How I got £370 of value from my Starwood Amex sign-up bonus
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There is always something satisfying about making a good value redemption, especially when you can see the saving in hard cash!
My wife has been sitting on 21,000 Starwood Preferred Guest points for a while. She got these when she took out the SPG credit card at the end of last year, when they had doubled the sign-up bonus from 10,000 points to 20,000 points.
We just discovered that she will be off to a Westin beach resort next May for a conference, which happens to fall during the half-term holiday. It therefore made sense to book a second, interconnecting, room in the same hotel and for the kids and myself to join her.
The cheapest rate I could find for the hotel (pool below!) was around £190 per night including taxes. Using Starpoints, it was 12,000 points per night. SPG runs a permanent ‘pay for 4 nights, get a 5th night free’ promotion, so for the 5 nights we want it averages out at 9,600 points per night.
I transfered some American Express Membership Rewards points across to make up the additional 27,000 points, and booked the room. This represents just under 2p per SPG point of value.
The 21,000 SPG Amex points we received were therefore worth around £400. There was a £75 annual fee for the credit card, but I got £45 cashback back. That means we received £370 of value just for applying for one credit card and spending £1,000 on it. When you see a result like that, you realise why collecting miles and points is worthwhile.
I managed to snag Reward Flight Saver flights for us all as well!
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.)
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