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Eat at the world’s best restaurant with your Marriott Bonvoy hotel points

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The winner of The World’s Best Restaurant award for 2018 – see the full list here – was Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. 

Described as an ‘avant-garde Italian tasting temple’, it also won the award in 2016.  (It won’t be winning it any longer as a rule change means that previous winners are now no longer eligible.)  It holds three Michelin stars and is famous for quirky preparations like “Autumn in New York” and “Oops, I Dropped the Lemon Tart”.

Marriott Bonvoy is taking over Osteria Francescana on 11th October for a special dinner.

It is letting you book a table using Marriott Bonvoy points and, shamefully, the event has been overlooked so far.  This is because Marriott Bonvoy lists its auctions by city, so it wouldn’t be spotted unless you searched for events in Modena.

As you can see from the event page here, bids for the 18 tables on offer are all hovering around the minimum bid level of 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.  This is what you get:

  • A members-only multi-course dinner at Chef Massimo Bottura’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Osteria Francescana
  • Wine pairings to accompany the meal
  • Meet & greet and photo opportunity with famed Chef, Massimo Bottura
  • Restaurant tour of Chef Bottura’s world-class art collection
  • One signed copy of Chef Mossimo Bottura’s cookbook
  • Access is for two people

I value a Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.5p, so this event is effectively ‘costing’ you £375 in foregone free hotel nights.  If you are foodie, you won’t care – you’ll want this.

Bidding closes on 9th September.  You can bid here.

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

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (June 2025)

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 15th July 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is TRIPLED to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. This would convert into 25,000 Avios or into 40 other airline schemes. It would also get you at least £300 of Marriott hotel stays based on our 0.5p per point low-end valuation. Other T&C apply and remain unchanged. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card

60,000 points (to 15th July) 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 The Platinum Card from American Express in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large 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.

Category

Marriott Bonvoy

Comments (73)

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

  • pking says:
    20 Aug20 August 04:57

    I went to Osteria Francescana, last November, amazing meal!

    For reference: lunch for two, with wine pairing, was 975 euros so could be a bargain if bidding stays low.

  • Jordan D says:
    20 Aug20 August 05:20

    Well, there goes the neighbour’s ours neighbourhood for those of us who’ve been bidding since it opened. Can expect all the auction prices to go up massively now!

    • mradey says:
      20 Aug20 August 07:26

      Yup, obviously Rob didn’t have a bid in!

    • Stu_N says:
      20 Aug20 August 15:13

      Well, I’m grateful for the publicity. I’ve been wanting to go to here for AGES so considering going “all in” on this.

  • Crafty says:
    20 Aug20 August 06:55

    Excellent, they can use the money to compensate those of us whose personal data they compromised.

  • M Todd says:
    20 Aug20 August 07:09

    The end date of the auction is so far off I am sure they will jump up a lot at the end.

    What I really don’t like withg Marriott’s version of the Moments is they have turned most into a points grab, whereas with SPG they used to run quite a lot of the events to break even rather than profit! The seats at the O2 now are bid rather then buy now for the popular artists,

  • Roberto says:
    20 Aug20 August 07:33

    O/T ….
    I was due to cancel my Platinum card today but it renewed at the old £450 rate. I did read here that renewals after the 1st of August 2019 would be at the new higher £575 price point.

    It would seem that the date must have moved.

    • Aceman says:
      20 Aug20 August 08:17

      Very interesting, for £575 I’m thinking of cancelling g to be honest

  • Chas says:
    20 Aug20 August 08:16

    OT (Revolut related – would have been sensible to post yesterday, but I only caught up on the comments thread this morning….).

    Has anyone got any recent data points on how long it takes to get an account limitation lifted? I hadn’t had the standard requests for extra information which people seem to automatically receive when they go through multiples of £20k loading. But last week I received a “your Account has been limited” message as I went through a higher number. I sent them the required information within 30 mins, and the app has the standard message of “we’re reviewing your information and will get back to you within 48 hours”. 8 days later and my account is still limited. I can’t find any information on how to contact them to escalate – does anyone have any suggestions?

    • Aceman says:
      20 Aug20 August 08:19

      I think they did mine via the online chat pretty much instantly.

      Strange I would have thought this would have all stopped now that it’s effectively a bank account and you can just transfer in

      • S says:
        20 Aug20 August 08:42

        I’m in similar situation and been waiting 3 days. Chat just says looking for agent so stuck with no way to reach them. Sent Facebook message this morning with my mob number and they said they will get someone to reply to my chat. Let’s see..

        • Chas says:
          20 Aug20 August 09:26

          I’m now stuck in the same situation, so would appreciate an update on how you get on with the FB direct message approach.

          • S says:
            20 Aug20 August 10:31

            Done, that was easy! Not sure if threatening ombudsman speeded things up but my block is now lifted.

          • Chas says:
            20 Aug20 August 10:44

            Excellent – good news. Just to clarify, was this through having high CC top-ups? My chat message updated to say that it had been passed to the relevant team who will respond within 72 hours. I might have to wait until Friday to chase them further.

    • Alex says:
      20 Aug20 August 12:24

      I do the odd CC top-up but have been looking to start pushing it harder – When/if my account if locked out. What information is it they actually ask you for? Just so i can be prepared if it comes to that

      • S says:
        20 Aug20 August 12:41

        Given the scrutiny Revolut are under for their sloppy compliance, I would err on the side of not doing anything ‘interesting’ because a crackdown is surely coming

  • Jt says:
    20 Aug20 August 08:24

    Does anyone have a time frame for an amex to marriott transfer for a linked account with a previous transfer ?

    First transfer took 3 days was hoping 2nd would be quicker

    • Matthew says:
      20 Aug20 August 09:27

      Normally the 2 mornings after you transferred from Amex. So if you did it Mon night, then Weds morning they are there. Or Tues morning, then they’ll post Thurs morning. That’s what I’ve found anyhow….

      • Jt says:
        20 Aug20 August 09:37

        Thank you. Too late to get the package I wanted I reckon and then stuck with the points. Very frustrating

  • Paul Stevens says:
    20 Aug20 August 08:53

    Osteria Francescana is all very well and good but if you check your BAPP card you might just have an offer for Pret. Spend £5 or more four times and receive £6 back. ends 22/09/19.

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