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Marriott Introduces Partial Elite Night Credits
Marriott has improved how Elite Night Credits are earned across four brands that previously earned one credit per two nights.
You will now earn 0.5 Elite Night Credit per qualifying night at the following brands:
- City Express by Marriott
- Four Points Flex by Sheraton
- Protea Hotels by Marriott
- Series by Marriott
Under the new approach, two separate one-night stays will now combine into a full Elite Night Credit, even if they are at different hotels within the eligible brands. If you regularly stay at these properties, it will still take a while to earn status, but if you usually stay one night, at least you’re earning something.
The new rule will not apply to Executive Apartments, which will continue to earn 1 Elite Night Credit per 3 nights stayed (0 for a 1- or 2-night stay). This may well be due to the fact that the maths would get complicated if 0.33 credits were awarded per stay, especially if you start adding 0.5 nights on top of that.
Whether you stay regularly or once every few years at these properties, at least you’ll walk away with partial credit rather than nothing. It will be interesting to see how fractional nights are displayed on account dashboards.
AMEX Offers: Get 10% Back on Dining at 600+ Restaurants
AMEX has just launched another exciting dining offer. This time, you can get 10% back on AMEX dining until 31st March 2026.
There’s a £500 cashback cap, equivalent to 10% back on up to £5,000 of spend. You can earn cashback multiple times and at multiple restaurants, but once you reach the cap, you won’t receive further cashback.
There are over 600 participating restaurants, so you’re bound to find one near you. Most are located in London, but there are plenty of good options elsewhere. The list includes some high-end names, so reaching the maximum spend is not impossible, especially if you’re paying the full bill. Think The Savoy Hotel, The Maine Mayfair and Caviar House and Prunier.
Though the offer is targeted, it’s appearing on a wider range of cards than usual, including some BA Premium Plus cards as well as the usual targeted cards, such as the Platinum and Preferred Rewards Gold. It’s well worth checking, whichever card you have.
You’ll need to save the offer to your card before using it. Once added, you’ll receive 10% cashback when you pay directly at a participating restaurant. If you’re dining at a hotel restaurant, make sure you settle the bill at the restaurant itself rather than charging it to your room.
Cashback will usually be credited a few days after the transaction appears on your statement (up to 90 days).
If the restaurant you’re visiting is included in the Platinum Card dining credit, you can use it and still get 10% off.
While this isn’t as lucrative as the previous 20% version, the higher spend threshold means you can keep earning for longer. 10% cashback can add up very quickly if you’ve got a few meals planned before the end of March.
View the AMEX dining site and participating restaurants here
Qatar Becomes the First Airline to Put Starlink on the Boeing 787
Qatar Airways has become the first airline in the world to enable SpaceX Starlink on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. In fact, three Qatar 787-8 Dreamliners are now flying with Starlink, taking its Starlink-equipped widebody fleet to nearly 120 aircraft. That’s over 58% of its widebody fleet, including A350s, 777s, and now 787s.
This is incredible progress, considering Qatar only launched Starlink on the 777 in October 2024. By December 2025, Qatar had completed Starlink across its entire Airbus A350 fleet in a record eight months.
The Dreamliner isn’t easy to upgrade. Its composite structure makes Starlink difficult to install. So Boeing had to design a dedicated solution. That comes in the form of the Boeing Aerodynamic Shroud, which holds Starlink’s electronically steerable antennas, including the two-antenna setup used on larger aircraft.
Starlink enables free gate-to-gate WI-FI with up to 500 Mbps of bandwidth plus enough responsiveness for streaming and video calls. There are also multiple benefits for the airline, including real-time coordination between cabin crew and ground, and the ability for engineers to monitor in-flight entertainment systems.
2026 will be the year of Starlink, following on from announcements from many airlines in 2025, including BA and Virgin Atlantic, which plan a fleet-wide Starlink rollout starting in 2026, as well as commitments from many other airlines, including United, Iberia, flydubai, Air France, Alaska Airlines, SAS and more.
Your chances of getting Starlink on a Qatar Airways flight are improving by the month, with the Dreamliner now joining the 777 and A350 fleets. Qatar says the system is already live on routes across six continents, including many services to the Americas and Australia. That said, aircraft swaps do happen, so Starlink is never quite guaranteed.
