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Amex Platinum now gets you Marriott Rewards Gold status and earns Marriott points

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As I have written another article today about a new indirect benefit of having the American Express Platinum charge card (ie Star Alliance Silver status), I thought it was worth flagging up another key benefit.

I wrote last week about the status match that has been launched for Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards members following the Starwood takeover.

Starwood Preferred Guest Gold members get Marriott Rewards Gold, and vice versa.  Platinum members also get a direct match.

Here are the two things to learn from this article:

American Express Platinum gives away Starwood Preferred Guest Gold status, but it doesn’t get you very much

Starwood Preferred Guest Gold now gets you Marriott Rewards Gold, and that gets you a lot

What are the key benefits of Marriott Rewards Gold?

Marriott Rewards elite benefits are listed here.

They are not to be sniffed at, which is as it should be given that you normally need to stay for 50 nights a year to earn Marriott Rewards Gold:

25% bonus points

high speed internet access

room upgrade

guaranteed 4pm check-out (new this year, except at resort and convention hotels)

guaranteed lounge access, or free continental breakfast if no lounge is available (except at resort properties)

How long will my Marriott Rewards Gold status last?

Until the end of 2017.  In 2018, a brand new loyalty programme will be launched which will combine Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards.

There is a real risk, as Marriott is a long-term Visa partner, that American Express will be cut out entirely.  We may see the end of elite status and Membership Rewards points transfers to Starwood.  However, until the end of 2017, there is a great opportunity here to enjoy Marriott Rewards Gold status for free.

How can I earn Marriott Rewards points from Amex Platinum?

The Marriott Rewards official UK credit card has not been available for the past year.  American Express Platinum now offers you a chance to earn Marriott points in two ways:

the 30,000 Membership Rewards points you get for signing up transfer into 15,000 Starwood points and can be moved across to 45,000 Marriott Rewards points

the 1 point per £1 on your spending equates to 0.5 Starwood points per £1 which converts to 1.5 Marriott Rewards points per £1

Of course, you can do better than this with the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card.  This earns 1 Starwood point per £1 which means an impressive 3 Marriott Rewards points per £1.

My full review of American Express Platinum and all of its benefits is here.   The official Amex Platinum website is here.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2024 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus card

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card

1% cashback uncapped* on all your business spending (T&C apply) Read our full review

Category

American Express Platinum card, Marriott Bonvoy

Comments (17)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Adele says:
    28 Sep28 September 06:24

    I have just moved some Hilton bookings across to Marriott as their rates were cheaper and hotels better rated. We shall see! I was considering doing the challenge to Platinum but dont see it gives you much more! Lounge access and breakfast are essential for my stays and IHG have lost all of my business (apart from the odd IC on points) because of their lack of access for an Ambassador Spire Elite. I am Hilton Diamond so get the same as the Marriott Gold – just wanted to try the Marriott brand!

  • Cheshire Pete says:
    28 Sep28 September 07:07

    I’ve never joined Marriott, did someone mention a sign up bonus before I do the match from Starwood?

    • Clive says:
      28 Sep28 September 08:34

      Yes this is a refer a friend sign up bonus.

      • Raffles says:
        28 Sep28 September 08:38

        2000 bonus points on your first 5 stays. Email me if you don’t have anyone else who can recommend you (I get nothing for it as I am beyond the 5 referrals a year which give the referrer a bonus).

  • Razvan says:
    28 Sep28 September 08:16

    O/T Did anyone upgrade from Gold to Platinum recently? They still give the bonus points? Thanks

    • jonp says:
      28 Sep28 September 08:40

      Yes and yes

      • Rob says:
        29 Sep29 September 09:16

        I upgraded in July and got a 20k MR bonus – best of all I wasn´t charged the fee (I assume I will be charged it in March which is my Gold Card renewal date.

        I was wondering if I should cancel before then and possibly not have to pay it at all but to be honest between the Hotel Status, lounge passes and insurance I am more than covering the fee.

  • Harry says:
    28 Sep28 September 08:32

    Beware: the Marriott Gold lounge and complimentary breakfast benefits are not offered at Ritz Carlton properties although they are part of the Marriott group.

  • idrive says:
    28 Sep28 September 09:50

    Well that probably means that it would make sense to keep the SPG card then!

  • Zander says:
    28 Sep28 September 12:15

    Is it worth matching Ritz Carlton Rewards instead of Marriott Rewards? I ask as I stay in RC properties more than Marriott but I’m unsure if there is a real difference between the two programs despite being signed up for RC Rewards.

    • Simon says:
      28 Sep28 September 14:43

      My account has linked to Ritz Carlton Rewards, so I am Gold in that now. From what I read on line, the benefits and how you will be treated will be identical. The Marriott and RC accounts work in parallel. You cant hold both accounts. It seems to purely be a choice of which banner you want to be under.

      • Rob says:
        28 Sep28 September 14:50

        And they can switch you over if you call …..

        • Simon says:
          28 Sep28 September 14:56

          But is there any reason to. My understanding was I will be treated the same Marriott or RC Rewards?

          • Rob says:
            28 Sep28 September 15:15

            The promotions are different, that is all. Once a year there is normally a generous R-C promotion – although you miss out on the quarterly Marriott Rewards promotions.

  • Jonathan Shapiro says:
    28 Sep28 September 12:33

    I tend to use Hilton’s but occasionally stay in Marriotts. I am SPG Gold through Amex. This was a very useful tip Raffles, thanks!!

  • Dev says:
    28 Sep28 September 14:23

    Quick question: what is availability like for Ritz-Carlton tier 5 properties? Is it a fools gold or reasonably easy to redeem? My aim is the grand Cayman or US Virgin Islands resort using the travel package. I am currently 37K short (spg) of being able to claim them. I wondering whether to make concerted effort of bridging the gap over the next 12 months?

    • Rob says:
      28 Sep28 September 14:52

      Dummy booking would let you see what is there surely?

      I doubt, given the points cost, that they get a huge number of redemptions at these properties.

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