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Can You Transfer Marriott Points to Another Person? (2026)

Marriott is one of the friendlier programs about moving points between people. There are caps, an account-age rule, and one clause about divorce decrees you would not expect. Here is how it works and when it is worth doing.

By iBuyPoints Editorial TeamUpdated August 17, 20265 min read

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Yes, and Marriott is more relaxed about it than most

Marriott Bonvoy allows member-to-member point transfers, and it does not ask who the other person is to you. Spouse, sibling, college roommate, business partner. Any member in good standing can send points to any other member in good standing, within limits Marriott spells out in its terms.

That alone puts Marriott ahead of programs that only allow transfers to a household member at the same address, or that charge by the point. So if you have a Bonvoy balance and someone else has the trip, the answer to the question in the title is a straightforward yes.

Now the details, because the details are where transfers go wrong.

The limits Marriott publishes

Straight from the Bonvoy terms, as of this writing:

Rule What Marriott says
Sending cap A member can transfer up to 100,000 points per calendar year to another membership account.
Receiving cap A member can receive up to 500,000 points per calendar year from other membership accounts.
Account age Both accounts must be in good standing and open for at least 30 days with qualifying activity, or 90 days without qualifying activity.
Buying as a gift Separate from transfers. Members may purchase points for themselves or as a gift for another member, up to a combined 150,000 points per calendar year through the storefronts.

Read the caps as per-person, per-year. One member can send 100,000 out. One member can take 500,000 in. So a family of five could each send their full 100,000 to one traveler and land right at that traveler's receiving cap. (Marriott clearly thought about the family-consolidation case. The asymmetry is deliberate.)

The account-age rule catches people who open a fresh account for a relative and try to fund it the same week. Thirty days with activity, ninety without. Plan around it.

The clause nobody expects

Marriott's terms also carve out a separate path for divorce. If a court order expressly directs one member to transfer points to the other, Marriott will move unredeemed points between the two accounts as ordered, on submission of the decree and contact details for both members. Rare, but it tells you something: Marriott treats a Bonvoy balance as a real asset that can be divided, and it has a process for it.

How the transfer actually happens

Transfers run through your Bonvoy account or through Marriott member support, using the recipient's name and member number. Get the number exactly right. (Bonvoy numbers are long, and one digit off is a stranger's account.) A transfer to the wrong account is not something you want to try to unwind. Once sent, treat the points as gone from your side.

Timing varies. Allow a few days rather than assuming the points will land in time for a same-day booking. And remember that the receiving account has to clear the age and standing rules too, not just yours.

Do you even need to transfer?

Often, no. Ask what the other person is trying to do.

If they need a hotel stay, you can usually just book it. Redeem from your own account and put the traveler's name on the reservation. No transfer, no cap consumed, no waiting for points to post, no typo risk on a member number. Confirm with the property that a guest can check in without the member present, since practice can vary, but this is the everyday way families use one person's points for another person's trip.

A transfer earns its keep when the recipient wants to hold the points, combine them with their own for a stay that neither balance covers alone, or use them at a time and place you would rather not manage. Consolidation before a big trip is the classic case. So is a parent handing points to an adult child who travels more.

What are the points worth before you move them?

Worth knowing before you send 100,000 of anything. Independent valuations put Marriott Bonvoy points around 0.8 cents each, so the annual sending cap is real value but not a fortune, and the 500,000 receiving cap is either a lot of hotel nights or a modest sum of dollars, depending on how the recipient will use it. Our Marriott Bonvoy valuation guide covers where that number comes from and which stays beat it, and the cents-per-point calculator checks any specific redemption. If the recipient will redeem well, transfer. If not, the dollar figure is the more useful one, and the Marriott Bonvoy calculator on our sell page gives you that for your exact balance.

What a transfer does not fix

Bonvoy points expire after 24 months without qualifying activity, and a transfer is not a magic reset for a balance nobody plans to use. Moving idle points to a relative who also will not use them just relocates the problem. And a transfer is permanent. If the trip falls through, the points are theirs, not yours.

So before you send, be honest about whether the points have a trip in front of them at all. If they do, transfer or just book. If they do not, keep the account active with any qualifying activity and hold, or turn the balance into cash.

For a balance nobody is going to redeem, selling is usually the best option. It is legal in the United States (our guide Is It Legal to Sell Points? has the detail), and a legitimate broker keeps it simple: no program transfer involved and none of the caps above consumed; a specialist confirms the offer by phone and payment comes straight to you. iBuyPoints is one such broker. Run your balance through the Marriott Bonvoy calculator for a quote, and payment goes out via PayPal, typically within 1 business day.

Every rule above comes from the Marriott Bonvoy Terms and Conditions, which Marriott revises from time to time. Check the current version before you move a large balance. Caps and account rules are exactly the kind of thing that changes quietly.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions, answered straight.

Yes. Marriott Bonvoy lets a member transfer points to another member, no relationship required. The published limits are 100,000 points sent per calendar year and 500,000 points received per calendar year, and both accounts must be in good standing and open for at least 30 days with qualifying activity (or 90 days without).

The Bonvoy terms set the annual caps and account rules for member-to-member transfers and do not list a per-point charge for them. Buying points as a gift for someone is a separate, priced product with its own cap. Check the transfer flow in your account for any current processing details before you send.

Transfers are typically processed within a few days, though timing can vary. If the recipient needs the points for a specific booking, start early rather than the day of.

In many cases, yes. You can redeem your own points for a stay and put the traveler on the reservation. Confirm the reservation and check-in rules with the property before relying on it, since a guest without the member present can occasionally raise questions at the desk.

Then transferring solves nothing. Bonvoy points expire after 24 months without qualifying activity, so an idle balance needs a plan. If the plan is cash, iBuyPoints buys Marriott balances outright: request a free quote, a specialist confirms the payout by phone, and payment arrives via PayPal, typically within 1 business day.

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