Bits: new Economist / Avios promo, 35% bonus when you buy SPG points – worth it?

News in brief:

New Avios / Economist offer launched

British Airways and The Economist have brought back a special offer for taking out a subscription.

As you can see at this link, you can earn 8,800 Avios if you take out a 1-year digital and print subscription to The Economist. The cost is £179.  This works out at 2.0p per Avios.

Alternatively, you can earn 6,800 Avios with a £145 print-only or digital-only subscription.  This works out at 2.1p per point.

There are a couple of caveats to add here:

we have seen a few ‘triple Avios’ offers recently – be wary about subscribing for 8,800 Avios as a deal for 13,200 Avios could be along again later in the year

many people have struggled to actually get the points they are due, which is a bit pathetic given the nature of the company you’re dealing with

As always, this offer is more attractive if you are self-employed or run a company.  Whilst I am not a tax expert and you should obviously take your own advice if necessary, it would be hard to argue that The Economist magazine is not an acceptable tax-deductible purchase for most business people.

The offer runs until 31st July.

35% discount when you buy Starwood Preferred Guest points

Starwood is offering a 35% discount when you purchase SPG Starpoints before 30th June. The link to buy is here.

The good news is that the bonus is NOT staggered.  As long as buy more than 5,000 points, you get the full 35% off.

At the top end, 30,000 points will cost you $682.50 (£529).  Assuming that you convert them to airline miles with the 25% uplift for moving chunks of 20,000 at a time, these can be converted to 37,500 airline miles in the majority of programmes.

This works out at 1.4p per airline mile.  This is not a great deal most of the time (you can often pick up Avios for 1.0p) but it might make sense with some other programmes.  You cannot buy Lufthansa Miles & More miles at all, directly, so being able to get them for 1.4p may well work for some people.

30,000 Starwood points would also convert into 90,000 Marriott Rewards points.  If you are working towards a Marriott Travel Package redemption – and they are outstanding value as this article explains – then buying the full 30,000 Starwood points may well make sense.

The rules are straightforward – points post within 24 hours, maximum purchase of 30,000 points per year, your SPG account must be 14 days old to participate.

If you are interested, you can buy SPG points via this link.  The 35% discount runs to 30th June.

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.)