United and Marriott have had a partnership for a while now and that partnership is deep enough that it involves comped elite status from one to another, mileage/point earning, and the transfer of miles and points between the two. See this page for more information.
Transfer 56K Marriott Points Into 31K United Miles
Since they have a tight partnership, you can get a discount of 20% when transferring Marriott points into United miles. That is helpful if you are needing an extra boost to another level but can also be seen as a good deal since Marriott points are not quite as useful in value as United miles may be. Here is the transfer structure for transferring Marriott points to United:
- 8,000 points to 2,000 miles
- 16,000 points to 5,000 miles
- 24,000 points to 10,000 miles
- 56,000 points to 25,000 miles
- 112,000 points to 50,000 miles
Limited-Time Transfer Bonus!
Take advantage of this promo to get some extra United miles from Marriott!
Before you transfer – you must register for this promo! The registration page is here.
However, for a limited-time (through August 31), United is giving an additional 25% bonus on the miles that you get from hotel programs (not just Marriott). This may be in answer to the great SPG/American transfer promo going on right now since it came after that promo was announced and ends when that promo ends.
Here is what that means for the above transferred amounts (this only applies for transfers that end with you receiving at least 5,000 miles):
- 8,000 points to 2,000 miles
- 16,000 points to
5,000 miles6,250 miles - 24,000 points to
10,000 miles12,500 miles - 56,000 points to
25,000 miles31,250 miles - 112,000 points to
50,000 miles62,500 miles
The promo allows for a bonus of up to 20,000 miles during this promo. As you can see, you will be receiving a nicer chunk of United miles for your transfer. If you have received one of the Marriott credit card offers (currently at 80,000) but would prefer United miles over Marriott points, this is a good time to make such a transfer.
Promo Details:
- Register (at the link above or here) with your United number
- Transfer hotel points before August 31
- Collect 25% bonus on miles earned when at least 5,000 miles are earned from the transfer
- The promo cap is 20,000 United miles from this 25% bonus
All Hotel -> United Programs Are Included
This works with all the other hotel point programs that United works with as well. It is just that the transfer ratio (to value of the points) is not as good as the Marriott -> United transfer. In pure numbers, however, Hyatt is a good transfer as well.
But, I value Hyatt points at a better value than United miles so consider first if that is what you want to do (especially since the Hyatt credit card does not offer points but free nights). Because they are both transfer partners of Chase’s Ultimate Rewards, you may find yourself transferring Hyatt points that could once have been transferred directly to United for 1:1 (assuming that you transferred them from UR to Hyatt).
See this page at United for other hotel transfer ratios.
Charlie,
I have 180k+ Marriott points, mostly from the 140k signup bonus on the Ritz Carlton card. And now I am planning a trip to Hawaii for my family of 4 and I don’t technically need it but I could use more United miles to get us there. what do you think is worth more? 112k Marriott points or 62.5k United?
Personally, my needs exist more towards United miles than the Marriott points, but it would come down to what you need them the most for. Personally, I would consider doing a Hotel & Air package (especially if you do not yet have hotels for Hawaii). It starts at 200,000 points and that gives you 7 nights at a Category 1-5 plus 55,000 United miles. Considering the 25% bonus you would get when those miles transfer, you would end up with 68,750 miles plus the 7 nights for 200K instead of fewer United miles and no nights for 112K Marriott points. Does all of that make sense?
My father has 160k Marriott points that he will never use and United does not fly to his city. Can he transfer his Marriott points to my United account? Or can he transfer to my Marriott and then I transfer to United? We have the same last name.
Technically no, but you can transfer to someone else’s Marriott account to book a reward. You could try to initiate the transfer to your Marriott account and see if they make you have a reward ready to book. If so, just tell them that you are transferring them to your airline account. Not having done this, I cannot say for sure.
Of course, you could always transfer to his United account and then just book your own United tickets from his account. No problems there.
Here is what Marriott says about transferring points: