Frankly, points and miles open to travel opportunities that many may not be able to reach. While you may want your redemption to always remain luxurious, not everyone will be. Sometimes, for example, using points for practical redemption on standard hotel accommodations can save you money.
I am a loyal college football fan and travel a lot to see my team, the Oregon Ducks. In particular, there is a game on the calendar I played this season: Oregon vs. Penn State. I’m likely not able to go without the help of points.
Here is my way of saving over $1,500 by using points to unlock the door to your next hotel accommodation.
I saved $1,500 with points on college football weekend
Oregon vs. Penn State will be held at Penn State, a small town with a population of just over 40,000, but the football field can accommodate more than 106,000 people. This particular game is a top ten showdown and the famous “White Elimination” game. Penn State holds a white game every year, usually against the second-ranked opponent, all fans wear white. It is one of the loudest sporty atmospheres and it sounds absolutely deafening even when viewed on TV. I must pack some earbuds. The stadium will be sold out.
State University is a small town, so there are limited options for hotels, and most hotels sell out several months in advance.
As someone who travels a lot to college football games, I know hotel prices are absolutely silly. The price for that weekend, staying from Friday to Sunday, is absolutely ridiculous, with basic hotels like the Hampton Inn or Hyatt Hotels up to $750 per night. Admittedly, it’s a small college town, so I didn’t expect there would be a Ritz-Carlton or Conrad Hotel, but I did have some sticker shock when I saw the yard of Marriott Courtyards at a price of up to $1,100 a night.
You might think: “There must be cheap hotels in the city”, and there are. But frankly, I don’t want to stay there, nor do I want to pay $500 for a motel 6.
Usually, in major events, the hotel’s points supply is very limited. If I want to get a lot of deals and use points, I always have to search for a wide range every day, sometimes even make reservations every day. I searched for hotels with points in Marriott and Hyatt. I only searched for these two chains because I have a Marriott Point inventory and using Hyatt I can transfer chase ultimate reward points and get extremely high value. Hyatt is the only hotel partner I transfer my credit card points to. I didn’t even go and search for Hilton because I don’t have any Hilton points and don’t like to transfer points to Hilton because it usually provides very poor redemption value due to frequent devaluation.
Hyatt has no points. I was disappointed because there was a Hyatt Hotel opposite the stadium that caught my attention. Unfortunately, hotels tend to limit night supply or significantly increase points prices when demand is strong.
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I also checked the Marriott Hotel’s Bonvoy app every day, hoping to find a reward, but nothing. I’ve been searching because I refuse to spend more than $1,500 on average at a hotel. Ultimately, I was lucky that the Fairfield Inn & Suites at the Marriott Hotel showed up at just 25,000 Marriott points per night. I booked immediately.
I was having a hard time using Marriott Bonvoy points I worked hard to use, so I was ecstatic when I found this deal. TPG’s September 2025 valuation PEG Marriott Bonvoy points were 0.7 cents, making the 50,000 Bonvoy points just $350. With the cash price exceeding $1,500, I’m worth 3 cents per point, almost four times the TPG’s valuation, which is almost unheard of for Marriott’s frequent devaluation.
While the hotel I stayed in was no surprise, it would get the job done. Also, I probably wouldn’t spend a lot of time in the room anyway.
Related: 5 Reasons Every Sports Fan Should Have Chase Sapphire Reserve
How I Win a Marriott Point
I got all Marriott points just by completing the accommodation and targeted promotions. And I know it might be shocking, but I don’t have millions of credit cards and still have top titanium elite status. I get a big portion of the annual bonus points promotion from Marriott (seemingly) where you earn an additional 1,000 points per night in a qualified stay. The promotion is usually conducted from part of February to April and I always take advantage of it. I also got quite a few points when I had problems with my stay, just like I got 80,000 points when I stayed in Paris during the Olympics during the period when I stayed in Marriott.
TPG Tip: I always add hotel bar or restaurant fees to my room bill so I can earn Marriott points for those fees.
How to earn Dr. Marriott Points
Here are some of the best ways to earn Marriott points:
There are many ways to get Marriott Points, but I only recommend the first two options (I will jump in later).
Which cards can earn Marriott Bonvoy points?
The easiest way to earn Bonvoy points is to hold a shared Marriott hotel card. You will earn Bonvoy points on all purchases. Here are some popular cards and their welcome quotes:
Related: 5 Ways to Maximize Marriott Hotels
Transfer points from a credit card plan
Scores transferred from a credit card program to a Marriott hotel will usually yield poor returns, even if the transfer bonuses are worth less than the credit card points, which is our September 2025 valuation.
You can transfer points from American Express membership rewards, Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy. Points are transferred at a 1:1 ratio, but many times these issuers will offer transfer bonuses and you will get more points.
Additionally, Bilt Rewards offers 5,000 reward BONVOY points per 20,000 BILT points.
Normally, unless it’s the World of Hyatt, I don’t object to the loyalty program that transfers credit card rewards to hotels. Hyatt World still uses fixed reward charts so you can earn amazing value and maximize your credit card rewards. However, if you need to redeem redemption from your account or just want to save money by redeeming your reward, it may make sense to transfer your credit card points.
If you do want to take the transfer route, here are some popular cards with rewards that you can transfer to Marriott Hotel and its welcome offers:
- American Express® Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for up to 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
American Express Platinum Card®: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for up to 175,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
BiltMastercard® (See rates and fees): There are currently no offers available. - Chase Sapphire Priority® Card (See interest rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points in the first three months of opening an account.
- Chase SapphireReserve® (See Interest Rates and Fees): Spend $6,000 in the first three months of opening an account and earn 125,000 bonus points.
Related: Why I’ve Transfered Marriott Hotel to Airline for the First Time
Bottom line
Points and mileage redemptions do not always have to be luxurious. Whenever you can save a lot of money, you should consider using rewards. My rugby college redemption wasn’t any charm, but it saved me a lot of money and got me to see my favorite team games. Without points, I might watch the game on the couch.
For the rates and fees of Bilt MasterCard, click here.
For the rewards and benefits of BILT Mastercard, click here.
