What you missed on Head for Points last week
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Welcome to our weekly newsletter.
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LAST CHANCE: Get 40,000 Bonvoy points and Gold Elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy American Express
Marriott Bonvoy has launched a limited offer on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It ends on Tuesday.
The sign up bonus is doubled to 40,000 Bonvoy points and, more interestingly, you will also receive Gold Elite status in Bonvoy until February 2024.
Let me be honest with you. Very few of our readers will qualify for the 40,000 points because it requires you to have had no personal American Express cards in the past 24 months. (Of course, your partner or a family member may qualify.)
Instead, look at it like this – you can effectively buy Marriott Gold Elite status to February 2024 for £75, which is the cost of the annual fee on the card. Everyone gets this benefit, even if they don’t qualify for the 40,000 points.
Full details are in this HfP article. You can apply here.
The latest travel and aviation news:
We got into the national press this week after we reported that The InterContinental The O2 is now charging £30 per guest to book a one hour pool slot. Are you ready to splash the cash?!
Boeing’s production woes aren’t over now that the 737MAX is back in service – its other commercial programs are in trouble too. Here’s how British Airways has been affected by delays and delivery suspensions.
Do you have two British passports? Do you want to? Reader Ross reveals everything he’s learned from 15 years of having two.
British Airways news:
Is it time British Airways introduced Lifetime Silver status?
If you’re flying BA from Gatwick you may find yourself on a Boeing 757 – for the first time in over 10 years – as British Airways leases aircraft from Titan Airways as it struggles to find cabin crew.
British Airways has officially closed its Houston lounge – could this be the perfect spot for a joint oneworld lounge?
Avios news:
Since Qatar Airways has joined Avios a number of new collection opportunities have emerged. Here’s how you can earn Avios with Hertz, Europcar and Sixt rentals.
Nectar Hotels has launched its first-even bonus offer. Until 11th May, you will get 1,000 bonus Nectar points with every booking, which is the equivalent of 625 Avios.
Do you know that you can earn Avios when you fly United Airlines, even though they are in the competing Star Alliance? It’s one of the things we discuss in our overview of how to earn and spend Avios via Aer Lingus AerClub.
Credit card news:
A deluge of new Amex cashback offers for hotels has arrived, including Marriott, Leading Hotels of the World and more.
Have you recently transferred Membership Rewards points? We’d love to hear how long it took for the points to move.
Hotel news:
Shangri-La Circle launched Thursday, officially replacing Golden Circle. What’s changed?
We review the Hotel Indigo Birmingham. It’s a little odd, to say the least ….
Meanwhile, Rob reviews a palatial room at the Le Meridien Hamburg (pool above) and uses his first Marriott ‘Suite Night Award’ voucher.
What is the best Marriott Annual Choice Benefit – and what are they? One option is five annual Suite Night Awards, as Rob used in Hamburg.
Hyatt has opened two new hotels in Stratford, East London, next to the Westfield shopping centre. These were previously IHG hotels.
Other interesting articles:
Did you know that Aspire Lounges has a loyalty scheme? Aspire Rewards lets you collect points, even when you’re using Priority Pass.
A new Bicester Village sale is on – here’s how to get an extra 20% off at Bicester Village and earn Avios.
Air Canada (re-)launches Manchester-Toronto flights.
A reader reviews the Emirates lounge at London Gatwick – is it any good?
Interesting threads from our forums this week:
- BA refusing to pay compensation for recent cancellations
- Has your Nectar account been blocked?
- What are your tips, tricks and ‘must do’s’ for New York?
The full forum index is here.
See you next Saturday.
