Get a 30% bonus converting American Express points to Marriott Bonvoy – worth it?

American Express has launched a 30% bonus when you transfer Membership Rewards points into Marriott Bonvoy points.

This is, I think, the first Bonvoy transfer bonus we’ve seen since 2019 – and in 2019 it was targeted. This one appears to be open to all.

The usual transfer rate is 1.5 Marriott Bonvoy points per 1 Membership Rewards point. Under this offer, you will receive 1.95 Marriott Bonvoy points per American Express point.

The offer does not seem to be targeted. However, it shows very clearly on the Membership Rewards website if you attempt to make a transfer. If you don’t see any mention of the bonus, don’t do it – or just do a small transfer as a test first.

Here is the small print:

• the offer runs to 30th September 2024

• there is no minimum transfer to receive the bonus, apart from the usual ‘Amex to Marriott’ minimum of 400 Membership Rewards points

• it seems that you can receive the bonus on multiple transfers

• your standard points should transfer instantly to Marriott Bonvoy but the small print says that the bonus points could take eight weeks to arrive – that said, reports in our forum yesterday said that the bonus was posting immediately

Is this a good deal?

Yes. I value a Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.5p.  On that basis, via this offer you are getting 0.975p per Amex point as opposed to the usual 0.75p.

This puts Bonvoy points on a par with redeeming for Avios or other airline miles, which I tend to value at 1p each.

However, it is relatively easy to get outsize value from your Marriott Bonvoy points. I have a spreadsheet showing my Starwood and Marriott redemptions over the last 10 years and I have averaged 0.75p. This is the equivalent of getting almost 1.5p per American Express point if I transfer under this offer.

Don’t get carried away though

You can buy Marriott Bonvoy points directly from Marriott – see here.

When a 40% bonus on purchased points is running, which happens a couple of times per year, you can buy Bonvoy points for around 0.7p each. You shouldn’t value Bonvoy points any higher than the cost of buying them directly, albeit there is an annual cap on the number of points you can purchase.

This offer may also work for airline miles

Marriott Bonvoy has 40 airline partners.  Not only does it have the biggest range of airline partners of any hotel scheme, it also has the most generous conversion rate.

Take a look at the full list on the Marriott Bonvoy site here.

In most programmes, including Avios and Virgin Flying Club, you receive 1 airline mile for every 3 Marriott Bonvoy points you convert.

If you convert in chunks of 60,000 Bonvoy points, you receive an additional 25% bonus – you get 25,000 miles instead of 20,000.

Let’s see what that means:

• You convert 30,770 Amex Membership Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy under this offer

• You receive 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in your account (46,155 base points plus the 30% bonus)

• You transfer those 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points into airline miles

• You receive 25,000 airline miles

This means that you receive 0.81 airline miles per Membership Rewards point.

Obviously this is not a good deal for those airlines which are already Membership Rewards partners at a 1:1 rate.  However, if you collect miles in an airline programme which is NOT a UK Membership Rewards partner, this is a great opportunity to convert them and get a ratio of 1 to 0.81 on the transfer.

Amusingly, if you want Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles, it is now a better deal to convert like this than directly from American Express into KrisFlyer. This is because the transfer rate between Membership Rewards and Singapore Airlines is only 1 to 0.66.

Conclusion

This is the first Marriott Bonvoy transfer bonus we’ve seen in five years (I think) and you have to go back even further to find one that was open to all.

If you know how to get value out of Marriott Bonvoy points then it is definitely worth a look. The only potential issue is the ‘bonus may take eight weeks to arrive’ clause although forum comments imply this is not happening.

With my own Bonvoy balance down to five figures following a big redemption this month, I suspect that my wife or I will take advantage. I wouldn’t normally stockpile Bonvoy points because transfers from Amex are instant, but a 30% bonus will probably swing me.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (September 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)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

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.)