Marriott Teams With Uber to Bolster Its Bonvoy Loyalty Offering

Marriott Bonvoy members can now earn loyalty points by taking Uber rides or ordering food through the company’s Uber Eats platform, the companies announced Wednesday morning.

The partnership is the latest example of Marriott expanding Bonvoy to include other ways to collect loyalty points away from hotel stays. But staying at a Marriott still gives Bonvoy members more points for their food delivery linkage.

Bonvoy members who link their Uber account with the Marriott loyalty program in the rideshare app can earn six points per dollar on Uber Eats deliveries of at least $25 for orders heading to a Marriott hotel. They will only earn two points per dollar on deliveries outside of a Marriott hotel or for take-out. They’ll get three points per dollar on Uber XL, Comfort, and Black rides — a mix of Uber’s economy and premium offerings.

“This tremendous relationship with Uber reflects our goal to engage members and enable them to earn and redeem points whether traveling or through everyday activities at home,” David Flueck, Marriott’s senior vice president of global loyalty, said.

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The Uber partnership may be new to Marriott, but it follows similar partnerships already underway across the travel sector.

Hilton Honors members already gain loyalty points spending money on both economy and luxury rides on Lyft. Delta also has a partnership with Lyft.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which Marriott acquired for $13 billion in 2016, began a loyalty partnership with Uber in 2015 where members of its loyalty program could earn points by spending money on rides. Seen as a groundbreaking loyalty match-up at the time, the partnership ended in 2017. Analysts speculated Uber wanted to move away from partnerships and focus more on an internal loyalty platform.

But times change.

Sign-ups to Bonvoy may have slowed along with travel demand during the pandemic, but Marriott pursued new ways for members to accrue points with the program. Bonvoy’s Eat Around Town program lets members earn points simply by dining out at participating local restaurants.

Marriott has also focused on growing other initiatives tied to lodging to appeal to Bonvoy members, like the Homes & Villas vacation home rental platform. Work From Anywhere, Marriott’s answer to the work-from-hotel trend during the pandemic, also targets Bonvoy members.

“Whether it’s new travel experiences through Homes & Villas, partnerships like Uber, or everyday spend from our credit cards, we continue to add new opportunities for our members to earn points meeting them throughout all aspects of their daily life,” Flueck said.

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