Lesson #2 Purchasing Points… DON’T DO IT.

Purchasing Marriott Rewards Points

“If you’re just short of enough points for a particular redemption option, you may want to purchase a small number of Marriott Rewards Points to top off your account.

Another reason you might purchase points is to keep your points from expiring, since Marriott Rewards Points expire after 24 months of inactivity on your account.

Members may purchase a maximum of 50,000 points per calendar year in increments of 1,000 at a rate of $12.50 per 1,000 points.”

Above is an excerpt from an article I read today about buying rewards points… I’m here to tell you, as an individual with plenty of experience in the field of: awarding points, tracking how many points properties are giving away, finding trends in the reasons behind why these points are being awarded, and calculating the actual dollar amount it costs the hotel to give points! This is crucial information for you to know before making the unforgivable decision of purchasing points… but also for you to know when you are being offered compensation. What might sound like a lot of points may cost the hotel very little, or may not be comparable to whatever inconvenience occurred – vise versa, you may be getting offered an amount you should never turn down! It does fluctuate depending on the hotel, level of service, franchise or not, etc… but on average it costs a property $32.50 to award 5,000 points (compensation related). THAT’S A MARK UP OF 100%. Imagine walking into a store and they offer you this deal; If you buy any of our products online, it will cost you 2 times what you will pay if you buy it right here with us! The choice is obvious. I know what your thinking, “Just because it costs the hotel that much doesn’t mean I can get them for that much” – that is where you are wrong my friends, for I have developed a method, actually several methods, that will allow you to earn, buy, or qualify to get those extra points you want so badly AT or BELOW COST. I’m excited to share these methods with you in some of my future posts, but if you share this post with your colleagues and send me an email or message; I’ll spill the exclusive details with you now! We will revisit the topic of purchasing points and the evident alternatives to this very soon as long as you promise me that you will never, EVER, buy points.

TO SUMMARIZE: Buying Marriott Points is like buying a flat screen TV the day before the Black Friday it’s scheduled to go on sale 50% off… you wouldn’t and you shouldn’t.