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Le Meridien Maldives announces incredible Marriott category 5 pricing
The Maldives is one of the most sought after destinations in the world. It’s gorgeous, remote, and has jaw dropping overwater bungalows that are insanely insta worthy. The list of properties available with points continues to expand ( St Regis Maldives, Ritz Carlton, JW Marriott, Park Hyatt, Conrad, Six Senses, Intercontinental, Waldorf Astoria, etc ) the Le Meridien Maldives may have made the biggest splash. MileValue discovered that the property, which opens in August of 2021, will debut as a Marriott Category 5 property. That is downright insanely fabulous. Cat 5s have a standard pricing of 35k per night and can be as low as 30k off peak. Compare that to the St Regis Maldives at a standard rate of 85k and you could stay nearly a week at the Le Meridien for what 2 nights would cost you at the St Regis. Is the St Regis THAT much nicer? Maybe…but for many, it won’t be.
Le Meridien Maldives opens August 2021…here’s a look at avail going forward
Both Beach and Overwater bungalows are pricing at standard rates
This is fantastic since normally you’ll need to pay a premium to stay in an overwater bungalow, but current pricing places both rooms at Le Meridien Maldives at the same pricing.
Note…you’ll still be responsible for the transfer fee of $420 per person
Le Meridien is a Marriott Category 5 property
You can see in the chart below that the property ranges from 30k off peak to 40k in peak times. Standard pricing is 35k a night.
5th night free on all Marriott Bonvoy redemptions
Remember that Marriott Bonvoy members get a 5th night free on all redemptions.
5th night free rates
- Off Peak = 120k Bonvoy Points
- Standard = 140k Bonvoy Points
- Peak = 160k Bonvoy Points
Credit Card Annual Night Certificates to extend your stay
The Le Meridien Maldives prices in at a category 5 – this means that you can use the free night certificates you receive on your credit card anniversary:
- Standard Pricing 35k night
- Use your Marriott Boundless free night
- Use your Marriott Bonvoy Business free night
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Free night
- Peak Pricing 40k night
- Use Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant free night
Credit Card Transfers
Both Chase and Marriott are transfer partners of Marriott. This means you can convert your Ultimate Rewards or your Membership Rewards into Marriott Bonvoy points.
Chase Cards that I would recommend:
Note that in order to transfer into Marriott you need to hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred. The other cards mentioned below are amazing cards in tandem, but earn cashback.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great starter premium card and one that I actually carry
- I think this is a great card to view as your Chase cornerstone
- Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited have amazing offers currently running and I would highly recommend both cards
- They were improved in September of 2020 and at least one should be in your wallet
- Chase Sapphire Reserve has an increased offer currently running and comes with added perks and benefits
- Chase Ink Business Preferred is one of the best business cards you can carry and I actually have two of them in my wallet ( different businesses )
- 3x on a litany of categories and earns transferrable points
- Chase Ink Business Cash
- rotating quartely 5x categories make this a great card to keep in your wallet to maximize spend
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited
- Get 1.5x on every single purchase your business makes.
Amex Cards I would Recommend
- American Express Platinum
- Lounge access, 5x on flights, Fine Hotels and Resorts, Uber Credits, and one of the best offers we’ve ever seen
- American Express Gold
- 4x on all dining, 4x on us supermarkets up to $25k a year, $120 a year in uber credits, $120 a year in dining credits, it’s one of my all time fave cards
- American Express Green
- A Chase Sapphire Reserve killer – 3x dining, 3x travel, transit plus Lounge Buddy and Clear credits
- American Express Business Platinum
- Lounge access, 1.5x on purchases over 5k, Dell Credits, etc
- American Express Business Gold
- 4x on your top two monthly categories including gas and dining
- American Express Blue Business Plus
- 2x on every single purchase up to $50k a year.
Currently…Amex is offering a 40% transfer bonus – 100k Amex points will get you a 5 night stay currently.
What a time to plan a trip to the Maldives!
Short on points? You could always Buy Marriott Points – they’re 30% off until June 20th, 2021
Marriott has increased the limit on purchasing points to 100k a year.
Summary
This is a stunning development, and if you’re in the midst of planning a honeymoon, getaway, etc – this could be a time to enjoy a brand new resort at a screamingly cheap redemption rate.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.
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