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In brief: Dave Stringer passes away, Marriott Platinum Challenge surprise

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News in brief:

Dave Stringer passes away

Regular readers may remember that, back in January, I posted a link to Dave Stringer’s travel site.

I get a lot of emails from readers who tell me of all the great places they have been able to visit and all of the great hotels they have been able to stay in as a result of reading Head for Points.  I’m always pleased to receive them.

I got a similar email from Dave, but unfortunately the circumstances were different.  Dave, despite being only 49, had incurable lung cancer despite having never smoked.  HfP was helping him spend much of his last year travelling so he could see the world whilst he has the chance.

Unfortunately, Dave passed away yesterday.  His family posted this on his blog:

On behalf of him and the family, I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone that has read his site. From the amusement of the hooker in London to the sadness of his pain and low points, he thoroughly enjoyed sharing his experiences with you. Your comments and support never failed to lift him up and the support network it allowed him to form helped him battle on for this long. You made him feel like a superstar.  Today is a sad day, but we are happy that dad is at peace now. He had the best last days he could ask for and passed away without pain or suffering.

Dave had set up a JustGiving page for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation which is here.

Pleasant surprise for Marriott Platinum Challenge participants

I wrote a couple of articles in recent months about the Marriott Platinum Challenge, which elevated you to Platinum status in Marriott Rewards for completing nine stays within 90 days.

As I will have over 1 million points in the new combined Marriott / Starwood scheme when it launches in August, the idea of getting Platinum status to Jan / Feb 2020 appealed.  It will literally pay for itself within weeks – the cost of the ‘mattress run’ nights I did on top of stays I had to make anyway was less than I will save from getting 12 free breakfasts at the JW Marriott Venice in late August.

Quite a few HfP readers decided to follow my example.  Suddenly, at the start of the week, all of them were upgraded to Marriott and Starwood Platinum status despite not completing the challenge.  Some had not completed a single night.

There are two possibilities here:

it is a big mistake, or

Marriott has realised that it doesn’t have the IT capabilities to track challenge stays once the two schemes merge in a few weeks, and thought it was easier to ‘clear the decks’ by upgrading everyone and then not having to worry about it

For clarity, it is not certain that this ‘comped’ status will last until early 2020.  Marriott would be in its rights to drop you down in early 2019.  If you want to be certain that your Platinum status will last until 2020 then I recommend that you complete your challenge as originally planned.

Some people will have got lucky over this. On the other hand, others were unlucky when Marriott pulled the challenge without notice.  That’s how it rolls.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards

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

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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:

and for small business owners:

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.

Category

Marriott Bonvoy

Comments (47)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Donald Trump says:
    19 Jul19 July 08:23

    Does anyone know what will happen to the earning rates on the SPG Amex card?

    • Peter K says:
      19 Jul19 July 08:59

      They will go from 1 spg point to 3 marriott. So basically the same value.

    • Rob says:
      19 Jul19 July 09:23

      Multiplied x 3

    • Canuck says:
      19 Jul19 July 17:02

      In Canada, it’s dropping to x2

      • Rob says:
        19 Jul19 July 20:03

        Cardholders have already been told in the UK it is going to 3 per £1.

        In North America Amex is being effectively killed by a thousand cuts by Marriott who have inherited the contracts but much prefer their long-term Visa partnership. When I first got into this game, the SPG Amex in the US was the undisputed king of travel rewards credit cards. I doubt it would anyone’s top 5 list after August.

        • r says:
          19 Jul19 July 21:00

          Rob,

          Any idea on maximum online transaction limit for MBNA credit card?
          I want to use it for large value transaction but not sure it will work or not.
          Is it normally a full or say 90% of available limit?

        • Will says:
          20 Jul20 July 00:17

          Depends on lots of things. Taken me ages to get £3k approved without having to phone up on a card with a £19k limit.

          Seems to vary by merchant though. In any case, try it and if it fails call them, I always found them very helpful to authorise things on a second attempt after a phone call.

        • Genghis says:
          20 Jul20 July 05:58

          I found MBNA the worst at blocking online payments

        • mr dee says:
          21 Jul21 July 10:20

          Had no problems putting through 14k in one go (100% limit) several times in a month

  • Fiona says:
    19 Jul19 July 09:08

    Dave was an inspiration. He didn’t give in when he got his diagnosis. I am not sure I would be able to do the same. I had been reading his blog for a while.
    It’s nice to acknowledge him here but even better if it was a post on it’s own.

  • Noggins says:
    19 Jul19 July 09:27

    As Dave’s last entry in his blog was a few weeks ago I feared he might be heading toward the end of his road. But what great inspirational words he wrote. I worried that so few people left comments and that was why he was not writing more. But I guess he could see the ‘visit count’.
    I’m not sure it matters that it wasn’t covered in a single post – it’s knowing that is more important.
    Dave, RIP.

  • Marcw says:
    19 Jul19 July 09:52

    I’m not suggesting that if you are affected by cancer, you are going to die – but cancers are def life changing events.

  • Rob says:
    19 Jul19 July 10:40

    Thanks, added it in

  • Andrew says:
    19 Jul19 July 11:32

    My father passed away from cancer earlier this year aged 67, he was on the verge of retiring and had so many plans for travel in his retirement that he never got to do. If you have a dream trip in mind or have always wanted to visit somewhere, just do it. Don’t miss out. If you have the cash/Avios to do it, do not waste any time!
    I had been accumulating Avios and decided to take my wife and child to the States in First with BA. I’m so glad I did.

  • William Kerr says:
    19 Jul19 July 11:49

    Rob God Bless You ! for your interest in, and support for, Dave …

  • mike says:
    19 Jul19 July 12:06

    rob,

    just a quick one for you.

    do u think there is any chance that those of us who are lucky enough to have had this platinum upgrade, but do not actually complete the challenge by end of august, will have it taken away at the end of august, or do u think that we will have it as a minimum till march 2019?

    cheers

    • Rob says:
      19 Jul19 July 12:20

      The emails said 3/19 so that is not an issue I think. There is a decent chance you are OK until 3/20 but if you don’t want to risk it I would still complete the challenge.

      Interesting to note that anyone whose challenge ended before 31st July was NOT upgraded.

      • stu287 says:
        19 Jul19 July 13:36

        My challenge is due to finish end of August – I need 4 more stays which probably wont be an issue as I have some trips planned.

        I received an email from SPG congratulating me for making platinum – it states that the status is valid to March 1st 2019 – will be interesting to see if this changes once I complete the challenge.

        I guess its one of those that you would rather not take a chance on if your over half way already.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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