The Marriott Bonvoy rewards program has seen a lot of changes recently. The addition of Starwood and the SPG rewards program is the largest change of all. Along with these changes came alterations to their co-branded credit cards. Now there are multiple credit card options to earn free Marriott stays which can be used to stay at Marriott category 5 hotels. Instead of the old Marriott Rewards Premier and SPG business and personal cards, there are two Marriott Bonvoy cards.
One of the options, the newly reconfigured Marriott Bonvoy credit card (Chase personal Visa) offers an introductory offer that will earn you approximately two free nights at Marriott properties that cost 35,000 points or less (Marriott category 5 and below). It also comes with a free night award every calendar year that you keep the card. 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy rewards points are enough to stay at a Marriott category 5 hotel. The other option, the Marriott Bonvoy Business credit card is alternatively from American Express. It also offers points as an introductory offer and also gives a free night award at a Marriott category 5 hotel annually.
Get The Most Value with Marriott Category 5 Resorts
Since you can use your free night awards at any Marriott Bonvoy category 1-5 hotels, you’ll usually get the most value if you stay at a Marriott category 5 resort. There are 8 Marriott Rewards categories in all but don’t worry, Marriott category 5 is the most plentiful when it comes to resorts. With the addition of Starwood hotels, there are now 1138 Marriott category 5 hotels worldwide and 695 in the United States alone. We’ll focus on just the Marriott category 5 resort properties. There are 162 Marriott category 5 resorts worldwide and 56 in the United States.
If you’re wondering how much a free night award at a category 1-5 Marriott is worth, it depends on where you stay. Some Marriott category 5 resorts can cost upwards of $700 for a single night. But, by having one or both of the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards you’ll earn at least one free night award automatically on every cardmember anniversary.
Is the Free Night Award Worth Paying the Annual Fee?
Earning the free night award does come with a fee. The annual fee for the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards starts at $95. Every year, if you use your free night award for a hotel stay that would normally cost more than the annual fee, it’s worth keeping the credit card and paying it. If you keep this card in your wallet and pay the annual fee, you can easily find a redemption that is worth a few hundred dollars. If you stay at a resort that is $400 using your free night award, it’s like paying $95 for a $400 room. Plus, you’ll get the other benefits of the credit card all year.
A great way to earn a lot of Marriott points as well as a free night award every anniversary is by getting one of the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. Here is a little more information on what each of the credit cards offers…
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless [earnist_link ref="marriott-bonvoy-boundless" id="11623"][/earnist_link] |
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INTRODUCTORY OFFER You’ll earn 5 free nights after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. |
REWARDS You’ll earn 6X points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, and 2X points on all other purchases. |
BENEFITS One free night award (up to category 5) every account anniversary. Automatic silver elite status with Marriott Bonvoy Gold status after spending $35k 15 elite night credits each calendar year. |
FEES $95 annual fee. |
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS The introductory offer is just ok, as it will earn you enough points for two free nights at a category 5 hotel. The free night award each year for $95 is well worth it if you can use it on an otherwise expensive night. |
[earnist_link ref="marriott-bonvoy-boundless" id="11623"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
Marriott Bonvoy Business |
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INTRODUCTORY OFFER You’ll earn 75,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. |
REWARDS You’ll earn 6X points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels. Earn 4x points at US restaurants, US gas stations, on US cell phone services and US shipping purchases. Earn 2x points on all other purchases. |
BENEFITS One free night award (up to category 5) every account anniversary. Earn an additional free night award after spending $60,000 on your card in a calendar year. Automatic silver elite status with Marriott Bonvoy Gold status after spending $35k 15 elite night credits each calendar year. |
ANNUAL FEE $125 annual fee. Terms Apply |
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS The introductory offer is good, as it will earn you approximately enough points for three free nights at a category 5 hotel. The free night award each year for $125 is worth it if you can use the award on an otherwise expensive stay. |
[earnist_link ref="marriott-bonvoy-business" id="11629"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
*TRAVEL FREEDOM HINT
You can also earn Marriott Rewards points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards. Ultimate Rewards transfer to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio. Two great options are the Sapphire cards or the Ink Business cards from Chase. A great thing about earning Chase Ultimate Rewards is that you can use them on any of the Chase travel transfer partner programs. This gives you much more versatility in your travel.
[earnist_link ref=”chase-issuer-table” id=”6247″]Compare Chase Credit Cards[/earnist_link]
Best Marriott Category 5 Resorts in the United States (56 Total)
Listed below are the top-rated Marriott category 5 resorts in the United States. There are a total of 56 resorts in the US and we’ve hand-selected the best properties for you to use your free night awards at. Our selections were made by looking at value, location, guest ratings, and our opinion. After looking at Marriott resorts all over the world, it was apparent that the best value to be saved is in the United States. Other countries and regions have some very nice category 5 hotels, but they tend to cost much less per night if paying for cash. Here is what we came up with during our search to find the best of the best.
Waterline Marina Resort & Beach Club, Autograph Collection
- Location: Holmes Beach, Florida
- Average Guest Rating: 4.8/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $466 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: A-
The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort
- Location: Big Island, Hawaii
- Average Guest Rating: 4.2/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $765 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: A+
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
- Location: Marana, Arizona
- Average Guest Rating: 4.7/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $587 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: A
The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection
- Location: Point Clear, Alabama
- Average Guest Rating: 4.7/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $278 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: B-
JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa
- Location: Tucson, Arizona
- Average Guest Rating: 4.5/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $271 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: B-
The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club
- Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
- Average Guest Rating: 4.5/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $424 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: B+
JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Average Guest Rating: 4.4/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $554 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: A
Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa
- Location: Pompano Beach, Florida
- Average Guest Rating: 4.2/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $300 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: B
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
- Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
- Average Guest Rating: 4.1/5 stars
- Average Price (March 23-29): $519 per night
- Redemption Value Grade: A
How to Book Your Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Award
When booking a free night using your award, you have over 6,000 available options of Marriott category 1-5 properties to choose from. With so many options, we chose to cut it down to only resorts because they typically cost more to stay at. By booking a Marriott category 5 resort with your award you will get more value out of it.
A big part of the decision on where to stay depends on where you will be needing a hotel room. It’s pretty hard to take advantage of the newly remodeled Westin Hapuna Beach Resort if you won’t be on the Big Island of Hawaii this year. I look forward to staying at this hotel next summer when we (hopefully) use our Southwest Companion Pass on a Hawaii trip for the first time. When booking a Marriott category 5 award night, you’ll want to find a hotel or resort that gives you a great value in an area that you plan on traveling to.
Find Your Free Night Award in your Marriott Account
After your cardmember anniversary of either Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, a free night award will appear in your Marriott Bonvoy Rewards account on the activity page. To use your free night award, log in to your account and search for your desired hotel and date. To book your free night using the free night award, you will select “Use reward points”. On the reservation details page, you will see the option to use your free night award. Continue your booking as you normally would. Your award will be applied to the reservation giving you a free night.
Be aware that only hotels with standard or off-peak category 5 award rooms available will be bookable. Category 5 peak pricing is unfortunately above the 35,000 point limit to use your free night award. Remember, that you don’t have to book a category 5. You can book anything up to a Marriott category 5 hotel.
You can use both points and cash on stays if you don’t have enough points. But, when you’re looking to add your free night to either end of a longer paid stay, be sure to book the more expensive night (between the first and last) with your award if the nightly prices differ. Then book the remaining nights separately using cash. You may need to call to have the reservations linked afterward so that you don’t have to check out and back in. If you have any more questions about booking or Marriott Bonvoy Rewards you can check out their official FAQ page.
Using Points to Book Free Nights at Marriott Hotels
If you’re looking to book a Marriott category 5 hotel using points, it will cost you 35,000 points for a standard room. Marriott Bonvoy Rewards has eight redemption categories, ranging from 7,500 to 85,000 points per night for a standard room (not including peak and off-peak dates).
Marriott Bonvoy Rewards points can be earned in a few different ways. The easiest way is by applying for either of the credit cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy Rewards. You’ll earn Marriott BOnvoy Rewards points through the introductory offers and you’ll also earn points by making purchases on the cards. Here is a chart that includes all Marriott Bonvoy Rewards categories and how many points it will take to book a free night in each.
Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
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1 | 5,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 |
2 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 |
3 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
4 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
5 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
6 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 |
7 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 |
8 | 70,000 | 85,000 | 100,000 |
*All photos courtesy of Marriott International