Amex Platinum £400 Marriott credit extended to 31st December

As we have covered a few times in recent weeks, some holders of The Platinum Card from American Express have received £400 to spend at selected Marriott International hotels.

If you have this offer, there is some good news. It has been extended to 31st December.

This is actually the second extension. The original deadline was 23rd November and then 19th December.

Even if you live in London, it is arguably worth booking a stay and having a few drinks or a meal to get to exactly £400 purely to earn the Marriott Bonvoy points.

A base level member would earn (£400 – 5% VAT x $1.32 x 10 points per $1) 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, whilst an elite member would receive a status bonus on top.

Bulgari Hotel does not take part in Marriott Bonvoy, so don’t book that one if you want the points! In any event, base rooms at the Bulgari tend to start at £600.

Which hotels are taking part?

Here is the list of participating hotels. Given that travel into Europe won’t get a lot easier this side of New Year, you should probably focus on the UK hotels.

Having exchanged emails with many readers about this offer in recent weeks, there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding amongst some of them.

This is NOT ‘get a refund of your charges, capped at £400’. It is ‘spend £400+ and get a £400 statement credit back’.

If you spend £399.99 you will get NOTHING back from American Express.

You may want to book your stay via our hotel partner for extra benefits

Before I remind you of the deals that our hotel booking partner Bon Vivant offers, I should clarify three things:

The rules of the ‘spend £400, get £400 cashback’ offer say that you need to book via marriott.com. If you book via Bon Vivant, you won’t be doing this. However, because you are paying at check-out, there is virtually no chance that the ‘book via marriott.com’ rule could be applied. How is American Express meant to know how you booked? However, it is only fair that I highlight this to you.

(Many readers have already booked this offer via Bon Vivant and received the cashback.)

Secondly, some hotels are offering online deals which are cheaper than the rate Emyr can access. You need to factor in the $100 credit, upgrade and free breakfast to decide what is best. Links to the direct hotel websites are below.

What are the ‘added value’ deals?

We have only looked at the UK hotels included in the American Express Platinum deal, given the current restrictions.

However, if you are thinking of booking any of the other hotels on the list, Emyr can also book those for you with similar benefits.

Here are your options for UK stays:

• The Langley (the new ‘country house’ hotel near London)
• JW Marriott Grosvenor House, on Park Lane
• The London EDITION
• The Park Tower, Knightsbridge (between Harrods and Harvey Nichols, note that it has no restaurant at present due to refurbishment)
• The Wellesley, Knightsbridge
• W London, Leicester Square
• Bulgari Hotel, London (between Harrods and Hyde Park)
• Trump Turnberry (the only option not near London, HfP review)

Note that The Westbury, Mayfair is now closed for refurbishment.

What deals can Bon Vivant offer?

You receive the following benefits on all eight of the hotels listed above:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Complimentary breakfast for two daily for duration of the stay
• $100 USD equivalent hotel credit once per stay
• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability 
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Customised amenity

Note the ‘complimentary breakfast’ AND the $100 hotel credit. This means that you can actually spend around £480 without having to pay a penny, since your $100 credit will be deducted from your bill at check-out!

If you want to stay for multiple nights, the following ‘free night’ offers are available via Bon Vivant and stack with the £400 credit:

The London EDITION – pay for two nights, get a third night free

JW Marriott Grosvenor House – pay for two nights, get a third night free

Do I still receive points and elite night credit in Marriott Bonvoy if I book via Bon Vivant or Amex FHR?

Yes, except for Bulgari. Bulgari does not participate in Marriott Bonvoy.

Do I still pay on departure if I book via Bon Vivant or Amex FHR?

Yes

How can I contact Bon Vivant?

Please send your booking enquiries via the form on this page of Head for Points.

Please be as precise as possible to allow us to deal with enquiries as efficiently as we can. Remember that pricing will match Best Available Rate showing on marriott.com.

A typical enquiry might be “I’m thinking of booking a standard room at JW Marriott Grosvenor House from 7th to 10th December. The Best Available Rate showing online is £281. Can you please confirm that you can book at this price – with ‘3rd night free’ – and provide the other benefits on top?”.

As for my own trip …. as I live in London, I will book a ‘work from hotel’ package at the Grosvenor House. This gives me 6am check-in on Day 1 and 6pm check-out on Day 2, so I get somewhere smart to work. This will leave around £130 for a trip to the hotel restaurant and bar in the evening, before I nip home.

The form to contact Emyr is at the bottom of this page (click). Happy booking!

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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.)