[Marriott] [YMMV] Stay 14 Nights for 2018 Gold Status

When I checked my mail today, I received something from Marriott. It turns out, I will be able to maintain Gold status if I just stay 14 more nights between now and end of the year (12/31). Marriott Gold normally requires 50 nights a year and I was lucky enough to get to Gold status thanks to Amex Platinium automatically this year.

Marriott Gold's benefit can be found here

key benefits that are useful even for infrequent travelers:

Lounge Access/Free Breakfast

25% Bonus on Marriott Rewards Points

Complimentary Enhanced Internet Access

Guaranteed Late Checkout

Conclusion:

 Stay 14 nights for a year of Gold status isn't a bad deal, especially considering that Marriott is also running a Megabonus right now; I'm definitely going to adjust my upcoming reservations in light of the new development.

[Marriott] Megabonus: stay twice, get free night (cat 1-5)

Marriott's Megabonus is back and this time it's offering cat 1-5 certificate instead of points; depends on your need, this might actually be better, especially if it takes a while for you to accumulate the points (e.g. you love cashback more).

Details:

Register by 11/30/17

Stay twice between 09/12/17 and 01/15/18
(Note it's 2 stay, not just 2 nights; and checking in/out of the same hotel on the same day doesn't count)

Conclusion:

There are still quite a few decent hotels at cat 1-5 and since it only requires 2 stays to earn a certificate, the cost-benefit can actually be quite high, especially if you have some travel plans already. One possible way is two switch between two nearby Marriott properties so that you can qualify in one single trip.

Terms:
*A 'stay' is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.

• Registration is required.
• Marriott Rewards members who register for this promotion by November 30, 2017 will earn one (1) free night award at a category 1-5 hotel (value of standard free night award ranges from 7,500 points for Category 1 hotels to 25,000 points for Category 5 hotels) after two paid stays* made between September 12, 2017 and January 15, 2018, at participating Marriott^® properties.
• If a member completes two qualifying stays during the promotional period, an additional offer may be unlocked and become available in the members account within 2-3 days after the second qualifying stay.
• The member may not receive additional notification except through their online member account and must register for the additional offer within two (2) weeks from the date the additional offer becomes available.
• Maximum one (1) free night award earned with this promotion per member to be redeemed for a future stay at participating Marriott Rewards category 1-5 properties.
• Free night award will expire six (6) months after the date of issuance.
• An earned free night award is good for one (1) single or double occupancy standard room only and includes the cost of the hotel room and applicable room taxes only.
• An earned free night award will be added to the member’s account within 3-5 business days after the second qualifying stay.
• The awarded free night certificate is not transferable and may not be given as a gift.
• Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit and Marriott Vacation Club^® owner-occupied weeks are not eligible for credit.
• Stays at ExecuStay and Marriott Executive Apartments are not eligible for credit toward this promotion.
• Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.
• Members electing to earn miles are not eligible for this promotion.
• For a list of current Marriott Rewards participating brands, visit https://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/earn/hotels.mi.
• Stays at our exclusive luxury hotel partner, The Ritz-Carlton^®, will count toward achievement.
• Rooms booked through most third party online retailers and select travel agency bookings are ineligible to earn for this promotion.
• All Marriott Rewards program terms and conditions apply.
• See https://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/earning.mi for more information.
• Visit MarriottRewards.com/FreeNightMegaBonus for complete details.
• © 2017 Marriott International, Inc.

[Amex Offer] [YMMV] 1500 MR for $100+ from US Supermarkets by 11/30/17

I just found another great offer from my Amex app and it's very versatile and easy to achieve. The only downside is that this appears to be targeted so congratulations if you get it as well.

Details:

spend $100+ in US supermarket by 11/30/2017 and get 1500 MR points.

Conclusion:

While this may not be directly related to miles collection, it's obvious how this can be very valuable. Even if you don't buy groceries, most grocery stores has a gift card mall which you can buy may gift cards that you can liquidate quickly (e.g. gas, Amazon, iTunes, Starbucks, etc).

Terms:

ENROLLMENT/ELIGIBLE CARDS: Enrollment limited. Must add offer to Card and use same Card to redeem. Only U.S.-issued American Express® Cards that are enrolled in the Membership Rewards® program at the time of purchase are eligible. Your enrollment of an eligible American Express Card for this offer extends only to that Card. Your enrollment does not extend to any other Cards that may be linked to the same Membership Rewards program account (such as Additional Cards). Offer is non-transferable. ELIGIBLE PURCHASES: Offer valid for in-store and online purchases at Supermarket locations in the U.S and U.S. websites. Excludes gasoline purchases. "Supermarket" means a store whose primary business comes from the sale of a variety of foods and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. The following are NOT considered supermarkets: specialty food stores, small grocery stores, gourmet shops, convenience stores, drug stores, natural food stores and superstores including warehouse clubs, big box stores, and hypermarkets. Purchases may fall outside of the offer period in some cases due to a delay in merchants submitting transactions to us or if the purchase date differs from the date you made the transaction (for example, the purchase date for online orders may be the shipping date). If American Express does not receive information that identifies your transaction as qualifying for the offer, you will not receive the additional points. For example, your transaction will not qualify if it is not made directly with the merchant. In addition, in most cases, you may not receive the additional Membership Rewards points if your transaction is made with an electronic wallet or through a third party. EARNING POINTS: Limit 1 enrolled Card per American Express Card online account and limit of 1,500 additional Membership Rewards points per Card. These additional points are in addition to any points you would normally receive for purchases on your Card under the terms of your Card Member Agreement and the Membership Rewards program. When we calculate the additional points benefit for Amex EveryDay® Card products, points awarded under this offer will not be included. Additional points will be credited to your Program account within 90 days after 11/30/2017, provided that American Express receives information from the merchant about your qualifying purchase. Terms and conditions for the Membership Rewards program apply. Visit membershiprewards.com/terms or call 1-800-AXP EARN (297-3276) for more information. Participating partners and available rewards are subject to change without notice. The value of Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them. To learn more, go to www.membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo. By adding an offer to a Card, you agree that American Express may send you communications about the offer. Bonus ID: B3LM POID: CHVH:0001