Amex Platinum now gets you Marriott Rewards Gold status and earns Marriott points

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As I have written another article today about a new indirect benefit of having the American Express Platinum charge card (ie Star Alliance Silver status), I thought it was worth flagging up another key benefit.

I wrote last week about the status match that has been launched for Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards members following the Starwood takeover.

Starwood Preferred Guest Gold members get Marriott Rewards Gold, and vice versa. Platinum members also get a direct match.

Here are the two things to learn from this article:

American Express Platinum gives away Starwood Preferred Guest Gold status, but it doesn’t get you very much

Starwood Preferred Guest Gold now gets you Marriott Rewards Gold, and that gets you a lot

What are the key benefits of Marriott Rewards Gold?

Marriott Rewards elite benefits are listed here.

They are not to be sniffed at, which is as it should be given that you normally need to stay for 50 nights a year to earn Marriott Rewards Gold:

25% bonus points

high speed internet access

room upgrade

guaranteed 4pm check-out (new this year, except at resort and convention hotels)

guaranteed lounge access, or free continental breakfast if no lounge is available (except at resort properties)

How long will my Marriott Rewards Gold status last?

Until the end of 2017. In 2018, a brand new loyalty programme will be launched which will combine Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards.

There is a real risk, as Marriott is a long-term Visa partner, that American Express will be cut out entirely. We may see the end of elite status and Membership Rewards points transfers to Starwood. However, until the end of 2017, there is a great opportunity here to enjoy Marriott Rewards Gold status for free.

How can I earn Marriott Rewards points from Amex Platinum?

The Marriott Rewards official UK credit card has not been available for the past year. American Express Platinum now offers you a chance to earn Marriott points in two ways:

the 30,000 Membership Rewards points you get for signing up transfer into 15,000 Starwood points and can be moved across to 45,000 Marriott Rewards points

the 1 point per £1 on your spending equates to 0.5 Starwood points per £1 which converts to 1.5 Marriott Rewards points per £1

Of course, you can do better than this with the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card. This earns 1 Starwood point per £1 which means an impressive 3 Marriott Rewards points per £1.

My full review of American Express Platinum and all of its benefits is here. The official Amex Platinum website is here.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus.

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways BA Amex American Express card

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

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

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending: