum spend

Late last year Marriott and Uber/Uber Eats launched a partnership which offers Marriott Bonvoy members bonus points on Uber rides and Uber Eats orders.

They’ve now expanded that partnership a little by adding the ability to earn points on grocery orders through Uber Eats. To promote that enhancement, they’re offering 1,000 bonus points when taking advantage of this new feature by July 25. There is some bad news mixed in with all that though as they’ve increased the amount you need to spend in order to earn bonus points via the partnership.

The Deal

• Earn 1,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points when spending $40+ on an Uber Eats grocery order.
• Direct link to link your Marriott and Uber accounts.

Key Terms

• 1,000 bonus points offer expires July 25, 2023.
• This 1,000 bonus-Point offer is a one-time offer that is open to all members of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program (each, a “Marriott Bonvoy member”) who have already linked a Marriott Bonvoy Account and Uber account but have not previously placed a grocery order with Uber Eats.
• To qualify for and earn this one-time limited offer, a Marriott Bonvoy member must (i) have their Marriott Bonvoy accounts linked on the Uber app and (ii) must complete their first Qualifying Transaction by July 25 at 11:59 p.m.
• A “Qualifying Transaction” means a grocery order placed with Uber Eats in an amount of US$40 or more, after the calculation of any applicable promotions or discounts (excluding taxes, fees, and tips), that occurs in the United States. Order minimum before taxes and fees.
• Please allow four to six weeks from completion of the Qualifying Transaction for Marriott Bonvoy bonus Points to appear in a Marriott Bonvoy member’s Marriott Bonvoy Account.

Tips & Ideas

Something worth noting is that the 1,000 bonus points on offer are only available for people who’ve never placed an Uber Eats grocery order. If you find yourself in that position, it’s worth checking your Uber Eats account to see if you’re also targeted for a separate deal on grocery orders.

For example, I’m currently targeted for an offer giving 40% off grocery deliveries. There’s a maximum discount of $35, so I could get a 40% discount on up to $87.50.

When having a quick look earlier, it appears that groceries are (as expected) more expensive in the Uber Eats app than they’d be if going to the grocery store. However, the 40% discount, 2x + 1,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points and the fact that the groceries will be delivered to us means I’ll be taking advantage of both of these offers. We’re currently in a downtown hotel with a kitchen, so having groceries come to us will be more convenient considering our parking situation.

Having Uber Eats grocery orders be eligible for earning points is a welcome development. Having said that, I’d previously assumed that all Uber Eats orders would’ve been eligible anyway – including grocery orders – so I guess that might mean that orders from places like PetSmart, CVS, Walgreens, etc. might not be eligible for earning bonus points unless they fall under the regular Uber Eats banner or the grocery banner.

What’s less of a welcome development is the increase in how much you have to spend to earn bonus points via this partnership. When it launched in December 2022, spending $25+ meant you earned bonus points – 6x if getting food delivered to Marriott properties, 2x if getting it delivered/picked up elsewhere and 3x on Uber XL, Comfort & Black rides in the US. That minimum spend requirement has now been increased to $40 which is more than we usually spend per order. In fact, I just checked my account and there’s not a single order in my last 10 orders that were $40 or more. Many of them were in the $36-$38 range and so it’s close, but it wouldn’t be worth having to remember and then making the effort to spend $2-$4 more just to earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy points, whereas it has been nice seeing the incremental increase in my Marriott points balance each month from our past $25+ orders.

Something interesting I just noticed is that I earned 6x bonus points on pickup orders while staying at Marriott properties in the last couple of months. My understanding was that you’re only supposed to earn 6x bonus points on delivery orders to Marriott properties, not pickup orders, but apparently that might not be the case. Do with that what you will.

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