Marriott launches its new promotion – the same but, erm, worse

UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly summary of the top hotel bonus point offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ menu above.

Marriott Bonvoy is offering 1,000 bonus points per night and double elite night credits on stays between 13th February and 29th April. Click here to read more and click here to register.

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The Summer hotel promotions are starting to drift out from the major chains.  Starwood launched ‘Double Take’ on May 1st.

Marriott Rewards is now following up bringing back its MegaBonus promotion again, with the new version running from 15th May to 2nd September.  This version is called ‘Unexpected Bonus’.

Marriott targets different offers to different members, based on stay pattern.  I very rarely stay at a Marriott group property, and if I log into my Marriott Rewards account and click on ‘Promotion Central’, I am offered what seems to be the most generous version:

• One free night for every 2 paid stays during the promotional period
• Maximum of 3 free nights to be earned
• Free nights to be redeemed at Category 1-4 properties only
• Free nights to be redeemed within 1 year

Now, in general, I never liked this offer.  A typical Category 4 hotel would be the Bristol or Northampton Marriott’s in the UK.  You would struggle to find anything decent in a major European capital city in Category 1-4.

However, in February, things got a lot worse when Marriott launched a major devaluation of Marriott Rewards.  This involved launched a new category, Category 9, requiring 45,000 points a night.  More importantly, though, 370 hotels were moved from Category 4 to Category 5.

This means that there are now 370 fewer places to use your free nights from this promotion.  The Marriott in Leeds, which I have previously mentioned as a possible Category 4 redemption, moves up to Category 5 for example.

Other options

If you are Marriott elite member, you may receive a different version of this promotion.

• Stay 2 times, get a Category 1-5 certificate (maximum 2 free nights)
• Stay 15 nights and get 25,000 bonus points plus either an extra 10,000 points for a further 5 nights or 2,000 bonus points for up to five additional nights
• Stay 20 nights and get 35,000 bonus points plus either an extra 10,000 points for a further 5 nights or 2,000 bonus points for up to ten additional nights

Anyone whose Marriott account is set up to give miles instead of points will receive a different miles promotion instead.

Note that you need to register by 31st July, so it is worth registering even if you are not planning any Marriott stays at present – it would be a shame to be faced with a couple of Marriott nights in August only to find that you can no longer sign up for the MegaBonus.

Whether this promotion works for you will depend on your stay pattern.  In hard £ terms, a free night certificate for just 2 stays is far more generous than the current Hilton or Starwood promotions.  It just depends on whether you can find a decent hotel in category 1-4 to redeem it (you will struggle to find anything in a major global capital).  The odds are certainly a lot lower than they were before the devaluation.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)