Lost your Marriott Rewards status this year? Buy it back with points

One of the interesting quirks of the Marriott Rewards programme is that you can use your points to ‘buy back’ your status if you fail to requalify.

If you would otherwise have been forced into mattress run stays at the end of the year in order to get the last couple of nights you needed, this is a lifesaver – using a few points to get your status back is a lot easier than spending real cash on hotel rooms you don’t need.

Because of the points bonus you earn for having status, you will even ‘earn back’ over the next year a proportion of the points you spend to get your status back.

Full details of the offer can be found on the Marriott website.

Here are the prices:

Until April 1, 2016, you can retain your status at an exclusive rate:

• Buy back your Platinum status – only 40,000 points
• Buy back your Gold status – only 25,000 points
• Buy back your Silver status – only 7,500 points

I tend to value a Marriott point at 0.5p, so buying back Gold would effectively cost you £125.  Given that Gold status gets you lounge access at JW Marriott, Autograph Collection, Renaissance and Marriott Hotel properties, as well as a 25% points bonus, high speed internet, late check-out and a room upgrade, it is a decent deal if you will be doing more than a handful of stays.

PS.  The photo above is the new JW Marriott in Venice.  We were there in August but my review fell through the cracks – hopefully it will see the light of day at some point!

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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.)