Marriott’s Eat Around Town: Earn Rewards On Dining

Here’s an easy way to earn bonus Marriott points for dining out, whether it’s on vacation or just in your own neighborhood.

Marriott’s Eat Around Town is a dining program that allows Marriott Bonvoy members to earn at least 4 points per $1 spent at over 11,000 participating restaurants across the U.S. Here’s what you need to know to start earning Marriott points at your next meal out.

The process is simple: Marriott Bonvoy members can join EAT by logging into their Marriott Bonvoy account on the EAT website. Link a specific credit card to your account, then use it to pay for your meals at EAT’s participating restaurants. For every $1 spent, you will receive bonus Marriott Bonvoy points.

• If you are a Bonvoy member but don’t have elite status: You’ll earn 4 Marriott Bonvoy points for each eligible $1 spent.

• If you are a Bonvoy member with Ambassador, Titanium, Platinum, Gold or Silver status: You’ll earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each eligible $1 spent.

All you have to do is pay with the debit or credit card you’ve linked at the time of visit, and the points will post to your account within six to eight weeks. Points are earned on food, drinks, tax and even tips credited to the linked card.

Nerdy tip: Points earned through Eat Around Town don’t count toward elite tier qualification.

Marriott also frequently runs promotions to earn bonus points.

For instance, through Dec. 31, 2021, you can earn a Frequent Diner Bonus of 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points for every 10 restaurants you visit and charge more than $30. What’s more, there’s no limit on the number of times you can earn this bonus, opening up opportunities to rack up a hefty sum of points.

It’s also not uncommon to see other limited-time offers, such as 8x points per dollar spent (up from the usual 4 or 6).

You can double dip and earn not only Bonvoy points when paying with a linked card at an eligible restaurant — you can also rack up your normal credit card points, too. Simply link a credit card that earns high dining rewards to your Bonvoy account and use that card to pay the bill.

If you want to collect even more Marriott points specifically with these purchases, charge them to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, which earns 3 points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery. Terms apply.

Finding participating EAT restaurants is easy. Navigate to the Explore tab on the Eat Around Town website, which allows you to search by location and cuisine.

And there are plenty of options for Marriott points dining. Whether it’s the famous Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco or a classic slice of pizza from Tony’s Di Napoli in New York, the EAT program offers you the chance to earn rewards from some of the most popular restaurants in the U.S.

Annoyingly, you’ll have to do some digging before you dine if you want to be certain you get the points. Some restaurants offer rewards only on certain days of the week or put a cap on monthly earnings. These exemptions are not always explicit on individual restaurant websites, so call the business ahead of time if you want full confidence.

Let’s do the math. If you hold Marriott elite status, you’ll earn 6 points per dollar spent at eligible restaurants. On a $50 restaurant bill, 6 points per dollar adds up to 300 points. This amounts in value to about a couple bucks, considering NerdWallet values a Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.7 cent.

But it’s better than nothing, considering you’re likely dining out anyway. It’s also an easy way to keep your account active, even if you don’t plan to stay in a Marriott this year or next. Otherwise, Marriott Bonvoy points otherwise typically expire after 24 months pass without a qualifying activity.

To put that into context, the cheapest Marriott properties start at 5,000 points for off-peak stays. If you take advantage of the Frequent Diner Bonus and visit 50 eligible restaurants between now and the end of the year, you’d earn enough points for an award stay.

Realistically, you’re probably not doing that, but EAT does create an easy way to rack up a few more points simply by registering and dining at an eligible restaurant.

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