To start earning, you must sign up for Marriott Bonvoy and choose British Airways Club Avios as your preferred way to collect rewards. Enrollment is available at no cost, either online or during your next stay at a Marriott hotel.
How to Earn Avios Points with It
- When you sign up, choose 'Miles/other programmes' as your earning preference and select 'British Airways Club' as your preferred airline.
- Enter your BA Club membership number into your profile.
- Always provide your Marriott Bonvoy membership number when making reservations or checking in at any Marriott International hotel.
- You can see the Avios points in your BA Club account about six weeks after your stay.
You can also exchange your existing Marriott Bonvoy Points for Avios. To do that, either log into your online account or contact their customer support. The conversion rates are:
- 9,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points for 3,000 Avios.
- 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points for 10,000 Avios.
- 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points for 20,000 Avios.
- 90,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points for 30,000 Avios.
- 120,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points for 40,000 Avios.
Bonus Offer: Receive an additional 5,000 Avios when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points in a single transaction.
Here are some other hotel loyalty programmes and their Avios conversion rates:
- Choice Hotels starts conversion rate at 5,000 Choice Privileges points, which get you 1,000 Avios.
- Hilton Honors requires at least 10,000 points for 1,000 Avios.
- Melia Rewards offers one of the best rates at 30 Avios for every 100 points.
- Radisson Rewards provides 200 Avios for 2,000 points.
Try Unlocking Perks with Hotel Debit Cards
This isn’t one you’ll be able to request from the front desk, but it’s certainly worth mentioning for travel planning before you jet off, as well as reducing your bank fees once you arrive at your destination.
Some hotel groups offer specialist debit cards for travellers. Hilton, for example, has the Hilton Honors Debit Card and Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card, which were created in partnership with Currensea. These cards allow you to earn Hilton Honors Points on eligible everyday spending, that you can then use on hotel stays and exclusive experiences. The cards also offer other welcome travel perks, such as free continental breakfasts, free Wi-Fi and space-available room upgrades.
Undoubtedly one of the best bits is that the cards remove bank fees from overseas transactions so you can get much lower rates than those offered by high street banks.
- The Hilton Honors Debit Card has an annual fee of £60 with a 0.5% FX fee. Cardholders earn 1 Hilton Honors Point for every £1 spent on everyday purchases and up to 3 Points for every £1 spent directly with Hilton abroad.
- The Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card has an annual fee of £150 with 0% FX fee. Customers earn 1.5 Hilton Honors Points for every £1 spent on everyday purchases, and up to 4.5 Points for every £1 spent directly with Hilton abroad.
Take a look at more T&C’s, and get one yourself here.
Bottom Line: Which is the Best Option?
As a general rule of thumb, hotel loyalty points should be used to get you free hotel stays because, most of the time, the conversion to Avios points isn't enough to make an impact. If it's unlikely you'll gather enough points for a free hotel night, it’s sensible to transfer them. Typically, however, you'll get the most value from using points for complimentary hotel stays.
Having said that, if you can't get a free hotel stay out of your loyalty points and want to convert them to Avios, Marriott Bonvoy remains the top choice for exchanging them for airline miles. This is because the math for conversion is nearly balanced. A Bonvoy point is typically equal to 0.5p, and an Avios to 1p. Converting 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points would result in 25,000 Avios, including a bonus of 5,000 Avios for large transfers. By this conversion rate, £300 Marriott points come to £250 worth of Avios, making it a reasonably good exchange.
However, it's important to keep in mind that Hilton Honors and IHG One Rewards normally offer more bonus points, which add to the total number of Avios you earn per stay. So, whatever decision you make, make peace with it because while this method can make your travel dreams come true, it uses your hard-earned points to do so.
Kayleigh
