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Marriott Bonvoy and Uber Adjust Linked Point-Earning Rates
Marriott Bonoy and Uber have announced some big updates to their partnership that will impact customers.
About the changes to the Marriott Bonvoy-Uber partnership
In the coming weeks, those who link their Marriott Bonvoy and Uber accounts will see changes to the points they earn. Now, those customers will earn 2 points per dollar spent on UberX Reserve rides. This joins the existing perk of earning 3x points on Uber Premium rides, including UberXL, Uber Black, Uber SUV, and Uber Comfort.
Yet, the biggest change has come to Uber Eats orders. While customers could previously earn 6 points per dollar spent on Uber Eats food or grocery orders delivered while staying at Marriott portfolio hotels, this earning rate will now be reduced to 2x points. Moreover, it will now only apply to deliveries made to Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, or Element hotels. Order must also be for $40 or more to qualify.
Lastly, although regular Uber Eats orders previously earned 2 points per dollar spent, this will now be reduced to 1x. Once again, this also only applies to orders of $40 or more.
In addition to those changes for point earning rates, the two companies are introducing one new perk to the program. Now, those with an Uber One annual membership can earn complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. With this status, guests can earn 10% bonus points on stays, enjoy priority late checkout, access free WiFi, and more.
Marriott Bonvoy and Uber first launched their partnership in 2021, allowing customers to link their accounts to earn bonus Bonvoy Points. At launch, customers could also earn a bonus of 2,000 Bonvoy points when they made an Uber Eats order of $25 or more in a certain timeframe.
These new updates to the program are set to take effect on October 14, 2024.
My thoughts:
Overall, these are pretty negative changes. However, it might not be as bad as it seems — and there are some silver linings. For one, even though dropping from 6x to 2x and severely limiting the number of hotels available for the “Uber Eats order while on Marriott property” category seems dramatic, I can’t imagine that people were really racking up that many points with this deal. Meanwhile, the reduction of 2x points to 1x points for regular Uber Eats orders is disappointing — but upping the required spending to $40 from the original $25 (note: it was already raised to $40 somewhere along the way) is the bigger hindrance, in my opinion.
As for those silver linings I mentioned, ironically, the silver status may not be one of them. That’s because this low-end status likely won’t be too valuable to most travelers — although free WiFi at certain properties could actually make a difference. Instead, though, I’m most excited about the ability to earn 2x on Uber X Reserve bookings. When I have an early flight or other important event, I prefer to pay a bit extra to book ahead and gain some peace of mind. Therefore, being able to now earn bonus Marriott Bonvoy points at the same time is icing on the cake.
Of course, despite that minor positive, I suspect that many customers will be upset by these updates. Then again, while it’s easy to complain, it’s also important to remember that is a free program that doesn’t even have to exist. So, I say enjoy whatever points you can get and move on.
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