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After last week’s Wanderlust Wednesday post about staying in an overwater bungalow in the Maldives for free, I got a lot of messages about travel hacking and wanting to know more details. So I decided to do a a few more travel hacking posts and get into more specifics. This week, I am going to focus on how to earn Marriott points fast.

How to earn Marriott points fast

Earning Marriott points isn’t just about the Maldives. In addition to staying in the Maldives, I have spent 5 nights at the Westin Aspen Snowmass (a ski in/ski out resort on the mountain) and 5 nights at a Courtyard in Kauai on the beach for free. There have been many other Marriott stays, but those are the “coolest” that I have done just to give you examples as to what is possible. The key is to earn Marriott points quickly so you can get closer to your next vacation. Here are 8 different ways to earn Marriott points.

1. Join the Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Program through a Referral

Now you are probably reading this article as someone already signed up for the Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Program, but if you are not yet signed up, this is your first way that you can learn how to earn Marriott points fast. If you are referred by someone who is already a member, you are eligible to receive 2,000 bonus points for your first 5 paid stays. The person who referred you is also eligible for 2,000 bonus points for each of your first 5 paid stays as well. This is a win-win for you and the person who referred you. Looking for someone to refer you? Reach out to me via email (found under “Contact US” on this website and I would be happy to refer you.

2. Refer your friends to Marriott Bonvoy

If you skipped #1 as you are already a Marriott Bonvoy member, know that you can refer up to 5 friends per calendar year to the Marriott Bonvoy program.

Here’s how the Reward a Friend program works:

• Send invitations to your friends.
• They receive 2,000 points per stay, up to 10,000 Marriott points
• You receive 2,000 points for each time they stay, up to 10,000 Marriott points for a maximum of 5 referrals per year. That’s 50,000 extra Marriott points!

3. Get a Marriott Co-Branded credit card

If you are looking for how to earn Marriott points fast, the quickest way will be via a Marriott credit card. Although it isn’t a requirement for travel hacking it is one of the easiest ways to boost your points account. Many travel hackers have maintained excellent credit scores while applying for and being approved for multiple cards per year.

The card that I have personally is the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card by Chase. The current deal is that after spending $3,000 in the first three months, you would earn 3 free night stays. This credit card also gets you automatic Silver Status with Marriott which helps you earn points at a higher rate.

DISCLAIMER: I do get a referral if you click on the link to sign up for this card, but it does not change your bonus points you earn, so hey I would appreciate it!

4. Stay at Marriott Hotels

This probably goes without saying, but staying at Marriott Hotels earns Marriott points, Marriott owns a variety of hotel brands so the name on the hotel doesn’t have to be “Marriott” in order to qualify you for points. Here is a list of the Marriott hotels:

AC Hotels by Marriott
Aloft Hotel
Autograph Collection
Bulgari
Courtyard
Delta Hotel
Edition
Element
Fairfield Inn
Four Points by Sheraton
Gaylord
JW Marriott
Le Meridien
Luxury Collection
Marriott
MOXY
Protea Hotel
Renaissance
Residence Inn
Ritz-Carlton
Sheraton Hotels
Springhill Suites
St Regis
TownePlace Suites
Tribute Portfolio
W Hotel
Westin

The majority of Marriott hotels award 10 points per $1 spent on stays. The only exceptions are Element, Townplace Suites and Residence Inn properties which award five points per $1 spent.

5. Earn Marriott Status

Staying at Marriott owned hotels can help you earn Marriott Elite Status. Marriott now offers five levels of elite status: Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador. Just by signing up and becoming a Marriott Bonvoy Member, you’ll get free standard Wi-Fi, and each tier of status unlocks a number of additional perks and higher amounts of points earned per dollar spent. The lowest tier status is Silver Elite and this is achieved after staying 10 nights in a calendar year.

6. Sign up for the Marriott Promotions

When you sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy Rewards program you will enter an email that allows the rewards program to contact you. These emails will alert you to upcoming promotions that are being offered and these are additional ways to earn Marriott points. Promotions can also be on the Marriott Bonvoy app as well. The current promotion gives an extra 1,500 bonus points for stays of 2 nights or more. These promotions change constantly, check back on the app regularly to make sure you have signed up.

7. Book your Rental Car through Marriott

As discussed in my last post, booking rental cars is another way to earn points. Marriott has a partnership with Hertz. If you are already planning to rent a car then we never want to let a points-earning opportunity go to waste.

8. Link your Social Media Accounts with Marriott

If you link your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with your Marriott Bonvoy account, you will get 250 points for each. You will also get additional points for following Marriott Bonvoy on Twitter.

Hopefully you now learned how to earn Marriott points fast and you can begin to accumulate points quickly so that you can get to your next vacation ASAP. Once you have earned these points, Marriott allows you to redeem 4 nights with points and get the 5th night free. This means your points stretch farther if you redeem them in 5 night stays at a time. Do you have any tips for earning points with Marriott? Let me know in the comments below!

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