Marriott announces its new MegaBonus hotel promotion for autumn

UPDATE – JUNE 2025:  This Marriott article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 15th July 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is TRIPLED to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. This would convert into 25,000 Avios or into 40 other airline schemes. It would also get you at least £300 of Marriott hotel stays based on our 0.5p per point low-end valuation. Other T&C apply and remain unchanged. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.

Marriott Bonvoy is offering a 30% to 50% bonus (varies by individual) when you buy points by 16th July 2025. Click here to buy.

Keep up to date with new hotel offers by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.

Marriott Rewards has launched its major promotion for the Autumn, which will be another outing for MegaBonus. This promotion is active across all Marriott brands, including Renaissance, Courtyard, Autograph, Edition, JW Marriott, Gaylord and the various US ‘extended stay’ chains.

There is a positive twist this time. The free night voucher is now valid at Category 1-5 properties instead of Category 1-4, which cancels out the major devaluation that Marriott Rewards put through earlier this year.

However, I’m getting ahead of myself ….

Full details of the promotion can be found here.

Marriott targets different offers to different members, based on stay pattern. To see what you have been given, you need to log in to your account.

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 2 free nights to be earned
• Free nights to be redeemed at Category 1-5 properties only
• Free nights to be redeemed within 1 year
• Promotion runs from September 15th to January 15th
• Last date for registration is November 15th

As I mentioned earlier, Marriott Rewards moved 370 hotels from Category 4 to Category 5 in February 2013. This devalued these certificates quite substantially. By extending their validity to Category 5, you now have a better choice of properties.

However, don’t get carried away. Marriott Rewards now has 9 categories of hotels. A typical Category 5 hotel would be the Bristol or Northampton Marriott’s in the UK. You will struggle to find anything decent in a major European capital city in Category 1-5.

A further downside is that you could previously earn up to 3 free nights. This latest version of MegaBonus is limited to 2 free nights.

Note that stays at Ritz-Carlton hotels will also count towards this bonus.

Other options for more regular Marriott guests

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

• Stay 12 nights and get 25,000 bonus points plus an extra 15,000 points if you reach 18 nights
• Stay 15 nights and get 25,000 bonus points plus an extra 15,000 points if you reach 20 nights
• Stay 20 nights and get 35,000 bonus points plus an extra 15,000 points if you reach 25 nights

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

Note that you need to register by 15th November, 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 January 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 competing promotions from the other big chains.  (I will be writing about the new Hyatt promo in a day or so.)   It just depends on whether you can find a decent hotel in category 1-5 to redeem it.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 70,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (June 2025)

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 15th July 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is TRIPLED to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. This would convert into 25,000 Avios or into 40 other airline schemes. It would also get you at least £300 of Marriott hotel stays based on our 0.5p per point low-end valuation. Other T&C apply and remain unchanged. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card

60,000 points (to 15th July) 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 The Platinum Card from American Express in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

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

and for small business owners:

• The American Express Business Gold Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• The American Express Business Platinum Card (50,000 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.