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

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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 …..

Head for Points on Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst

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.

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

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.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus 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.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

and for small business owners:

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.)

Category

Marriott Bonvoy

Comments (151)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Kevin says:
    15 May15 May 07:54

    I bought some Bonvoy points a week ago and, boringly, they aren’t in my account. Are they always this slow or do I need to get in touch? Is there a preferred method for talking to the Bonvoy Empire?

    • TGLoyalty says:
      15 May15 May 08:04

      I’ve read that if your account is new it can take 4-5 days but otherwise should be near enough instant

      The uk call centre is pretty helpful tbh.

    • Sean says:
      15 May15 May 08:07

      Did the same thing 10 days ago – after 7 days realised i’d entered the wrong account number by 1 digit. Phoned 02070127312 to query – still awaiting refund. they recommended re-buying which i did and points arrived within 24 hours.

      • Kevin C says:
        15 May15 May 08:43

        Thank you both for your help. I think the first digit of my account number may be missing from the transaction. I have rung them and now they are going to email someone and I have to wait another 5 working days 🙁 Luckily I don’t have an urgent redemption planned.

    • Anna says:
      15 May15 May 12:58

      I find everything to do with Bonvoy rather slow. Points purchased took several days to show in both mine and my OH’s account. Also, one of their hotels recently charged me in error to the tune of $2000. Bonvoy have indicated this could take weeks to resolve so I’ve started a dispute through Amex so at least I won’t have to pay the credit card bill in the meantime.

  • rotundo says:
    15 May15 May 08:12

    O/T but may be interesting for frequent visitors to US (I use Lyft on work trips)
    https://blog.lyft.com/posts/earn-hilton-honors-points-with-every-lyft-ride

  • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:
    15 May15 May 08:21

    Presumably you have a right under GDPR to request a copy of the segment as part of a subject access request, although not necessarily to redistribute it.

  • Inconsiderate Practical Joke says:
    15 May15 May 08:45

    @Lady London

    I apologise for using your “Screen Name”

    It was simply a joke, didn’t mean to cause you any distress or harm. Sorry!

  • Tony says:
    15 May15 May 08:51

    OT – travelling from Toronto to Dublin and have Amex Plat with Priority Pass. Will be travelling with teenagers (16 and 13) was wondering if anyone had recommendations on which lounge would be more suited to them?

    I appear to have the choice of Plaza Premium or Air France/KLM.

    Any recommendations gratefully received.

    • Michael says:
      15 May15 May 09:44

      Plaza Premium are generally quite good – I’d google both and do your own comparison though as they’re quite niche lounges for a UK blog like this one.

      • Tony says:
        15 May15 May 10:42

        Yes but I though I’d give it a shot. There’s some well travelled people on here. Normally it wouldn’t bother me but if one has something teens would go for I would take that over the other.

        Thanks for replying!

  • Stella64 says:
    15 May15 May 08:59

    Can someone explain what the difference is between the personal Plat and the business Plat in terms of the hotel status? Thanks.

  • Wongster says:
    15 May15 May 09:03

    Hi folks,

    This is probably a routine query that gets asked often. I currently have an Amex BA blue with just 2 months remaining to the anniversary date. Have spent slightly over £10k on it, if I were upgrade to BAPP now, would I get the companion voucher immediately? and then do I have to pay another set of £195 in a few months’ time when the new year starts?

    Also how do I best upgrade my BAPP? by phone request or applying online?

    Thanks!

    • Simon says:
      15 May15 May 09:59

      Ethics aside, pretty sure you can upgrade, get the voucher, downgrade next week and get the fee pro rata refunded

      • Russ says:
        15 May15 May 11:14

        Is it possible to buy a companion voucher for cash?

        • Rob says:
          15 May15 May 12:17

          No

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            15 May15 May 12:40

            Yes it is! It’s called a “ticket” and any airline will sell it to you ..

          • Russ says:
            15 May15 May 13:07

            Fair enough Rob.

            Secret, the dark side which is the 2-4-1 voucher has completely passed me by 🙂

          • Russ says:
            15 May15 May 13:09

            *sorry that was for Savage Squirrel nor Secret squirrel.

          • Cat says:
            15 May15 May 15:32

            Thanks Savage Squirrel!

            I love that you used your HfP pseudonym – that will confuse my friends completely!

    • Peter K says:
      15 May15 May 17:42

      This exact same question was answered yesterday!

      • Wongster says:
        16 May16 May 16:05

        Sorry, I must have missed yesterday’s reply.

        Not sure if apply online or call to upgrade though, no one mentioned.

  • Eric the Half a Bee says:
    15 May15 May 09:07

    O/T – Prices announced for ‘PremiAir’ terminal at MAN: £50 for departure inc. private security & transfer to plane or £100 to include lounge access. £125 for arrivals package inc. luggage delivered to terminal. £225 for full outbound/inbound package.

    • Rob says:
      15 May15 May 09:15

      I need to be in Manchester in October to take my daughter to a concert so I am seriously tempted to fly back to London and try this out. We might also be able to wangle a review. Given the state of Manchester I consider it a fair price!

      • Eric the Half a Bee says:
        15 May15 May 09:37

        I agree, it sounds like a considerable improvement over the current (miserable) experience. I also am keen to try it out in September, but it is currently inviolable and no specific date is published.

    • Anna says:
      15 May15 May 11:03

      I’d be quite tempted if I was doing a trip without lounge access included and it was a special occasion but I’m just wondering if/when they will introduce peak period pricing!

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