Marriott Bonvoy fans: springtime is here. And so are those previously announced changes that affect redemptions using Marriott Bonvoy points. Gone is the convenient award chart that helped members understand just how many points they would need for an award stay. The way forward is a more confusing one since award redemptions will use dynamic pricing, similar to Hilton Honors’ less transparent system.

Dubbed “flexible point redemptions,” you’ll start to notice that the number of points you need will be aligned with the cash cost of a hotel night depending on the time of year and hotel occupancy. In some cases, you may pay less than you did previously, but in others, you’ll be paying more. That will be most likely at popular resort destinations where the nightly rate was already high, but points redemptions provided somewhat of a buffer from the splurge.

While it may be more challenging to plan ahead, don’t be discouraged. Marriott Bonvoy is still a solid program that can help you earn points and elite status to enjoy and redeem at more than 7,000 hotels and over 30 brands around the world.

How many points will I need for a stay under the new program?

Flexible point redemptions eliminate the once-helpful category system that gave members a guideline for how many points they needed for a redemption night. The old system was divided into Category 1-8 hotels, each of which had off-peak and peak pricing. Those charts are gone.

Under the new method, you will need to know your exact dates of travel to determine the number of points you’ll need to redeem. This can only be found by searching your preferred dates and location on the Marriott website or app.

In short: You’ll need to be more organized if you want to save up a specific number of points for a redemption.

Some good news

Luckily, Marriott Bonvoy isn’t ushering in this mega change all at once. Between now and the end of 2022, most properties will retain their off-peak and peak pricing range that they had previously in the category system.

While hotels are no longer categorized in the same way, the program is taking it slow, allowing members to still book the majority of its hotels within the former points range.

Let’s say you want to book the W Bogota, which, under the old system, was classified as a Category 5 hotel. Between now and the end of the year, you can still book the hotel under its old off-peak to peak pricing range of 30,000 to 40,000 points. You won’t find wild price swings above or below that points rate this year, according to Marriott.

Not a bad consolation prize as members digest these changes.

Not all hotels are as lucky. Marriott Bonvoy published a list of around 200 hotels where the redemption rate may be higher than what its previous category window charged. Some of these hotels will see redemption rates go up by as many as 30,000 points. Unfortunately for Marriott loyalists, the biggest price hikes include many popular hotels.

You’ll pay a lot more points going forward at hotels like these:

Paris Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel.

The Bodrum EDITION.

JW Marriott Essex House New York.

The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel.

The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali.

How drastic are the changes?

A closer look indicates that some of the changes aren’t that bad (at least, this year).

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

A one-night redemption on the dates we checked in September at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, showed a range of between 95,500 and 103,000 points.

It opened as a Category 8 property, charging between 70,000 and 100,000 points for a standard room redemption. While not a huge change, there is some inflation.

JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes

A one-night redemption on the dates we checked in July for the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, showed a range of between 41,000 and 56,000 points. Previously a Category 6 hotel, the property charged between 40,000 and 60,000 points for a standard redemption.

This hotel shows little change to the previous award chart range, so that’s good news.

Courtyard Chicago Deerfield

Previously a Category 2 Marriott Bonvoy hotel, Courtyard Chicago Deerfield was charging between 10,000 and 15,000 points for a standard redemption. A flexible date search for July showed the range remained similar between 10,500 and 15,000 points.

This example is yet another notch in the more-or-less-the-same category.

Is the 35K certificate impossible to use now?

If you earn a Free Night Certificate valid up to 35,000 points through a Marriott co-branded credit card, don’t give up hope. You can still use them, but you’ll need to know your dates of travel to check how much a redemption will cost. Since you cannot rely on the Category 1-5 system as before, it requires just a bit more effort on your part.

Still, you can secure a lot of value from them.

Coming soon is the addition of “Free Night Award Top Offs.” This program allows FNC holders to top off their award with as many as 15,000 points, effectively bumping its value to 50,000 points (the former Category 7 level).

With the option to use points in addition to the FNC, Bonvoy members may be able to get even more value from them than before.

How you can save points on a redemption

Stay flexible

Since the new pricing system is based on seasonality and availability, the ability to adjust your dates will be key. That’s easier said than done for those wanting to travel for non-flexible dates, like holidays or school vacations.

But, if you’re flexible, can consider multiple hotels, can adjust your travel dates by a night or two, or are able to keep checking the Marriott website throughout the year (as redemption rates can fluctuate daily), you might be able to save some points.