Marriott Megabonus – a pretty weak September to January promo

UPDATE – DECEMBER 2021:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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.

Marriott Rewards has unveiled its promotion for the Autumn.

It is called Marriott Megabonus, which gives the impression that it is a repeat of the offer of that name which has run on a regular basis in recent years.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  It is a lot worse.

Marriott Rewards offers different offers to different members.  To see what you have been offered, you need to log in to your Marriott Rewards account and click on ‘My Account’ and then ‘Your Promotions’.

For the vast majority of people, including myself, this is what you will have got:

Promotion runs from September 15th to January 15th

Registration closes on November 15th

Earn double points on every paid stay

Bonus does NOT apply to your first stay after registration, only subsequent stays

Bonus is capped at 25,000 points

If you are already an established Marriott guest, you may have received a different offer.  This typically involves a lump sum bonus of 25,000 to 35,000 points for completing 12-20 nights during the period.

To be honest, there is nothing here to get excited about.  What is especially ‘picky’, for want of a better word, is the requirement to register by November 15th for a promo ending 8 weeks later (does anyone have their entire hotel schedule planned out two months in advance?) and to not award double points on your first stay.

That said, of course, you should definitely register via marriott.com if there is even a chance that you will do two Marriott stays during this period.  You don’t want to leave additional points on the table.

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.)