Bits: BA changes date for New York promotion, Marriott ‘cash and points’ awards launched

News in brief:

BA changes the closing date for its New York promotion

Yesterday I wrote about a new British Airways promotion for double Avios points on flight to New York.

This offer was initially advertised as closing on 13th March 2017.  This seemed a little extreme but it was on the website, clear as day, so that is what I reported.

Obviously someone had make a mistake because the ba.com page for this offer changed overnight.  It now shows a closing date of 30th July 2016.  At the time of writing, oddly, the home page of ba.com still says 17th March 2017.

Remember that you MUST register for this deal at this page and book by 6th April.

Marriott launches ‘cash and points’ rewards

Marriott Rewards launched its new ‘cash and points’ option this week – you can see the details on the Marriott site here.

It is pretty self explanatory.  The table below shows the level of cash and points available compared to using just points:

Only some hotels will be offering cash and points.  Annoyingly, the only way to check at the moment is to click on each hotel individually.  Whilst you can search for all hotels in London offering reward nights on a particular day in one go, you cannot do the same for cash and points.

This is what you are effectively ‘paying’ to buy the extra points for each category:

• Category 1 and 2:  1 cent
• Category 3: 0.78 cents
• Category 4: 0.66 cents
• Category 5: 0.59 cents
• Category 6: 0.6 cents
• Category 7: 0.71 cents
• Category 8: 0.94 cents
• Category 9: 1.29 cents
• Tier 1:  0.77 cents
• Tier 2:  0.74 cents
• Tier 3:  0.71 cents
• Tier 4:  0.93 cents
• Tier 5:  1.05 cents

Cash and points nights WILL count towards elite status.  You won’t earn any points back on the ‘cash’ element, however.

I generally value Marriott Rewards points at half a penny.  On this basis – assuming I wasn’t short of Marriott points – I would only consider ‘cash and points’ at Category 4-7 hotels.  If you don’t have enough points for a full redemption at, say, the JW Marriott Venice, you may be willing to pay up irrespective of price.

You can find out more on the Marriott website here.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

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.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year 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 Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

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

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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 (50,000 bonus Amex points)

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.