Marriott and United Airlines have a “preferred partnership” that has been made slightly more lucrative. When you convert 60,000 Marriott points into United miles, you now receive a 10,000 mile bonus.

 

What Has Changed?

Old Method

Previously, Marriott Bonvoy points could be converted at a ratio of 3 Marriott points to 1.1 United miles. You would also earn the standard 5,000 mile bonus when converting exactly 60,000 Marriott points.

Because it only ever made sense to convert in chunks of 60,000 Marriott points, conversions of that amount would have become 27,500 United miles.

New Method

The 3 : 1.1 ratio has gone away.  Marriott to United conversions now use the standard 3 : 1 ratio of every other airline partner. However, thanks to the 10,000 mile bonus, you will receive 30,000 United miles when converting exactly 60,000 Marriott points.

As a result, you receive an extra 2,500 miles when converting your Marriott points efficiently –> good news!

Bottom Line

Thanks to this change – and the removal of the 5,000 mile bonus on conversions to American Airlines (click here for details) – United should become the clear preference of any Marriott Bonvoy members looking to convert their points into miles from a major US airline.

It’s also worth remembering that United usually offers a conversion bonus in September of every year.  (click here for details of 2022’s promotion)  Unless you are desperate for 30,000 United miles, you should try to wait for that promotion to come around.  That said, the bonus miles from 2022’s promotion took several months to arrive to members’ United Mileage Plus account…