Despite decreasing point value and a brand where you won’t earn any elite night credits on stays, many travelers — myself included — continue using the Marriott Bonvoy program. After all, the Marriott Bonvoy program has a massive footprint, so you’ll likely find a participating property in most destinations you visit.

If you also use the Marriott Bonvoy program, how do you get the most value from your Marriott points? You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to airline partners, but I usually prefer to redeem Marriott points for hotel stays. Here are some of my favorite ways to maximize Marriott award night redemptions.

Stay for 5, Pay for 4

One of the easiest ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award redemptions is to use the program’s Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer. This offer automatically lets Marriott Bonvoy members enjoy a free night every time they redeem points for four nights on a stay of five consecutive nights or longer.

You can enjoy the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer more than once on a single Marriott award stay. For example, if you redeem Marriott points for a 10-night stay, you’ll get the two least expensive nights free.

However, your free night will only cover the standard cost if you book an upgraded room using Marriott points.

This perk means you may not want to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for a four-night stay, as it likely won’t cost you much more to redeem points for a five-night stay. By booking an extra night, you can extend your vacation — or effectively guarantee early check-in or late checkout — and get one more night toward qualifying for the next tier of Marriott elite status.

Related: Maximize your rewards by getting a fourth or fifth night free on award stays

Combine points and cash

TPG’s March 2025 valuations show that Marriott points are worth 0.7 cents each. However, even with dynamic award pricing, you may still find some nights within a specific stay with higher or lower redemption rates.

In this case, you can call Marriott Customer Care to book a customized Marriott cash and points reservation. With a customized payment reservation, you can pay for one or more nights entirely in cash and one or more nights fully in points within a single reservation. A Marriott spokesperson confirmed to TPG that members will earn points on paid nights, even when combined with points nights.

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Related: 29 best Marriott hotels in the world

Use the award calendar

If you have flexible travel dates, you can use Marriott Bonvoy’s calendar search to find less expensive award dates for your desired property.

To use the calendar search, select “Flexible Dates” when starting an award search on Marriott’s website. Click “Find Hotels,” then select “View Rates” for the property of your choice. Doing so will load an award calendar that you can view month by month.

As you can see in the above example, if I wanted to stay at the JW Marriott Austin next January, I could redeem as few as 40,000 or as many as 73,000 Marriott points for a one-night stay. So, if you have flexible dates for your getaway or staycation, you might be able to snag a lower award rate.

Related: How to use Awayz to improve your hotel award searches

Book Marriott PointSavers award nights

Marriott Bonvoy properties can opt to offer discounted award rates for specific room types and stay dates through the Marriott PointSavers program. You won’t find a centralized list of PointSavers properties. Instead, you’ll need to discover them while searching for upcoming stays.

PointSavers award rates will usually provide a decent redemption rate. For instance, in the above example, I could book a standard room with free cancellation until shortly before my stay at the Moxy Nashville Vanderbilt Area for $882 or 99,200 points (giving me a redemption rate of 0.89 cents per point).

However, only certain room types are bookable at PointSavers rates at some properties. For example, on the dates I checked, you can only book PointSavers rates at the Castle Hotel, Autograph Collection in Orlando for rooms with two queen beds.

Related: Data shows it’s time for Marriott to update point thresholds on free night certificates

Use your free night awards strategically

Finally, you can maximize Marriott award night redemptions by using your free night awards strategically. For example, if I have a free night award worth up to 35,000 points from my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card or Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, I look for opportunities to use this night long before its expiration date.

I’ll usually seek out one-night stays that would otherwise cost me around 35,000 points, although you can top up certificates with up to 15,000 points from your account.

However, it can make sense to check the nightly award cost on other stays and consider applying a free night award to one night instead of redeeming points.

Don’t apply a free night award to a five-night stay you’re booking with Marriott points, though, as doing so wouldn’t qualify you for the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer.

Most Marriott credit cards offer a free night award each year on your account anniversary. However, you can also select a free night award worth up to 40,000 points as a Marriott Annual Choice Benefit each calendar year if you accrue 75 or more elite night credits.

Related: Which credit card should you use for Marriott stays?

Bottom line

As you can see, there are many ways to maximize Marriott award redemptions. Following the suggestions in this guide, including using the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer, you should find it easy to get decent value when redeeming Marriott points.