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The joys of doing live TV

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I was planning to do an article this week linked to a TV interview I did on Friday for BBC World News on ‘Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst’.  However, it turns out that you can’t get BBC World News on catch-up anywhere so I can’t show you the clip.

(EDIT: we have HfP readers everywhere, and I have now got my hands on a copy of this interview. If I decide it is fit for sharing I’ll run it.)

This is a shame, because it got a bit complicated when they put up a picture of the current Virgin Upper Class seat and announced it as the new one and then asked me what I thought of it 🙂  Given that we were broadcasting live the potential for disaster was high but I think we dealt with it!  Luckily the picture of the new BA Club Suite that went up next was the right one.

I think it went well.  An earlier remote guest was cancelled due to technical problems so we got to chat for longer than was originally planned, and Aaron is a big aviation fan.  I’ll never know, however …..

Head for Points on Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst

Get a 25% discount if you buy Marriott Bonvoy points

Today is your last day to get a discount when you buy Marriott Bonvoy points.

Via this page of the website, you will save 25% on all points purchases until tonight, Wednesday 15th May.

You can buy up to 50,000 points per year, which will cost you $468.75 (£360) under this offer.

My rule of thumb is that a Marriott Bonvoy point is worth 0.5p so this offer is not great at 0.72p per point.

However, you might find it worthwhile if:

you are topping off your account before making a points booking, or

you are planning a stay at a property where you know you will get outsized value

The snag with Marriott Bonvoy is that the annual points buying cap is too low to allow you to exploit the deal.  The St Regis New York, for example, can easily run to $1,300 per night including taxes, which makes 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points a great deal.  The problem is that you can only buy 50,000 points per year.

The link to buy is here if you are interested.

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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

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:

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 (147)

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

  • Leo says:
    15 May15 May 08:58

    Cat I tried to make a donation but JustGiving won’t let me add a new card – for some reason it’s removed my earlier one. Anyway if you see a message from me and then no amount please know that I’m trying to sort it!

  • Stella64 says:
    15 May15 May 08:59

    Can someone explain what the difference is between the personal Plat and the business Plat in terms of the hotel status? Thanks.

    • Stella64 says:
      15 May15 May 09:44

      Thanks Rob.

      Any reason why Hilton Gold is missed off the Business Plat? Seems a bit odd unless Hilton have a competitor product.

  • Wongster says:
    15 May15 May 09:03

    Hi folks,

    This is probably a routine query that gets asked often. I currently have an Amex BA blue with just 2 months remaining to the anniversary date. Have spent slightly over £10k on it, if I were upgrade to BAPP now, would I get the companion voucher immediately? and then do I have to pay another set of £195 in a few months’ time when the new year starts?

    Also how do I best upgrade my BAPP? by phone request or applying online?

    Thanks!

    • Simon says:
      15 May15 May 09:59

      Ethics aside, pretty sure you can upgrade, get the voucher, downgrade next week and get the fee pro rata refunded

      • Russ says:
        15 May15 May 11:14

        Is it possible to buy a companion voucher for cash?

        • Rob says:
          15 May15 May 12:17

          No

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            15 May15 May 12:40

            Yes it is! It’s called a “ticket” and any airline will sell it to you ..

          • Russ says:
            15 May15 May 13:07

            Fair enough Rob.

            Secret, the dark side which is the 2-4-1 voucher has completely passed me by 🙂

          • Russ says:
            15 May15 May 13:09

            *sorry that was for Savage Squirrel nor Secret squirrel.

          • Cat says:
            15 May15 May 15:32

            Thanks Savage Squirrel!

            I love that you used your HfP pseudonym – that will confuse my friends completely!

    • Peter K says:
      15 May15 May 17:42

      This exact same question was answered yesterday!

      • Wongster says:
        16 May16 May 16:05

        Sorry, I must have missed yesterday’s reply.

        Not sure if apply online or call to upgrade though, no one mentioned.

  • Eric the Half a Bee says:
    15 May15 May 09:07

    O/T – Prices announced for ‘PremiAir’ terminal at MAN: £50 for departure inc. private security & transfer to plane or £100 to include lounge access. £125 for arrivals package inc. luggage delivered to terminal. £225 for full outbound/inbound package.

    • Rob says:
      15 May15 May 09:15

      I need to be in Manchester in October to take my daughter to a concert so I am seriously tempted to fly back to London and try this out. We might also be able to wangle a review. Given the state of Manchester I consider it a fair price!

      • Eric the Half a Bee says:
        15 May15 May 09:37

        I agree, it sounds like a considerable improvement over the current (miserable) experience. I also am keen to try it out in September, but it is currently inviolable and no specific date is published.

    • Anna says:
      15 May15 May 11:03

      I’d be quite tempted if I was doing a trip without lounge access included and it was a special occasion but I’m just wondering if/when they will introduce peak period pricing!

  • The Lord says:
    15 May15 May 09:19

    OT – Still no joy with Europcar £1 one way rentals. Was told last week that issue would be resolved in coming days but still not working.

    • Shoestring says:
      15 May15 May 09:34

      at least that sounds positive news

    • Charlieface says:
      15 May15 May 14:55

      Often it came up with Oldham or Stockport to MAN airport, which is a nice cheap car for the day…

  • Ernő says:
    15 May15 May 09:29

    OT – does anybody know, how long does it take to upgrade Amex Gold charge to Platinum (using the infamous online link)? Would I have to wait for a new card and number, or is it an automatic switch on the same card number?

    I was in two minds about upgrading next month, but I am likely to have a £1000+ bill to pay in a couple of days, so I thought it might be a nice and quick way to catch the 20k MR upgrade bonus, assuming the upgrade is quick enough…

    Thanks

    • Shoestring says:
      15 May15 May 09:36

      You have to wait & it’s not an automatic upgrade, Amex reserve the right to credit check you or refuse you

      New card/ number

      but it’s pd quick, ie only a few days

  • Alex says:
    15 May15 May 09:37

    OT – I’m flying Baku – Moscow – Dusseldorf – London at the end of the month.
    Landing in VKO at 9:40am and departing DME 12:40pm. Anyone have experience of transferring across and think I won’t make it?
    Thanks!

    • illuminatus says:
      15 May15 May 10:58

      I never did a transfer like that, but I do not think it’s feasible given the distance between the airports and Moscow traffic.

    • Alex says:
      15 May15 May 11:58

      Google maps says 1 hr drive. Make sure hand luggage only, checked in with boarding pass from Dme printed and Uber/Yandex taxi/wheely waiting for you upon arrival. Get front row seat on flight to vko. Jump queue on passport control both in vko and dme. If your incoming flight is not delayed you will be ok.

    • the_real_a says:
      15 May15 May 12:04

      Dumb question – but you do have the visa sorted to leave the airport?

  • Laurence Dalby says:
    15 May15 May 09:57

    @Rob, you should be able to get a copy of the interview if you contact whoever booked you at the BBC. It’s a pretty routine request.

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

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