Tag Archive: Marriott Bonvoy

AmEx Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Credit Card Review (2024.2 Update: 185k Offer!)

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card (Formerly Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Luxury Card) Review 2024.2 Update: The new offer is 185k, which is the best points offer on this card. 2023.11 Update: The higher offer is expired. The current offer is only 95k. 2023.9 Update: The card is now offering 2 Free Night Awards each can be redeemed up to…
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AmEx Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card Review (2024.2 Update: 5FN Offer!)

Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card (Formerly Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express) Review 2024.2 Update: The new offer is 5 FN (up to 50k)! This is one of the best offer on this card. 2023.11 Update: The new offer is 3 FN (up to 50k). 2023.9 Update: The 125k offer is back. Requires $8000 spend within 6…
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Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card Review (2024.2 Update: The New Metal Card Is Only 17g In Weight)

Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card Review 2024.2 Update: According to data points on our forum, the new metal card is only 17g in weight (previously the weight 13g, and before that there is a version with 28g in weight). It is not a “come back” as advertised in the email! 2024.1 Update: All Ritz card holders has received this email: due…
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Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card Review (2024.1 Update: 5FN Offer Is Back!)

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (Formerly Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card) Review 2024.1 Update2: 5FN offer is back! 2024.1 Update: The 5FN links are all dead now. The current offer is 3FN. 2023.8 Update2: 5FN offer is back! Application Link Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (This is a public offer through Chase direct site only) Benefits 5 FN (up…
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AmEx Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Credit Card Review (2023.11 Update: 85k Offer)

AmEx Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Credit Card Review 2023.11 Update: The higher offer is expired. Currently there’s only 85k offer. 2023.9 Update: Current offer is 125k: earn 125,000 Marriott points after $5,000 spend in the first 6 months. This offer expires on 11/01. 2023.6 Update: The new offer is 125k+50k: earn 125,000 Marriott points after spending $5,000 in the first 6…
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Wings of the Points — UR/MR/TYP/C1/Marriott Points to Miles Transfer Chart (2023.7 Update: MR Added New Partner QR 1:1)

2023.7 Update: AmEx MR points can be transferred to Qatar Airways (QR) now! The ratio is 1:1. Actually before that you can already get QR miles 1:1 from BA miles so it is not a big deal. 2021.10 Update: Capital One improved the transfer ratios to be 1:1 for most partners now! Also note that starting from 10.24 Capital One…
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One Table To Help You Understand Marriott Bonvoy Co-branded Cards Welcome Offer Eligibility (2023.2 Update: Major New Restrictions)

[2023.2 Major Update] USCardForum user juanxincai noticed that major new restrictions are now applied to some of the Marriott co-branded cards. On AmEx Marriott Brilliant, the new terms read: Basically it says if you have or have had any of the Chase Marriott co-branded cards in the past 30 days, you are not eligible for the welcome offer for this AmEx…
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Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card Review (2023.8 Update: 30k Offer)

Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card Review 2023.8 Update: The higher offer is expired. The current offers are 30k. 2023.6 Update: The new offers are 50k+50k. However, I need to emphasize this again: don’t apply for this card! Because it makes you ineligible for Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless which has a higher sign-up bonus. 2023.4 Update: The 60k offer is expired. The current…
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迟暮网红——苏梅岛W酒店(W Retreat, Koh Samui)入住体验

随着香港旅行禁令的解除,Alex和身边的人也开始逐渐在全球各地浪了起来。这次因为预定比较晚,外加航班仍然非常有限的原因,Alex就选择了去泰国过圣诞节了。行程第一站,就是Alex种草很久的苏梅岛;而苏梅岛的第一站,就是初代网红酒店,苏梅岛W酒店。 早在小红书还没有火热的年代,苏梅岛W由于周杰伦蜜月和各种KOL的年度,就已经火遍国内外社交媒体。在疫情前,题图的莲花座酒吧更是夸张到需要排队入座拍照的地步。从Alex的照片也可以看出来,确实是非常漂亮的。 然而除此意外,疫情后的苏梅W究竟状况如何呢?先说结论:酒店肉眼可见得由于疫情破败很多,在人力、硬件等方面都表现比较一般甚至是不如意。在价格相对高昂(旺季3-500美元起跳)的条件下Alex觉得性价比非常一般,短期内并不是很建议入住。 预定信息 Alex这次总共住了3晚,前2晚请纽约的旅游代理帮忙定的STARS rate,合计约3万泰铢;第3晚用了85K免房券兑换。前两晚送100美元的消费额度,前台确认了酒店任意消费,包括mini bar等,都可以抵扣。 房型Alex定的是基础房丛林绿洲(Jungle Oasis),其中前两晚酒店主动升级到了海景幽居(Ocean View Escape),第三晚Alex嫌麻烦就用万豪的套房券升级到了同一个房型。 酒店是全别墅(Villa)酒店,房间主要分为两个区域:海滩区和山坡区。除了几个惊喜大别墅外,基础房丛林绿洲和海景幽居都在山坡区,而热带绿洲和海洋天堂则位于沙滩区。这4种房型室内完全一致,户外的话,前两者只有一个小平台,而沙滩区的别墅会大点儿有个小花园。根据Flyertalk的说法,海滩区蚊虫问题很严重,而且几乎完全没有海景;但是Alex个人实测下来好处在于可以很方便走到酒店大堂和各类设施。山坡区的房间由于地势的缘故,出入必须叫电瓶车,而且海景也比较一般;但是胜在比较清静。 入住办理 从苏梅岛机场出发,打车大约30分钟可以到W。相对曼谷而言,苏梅岛打车非常贵,机场单程500泰铢不讲价。 去酒店沿线都挺破破烂烂的,从大路拐上小路后两边更加感人,但是一路开上去到达大堂后就豁然开朗:酒店建筑群依山而建,连绵到海边;而大堂位于最高点,所以自然有无敌海景。进入大堂最直接的就是苏梅岛W的最网红位置莲花池和茶座。 回头看在下车处也有个闪光的W。不得不说苏梅岛W完全符合小红书上“好拍”、“出片”的各种要求,不愧是第一代网红酒店。 我们到达酒店的时候大约是下午1点半左右,酒店很主动送上特色饮料,但是味道很Hmm。。。虽然我有提前联系,但是酒店房间还是没有准备好。于是Alex只能在Lobby和周围晃荡一下等房间。不得不说乍一看酒店修得还是很好看的,五颜六色非常两眼,也很符合W一贯的气质。 网红莲花池里面这个泰国夜店风的雕塑也是很W了…… 前台也这样非常五彩缤纷。 在晚上大堂又是另一个样子,就几乎完全是夜店的调调了。话说这个躺椅巨!好!坐! 在晃荡的过程中,Alex明显感觉到酒店不少硬件已经显示出了岁月的痕迹:虽然照片里面看起来不错,但是完全经不起凑近看;而员工精神状态也不是很好,有点累累的感觉,不知是不是因为圣诞期间太累的缘故。 大约15分钟后小姐姐来找Alex说房间准备好了,于是Alex就跳上电瓶车去自己客房了。 海景幽居(Ocean View Escape) 前面提到的酒店别墅分布在两个区域,而Alex这次住的海景幽居别墅位于山坡区。这个区有多远呢?得从酒店大门出来再绕过去那么远…… 经过一路上各种颠簸后,Alex的小电瓶车终于停在了房前。打开房门就是一个小过道,过道尽头是通往阳台的门。可以看到景观还是有点的,但是似乎没有那么好…… 过道左墙是mini bar,大量供水,同时有很多酒精饮料,不过价格不菲就是了;咖啡机也比较老式,不是新酒店常见的Nespresso。 提供的酒杯等还是挺多的,结合外面的平台和泳池可以开个不错的Party;还有专门一个空的小冰箱供自带的酒水使用。亚洲必备的热水壶也带了。 走道左边背后是卧室。虽然说这个房型是别墅房型,但是本身却并不是套房的设计;不过空间还是很大的。 床上摆放了欢迎词。后面这个熊倒是真的很骚…… 床尾连着沙发区。 一侧墙里面嵌着办公桌。办公桌旁边是一个移门,移开后里面就是衣柜。这个空间设计听巧妙的。从家具木纹上也可以看出岁月的痕迹,毕竟是10多年的酒店了,也没有翻新什么的。    茶几上有欢迎点心,水果干巧克力什么的无功无过。不过左边的树枝上的小花是糖霜做的可以吃,也算是小特色。 衣橱里面还给了沙滩包。办理入住的小姐姐特别提醒了沙滩包不能拿走,就很Hmm……沙滩包里面还给了两双人字拖是可以带走的。  回到走廊,右手边就是浴室。基本比较标准的配备,唯一值得说的是淋浴有两个,室内室外,添加了些许海岛氛围。 走廊到底开门就是大阳台。苏梅W的一大特色是每个别墅都有泳池,而且长度比较给力,不只是泡泡水用的。 从上面的图片可以看出来隐私比较差,泳池下面就是下面一排的别墅了。而且所谓的海景也确实非常有限…… 最值得吐槽的是房间本身的保养问题。首先是家具都有不少岁月的痕迹了——磨损什么很明显,墙面也有点斑驳。更惨的是装修本身的质量问题:有一次晚上半夜Alex想去上卫生间,发现卧室的大门居然开不开!最后只能从阳台绕道解决问题。第二天问题依旧,叫了酒店工程队伍后才知道是因为潮湿造成木门变形,卡住了……最后退房时候也没有个说法,让人心烦。 似乎W Retreat一个特色是无限吃的各类冰淇淋,苏梅W也有。在两个别墅区各有一个冰柜,无限多的和路雪可以自己随便拿——热量警告! 酒店早餐与其他餐饮 万豪白金及以上会员可以免费用酒店的自助早餐,品质就麻麻,一般泰国的水准。餐厅有室外座位,在天气合适的情况下吹着海风吃饭看看海景还是很不错的。一个特色是早饭有无限多的大椰子吃,喜欢喝椰子的不可错过! 似乎早上有免费酒精供应,喜欢booz的朋友也不可错过。 虽然W主打潮牌,但是似乎还是很欢迎带小孩的客人的。于是早餐时候就出现了小孩满场飞奔+大叫的传统节目,员工似乎也不想出面帮忙一下。如果介意的可以选择在客房早餐,但是我不是很确定万豪的福利涵盖客房早餐。 因为Alex前2晚有100美元的消费额度,所以就预定了一顿在海边的泰式烧烤火锅。到场了才发现人都没有,也是很凄凉了…… 价格属于标准的泰国旅游物价,在苏梅岛上也不属于最高。 食物素质就属于“就这样吧”的水平。如果不是特别喜欢吃的可以不吃。。。 其他设施 酒店因为每个房间都自带泳池的缘故,主游泳池反而比较清闲。当然,用小红书的说法是这个泳池也属于非常好拍的那种类型。 泳池淋浴区的养护就很Hmm。。。 至于酒店的海滩,基本上属于惨不忍睹的类型。苏梅岛本身就不是以无敌沙滩取胜,酒店的沙滩大多需要自我保养。但是Alex个人经历来看,苏梅W似乎在疫情后完全放弃了对沙滩的管理,沙滩奇脏,也很膈脚,喜欢玩沙的大可放弃…… 这张照片如果不是W的logo我觉得可以直接用来做荒野求生的背景;而这个logo漆面各种鼓起,也可以看出来基本上没有什么养护可言…… 惨就一个字,我绝不只说一次。这天是刚刚起过大风,但是这个沙滩也着实脏了点…… 当然作为网红酒店,酒店还是搞了不少网红风的设备,很适合拍拍拍(以及大量P图)。 潮人自拍必备的翅膀。不过Alex住的几天没看到打灯…… 周边玩乐以及小结 W在苏梅岛北端,湄南海滩附近。距离苏梅岛最热闹的查文海滩大概有25分钟车程,打车基本上在4-500泰铢之间;而去湄南海滩和旁边小渔村,还有Fisherman’s…
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Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card Review (2023.2 Update: 85k Offer)

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card Review 2023.2 Update: The offer is now lowered to 85k. Application Link Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Benefits 85k offer: Earn 85,000 Marriott points by spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. The recent best offer is 125k. We estimate the value of a Marriott point at 0.7 cents/point, so the 125k sign-up bonus is worth…
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Are dynamic Marriott points more valuable now? Yes, but with a big caveat …

The Points Guy recently published a quantitative analysis arguing that the Marriott points, even after the implementation of dynamic awards, retain its purported value of ~0.8 cent/pt. To get that conclusion, they pulled data from 50+ hotels over ~150 days. In fact, the average redemption value after the dynamic award is in place is 0.84 c/pt. They thus concluded that…
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ACT FAST: Le Méridien Maldives Bookable with Bonvoy Points in Peak Season (40k/Night Top)

Recently we became aware of the opening of Le Méridien in Maldives, marking the 6th Marriott property in this island nation. What sets Le Méridien apart though is that it is a Category 5 hotel. A standard award would cost you 35k Bonvoy points and even the peak-season pricing means 40k points, a true bargain considering how expensive everything is…
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Marriott gutting Bonvoy Events as elite qualification shortcut (2019.12 Update: The 10 Elite Night Credit Is Officially Gone)

[2019.12 Update] Today Marriott changed its official terms and conditions, and the 10 elite night credit for Marriott Bonvoy Events will officially end on Dec 31, 2019. A strong rumor recently surfaced among the Points & Miles community (1, 2) regarding Marriott’s intent to get rid of the ability to earn 10 Elite Qualifying Nights from your first Marriott Bonvoy Events…
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Summary of Points Transfer Time: Chase UR, AmEx MR, Citi TYP, Capital One Miles, Marriott Bonvoy

One of the primary aspects to the credit card rewards game involves the following transferable point currencies: Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR), AmEx Membership Rewards (MR), Citi ThankYou Points (TYP), and Marriott Bonvoy (MB). The best value for these rewards are often found in transferring to airlines.  The relationship of each currency to various airlines is summarized in Wings of the…
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AmEx Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card Review (2019.8 Update: Still Available via Product Change)

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card (Formerly The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express) Review 2019.8 Update: This card is still available via product change. 2019.2 Update: AmEx SPG is rebranded as AmEx Marriott Bonvoy for current card holders (it does not accept new applications). Application Link This card is no longer available to apply, but you can get it by…
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