Decent airline miles alternative for Marriott MegaBonus promotion

UPDATE – JANUARY 2021:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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 is not currently running a global bonus points offer.

Back in December I wrote about the Marriott MegaBonus promotion which runs from February 1st to April 30th.

There are several versions of this offer but the most common is 2,500 bonus points per stay, starting with your second stay.

This is not a terrible deal – 2,500 Marriott Rewards points are worth £12.50 or so – but if you only have occasional Marriott stays you may end up with points which are orphaned.  You cannot, for example, top them up with American Express Membership Rewards points unlike Hilton, Starwood or Club Carlson.  There is a Marriott credit card but the earning rate is a pitiful 1 point per £1.

There is an alternative!

Via this link, you can register for a version of the offer which gives airline miles in any of the participating airlines which work with Marriott Rewards.  This includes Avios.

You will need to set your Mariott Rewards account to earning miles instead of points to be able to register.

You earn 2,500 airline miles for every two stays.  If you value an airline mile at 1p, this offer is no worse than taking Marriott Rewards points, and a whole lot more useful if you doubt you will ever earn enough Marriott points for a decent redemption.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards (January 2021)

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.

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 Elite status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold, Shangri-La Golden Circle Jade and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

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.)