You Can Now Turn Marriott Points Into Starbucks Stars. Here’s Why You Shouldn’t.

Updated: October 19, 2024, 8:43am CDT

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How To Transfer Your Marriott Points to Starbucks
Is It Worth It?
Final Thoughts

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Generally, we get excited when there are new ways to use our points. However, not every use of your points is as valuable as the others. That’s likely the case with a new option to turn your Marriott Bonvoy points into Starbucks Stars.

How To Transfer Your Marriott Points to Starbucks

The partnership between Marriott and Starbucks isn’t new, to be clear. With this partnership, you can earn double Starbucks Stars during stays at Marriott hotels and resorts.

You’ll need to link your Starbucks Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy accounts to take advantage of these perks. And you’ll also need to link your accounts to use the new points transfer feature.

An unannounced update to the terms of the Marriott Bonvoy program included this new feature, as first reported by AwardWallet. If you’ve previously linked your accounts, you can start your transfer here.

Transfer Marriott points to Starbucks Rewards — A sample transfer of 1,000 Marriott points. Image Credit: Marriott

The maximum transfer is 50,000 Marriott points per day. The transfer ratio is 10:1, and transfers aren’t possible in reverse (from Starbucks to Marriott). You must transfer at least 1,000 Marriott points, and they must be transferred in blocks of 10.

Once you turn your Marriott points into Starbucks Stars, the Stars expiry policy will apply.

Is It Worth It?

Before you move all of your Marriott Bonvoy points to Starbucks Rewards, let’s consider the values available in these programs.

We value Marriott points at 0.7 cents apiece. That means 1,000 Marriott points are worth $7 on average.

With Starbucks Rewards, the number of Stars you need for a redemption depends on what you want to purchase. Redemptions start at 25 Stars for a drink customization. You’ll need 100 Stars for a regular coffee or 200 Stars for a handcrafted drink like a latte. Depending on what you’re buying, the value can change, but Stars are generally worth around 2 cents each.

If 1,000 Marriott points become 100 Starbucks Stars, you’re trading $7 worth of hotel points for $2 worth of Starbucks Stars. That’s not a very good trade.

Bottom Line:

It’s entirely possible to maximize redemptions and make poor redemptions in either program. However, the average numbers represent the value obtainable by the typical customer. Using those numbers, this is a poor use of Marriott points.

Final Thoughts

There’s a new way to use your Marriott points, offering transfers to Starbucks Rewards at a 10:1 ratio. If you’re sitting on a mountain of Marriott points and could never spend them all in a lifetime, this might make sense. Otherwise, most people should avoid these transfers.