Marriott and SIXT improve their partnership – more points, better status match

German car rental group SIXT and Marriott Bonvoy have been partners for 24 years, and the two have just announced a deepening of the relationship.

Two things have been improved:

• the long-running status match has been improved for Gold Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members of Marriott Bonvoy (nothing changes for Silver or Platinum)

• you can earn additional Marriott Bonvoy points if you rent a larger class of car

In my admittedly limited experience of SIXT, it has a lot more ‘price integrity’ – as they say in the business – than Avis or Hertz.

You will struggle to find discount codes that bring down the cost, and there isn’t any arbitrage to be had by changing the country of the website you book on.

The discounts you get by having SIXT status are usually the best you can find which means it’s worth getting a SIXT status match if you can.

What is SIXT offering to Marriott Bonvoy elite members?

Take a look at this page of the Marriott website and scroll down to the ‘Match Your Status’ section.

Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite = Gold SIXT Card:

• Save up to 10% with exclusive SIXT discounts
• Preferred Mobility: Forgot to book your rental car? No problem. SIXT prioritizes your reservation when calling up to 48 hours prior to your rental start.
• Add a free additional driver for all your US rentals

The official list of Gold benefits is here.

Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Platinum Elite = Platinum SIXT Card:

Gold Elite members of Marriott Bonvoy will now receive Platinum status with SIXT. They were previously restricted to Gold status.

• Save up to 15% with exclusive SIXT discounts
• Free upgrade to the next car group
• Preferred Mobility: Forgot to book your rental car? No problem. SIXT prioritizes your reservation when calling up to 24 hours prior to your rental start.
• Add a free additional driver for all your US rentals

The official list of Platinum benefits is here.

What’s new is:

Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite = Diamond SIXT Card:

• Save up to 20% with exclusive SIXT discounts
• Enjoy priority access with the Diamond lounge and VIP service
• Guaranteed upgrade to the next car group
• Benefit from dedicated counters and parking spots
• Add a free additional driver for all your US rentals

The official list of Diamond benefits is here.

This is the first time that Diamond status, historically ‘invite only’, has been offered via a Marriott Bonvoy match.

Titanium or Ambassador members of Marriott Bonvoy must request their match via this page of the Sixt website. It isn’t mentioned on the Marriott site.

How many Marriott Bonvoy points do you earn with a rental?

Not many, to be honest.

You earn a flat 750 Marriott Bonvoy points (which we’d value at £3.75) with every rental. It’s not a great return.

Even worse …. you do not earn points or miles on prepaid rentals. This rule is tucked away in the small print and easy to miss.

Earn bonus points

To promote the relaunched partnership, SIXT is offering bonus Marriott Bonvoy points:

• Mini, Economy, Compact rentals earn the standard 750 Bonvoy points

• You earn an additional 1,750 points when renting an Intermediate, Standard or Full Size vehicle

• You earn an additional 2,250 points when renting a Premium, Luxury or Ordinary vehicle

The rules are:

• You must rent for 3-27 days
• You must book by 23rd March
• You must return your vehicle by 18th April
• Rentals in the US and Canada are excluded

The promotion is outlined here.

Conclusion

You won’t be getting elite status from SIXT because you are attracted by a huge range of elite benefits or because you are being swamped with Marriott Bonvoy points, because you’re not. You won’t earn any points at all if you prepay your rental.

You get it because the 10% (for Marriott Silver) or 15% (for Marriott Gold or Platinum) or 20% (for Marriott Titanium or Ambassador) saving at SIXT is a genuine discount and can be valuable in my experience.

You can find out more on this page of the Marriott Bonvoy website.

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How to get FREE car rental status and other benefits via UK credit cards (December 2024)

If you hire a car in the UK, you can get special benefits (discounts, upgrades, free additional drivers etc) if you have elite status with a car rental programme. You can get elite status for free via certain American Express cards.

The Platinum Card and American Express Business Platinum

The Platinum Card from American Express and American Express Business Platinum come with two free car hire status cards. Your supplementary Platinum cardholder can also receive status in their own right.

From Avis, you receive President’s Club status in Avis Preferred. This gets you up to 25% off standard rates, a free additional driver and a guaranteed one class upgrade. For weekend rentals you will receive a two class upgrade, subject to availability.

From Hertz, you receive ‘Five Star’ status in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. This gets you up to 15% off standard rates, a free additional driver and a one class upgrade, subject to availability.

Hertz also offers Platinum cardholders a 4 hour grace period on rentals. Your final day is treated as 28 hours, so a 1pm pick up with a 5pm return the following day is only charged as one day, not two days. We wrote about the Hertz / Platinum 4 hour grace period here.

The Platinum Card also comes with full car hire insurance with no obligation to pay for the rental via American Express. You can refuse any attempts to sell you additional insurance at pick up. This benefit has substantial value if you rent on a regular basis.

You can find more details on the two Platinum cards, and apply, in our full reviews linked below. You can apply here for the personal card and here for the business card.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is an excellent card in its own right. You receive 20,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up (convert to 20,000 Avios amongst other things), four airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit. Even better, your first year is free.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

There are two car rental benefits:

• you receive Preferred Plus status in Avis Preferred

• you receive a special package with Hertz – 10% off best available rates at participating locations, a one class upgrade for rentals of 5 days or more, subject to availability, and no additional driver fees

Find out more about the benefits of American Express Preferred Rewards Gold in our review. You can apply here.