Although there are plenty of ways to earn Marriott points, some strategies are easier than others. Follow along as we discuss the five best ways to earn points with Marriott Bonvoy.

Easiest ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

If you're wondering: "How do I earn Bonvoy points?" Here's how.

1. Apply for a Marriott credit card with a large welcome bonus

There are currently four Marriott cards available — two from American Express and two from Chase. Although three of the cards come with an annual fee, those cards also offer larger welcome bonuses and more valuable perks. Here’s an overview of your Marriott credit card options:

2. Transfer from American Express Membership Rewards

Since Marriott is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, you can transfer AmEx points to Marriott Bonvoy.

NerdWallet values Bonvoy points at 0.8 cent while AmEx points are worth 2.8 cents each.

AmEx points can be transferred to many different partners, so they potentially hold a lot of value. Due to the disparity in point value between AmEx and Marriott, transferring only makes sense if there’s a high transfer bonus from AmEx, or if you need to top-up a redemption with Marriott. All point transfers are final, so before transferring points, confirm that your desired Marriott points redemption is available.

There are more than 10 American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points. Check out this article to see which AmEx card makes sense for you.

3. Transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards®

If you have a credit card from Chase that earns Ultimate Rewards® points, you can transfer those points to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio. Point transfers are instantaneous and must be done in increments of 1,000 points. Once you transfer points from Chase to Marriott, the transfer cannot be reversed.

Marriott points are worth 0.8 cent each, and Chase points are valued at 2.2 cents, so this transfer isn’t advisable. Also, Chase is not as generous as AmEx with transfer bonuses, so getting an equivalent value from your points is unlikely.

Similar to AmEx, Chase has great transfer partners, so it’s up to you to determine how valuable those points are when compared to Marriott Bonvoy points. The following Chase credit cards earn Ultimate Rewards® points:

Personal cards

Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Business card

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

Chase also offers several cash-back credit cards that allow you to treat cash-back rewards as Ultimate Rewards® points when paired with one of the above cards. You can effectively pool your points together and treat them all as Ultimate Rewards® points.

Those cash-back cards are:

Personal cards

Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

Chase Freedom Flex℠.

Business cards

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card.

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card.

4. Stay at Marriott Hotels

Earning Marriott points the traditional way, by staying at hotels, is another option for racking up Bonvoy points. You can earn 10 points per $1 spent on qualifying purchases at the following Marriott properties:

Stays at Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites by Marriott and Element hotels earn 5 points per $1, while Marriott Executive Apartments and ExecuStay properties earn 2.5 points per $1.

With earnings of 10 points per $1 spent at most Marriott hotels, accumulating points is fairly easy. Plus, if you have elite status with Marriott, your earnings rate increases.

Silver elites earn a 10% points bonus.

Gold elites earn a 25% points bonus.

Platinum elites earn a 50% points bonus.

Titanium and Ambassador elites earn a 75% points bonus.

With Gold status and above, you can also choose bonus points as a welcome gift, though the number you’ll earn varies by brand.

5. Refer a friend

An often overlooked way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is through refer-a-friend bonuses, which are offered by Marriott, Chase and American Express. If you earn referral points on your Chase or AmEx cards, you can then transfer those points to Marriott.

You could earn 40,000 points per referral on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card or Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, for a maximum of 200,000 points per year.

American Express provides referral bonuses as well, though each bonus is customized to the specific cardholder. To see what your referral bonus would be, log in to your American Express account.

If you have a friend who is looking to get a Marriott, Chase or American Express card, why not send them your referral link and pick up some extra points?

If you want to earn Marriott points fast ...

Marriott points are relatively simple to earn given the availability of several co-branded credit cards, transfer relationships with both Chase and AmEx, and the ease of earning points for Marriott hotel stays.

If you’re looking for even more ways to earn Marriott points, check out our complete guide, which details all the possible ways to earn Bonvoy points.

All information about the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Business Green Rewards Card from American Express is no longer available through NerdWallet.