Marriott relaunches MegaBonus for Spring 2013

UPDATE – DECEMBER 2021:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly summary of the top hotel bonus point offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ menu above.

In recent days I have covered the Spring promotions from Starwood, Hilton and Priority Club.  Now it is Marriott’s turn.

Marriott Rewards is bringing back its MegaBonus promotion again, with the new version running from 1st February to 30th April.

Marriott targets different offers to different members, based on stay pattern.  I very rarely stay at a Marriott group property, and if I log into my Marriott Rewards account and click on ‘Promotion Central’, I am offered what seems to be the most generous version:

• One free night for every 2 paid stays during the promotional period
• Maximum of 3 free nights to be earned
• Free nights to be redeemed at Category 1-4 properties only
• Free nights to be redeemed within 1 year

This is, to be fair, not a bad offer as long as I am not interested in staying at aspirational properties.  Which is a shame, because I am interested in aspirational properties!  There aren’t many exciting hotels in Category 1-4 – remember that the Marriott Rewards chart goes up to Category 8!

A typical Category 4 hotel would be the Leeds, Bristol and Northampton Marriott’s in the UK.  You will struggle to find anything decent in a major European capital city in Category 1-4, although there are some options.

Other versions of the promo seem to be:

• Stay 2 times, get a Category 1-5 certificate (maximum 2 free nights)
• Stay 15 nights and get 25,000 bonus points or stay 20 nights and get 40,000 points
• Stay 20 nights and get 35,000 bonus points or stay 25 nights and get 50,000 points

Anyone whose Marriott account is set up to give miles instead of points will receive a different miles promotion instead.

Note that you need to register by 15th March, so it is worth registering even if you are not planning any Marriott stays at present – it would be a shame to be faced with a couple of Marriott nights in April only to find that you can no longer sign up for the MegaBonus.

Whether this promotion works for you will depend on your stay pattern.  In hard £ terms, a free night certificate for just 2 stays in far more generous than the Hilton or Starwood promotions.  It just depends on whether you can find a suitable hotel in category 1-4 (or 1-5, depending on which version you have) to redeem it.  The certificates do have a 1 year validity, though, so there are opportunities.

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

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 usually 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.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits Read our full review

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 Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

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.)