Marriott and Uber just partnered up and now you can earn Marriott points when utilizing Uber for rides or food deliveries and pick up. But the earning rates are a little limited and it takes a few steps to get set up. In this article I will break down exactly how the benefit works and give you some insight into the value you can get.
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What is the Marriott Bonvoy Uber Partnership?
By linking your Marriott and Uber account you can earn extra Marriott points when using certain types of Uber services.
And for a limited time, members who link their accounts and have at least one qualifying transaction by May 31 will earn an extra 2,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points.
Marriott Bonvoy Uber earning rates
Below are the earning rates you can expect with this partnership:
- 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on Uber Eats deliveries to hotels operating under Marriott brands in the United States with a minimum $25 basket
- 2X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on non-hotel deliveries and food pick-ups in the United States with a minimum $25 basket
- 3X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on Uber XL, Comfort and Black rides across the United States
You can value a Marriott points at around .77 cents per point. This means that the earning rates above will come out to the following cash back rates:
- 4.62% Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on Uber Eats deliveries to hotels operating under Marriott brands in the United States with a minimum $25 basket,
- 1.54% Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on non-hotel deliveries and food pick-ups in the United States with a minimum $25 basket.
- 2.3% Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on Uber XL, Comfort and Black rides across the United States.
There are a few key takeaways here.
The first is that this earning partnership is only triggered for orders and rides in the US. (Only Marriott Bonvoy members who reside in the U.S. and have a U.S. phone number associated with their Uber account are eligible.)
The 6X on Uber Eats is only available when getting Uber Eats deliveries to Marriott hotels and you must hit a minimum “basket” of $25.
Something key to note about the terms and conditions is that they state:
A “Qualifying Transaction” means (i) a ride taken with Uber XL, Uber Black, Uber SUV or Uber Comfort; or (ii) an order placed through Uber Eats in an amount of $25 U.S. dollars or more after the calculation of any applicable promotions or discounts (excluding taxes, fees, and tips)
So you will have to be ordering $25 worth of actual food to trigger these earnings.
2X Marriott points on regular deliveries and pick ups with a minimum $25 basket is okay. It’s better than not earning additional Marriott points obviously but it’s not the most exciting earning rate.
The 3X on Uber rides only applies to Uber XL, Comfort and Black rides across the United States. Those are not the most common type of rides for a lot of people so many budget-conscious Uber users may not be able to take advantage of this.
Related: 17 Uber Hacks to Save Money and Time
How to link your Marriott account with Uber
- Log into your Uber app. (I’m not sure if you can do this from the UberEats app so you might have to log into the main Uber app.)
- Click on the three lines in the top left corner.
- Tap on settings
- Scroll down to under rewards and you should see Marriott Bonvoy
- Tap Marriott Bonvoy, then tap Link Account on the next screen
- Sign in to your Marriott account and wait for confirmation
The Lyft alternative
It’s good to not forget that you could also utilize the Chase partnership with Lyft to earn extra points. You might be able to earn 5X or 10X on rides depending on if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphirre Preferred.
Assuming the prices would be the same or similar, I would much rather earn 10X Ultimate Rewards on all Lyft rides than potentially 3X Marriott Bonvoy points on Uber rides. From a value proposition perspective, those earnings are not even remotely close. (You can also earn miles with Delta or points with Hilton via Lyft.)
The thing is, you can also earn impressive points on your Uber orders. For example, the American Express Gold card codes as 4X with Uber Eats. So it is possible that you could earn, on a standard order, 2X Marriott points plus 4X Membership Rewards.
Of course, you can also use Uber credits from the Gold Card or the Platinum Card. (If you use one of these credits to cover your order, you should still earn Marriott points.)
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve Lyft Benefits Ultimate Guide
Final word
Overall, this is a nice way to earn additional Marriott points but the earning potential is a bit limited. 2X is not super impressive especially when compared to the earning rates that Chase offers for Lyft. However, if you order a lot during your Marriott stays that 6X on top of a potential 4X is a pretty nice stack.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
