Marriott Bonvoy is one of the best hotel loyalty programs out there. You can earn Marriott Bonvoy Points in India in multiple ways. There are many uses for Marriott Bonvoy points as well. One such popular use is transferring Marriott points to Airline partners. There are a total of 39 Marriott airline partners. The 39 number is huge. You can travel almost anywhere by transferring your huge stash of Marriott Bonvoy Points with these airlines. Let’s find out more about Marriott Points and airline miles.
Marriott Airline Partners
There are 39 Marriott Airline partners to which you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy Points. You can transfer at a 3:1 ratio to all airlines except Air New Zealand, which you can transfer at a 200:1 ratio.
| Airline | Transfer Ratio | Alliance | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEGEAN Miles+Bonus | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Greece |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 3:1 | None | Ireland |
| Aeromexico ClubPremier | 3:1 | SkyTeam | Mexico |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Canada |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | 3:1 | Star Alliance | China |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 3:1 | SkyTeam | France/Netherlands |
| Air New Zealand AirPoint | 200:1 | Star Alliance | New Zealand |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | 3:1 | Oneworld | United States |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 3:1 | Oneworld | United States |
| ANA Mileage Club | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Japan |
| Asiana Airlines Asiana Club | 3:1 | Star Alliance | South Korea |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Colombia |
| British Airways Executive Club | 3:1 | Oneworld | United Kingdom |
| Cathay Pacific | 3:1 | Oneworld | Hong Kong |
| China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club | 3:1 | None | China |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Panama |
| Delta SkyMiles | 3:1 | SkyTeam | United States |
| Emirates Skywards | 3:1 | None | United Arab Emirates |
| Etihad Guest | 3:1 | None | United Arab Emirates |
| FRONTIER Miles | 3:1 | None | United States |
| Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club | 3:1 | None | China |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | 3:1 | None | United States |
| Iberia Plus | 3:1 | Oneworld | Spain |
| Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank | 3:1 | Oneworld | Japan |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | 3:1 | SkyTeam | South Korea |
| LATAM Airlines LATAM Pass | 3:1 | None | Chile |
| Multiplus Fidelidade LATAM Pass | 3:1 | None | Brazil |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 3:1 | Oneworld | Australia |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 3:1 | Oneworld | Qatar |
| Saudia Alfursan | 3:1 | SkyTeam | Saudi Arabia |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Singapore |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | 3:1 | None | United States |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Portugal |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Thailand |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 3:1 | Star Alliance | Turkey |
| United MileagePlus | 3:1 | Star Alliance | United States |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 3:1 | None | United Kingdom |
| Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer | 3:1 | None | Australia |
| Vueling Club | 3:1 | None | Spain |
Of these 39 airlines, 13 are part of Star Alliance, 8 are part of OneWorld, 5 are part of SkyTeam, and 13 are not part of any alliance. This shows the diversity of airlines that partner with. And even the diversity of the country is commendable.
5000 Bonus Miles on Transfer of Marriott Points to Airline Partners
You will earn a bonus of 5000 miles on the transfer of every 60000 Marriott Bonvoy points to all airlines except four airlines, namely, American Airlines, Avianca Lifemiles, Delta SkyPass, and Korean Air SkyPass.
With the 5000 Bonus miles, the effective transfer ratio is 1: 0.416 miles or 2:0.83. And, if you transfer to United Airlines, you will not get 5000 Bonus Miles but 10000 Bonus United Miles on every transfer of 60000 Marriott Bonvoy Points, effectively giving you a 2:1 transfer ratio.
This rule of Bonus Miles on every 60000 Points transfer is even true for a single transaction done in multiple of 60000. That means a 120000 transfer, and will give 10000 Bonus miles. You can only transfer 240000 Marriott Bonvoy Points daily to airlines; this limit is on a total basis and not airline-based.
Effectively, you can get 100000 Air miles in a day by transferring 240000 Marriott Bonvoy Points.
What are the rules for transferring Marriott Points to Airlines?
The following rules apply when transferring Marriott Points to airlines:
- A minimum of 3000 Marriott Points should be transferred.
- A maximum of 240000 Marriott Points can be transferred in a day.
- 5000 Bonus Miles on every transfer of 60000 Marriott Bonvoy Points
- For United Airlines, the Bonus will be 10000 Miles.
- Four Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca Lifemiles, Delta Airlines & Korean Air Skypass don’t earn any bonus miles.
- Your name should match both your Marriott & Airlines accounts. If not sure, try to do a 3K transfer.
- Miles will be posted within a week.
How do you transfer Marriott Bonvoy Points to airline partners?
You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy Points online to airlines. Go to this link and log in. Then, choose the airline you want to transfer points to.
You will receive a code in your email, which you need to enter to make the successful transfer and upon successful transfer, you will receive a message.
Unique Airline Partners
Marriott has 23 unique airline partners. You can’t transfer your Credit Card points to any of these airlines. These airlines are:
- AEGEAN Miles+Bonus
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Aeromexico ClubPremier
- Air China PhoenixMiles
- Air New Zealand AirPoint
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- ANA Mileage Club
- Asiana Airlines
- Asiana Club
- China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club
- Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
- Delta SkyMiles
- FRONTIER Miles
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- Korean Air SKYPASS
- LATAM Airlines LATAM Pass
- Multiplus Fidelidade LATAM Pass
- Saudia Alfursan
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- Virgin Australia
- Velocity Frequent Flyer Vueling Club
Marriott Preferred Airline Partnership
Marriott has preferred partnerships with three airlines: Emirates, Singapore Airlines & United Airlines. All these partnerships are different from each other. You can enjoy the benefits of all three partnerships as these are mutually exclusive. Here is a summary of what this partnership offers:
| Airline | Benefit |
| Emirates | Earning Points & Miles Mutual Status Recognition [No Status Match] |
| Singapore Airlines | Miles to Points Transfer Mutual Status Challenger |
| United Airlines | Mutual Status Match Miles to Points Transfer Points to Miles Transfer Bonus |
When transferring to Airlines via Marriott is better than transferring through Amex?
Amex has eight airline partners in India. All these airlines are also partners of Marriott except Vistara. To these airlines, you can transfer at a 2:1 ratio, except for Vistara, to which a 3:1 ratio applies.
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- British Airways Executive Club Avios
- Club Vistara
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Qatar Privilege Club
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
You can transfer your American Express Membership points to Marriott in a 1:1 ratio. Then Marriott points can be transferred to these airlines in a 3:1 ratio with 5K Bonus miles. That means a direct transfer of 60K Amex points will give 30K Airmiles, whereas Marriott will give 25K Airmiles.
Every year, not certainly, there is a bonus on the transfer of Amex Points to Marriott. Usually, it is 30% Bonus Points. So, if there is a 30% bonus on Amex to Marriott, an additional 1000 miles is added to your miles balance.
However, during the year, there can be promotions where the airline gives bonus miles to transfer credit card points, like at Asia Miles. So, transferring via Marriott completely depends on your travel plan and needs.
| Amex Points | Amex to Airlines [2:1] | Bonus Amex to Marriott | Marriott Points | Via Marriott to Airlines [3:1] +5K Bonus |
| 60000 | 30000 | 0% | 60000 | 25000 |
| 60000 | 30000 | 10% | 66000 | 27000 |
| 60000 | 30000 | 20% | 72000 | 29000 |
| 60000 | 30000 | 25% | 75000 | 30000 |
| 60000 | 30000 | 30% | 78000 | 31000 |
| 60000 | 30000 | 35% | 81000 | 32000 |
| 60000 | 30000 | 40% | 84000 | 33000 |
| 60000 | 30000 | 50% | 90000 | 35000 |
Should you transfer Marriott Points to Airlines?
I value one Marriott point at INR 0.6, which means a 60K Marriott transfer is worth INR 36K. And, the Airmiles you will get on the transfer of 60K points is 25K miles. Even if I consider a mile worth INR 1, it is less than what Marriott would give me. However, redemption for Business Class or First Class can be a good way to get value from such a transfer.
For Example, the Delhi to Helenski Business Class flight on Finnair Airbus A350-900 costs 45K Alaska Miles, whereas the flight cost can be over INR 1 Lac. This gives Marriott Points a good value.
Overall, speculative transfers should be avoided and used to top-off miles or when you have a specific redemption in mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Marriott has a partnership with 39 airlines.
Yes. A Bonus of 5K [10K in the case of United] is given when a batch of 60K Marriott points is transferred.
No. Transfer of Marriott points to four Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca Lifemiles, Delta Airlines & Korean Air SkyPass don’t get any bonus miles.
Yes. A Maximum of 240000 Marriott points can be transferred in a day.
No. Vistara or Air India is not a Marriott Airlines partner, so points cannot be transferred.
No. It is not recommended to transfer points to airlines.
No. Once a transfer process is started, it can’t be cancelled.
Bottomline
There are a total of 39 Marriott Airline partners. So, Marriott can be a great way to get value at some amazing sweet spots of the airlines to which you can’t transfer credit card points. However, speculative transfer should not be done.
