Transferring Marriott Bonvoy Points from Spouse to Book Award

I’m still piecing together my “free” cruise trip to Alaska this summer, and I needed to book a hotel for one night in Seattle before my cruise. Hotels in Seattle are actually quite pricey, so naturally I looked to my stash of miles and points.

Since I had already visited Seattle (even though it was many years ago), I decided to stay near the Sea-Tac airport at one of the hotels serviced by Seattle Express shuttle company for a ride to the cruise port. Several Marriott properties are on the list, and both my husband and I had some dribs and drabs of Marriott points. Unfortunately, neither of us had enough points individually to book one night at any of the properties. So, I would need to transfer points from one account to another to book the free night.

Transferring Marriott Points

Many miles and points programs allow you to transfer your points to another family member or even another unrelated person. However, some airlines/hotels charge you for that privilege or don’t make the process easy. For example, IHG charges $5 for every 1000 points you transfer. Hyatt requires you to fill out a pdf form, scan it and email it back, and the points may not hit your account for a week.

Thankfully, Marriott’s process is free, fast and convenient. I went to the online points transfer tool and filled in the information. Although the tool says the transfer can take up to 24 hours, the points showed up in my account instantly. I was then able to book my free night. Easy!

Marriott does have some rules, including:

• The first and last name of the recipient you enter on the online points transfer tool must match exactly to the name in the Marriott Bonvoy membership account
• Both accounts must be in good standing and open for 30 days (with Qualifying Activity) or 90 days (without Qualifying Activity). This is why it’s a good idea to set up free loyalty accounts for multiple hotels and airlines well before you need them.
• You must transfer at least 1000 points, and you can only transfer in increments of 1000
• You can transfer a maximum of 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per year
• You may receive up to 500,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per year

Final Thoughts

It’s not always necessary to transfer points to a spouse because you can often book an award flight or hotel night with your points in their name. However, if neither of you have enough points for an award, combining points is a great idea, especially when it’s free.