Why the Marriott Bonvoy 60,000 points sign-up bonus is a great way to (re)start with Amex

UPDATE – MARCH 2025:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly directory of the top UK travel credit card offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Credit Cards’ menu above.  Thank you.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

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Marriott Bonvoy is currently offering the biggest ever sign-up bonus – 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points – if you sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card by 3rd July.

Because of the odd way that American Express restricts the sign-up bonuses you can get, this card is the ideal starting point if you (or someone in your household) hasn’t had a personal American Express card in the last two years.

You can apply for the card here.

Let me show you how it works.

The majority of personal American Express cards have the same rule for getting the sign-up bonus:

You must not have had any personal American Express card in the last 24 months to receive a bonus on a new personal card.

Being a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s card does not count. Having an American Express Business card does not count.

These rules apply to cards such as the free British Airways American Express card, the Nectar American Express card, the Amex Cashback cards, the Amex Rewards credit card and the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card.

However, two cards have different rules which make the bonus easier to get. These are the cards with the highest annual fees.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

The rule on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card is:

You must not have had either of the British Airways American Express cards in the last 24 months to receive a bonus on a new British Airways American Express Premium Plus card.

It’s not a problem if you’ve had the Platinum, Gold, Nectar, Amex Cashback, Amex Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy cards.

As a reminder, this card has a sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios and an annual fee of £300. Some people may currently see a higher bonus if they are logged in at ba.com. The fee remains refundable pro-rata at this time.

Our full review of the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card is here.

You can apply here.

The representative APR is 138.5% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 30.4% variable.

The Platinum Card from American Express

The Platinum Card also has its own unique rule, which is:

You must not have had a card issuing Membership Rewards points (Centurion, Platinum, Gold, Green, Amex Rewards) in the last 24 months to get a bonus on a new Platinum card.

It’s not a problem if you’ve had the Nectar, Amex Cashback, Marriott Bonvoy or either of the British Airways American Express cards.

As a reminder, this card has a sign-up bonus of 40,000 Membership Rewards points (which convert to 40,000 Avios amongst other things) and an annual fee of £650. The fee remains refundable pro-rata at this time.

Our full review of The Platinum Card is here.

You can apply here.

The representative APR is 698.1% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 30.4% variable.

Having the Marriott Bonvoy Amex does not exclude you from these two deals

If you look at the rules for the British Airways Premium Plus bonus and The Platinum Card bonus, you will see that neither blocks you because you have, or recently had, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express.

If you have not had a personal American Express card for the last 24 months, you can therefore do the following:

Step 1

Apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card, with a bonus of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points if you apply by 3rd July.

These convert to 25,000 Avios or would get you £300+ of free hotel rooms, based on our 0.5p valuation of a Bonvoy point. The annual fee is £95, which at the present time is still refundable pro-rata if you cancel.

Step 2

Apply for either the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card or The Platinum Card.

Step 3

Apply for the card you didn’t apply for in Step 2.

As long as you haven’t had a personal American Express card for 24 months, you would receive three sign-up bonuses if you follow this pattern:

• Marriott Bonvoy American Express (60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points until 3rd July)

• British Airways Premium Plus (25,000 Avios)

• The Platinum Card (40,000 Membership Rewards points)

Three warnings

There are three things to be aware of before heading down this route.

The first is that all of the bonuses above have a spend target to hit:

• £3,000 in three months to receive the bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card

• £3,000 in three months to receive the bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card

• £6,000 in three months to receive the bonus on The Platinum Card

You need to be sure that you have enough spend to manage this.

Secondly, American Express is planning to stop pro-rata fee refunds in ‘late 2024’. We don’t have a more specific date yet but this implies October onwards. If you were not planning to keep any of the three cards long term you would need to cancel by then.

Thirdly, there is a £35,000 personal minimum income requirement on the British Airways Premium Plus card and The Platinum Card. The Marriott Bonvoy card only requires a £20,000 personal minimum income.

Conclusion

If you haven’t had a personal American Express card for the last 24 months, the current bonus of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card is a good starting point for a new relationship with Amex.

Find out more

Marriott Bonvoy American Express card

The representative APR is 54.1% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 30.4% variable.

Our full review is here. You can apply here.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus card

The representative APR is 138.5% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 30.4% variable.

Our full review is here. You can apply here.

The Platium Card from American Express

The representative APR is 698.1% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 30.4% variable.

Our full review is here. You can apply here.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.