Why 25% off Starwood Preferred Guest points means buying airline miles at 1.25p
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
UPDATE – MARCH 2024: This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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.
Marriott Bonvoy is offering a 35% to 40% bonus when you buy points by 31st March 2024. Click here to buy.
Keep up to date with new hotel offers by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.
Starwood is (again) offering a 10%-25% discount when you purchase SPG Starpoints before 31st May. The link to buy is here.
The discount is staggered. You get 10% off purchases of up to 9500 points, 15% off 10000 to 14500, 20% off 15000 to 29500 and the full 25% off only when you buy 20,000 points.
At the top end, 20,000 points will cost you $525. These can be converted in 25,000 airline miles in the majority of programmes. The price per mile works out at 1.25p, which is certainly not a bargain but less than a lot of airlines charge for buying their miles directly.
The rules are straightforward – points post within 24 hours, maximum purchase of 20,000 points per year, your SPG account must be 14 days old to participate.
The ‘sweet spot’ with Starwood was historically their ‘cash and points awards’ for mid-tier properties. Starwood ‘cash and points’ deals were ‘enhanced’ a while back and offer poorer value than they did, albeit that they are now available at a wider range of properties.
It can still make sense to buy ALL the points you need for a room, though. The Sheraton at Frankfurt Airport, for example, costs €235 on 20th May. Alternatively, you could buy 10,000 SPG points for just $297.50 / €215. The reward night would also be cancellable, whilst the €235 room I quoted is not.
(PS. Qudos to Starwood for one thing. Last time they ran this offer, you had to buy at least 4,500 points to get a discount. I wrote at the time: “This is a practice which I don’t like – I don’t see why someone who only needs a small number of points to top off their account should not receive some sort of discount, even if it was just 10%.” And, lo and behold, that is what they have done! Now even the smallest 500 point purchase gets a discount.)
How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (March 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.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review
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.
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
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.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Gold by 9th April 2024. Remember that the card is FREE for the first year. You receive 40,000 points for spending £6,000 within 90 days and a further 20,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
(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.)
Comments (21)