News: BA drops Manchester to Gatwick, Qatar Airways adds Dusseldorf, Marriott Homes & Villas

News in brief:

British Airways drops Manchester to Gatwick

British Airways has brought forward its plans to drop the Manchester to London Gatwick service.

Flights were due to end on 29th October, at the end of the Summer flying season, but this has now been accelerated. The last flight will now be on 31st July.

This flight was apparently designed to feed the Gatwick to Islamabad long haul route, which moved from Heathrow to Gatwick in March 2021. With Islamabad flights now back at Heathrow, however, the justification for the route has gone.

Qatar Airways launches a new route to Dusseldorf

Qatar Airways has announced a new route from Germany to Doha. The carrier will launch flights from Dusseldorf in mid November, using a Boeing 787-8.

The main reason for mentioning this is that, as Qatar Airways offers two guaranteed Business Class seats for Avios redemptions on all flights, availability on this route should be excellent, at least once the World Cup is out of the way.

If you have been struggling to find Avios seats on Qatar Airways from the UK for specific dates next year, it may be worth looking at Dusseldorf as an alternative starting point.

Our most recent review of Qatar Airways Boeing 787-8 business class is here.

Get double Marriott Bonvoy points on ‘Homes & Villas’ rentals

With self catering holidays set for another bumper covid-driven year, Homes & Villas by Marriott International has launched a double points promotion.

The standard Bonvoy earning rate with Homes & Villas is 5 points per $1. This is doubled to 10 points per $1 for all stays booked for dates up to 31st January 2023.

Bookings must be made by 29th July 2022 to qualify. A three night minimum stay is required. Existing bookings do not count.

As a reminder, when you make a Homes & Villas rental, you earn points based on your total spend less booking fees, taxes, cleaning fees and extra add-ons.

Elite members of Marriott Bonvoy will earn a status bonus:

• Silver Elite: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 10% bonus
• Gold Elite: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 25% bonus
• Platinum Elite: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 50% bonus
• Titanium Elite: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 75% bonus
• Ambassador: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 75% bonus

…. and Gold and above receive additional points as a welcome gift:

• Ambassador Elite, Titanium Elite, Platinum Elite: 1,000 points
• Gold Elite: 500 points

Each night you book counts towards elite status with Marriott Bonvoy but, oddly, does not count towards lifetime status.

You can find full details on the Homes & Villas by Marriott International website here.

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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.)