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Got the £400 Amex Platinum Marriott offer? Berners Tavern restaurant triggers it (or does it?)

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Most American Express Platinum cardholders currently have a very generous offer of £400 cashback on £400 of spending at selected Marriott hotels.

In theory, the deal is probably meant to be used in conjunction with an overnight stay as it is only valid on bills settled at the hotel front desk. This is less useful for anyone who actually lives in London and who got the offer.

EDIT: You should read the comments to this article about the discussions that readers have had with the restaurant before booking

Two week ago we published a workaround for the JW Marriott Grosvenor House hotel restaurant. Recent reports suggest that the hotel is no longer willing to go through the shenanigans required to process payment through the hotel tills instead of the restaurant tills.

It seems there is another option though.

One of the hotels which qualifies for the £400 spend is the London EDITION. Unfortunately, the EDITION is closed with little sign of reopening. What IS open – at least until Wednesday night – is Berners Tavern, its acclaimed restaurant.

The problem with using this offer at restaurants is that it is usually processed by American Express under the name of the restaurant and not the hotel, and so does not trigger the cashback.

Berners Tavern spend seems to go through your Amex card as London EDITION. This means that it DOES trigger the cashback.

Here is a card statement from a HfP reader. Remember that the hotel is closed so this is, without a doubt, purely from restaurant spend:

London Edition bill

£400 cashback was received on a £475 bill at Berners Tavern.

Of course, how to spend £400 across your household may be a problem. You MUST hit £400 or you don’t receive any cashback. There is a 12.5% service charge, so £356 of food and drink spend is required. For a couple, this is likely to mean spending £150 – £200 on wine on top of the more expensive parts of the food menu.

Remember that up to six people can still attend a meal for business purposes, however, which is an option if you have an SME.

Clearly the restaurant could change how it processes credit cards at any point, but this is how it was processing them last week. You should make your own enquiries before booking a meal at the restaurant to use this offer. It runs until 19th December and so will be continuing beyond the November lockdown.


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.)

Comments (86)

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

  • Chris says:

    I have now not had a single AMEX offer on my Platinum Card or BA Amex for over 4 months… my wife still gets offers on her personal BA Amex but nothing at all for the ones in my name. It seems very odd. I have asked them for any potential reasons why and they say “offers are targeted” blah blah blah. I used to have 30+ at all times and then they just stopped.

    Anybody else have experience of this?

    • Rob says:

      Yes, a few in the same boat.

    • Marm says:

      Me too

    • Sina says:

      Yep, it’s been like that for me on my BA, Gold charge and Harrods cards for over a year! Complained was told it’s targeted and Not a core benefit!

      • DB2020 says:

        Yes, same for me. Nothing since the double points offer earlier this year. Got the same excuses about the offers being targeted, but they really appreciate the fact that I have been a member since 1995, etc.

  • Kevin says:

    Most? I probably know some 20 or more people who have a platinum card and of these only 1 has this offer.
    I wish Amex would be more consistent in letting all customers getting access to the same offers.

    • Tom says:

      I didn’t get it either but whinging about it is going to make further offers like this even less likely. Just accept it was targeted and why not be happy for those who were lucky to get it? Not aimed at you just people complaining generally

      • Andrew says:

        I think articles like this in full view of Amex and Marriott on how to find a loophole from what the offer was intended is more likely to mean offers like this don’t appear again – and possibly close this particular loophole immediately.

        • The Streets says:

          100% love this website to bits but not when it openly pushes ways to abuse the Amex offers like this or the dell. Let people do it for themselves or otherwise read about it in the comments section below

        • James says:

          @Andrew. Quite agree, it amazes me that no lessons seem to have been learnt from the change to welcome/referral bonuses, which were a direct result of people gaming the system and taking the proverbial.

      • Kevin says:

        Who was whinging? Simply pointing out that ‘most’ don’t seem to have this offer. So let’s stick to the facts.

    • Andrew says:

      +1 wasn’t on mine and these continual articles about it rubbing it in further are very irritating. Totally agree Amex need to be consistent with benefits like this – targeted spend x get y are understandable but this is a genuine gift given to some and not others.

      • Jessiefan says:

        +1
        I didn’t get it and know no-one who did that has a Platinum card in Scotland. Give it a rest huh?

        • Alan says:

          Yep, seems to be mainly targeted at those in London with the odd person elsewhere in the UK from the posts I’ve seen?

        • Kris says:

          I got it but probably can’t use it now (I live in Glasgow)

    • Alan says:

      Totally agree, Kevin. It’s one thing for some minor targeted offer, but we’re taking about £500 of free money between this and the Harrods offer – that’s almost the full year of Plat membership!

      • TGLoyalty says:

        It’s only free money if you were going spend it anyway

        • TGLoyalty says:

          I guess the way I look at it if I wants going to spend £400 at Bernars tavern or one of the other hotels yeah it’s nice experience perhaps for free (I’d need to get there, park, congestion etc) but it’s not free money.

          I’ll find something to spend £100 on in Harrods but I wouldn’t have spent it anyway. I already have selfridges and HN gift cards to make my way through.

        • Alan says:

          Agree re the £400 although it still has definite value even if you would have spent less on accommodation or food. I think the £100 Harrods is pretty much cash though.

  • The Streets says:

    Another £400 Amex Platinum Marriott offer article

  • Ken says:

    Back in lock down but get 6 together from different households and it’s business lunch.
    Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

    Thoroughly depressing – typical self entitlement and why we can’t be treated like adults in this country.

    • Anna says:

      No … we’re not back in lockdown until Thursday, at which point the restaurant will have to close and there won’t be any kind of lunches going on!

      • Ken says:

        No different then, than students going on the wallop in Liverpool & Nottingham the night before they entered Tier 3.
        It seems like 10% of the population love using the time delay of the legal requirements to issue statutory instruments / vote in HoC to have one last party.

        Self entitled & incredibly selfish – but you knock yourself out dancing on the head of a pin.

        • Anna says:

          I’m just pointing out facts, which are few and far between amongst the hysteria on here. No dancing on the head of a pin about it but clearly you need to get a bit of virtue signalling off your chest.

          • James says:

            Facts Anna? You’re facts come from conspiracy sites and right wing crazies. You literally said yesterday you believe it to be a hoax. Sad.

          • James says:

            * your

  • Richard says:

    If I book a hotel stay at a qualifying hotel and pay on an advanced rate now to trigger the 400 credit, for example for a stay in early December (assuming we are out of lockdown) how likely is it I can contact the hotel and postpone the stay (not get a refund) and use it next year?

    • Rob says:

      There are no pay in advance rates at present.

      • meta says:

        There are. I am seeing prepaid rates for several hotels on the list in early Dec.

        • Rob says:

          They don’t take your money until you turn up though – but if you don’t turn up you are on the hook for the cash. The admin of refunding people has got too much.

          • TGLoyalty says:

            I thought that but I’ve actually be charged for a couple which I’m now going to cancel as it’s in the lockdown period.

  • Dave says:

    Is it cumulative spend for the Marriott deal? If I check in and they take the room rate and a deposit for sundries for less than £400, then I top it up with drinks in the hotel bar so the total spend is over £400 does it count if they process it as say £300 at check in and £100 at check out?

    • Ikaz says:

      If you leave your tab open, they will simply place a hold on your card for the rate and incidentals at check in. They will charge you for the whole thing at check out.

    • Rob says:

      Actually I’m in this very situation! Am at The W Hotel, they took £326 pending charge at check in and last nights £75 bill is also in pending on my Amex card statement. I did mention it at check in and they said lots of people had been using the offer there though it should be fine hopefully!

    • Lost confused says:

      I did this at W last week. An initial hold was put on for £375 which covered £75 of incidentals on top of the room rate. As I went above this a further authorisation was made against my card for the extra part of the bar tab so 3 pending transactions before the total was charged at checkout. The refund appeared on the card as soon as the transaction cleared.
      W had just 10 rooms occupied Tuesday/Wednesday so we got great service, room upgrade and late checkout – left the room at 4pm but actually settled the bill around 7 after topping up the spend at the bar.
      Probably won’t go back as in normal times as it’s not a family hotel (very insta friendly) but it worked well for now.

    • Georg says:

      Same here. Booked a room through Emyr, 375 GBP deposit was taken at check in and another one of 79 GBP (I think, may be plus minus a few pounds). Then had food and spa charged to the room. Total 430 GBP charged on check out, deposits disappeared and offer triggered. Service was amazing. Not sure it’s totally my taste otherwise but definitely a nice hotel!

      • Harry T says:

        The W London had absolutely excellent service when I was there recently.

  • Mel Gates says:

    If I book a dinner, bed and breakfast rate at Grosvener House (still eating in the JW Steakhouse) will that work for the £400 target?

  • Alan says:

    What do you mean “most” Amex Plat cardholders, Rob? There seem to be a significant number of us without it – many without the Harrods offer too. Have you spoken to your contacts at Amex around what they’re playing at here?

    • Rob says:

      Harrods goes on tomorrow for everyone allegedly.

      There was a cap on the Marriott offer which was presumably reached before it rolled around to you.

      • KBuffett says:

        There’s a lot of resentment on here about the AMEX Marriott Offer.
        Many of the offers have always been targeted.

        • Rob says:

          Marriott went to 2,000 people. Judging my the number of Emyr bookings and those via our links, I would guess HFP readers are a very high % of that.

          • Steve says:

            Just FYI Rob, I never got a response from Emyr using the web form.

          • Rob says:

            It is almost certainly in your spam. He responds to everything within 24 hours, even if it is just a holding email, but for some reason his emails are disproportionately likely to end up in spam. I think this is because he replies with the original enquiry attached which is an automated webform and the sort of thing which seems to annoy spam filters.

            I can chase if you let me know what email was on the form.

        • Alan says:

          I agree, but normally they’re for £50 or so, not £400!

      • Alan says:

        I tried when it first came out, looks like they mainly targeted London/SE addresses from what I’ve seen. Will see re Harrods but not holding out much hope.

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

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