Marriott Points Expiring? How to Keep Them or Use Them
Marriott points expire after 24 consecutive months without qualifying activity. Qualifying activity, such as earning, redeeming or buying points, resets that clock, while gifting or transferring them does not. Once points are forfeited, Marriott's terms say they cannot be reinstated.
If you would rather spend a small balance than rescue it, Marriott Bonvoy Moments is one option, with modest odds. Of the 2,053 Moments auctions that sold with at least one bid between February 13 and October 8, 2026, the median winning bid was 95,000 Marriott points. Only 253 of them (12%) sold for 25,000 points or less, and 63 (3%) for 10,000 or less.
This post covers the rule first, then the ways to keep an account active, then what small balances won on Moments. Every Marriott Moment we track is on our live Marriott Bonvoy Moments auctions page. This search of Marriott auctions at or under 25,000 points sorts the cheapest first. A coming-soon auction in that search shows its starting bid, which is not a live bid.
When do Marriott points expire?
The rule lives in section 1.4 (Points, Awards, and Account Activity) of the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms and Conditions. The page reads "Updated October 2026", and we read it on October 29, 2026. The short version:
| Question | What Marriott's terms say |
|---|---|
| How long can an account sit idle? | 24 consecutive months. After that, the account forfeits all accumulated points |
| What keeps it active? | Eligible activity such as earning or redeeming points or miles, purchasing points, completing a qualifying stay, or converting points or miles with designated partners |
| Do conversions count? | Converting points or miles with designated partners is listed as qualifying activity |
| What does not count? | Gifting, transferring or receiving points from another member |
| Can forfeited points come back? | No. The terms say forfeited points cannot be reinstated |
| What about awards already booked? | Awards redeemed before forfeiture stay valid. If you cancel one after the points expiration date without qualifying activity to extend that date, the points used for it expire |
| Lifetime Elite members? | The expiry policy does not currently apply to Lifetime Elite accounts, though Marriott may apply one in the future |
| Can the account itself close? | An account that stays inactive for five consecutive years may be deactivated |
The transfer line matters if you planned to rescue points by pooling them. Moving points to a family member through Marriott's member-to-member transfer does not count as activity for the sender or the receiver. The caps and timing on those transfers are in our guide to pooling Marriott points for a Moments bid.
What to do with expiring Marriott points
Marriott's points expiration page says that redeeming or earning points at least once every two years keeps your points. It lists the ways to do that. These cost nothing beyond spending you might already do:
- Earn on everyday spending. Marriott lists earning on qualifying Uber rides and deliveries after you link accounts, and on qualifying Marriott Bonvoy credit card purchases.
- Earn on a meal. Marriott names Eat Around Town by Marriott Bonvoy among its earning partners.
- Redeem a small amount. The list includes donating points to non-profit organizations and redeeming at Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques.
- Convert miles. Converting points or miles with designated partners is listed as qualifying activity in the terms.
Buying points also counts, and Marriott sells them in increments starting at 1,000 points. That one costs money, so weigh the price against the balance you would be saving.
One thing we could not confirm from the terms: whether a transfer in from a credit card rewards program counts as activity. If you rely on one, check that it appears in your Marriott account activity with a date.
If your plan is to spend rather than save, the cheapest thing on Moments is a 1-Point Drop. Marriott does not publish a calendar of upcoming drops, so an alert is the simplest way to catch a new one when it is listed.
Does a Moments auction keep your points alive?
Bidding on its own does not move any points. Marriott Bonvoy Traveler's Moments guide says auction redemptions happen once bidding closes and you have won the package. Points for a fixed-price experience come out of your account immediately. So a losing bid does not deduct any points from your balance.
The same guide says all bids are final and that you need enough points in the account to cover a bid. A win or a fixed-price purchase is a redemption of points, which is the kind of activity section 1.4 counts. Marriott's expiration page does not list Moments by name, though. After a redemption posts, confirm it shows in your account activity before you treat the clock as reset.
The practical reading: if your points are close to forfeiting, do not make a Moments auction your only plan. Create activity first, then use the balance on Moments with time to spare. For how the auctions work in general, read what Marriott Bonvoy Moments are.
What a small balance won at Marriott Moments auctions
This is how the 2,053 Marriott Moments auctions that sold between February 13 and October 8, 2026 break down. "Sold" means we verified the winning bid after the close and at least one bid was placed. Each listing counts once, including near-identical packages posted under the same title.
| Winning bid (Marriott points) | Auctions sold | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 or less | 63 | 3% |
| 25,000 or less | 253 | 12% |
| 50,000 or less | 652 | 32% |
| All sold auctions (median 95,000) | 2,053 | 100% |
These counts are a floor. Of the 2,398 Marriott auctions that closed in the same window, 345 have no bid-backed winning bid we could verify, and some of those had no bids at all.
Entertainment is where a small balance goes furthest. Of 972 entertainment auctions sold in the window, 184 (19%) sold for 25,000 points or less, against 12% across all categories. Their median winning bid was 50,300 Marriott points. Sports had 57 of 779 at or under 25,000, culinary 10 of 218, and arts and culture 2 of 84.
The cheapest sales came mostly from events outside the US. By country, the 253 sales at 25,000 points or less were led by Germany (60), the UK (58), Thailand (43), China (32) and the United Arab Emirates (25). These event families recur, with figures for sales between February 13 and October 8, 2026:
| Event family | Auctions sold | Lowest winning bid (Marriott points) | Median winning bid (Marriott points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 ticket packages, England | 46 | 2,500 | 7,500 |
| Concerts and events at Uber Arena Berlin | 135 | 10,000 | 30,000 |
| Packages at The O2, London | 271 | 17,500 | 50,000 |
| U.S. Women's National Team soccer tickets | 21 | 20,000 | 50,000 |
| Packages with "Crypto.com Arena" in the title, Los Angeles | 109 | 30,000 | 75,000 |
The cricket is the clearest case. Four ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 packages that closed on May 31 and June 7, 2026 sold for 2,500 Marriott points each, their opening ask, on a single bid. Twenty-six of those 46 sales were at 10,000 points or less. Another 54 of the 100 ICC packages that closed have no verified winning bid, so the cricket count is a floor too.
At Uber Arena Berlin, Marriott posted six two-ticket packages for Tame Impala's April 29, 2026 show. Four sold for 10,000 Marriott points on a single bid, and two sold for 12,500 on two bids each. For Zucchero's June 5, 2026 show, five of six packages sold for 10,000 points on a single bid.
Low prices came with little competition. The 253 auctions that sold for 25,000 points or less drew a median of 1 bid, against 14 bids for the 1,800 that sold above that line. A low opening ask is not a forecast, though. Of the 727 sold auctions that opened at 25,000 points or less, 111 (15%) sold at the opening ask and 476 (65%) sold for more than 25,000 points.
1-Point Drops: one point, one per calendar year
A Marriott 1-Point Drop is a fixed-price package priced at 1 Marriott point, claimed first come, first served. Marriott limits members to one 1-Point Drop per calendar year. As of October 8, 2026, we had tracked 276 1-Point Drop listings, including 12 scheduled for October 20 to 29, 2026. They ranged from Coachella and FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets to Céline Dion, All Points East, Rock en Seine and a Madrid Grand Prix. Whatever is live or scheduled shows here:
For an expiring balance, the catch is supply. A drop is flash inventory: most drops we tracked listed between 4 and 22 packages (a few large ones listed over 100), claimed first come, first served, so it works as a bonus rather than a plan. Marriott allows one 1-Point Drop package per member per calendar year.
Marriott also runs auctions as part of a 1-Point Drop event. Their descriptions carry the same 1-Point Drop terms: one package across all 1-Point Drop Moments experiences per calendar year. All 51 of those auctions that sold between April 19 and July 31, 2026 opened at 2,500 Marriott points, and none sold at that price.
The lowest of the 51 sold for 25,501 Marriott points, and two sold for under 50,000. The median was 762,500 points, pulled up by 32 FIFA World Cup auctions; the other 19 had a median of 97,500 points. A 2,500-point opening ask on a famous name is only where bidding starts. Our Moments drop calendar covers when new auctions tend to appear and close.
Fixed-price Moments: no bidding at all
Moments also sells experiences at a fixed price, with points deducted the moment you buy. We recorded 1,447 fixed-price Marriott Moments open to every member through October 8, 2026, leaving out 1-Point Drops. Of those, 203 were priced at 10,000 Marriott points or less and 413 at 25,000 or less, and the lowest was 5,000 points.
Restricted packages are counted separately, and some were cheaper. Packages for Ambassador Elite members only started at 2,000 Marriott points. Packages for Marriott Bonvoy-Banorte cardmembers only started at 10,000 points, and packages for Amex cardholders in the United Kingdom only started at 40,000. Read the eligibility line before you count on one.
This search of Marriott fixed-price Moments from 2 to 25,000 points lists the current ones, cheapest first, with 1-Point Drops left out.
A simple plan for an expiring Marriott balance
- Secure the account first. If the balance is close to forfeiting, create activity that costs nothing extra, such as a linked Uber ride or a Marriott Bonvoy card purchase. Buying points works too, but it costs money.
- Check the balance against real prices. Use the search links above, and the closed Marriott auction archive for what similar packages sold for.
- Favor low openers, and expect most to climb. The cheapest sales were mostly concert and sports packages in Germany, the UK, Thailand, China and the UAE. Still, 65% of sold auctions that opened at 25,000 points or less finished above 25,000.
- Set an alert rather than refreshing. Setting one takes a PointAuctions.com account. The weekly newsletter also covers notable listings each week, and you can sign up on that page.
Frequently asked questions
Do Marriott points expire?
Yes. Under section 1.4 of Marriott's loyalty terms (updated October 2026), an account with no qualifying activity for 24 consecutive months forfeits all of its points. Lifetime Elite accounts are currently exempt from the expiry policy.
How do I stop my Marriott points from expiring?
Earn, redeem or buy points at least once every 24 months. Marriott's list includes linking Uber, qualifying Marriott Bonvoy credit card purchases, donating points and converting airline miles. Buying points from 1,000 at a time also counts but costs money. Gifting, transferring or receiving points between members does not count.
What can I get with 10,000 Marriott points or less?
At auction, 63 of the 2,053 Marriott Moments that sold between February 13 and October 8, 2026 sold for 10,000 Marriott points or less. That included ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 tickets in England that sold for 2,500 points. A 1-Point Drop costs 1 point, one per calendar year.
Can expired Marriott points be restored?
No. Marriott's terms (updated October 2026) say that once points are forfeited, they cannot be reinstated. An account that stays inactive for five consecutive years may be deactivated.
Does bidding on a Marriott Moments auction count as account activity?
A bid alone does not deduct points, because Marriott takes auction points only when bidding closes and you have won. A win or a fixed-price purchase is a redemption of points. Confirm it shows in your account activity before relying on it to reset the 24-month clock.