Finally, a testimonial for the famous Marriott points, the ones everyone should have. The first of many such testimonials (including yours, I hope). The ONLY deal that’s for all travelers without exception has its ONLY increased offer of the year right now; you definitely shoudn’t miss it!!! You’re going to get 86,000 points, which is the equivalent of 21 free nights (!!!) in this beautiful Bali hotel that I really enjoyed (I’ll explain that)!
We’re continuing Flytrippers’ new testimonials feature with concrete examples of travel rewards redemptions, which will also soon include testimonials from YOU, our beloved fans. We know you’ve earned at least 3 million dollars just with the travel rewards deals we shared, so we want to share your testimonials!
This example is for those who want to maximize the quantity of free nights they get, rather than the quantity of money saved (we have testimonials coming for that, too).
Here’s a first example of redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points, the best hotel chain points for Canadians (which everyone should have, especially right now).
Me
This section will be especially useful for when our fans, like you, will share a testimonial — so you can know at least a little bit about them.
In my case, for those who haven’t been following my travel stories over the last 8 years since I co-founded Flytrippers, my priority is traveling more — I used to travel about 10 times per year. So I made decisions accordingly and tried to save on almost everything. But now I’ve slowed down somewhat. And finally, I travel solo more often than with my girlfriend or friends.
My trip
Last fall, an airline, SAS, was giving 1 million points (value of ≈ $15,000 to UNLIMITED) to those who completed a flight on 15 airlines who are part of the SkyTeam airline alliance.
(That inspired Turkish Airlines to do the same thing; I’m leaving this Wednesday to get another million points and another incredible adventure; I’ll share my destination choices on all 6 continents on Monday!)
So I already told you about my epic round-the-world trip for that 1M points.
In short, I was treating it as a business trip (where the business was getting the 1M points) and I was mostly concentrating on just surviving the 22 flights in 24 days.
The only detour I made (detour in the sense that it could have been avoided as a destination) was to go test the 2 Marriott hotels in Bali that cost very few points. I’m starting with the cheaper one here.
So I only spent 3 nights in Bali this time (it’s still the place where I spent the most time during the entire trip; that’s how crazy it was), but I had already been there in 2019.
My free hotel experience (Marriott Bonvoy)
Here are the details of my hotel:
- Program: Marriott Bonvoy
- Hotel: Four Points by Sheraton Bali, Ungasan
- Location: Ungasan, Bali (Indonesia)
- Length of stay: 1 night
- Date: November 21, 2025
Overall, the hotel is really very nice.
It was super quiet, with several pools, including the infinity pool, which gives a pretty nice view of the surrounding greenery.
There was also a beautiful pond, so it felt somewhat like being in nature.
The hotel lobby was pretty, with a waterfall.
The room was very nice.
It was very modern in style.
The bathroom was very nice too, with a lovely shower.
I had a balcony. It wasn’t the view of the century obviously, but it wasn’t horrible either!
I even had a small dessert waiting for me, in addition to being offered a welcome drink.
Finally, the breakfast, free thanks to my Marriott Bonvoy elite status, was very elaborate.
I still preferred the other hotel.
Just because this one’s location is a bit more out of the way. If you’re the type who likes to do nothing by a pool for days like a fascinating number of people like to do, it’s perfect. But that’s not me.
I’m going to share an even more detailed review of this hotel separately soon. I already talked about it a bit in my post about the 15 Marriott hotels from that trip.
Cash price for my hotel: $84
Indonesia is one of the best affordable countries in the world, so the hotel didn’t cost very much with cash. It was only $84 per night, all taxes included, which is $42 per night per person if you have a travel companion.
I repeat that with Marriott points, you can choose to maximize the number of free nights you get or to maximize the number of dollars saved. That’s the basics. Here I’m talking about maximizing the quantity of nights, obviously.
While I’m starting to redeem more and more rewards of the more lucrative type from airlines for flights in luxurious lie-flat business class pod seats… for hotels, I continue to generally prefer maximizing the number of nights, since I obviously don’t go somewhere to stay locked up in a hotel (and since even the cheapest Marriott hotels are very nice).
My travel rewards redemption: $0 and 4,800 Marriott points
Here are the details of my travel rewards redemption:
- Program: Marriott Bonvoy
- Price: 4,800 Marriott points
- Taxes/fees: $0
- Cash price: $84
- Savings: $84
- Value obtained: 1.8¢/pt
- Flytrippers Valuation: ≈ 0.9¢/pt
Once again, in terms of value, it’s not as good as my upcoming testimonials. But getting the equivalent of 18 free nights in a beautiful hotel with just one welcome bonus is still pretty phenomenal. If your travel companion takes advantage of the deal too, you get the equivalent of 36 free nights for you to share together!
It’s a decent value of 1.8¢/pt because I saved $84 with 4,800 points. If you don’t understand this important calculation, you can read the basics of rewards value.
Here’s the short version of the explanation. With Marriott Bonvoy, point redemptions do not have guaranteed fixed pricing, unlike with most airline points.
So this was a discounted “PointSaver” rate that you can’t get for 18 straight days and that is a little rarer, so that’s why I said you get the “equivalent” of 18 free nights (that’s still the math, and that shows you a great example of the potential value).
Currently, you can book 14 free nights in this hotel with the increased welcome bonus, as I shared last week. That’s also very good. But I wanted to show you that it can even give you more, as I got this fall with this example.
My strategy to earn these travel rewards (Marriott Bonvoy points)
Marriott points are quite easy to earn in Canada! Especially right now.
There are 2 Marriott Bonvoy cards, and you can get both (yes, even the “business” version, which doesn’t require having an incorporated business at all). As mentioned, both have an increased offer. It’s until August 18, and it’s their only one of the year.
So my strategy was simple: I got these cards! For me and my girlfriend.
Then, since those are the only ones everyone should always keep (they give an amazing certificate at each renewal), I have other tips to earn a lot more Marriott points that I’ll share with you in an updated guide on Marriott soon.
How you too can do the exact same thing right now
In Flytrippers’ infographic with all the basics of travel rewards, you can read THE most important thing to understand in the entire wonderful world of travel rewards: the best way to earn a lot of rewards is always with welcome bonuses.
Here’s Flytrippers’ ranking of the best credit cards for Marriott points right now.
| Best credit cards for Marriott points |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Valuation (BONUS)(≈ 28.3% back on $3k)
Rewards: ≈ $969
Card fee: $120
Spend required:$3k in 3 mos. spend $3k in 3 mos. &
make 1 purchase in months 15-17
Best for: 86,000 pts after welcome bonus
 LUCRATIVE
No min. inc.
ends August 18th
|
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|
Valuation (BONUS) (≈ 15.6% back on $6k)
Rewards: ≈ $1083
Card fee: $150
Spend required:$6k in 3 mos. spend $6k in 3 mos. &
make 1 purchase in months 15-17
Best for: 102,000 pts after welcome bonus
LUCRATIVE
No min. inc.
ends August 18th
|
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| Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Financial institutions are not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "See More" to see most up-to-date information. |
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Best credit cards for Marriott points |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LUCRATIVENo min. inc.
Valuation (BONUS)
Rewards: ≈ $969
Card fee: $120 (≈ 28.3% back on $3k)
Spend required:
$3k in 3 mos. spend $3k in 3 mos. &
make 1 purchase in months 15-17 Best for: 86,000 pts after welcome bonus
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LUCRATIVENo min. inc.
Valuation (BONUS)
Rewards: ≈ $1083
Card fee: $150 (≈ 15.6% back on $6k)
Spend required:
$6k in 3 mos. spend $6k in 3 mos. &
make 1 purchase in months 15-17 Best for: 102,000 pts after welcome bonus
|
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| Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Financial institutions are not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "See More" to see most up-to-date information. |
It’s quite simple: Get the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card if you don’t have it yet. Get the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card if you already have the first one.
Make sure your travel companion does the same thing, too. And all your loved ones too; if they’re not interested in points, you can send them to your account easily and for free😉!
Don’t miss our detailed guide on Marriott, an invitation for a free webinar about hotel chain points, and so much more soon! In the meantime, you can read how Marriott points work.
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Summary
Flytrippers is launching a new feature showcasing concrete examples of travel rewards redemptions. My beautiful hotel at the incredible price of only 4,800 points is an excellent way to start this initiative beautifully for Marriott points specifically. You are now invited to reach out to us by email if you have a travel rewards testimonial to share, so you can inspire others and even receive a $25 gift card.
What would you like to know about this Marriott Bonvoy points redemption testimonial? Tell us in the comments below.
See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights
Discover free travel with rewards: Travel rewards
Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration
Learn pro tricks: Travel tips
Featured image: The Four Points by Sheraton Bali, Ungasan hotel (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)
