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Final call for the 20,000 point bonus (worth 25,000 Avios) with the Starwood Amex

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February 1st is the last day to apply for the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express credit card and pick up the 20,000 SPG points bonus.

Full details of the card are here.

The headline details are:

  • 20,000 SPG points when you spend £1,000 within 3 months
  • 1 SPG point per £1 spent going forward
  • £75 annual fee
  • £30,000 household income requirement
  • No problem getting the bonus even if you have a BA, Platinum, Gold or any other Amex

SPG Amex

Now, the obvious thing to do with Starwood points is to use them for Sheraton, Westin, W, aloft etc hotel stays.  Here is the reward chart if you want to see how far 20,000 points will get you.  When my wife got this bonus, I redeemed them for a hotel in Greece that got me £370 of value for my sign-up bonus – see here for that story.

For many people, though, they are more valuable at airline miles.  This is especially true when you have 20,000 of them – as you will – since Starwood gives you a 5,000 mile bonus when you convert 20,000.

SPG has a huge number of airline partners.  20,000 SPG points will get you:

  • 25,000 Avios
  • 25,000 Virgin Flying Club miles
  • 25,000 Miles & More miles
  • 25,000 miles with Air Canada, airberlin, Air China, Alaska, Alitalia, ANA, American, Asia Miles, Asiana, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Flying Blue, Hawaiian, Japan Airlines, Qatar, Saudi Arabian, Singapore, Thai, US
  • 12,500 United miles
  • 50,000 LAN LANPASS miles
  • 385 Air New Zealand points

There are two other perks to this card which are not clearly mentioned on the application form:

  • If you cancel, you get a pro-rata refund of your £75 fee.
  • Starwood points can be transferred – for free – between two members who live at the same address.  You can therefore get a card in the name of your partner, move the points to your SPG account and then redeem them into your airline account

Based on 2011 and 2012, the bonus will drop back to 10,000 SPG points after February 1st and will not go back to 20,000 until the Autumn.

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards

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.

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:

and for small business owners:

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.)

Category

Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Bonvoy American Express

Comments (24)

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

  • MBX says:
    28 Jan28 January 07:13

    I applied for this card last week, they couldn’t give me an answer online but as I’ve been an Amex customer for over 10 years and have good credit history I suspect it will get approved offline (I cancelled my BA Amex recently and now just hold gold charge card). If my approval comes after February 1st will I still qualify for the 20k point bonus or the standard 10k?

  • Shaya says:
    28 Jan28 January 08:03

    Hey
    will this stop me getting other points cards in the future. I.e the amex plat?

    • Raffles says:
      28 Jan28 January 09:14

      No. The only people who can’t get the Plat bonus are those with a charge card, ie Gold or Green.

  • Ian says:
    28 Jan28 January 08:31

    Once you cancel is there a period of time in which you can’t reapply and get the bonus like there is with the other AMEX cards? I looked on the website but, unlike the other cards, couldn’t see anything.

    • Raffles says:
      28 Jan28 January 09:15

      Nothing in writing. I always wait a year – personal choice only, no reason for a year – before I reapply personally for anything, but I will often get a card for my wife in the interim.

  • Raffles says:
    28 Jan28 January 10:01

    It is also worth remembering, of course, that getting the SPG Amex gives you another Amex card to use with the February Foursquare offers I outlined yesterday!

  • Col A-B (@mkcol) says:
    28 Jan28 January 13:07

    When I applied I was told they would only accept me if I closed one of my other AMEX credit card accounts, as at that point I had Gold charge, Nectar & BA AMEX (credit). In reality was no biggie as hadn’t used my BA in ages but I did find a little odd, as previously I’d held more. Obviously been tightening up their criteria recently.

    • Raffles says:
      28 Jan28 January 16:07

      No, this has always been rule – 2 charge and 2 credit cards is the maximum you can have. Giving you the SPG would have been the 3rd credit card.

      • Simon says:
        31 Jan31 January 17:31

        Is it 2 AMEX issued AMEX credit cards that are the maximum or does that include Lloyds & MBNA cards as well? Could you have a BA AMEX, SPG AMEX and a Lloyds Avios AMEX for example?

        • Raffles says:
          31 Jan31 January 17:49

          Ignore MBNA and Lloyds cards. You can have, subject to credit worthiness, 2 Amex-issued credit and 2 Amex-issued charge cards at once. eg A BA Amex, an SPG Amex, An Amex Preferred Rewards Gold and an Amex Plat. Most I have ever had is 3 at once (BA, SPG, Plat and then BA, Gold, Plat).

  • ups says:
    28 Jan28 January 14:20

    I’m considering applying for the BA PP card as well soon. Any idea if applying for SPG card first can have any impact on the BA PP bonus?

    • Raffles says:
      28 Jan28 January 16:09

      No, apart from the amount of credit that Amex will give you. If your BA Amex limit is crazily high (my wife had £20k, for example, but never spent more than £2k) then go online and reduce it. You are then more likely to be approved. No problems with getting the bonus in terms of any rules about having other cards.

  • Snoozing-and-Loosing says:
    28 Jan28 January 19:46

    What makes you suggest the rate will go back up to “20,000 until the Autumn”?

    Historical precedence?

  • AV says:
    29 Jan29 January 20:15

    I cancelled my SPG card last week. I checked online and it’s totally cancelled. I just reapplied, does this mean I get the 20,000 again. I see nothing in the “important information” that would constitue denial of the bonus?

    • Raffles says:
      29 Jan29 January 20:51

      You might be pushing your luck with this. You could have done a BA Amex or Amex Gold, assuming you’ve not got those, and you would have been fine. Do let me know how it goes, though.

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