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UPDATE – NOVEMBER 2024: This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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 a 40% or 45% bonus when you buy points by 23rd December. The annual purchase limit is increased to 150,000 points plus your bonus during this offer. Click here to buy.
Marriott’s new bonus points promotion runs from 10th September to 26th November 2024 (registration closes on 12th November). You will earn 2,000 bonus points on every 2+ night cash stay, doubled to 4,000 bonus points if you have the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. Click here for our full article and click here to register.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 120,000 Marriott Bonvoy points! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.
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 (November 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 for signing up 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.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 120,000 Marriott Bonvoy points! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express
Huge 80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:
- American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Click here to apply.
and for small business owners:
- American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)
The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.
(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 (20)