Marriott and Hilton Transfer Bonuses Ending in October 2026: Should You Move Points Now?

Last updated: October 13, 2026

Quick Answer

The Marriott and Hilton transfer bonuses for October 2026 deadlines are close: Amex Membership Rewards to Hilton Honors pays 1:2.6 (a 30% bonus) through October 14, and Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy pays 1:1.7 (a 70% bonus) through October 15. Transfer only if you have a specific award night already priced and available. If you are just “stocking up,” keep your Amex points or Chase points flexible, because airline partners at 1:1 usually deliver more value per point.

Key Takeaways

• Amex to Hilton: 1,000 Amex points become 2,600 Hilton points through October 14, 2026 (normally 2,000).
• Chase to Marriott: 1,000 Chase points become 1,700 Marriott points through October 15, 2026 (normally 1,000).
• The two offers are structured differently. Hilton’s bonus improves an already favorable 1:2 ratio, while Marriott’s adds 70% to a weak 1:1 ratio.
• A bonused transfer cuts the bank-point cost of a Hilton night by about 23% and a Marriott night by about 41%.
• Best use: topping off a confirmed stay, especially a Hilton five-night award that triggers the fifth night free.
• Not a good use: speculative transfers. Hotel points carry devaluation risk and dynamic pricing risk, and transfers cannot be reversed.
• These are not Marriott-to-Hilton conversions. Neither hotel program transfers points to the other.
• Missing the deadline costs nothing except the bonus. Your points stay in Amex or Chase.

Which Marriott and Hilton Transfer Bonuses Are Ending This Month

Two hotel transfer bonuses end this week: Amex to Hilton (30%) and Chase to Marriott (70%). Both are standard issuer-partner promotions, and the published end dates are offer terms, not a guarantee the same deal will return.

What are the Marriott and Hilton transfer bonuses in October 2026?

Offer	Source currency	Standard ratio	Bonus ratio	Bonus	Window
Hilton Honors	Amex Membership Rewards	1:2	1:2.6	30%	Sept. 1, Oct. 14, 2026
Marriott Bonvoy	Chase Ultimate Rewards	1:1	1:1.7	70%	Sept. 15, Oct. 15, 2026

Multiple tracking sites, including NerdWallet, Miles to Memories, and The Points Guy, list the same rates and deadlines. For Amex-specific terms, see the Amex Hilton transfer bonus 2026 breakdown.

If you hold Bilt points, the Hilton promotion tied to Bilt’s monthly Rent Day was separate from the Amex offer. Rent Day bonuses typically last only one day, so check the Bilt Rent Day October 2026 Amtrak and Hilton bonuses guide for exact terms.

When do Marriott and Hilton transfer bonuses expire?

The Amex to Hilton bonus ends October 14, 2026, and the Chase to Marriott bonus ends October 15, 2026. Treat the day before each deadline as your real cutoff. Time zones and processing delays can create surprises.

What’s the difference between Marriott and Hilton transfer rates?

Hilton points are worth less individually, so Amex transfers them at 1:2 to compensate. Marriott receives Chase points at 1:1. That is why a 70% Marriott bonus sounds bigger than a 30% Hilton bonus, but the headline percentage alone does not tell you which deal is better. The redemption you book decides that.

How Much a Bonused Transfer Really Lowers Your Cost Per Night

The Hilton bonus saves about 23% of the bank points needed for a night, and the Marriott bonus saves about 41%. Transfers run in 1,000-point increments, so the figures below are rounded up to the nearest valid transfer.

Award night (hotel points)	Bank points without bonus	Bank points with bonus	Savings
Hilton, 80,000	40,000 Amex	31,000 Amex	9,000
Hilton, 5 nights at 80,000 (4 paid)	160,000 Amex	124,000 Amex	36,000
Hilton luxury, 250,000	125,000 Amex	97,000 Amex	28,000
Marriott, 30,000	30,000 Chase	18,000 Chase	12,000
Marriott, 50,000	50,000 Chase	30,000 Chase	20,000

Example (assumptions): an 80,000-point Hilton night with a $400 cash rate. With the bonus, the redemption value is about 1.29 cents per Amex point ($400 ÷ 31,000). Without it, the value is 1.0 cent. A 30,000-point Marriott night priced at $250 cash comes to about 1.39 cents per Chase point with the bonus, versus 0.83 cents without.

The opportunity cost against airline partners

The same Amex and Chase points transfer 1:1 to partner airlines. Here is an illustrative case: a business class award at 60,000 miles plus $100 in surcharges and fees, where the cash fare is $4,000. That works out to roughly 6.5 cents per point. Even with a 70% bonus, a Marriott night rarely comes close.

point.me’s Jimmy Yoon makes a similar point. He says Amex points usually produce stronger value at airline partners, particularly for premium cabin awards. He is more skeptical of the Marriott offer, because Marriott points are generally worth much less than Chase points, even after the bonus.

A 70% bonus on a low-value currency can still be a below-average use of a high-value currency.

For a deeper framework, see hotel points vs airline miles transfer: which wins in 2026.

When Moving Points to Hilton or Marriott Makes Sense

Transferring before October 2026 is worth it when you have a confirmed hotel need, available award space, and a modest shortfall. Under those conditions, the bonus reduces a cost you were going to pay anyway.

Is it worth transferring points before October 2026?

Yes, if all of these are true:

• You have a stay booked, or award space is showing, at a specific property and on specific dates.
• The bonused cost per point beats what you’d realistically get from airline partners in the next 12 months.
• You need a top-off, not a full account fill. Thrifty Traveler’s example of a 30,000-point Minneapolis Marriott City Center stay needs only about 18,000 Chase points.
• For Hilton, the stay is five nights or longer, so the fifth night free stretches the bonus further.

Who should transfer hotel points vs keep them for hotels

Best for: families booking multi-night resort stays, travelers who value standard room awards over premium cabins, and Hilton elites who already redeem frequently.

Not for: anyone without travel dates, travelers saving for business class deals, or anyone holding only a small balance of flexible points.

When to Skip the Bonus and Keep Points Flexible

Skip the bonus if you have no specific redemption, if the property uses steep dynamic pricing, or if your points are earmarked for premium cabin awards. Flexible points keep every option open, and hotel points don’t.

Thrifty Traveler notes that Hilton’s luxury rates have reached 250,000 points per night. At that level, a 30% bonus still leaves a 97,000-Amex-point night. Marriott’s dynamic pricing creates similar risk. The price you see today can rise before you book, and a devaluation can cut the value of points you’ve parked. Review the Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners guide for property category context, and the Hilton Honors transfer partners guide for how Hilton’s dynamic pricing behaves.

Should I transfer points now or wait for better bonuses?

Wait unless you have a booking in hand. point.me’s historical data shows 30% or higher is an above-average bank bonus, and hotel bonuses tend to recur. Waiting for a future offer is low-risk when your points sit safely in Amex or Chase. More timing guidance is in transfer bonuses: when to transfer points and when to wait.

What happens to my points if I don’t transfer by October?

Nothing bad happens. Your points remain in Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards and can still transfer at standard ratios. Once points move into Marriott or Hilton, though, inactivity rules apply, so check whether hotel points expire in 2026.

Best Award Nights to Book With Bonused Points

The strongest uses are stays with high cash prices and moderate points prices: Hilton five-night awards, Marriott off-peak nights at mid-category properties, and top-offs for stays you have already priced.

• Hilton fifth night free: Elite members (and Hilton’s eligible members under program rules) pay for four of five standard-room nights. Combined with the 1:2.6 ratio, this is the clearest win.
• Marriott off-peak, mid-tier properties: These nights often price low in points and high in cash, especially in city centers on weekends.
• Peak-date resort stays: These work only when the cash rate is high enough to push your cents per point above your airline baseline.

Common mistake: chasing aspirational properties at peak pricing. A 250,000-point night delivers great photos, but it often yields poor redemption value.

What if I don’t have enough points to transfer?

Close the gap from multiple directions:

• Transfer the minimum needed (in 1,000-point increments) and earn the remainder through stays or the hotel’s co-branded card.
• Combine with family. Hilton allows free points pooling among members, and Marriott allows member-to-member point transfers within annual limits.
• Book a shorter stay or a cash-plus-points rate instead of overdrawing your flexible balance.

Transfer Timing, Speed, and Irreversibility Risks

Amex to Hilton transfers are typically instant, and Chase to Marriott transfers are usually instant but can occasionally take a day or longer. Every transfer is final. The Points Guy’s guidance is to verify availability before moving points for exactly that reason.

Step-by-step checklist before the deadline

1. Search award space and note the exact points price.
2. Calculate the bank points needed at the bonus ratio, rounded up to 1,000.
3. Confirm your loyalty account name matches your card account.
4. Transfer at least one day before the deadline.
5. Book the award as soon as the points post.

How long does it take to transfer hotel points to airlines?

Moving hotel points out to airlines is slower. Marriott-to-airline transfers can take several days to a few weeks, depending on the partner. Don’t count on them for space that might disappear.

How much bonus do you get transferring to airlines, and which airlines are best?

This month’s offers are bonuses into hotels, not out of them. Marriott generally transfers to most airlines at 3:1 and adds 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred. Hilton’s airline ratios are poor enough that transfers rarely make sense. The reviewed sources don’t confirm any active Marriott or Hilton airline bonus this month.

Can you transfer Marriott and Hilton points to the same airline?

Some airlines partner with both programs, but you cannot combine Marriott and Hilton points directly. Hilton’s weak ratios make Marriott the better source in nearly every case. Moving Chase or Amex points directly to the airline at 1:1 usually beats both.

Can you get the transfer bonus more than once?

Generally, yes. Bank bonuses typically apply to every eligible transfer made during the promotion window. Terms can include caps or exclusions, though, so read the offer page before making a large transfer.

Common mistakes people make with point transfers

• Transferring speculatively to “lock in” the bonus.
• Ignoring opportunity cost against partner airlines.
• Assuming a 70% bonus beats a 30% bonus without doing the math.
• Waiting until the final hours of the deadline.
• Forgetting that hotel points devalue faster than bank currencies.

FAQ

Is the Amex to Hilton 30% bonus worth it? It’s worth it for a confirmed Hilton stay, especially a five-night award. For general savings, Amex points usually deliver more value at partner airlines.

Is the Chase to Marriott 70% bonus a good deal? Only as a top-off for a specific booking. Marriott points are worth far less than Chase points, so speculative transfers lose value.

Can I transfer Marriott points to Hilton? No. These promotions apply only to Amex and Chase points, and the two hotel programs do not exchange points.

Do I lose anything by missing the October 2026 deadline? You lose only the bonus. Your points stay in your bank program and can still transfer at standard ratios.

How fast will the points arrive? Amex to Hilton transfers are typically instant. Chase to Marriott transfers are usually instant but can sometimes take a day or more.

Will these bonuses come back? Hotel transfer bonuses recur periodically, but no future dates are guaranteed. Plan around a booking, not a promotion.

Conclusion

The Marriott and Hilton transfer bonuses in October 2026 are useful tools, but they aren’t a reason to empty a flexible account. The Hilton offer is the stronger general deal because it builds on a 1:2 base and pairs well with fifth-night-free stays. The Marriott offer works best as a narrow top-off.

Next steps:

• Price your exact stay first, in Hilton or Marriott, with dates locked.
• Run the cents-per-point math against your best airline option for the same Amex or Chase points.
• If the hotel wins, transfer by October 13 or 14 and book immediately.
• If it doesn’t, keep your points flexible and watch for the next bonus.