How to earn Marriott or SPG points with every Uber ride

UPDATE – AUGUST 2022:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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.

You will receive a 25% bonus when you buy Marriott Bonvoy points by 15th September. You can buy here.

If you are a Marriott Rewards member,  you may not know that you can – via their partnership with Starwood Preferred Guest – now earn points with every Uber ride you take.

Full details can be found here.

You earn 1 Starwood Preferred Guest point for every US$1 or equivalent you spend with taxi app Uber. 

I have been taking part in this promotion since it launched 18 months ago and I can confirm that it works very well.  I get a handful of points dropping into my Starwood account every couple of days, since Uber is our default option if we need to drive the kids to a friend, swimming class etc.

I value SPG points at 1.5p and Marriott points at 0.5p.  And, of course, you can now convert Starwood points to Marriott points at the rate of 1:3.  Given the current $ exchange rate, you would be getting 1.8p of hotel stay for every £1 you spend on Uber cars.

The full rules are here.  In summary:

You MUST have stayed at a Starwood hotel this year to participate.  Only cash stays count.  Once you have done one stay you are eligible to earn points from Uber until 31 January 2017.  After that date, another cash stay from 2017 will be required.

If you have not had a Starwood stay this year, you can still link your Uber account.  You will not begin to earn points until after you have completed a stay.

If you take an Uber ride on a day when you are checked into a Starwood hotel, you earn additional points – 2-4 points per $1 depending on your SPG status

You can take part irrespective of what status you have in Starwood Preferred Guest

You must link your SPG and Uber accounts via this website.  The email addresses and surname must match.  Your points will be automatically deposited with SPG.

You can earn a maximum of 10,000 points per year (excluding bonus points for rides on days you are staying with SPG)

If  you are not already an Uber member, you can have a free £15 credit towards your first ride by downloading the app via this link or using the Android or iOS app store directly and inputting code ‘HEADFORPOINTS’ on the payment settings page.

SPG also has a sign-up code via the website above.  Do NOT use this – it gives you a credit in US$ and this can only be redeemed in the United States.

This is a neat offer.  SPG points are valuable enough to be worth claiming and the fact that you can now convert them into Marriott Rewards points as well gives them extra value.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (August 2022)

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

EDIT: Until 25th October 2022, there is an exceptionally generous sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card. You will receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points – double the usual amount – and £200 to spend at Amex Travel. You need to spend £6,000 within six months to earn the bonus.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 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. 

(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.)