The joys of doing live TV, and your last day to buy Marriott points with 25% bonus

I was planning to do an article this week linked to a TV interview I did on Friday for BBC World News on ‘Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst’.  However, it turns out that you can’t get BBC World News on catch-up anywhere so I can’t show you the clip.

(EDIT: we have HFP readers everywhere, and I have now got my hands on a copy of this interview. If I decide it is fit for sharing I’ll run it.)

This is a shame, because it got a bit complicated when they put up a picture of the current Virgin Upper Class seat and announced it as the new one and then asked me what I thought of it 🙂  Given that we were broadcasting live the potential for disaster was high but I think we dealt with it!  Luckily the picture of the new BA Club Suite that went up next was the right one.

I think it went well.  An earlier remote guest was cancelled due to technical problems so we got to chat for longer than was originally planned, and Aaron is a big aviation fan.  I’ll never know, however …..

25% discount if you buy Marriott Bonvoy points

Today is your last day to get a discount when you buy Marriott Bonvoy points.

Via this page of the website, you will save 25% on all points purchases until tonight, Wednesday 15th May.

You can buy up to 50,000 points per year, which will cost you $468.75 (£360) under this offer.

My rule of thumb is that a Marriott Bonvoy point is worth 0.5p so this offer is not great at 0.72p per point.

However, you might find it worthwhile if:

you are topping off your account before making a points booking, or

you are planning a stay at a property where you know you will get outsized value

The snag with Marriott Bonvoy is that the annual points buying cap is too low to allow you to exploit the deal.  The St Regis New York, for example, can easily run to $1,300 per night including taxes, which makes 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points a great deal.  The problem is that you can only buy 50,000 points per year.

The link to buy is here if you are interested.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 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.

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.

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)

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.)