Chase 65% Marriott Transfer Bonus Expires Tomorrow: The Category 8 Sweet Spots That Beat Direct Bonvoy Bookings by $800 Per Night

The Chase 65% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy disappears at 11:59 p.m. ET tomorrow, May 15. That means your Ultimate Rewards points convert at a crisp 1:1.65 ratio for less than 48 hours before sliding back toward the ordinary 1:1 (with a 55% bonus lingering through June).

Transfer now or watch the effective cost of every Category 8 redemption jump roughly 9%. The difference is real money on nights that already flirt with four figures in cash. This isn't some abstract points game—it's immediate arbitrage on overwater bungalows and presidential suites where cash rates laugh at mortal budgets.

Math that actually matters: 60,000 UR points become 99,000 Bonvoy points right now. Post-expiration, those same UR yield only about 90,000-93,000. On a 85,000-point Category 8 night, you're looking at a 9-10% discount that compounds across a multi-night stay. Scale it to a week in French Polynesia or the Maldives and the spread easily clears $800 per night in equivalent cash value.

Category 8 Properties Where the Bonus Bites Hardest

The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort remains the poster child. Overwater villas routinely price between $2,300 and $3,000+ per night in peak season. Recent award availability has hovered around 150,000-154,000 Bonvoy points. With the 65% bonus, you're spending roughly 91,000-93,000 UR per night instead of 100,000+. That's a $1,200-$1,800 nightly cash equivalent for under 100k UR. The overwater butler service and Mount Otemanu views don't get less ridiculous just because you're not paying rack rate.[[1]](https://oldui.maxmypoint.com/hotel/8618/)

Similar story at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort and The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands. These properties trade at $1,500-$3,000+ cash on high-demand dates. Dynamic award pricing often lands in the 120,000-180,000 Bonvoy range depending on villa type and season. The bonus shaves thousands off what you'd otherwise liquidate from your checking account. Your family (or client) will never know you didn't drop five figures. They'll just remember the seaplane transfer and private beach.

Stateside, The St. Regis New York and The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad deliver when New York demands a statement stay. Cash rates spike over $1,000 easily during events or holidays. Award costs that look painful at face value suddenly feel surgical with the inflated Bonvoy balance. Same principle applies to The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto or Prince de Galles in Paris during fashion week—properties where the cash alternative makes you question your life choices.

Don't kid yourself: most Category 8 redemptions are mediocre value at baseline. The 65% bonus doesn't magically fix every property. It does, however, create pockets where the effective cents-per-point clears 1.8-2.2 on nights that would otherwise require a second mortgage. That's the difference between "clever" and "I can't believe this worked."

Marriott's dynamic pricing means you must check real dates. Availability still matters more than the transfer ratio. But with the clock ticking, the upside of moving points today (and holding the resulting Bonvoy balance) far outweighs the risk for anyone already eyeing these redemptions. Points don't earn interest, and this bonus won't repeat next week.

Transfers are irreversible, as the fine print loves to remind us. Only move what you have a near-term plan to burn. That said, if your radar already includes a luxury Marriott stay this year, the math is screaming.

Action item: Log into your Chase account before midnight tomorrow, confirm your Marriott Bonvoy membership is linked, and transfer in increments that match specific award nights you're targeting. Check availability first on marriott.com, then pull the trigger. The 55% bonus that follows is decent, but decent doesn't save you $800 a night on a St. Regis overwater villa.