30% Transfer Bonus to Bonvoy from Amex, BA Bans Coffee for Crew in Public... Or Did They, Buy Back Royal Jordanian Status (aka, BA Bronze/Silver) - News You May Have Missed, 14th September

Amex 30% Transfer Bonus to Marriott Bonvoy

American Express is offering Membership Rewards cardholders a valuable 30% transfer bonus when converting points to Marriott Bonvoy through November 9, 2025. This limited-time promotion boosts the standard 2:3 transfer ratio effectively becoming with the bonus. For example, transferring 2,000 Membership Rewards points would typically yield 3,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, but with this bonus, you'd receive 3,900 points instead.

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The transfer process is straightforward, with your converted points appearing in your Marriott Bonvoy account within five business days of the transaction. However, the 30% bonus points require additional processing time and may take up to eight weeks to post to your account. This promotion runs until 11:59pm GMT on November 9, 2025, making it an excellent opportunity for those planning upcoming hotel stays or looking to top off their Marriott account for a future redemption.

British Airways Crew Banned From Drinking Coffee in Public - Or Did They?!

We were all set to talk about British Airways’ new “brand image” diktats, the ones that told pilots and cabin crew not to drink coffee, or anything fizzy in public while in uniform and to sip only water “discreetly”, but, before we could even hit publish, BA has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown. I know, shocking,  British Airways doing a U turn on a decision! Truly monumental!

Just days after issuing the controversial rules, the airline quietly admitted in a leaked memo that the guidelines had “given the impression” eating and drinking were banned. Unions representing aircrew reacted furiously, pointing out that on duty days stretching beyond 12 hours, staff often have no access to a “designated” break area.

How dare you!

This comes from PYOK, a well known cabin-crew blogger. BA has now softened its stance: crew are still asked not to eat or drink while walking through terminals, but sitting in an airport café or at a gate to grab a coffee is acceptable again.

It isn’t the only reversal. The airline had also wanted to ban cabin crew from wearing uniform when commuting or “deadheading” on BA flights. While no one particularly loves travelling in uniform, sometimes it’s the only practical option between shifts. Regulators already require commuting or deadheading staff to remove anything that would make them look like working crew, but BA argued even that breached its brand standards. That blanket ban is now “temporarily lifted” while the airline looks for a better solution.

So, instead of a post about how BA was joining the ultra-coiffed ranks of Emirates with its coffee ban, we’re writing about how BA has been forced to backtrack on rules that, frankly, anyone who has worked shifts could have told them were unworkable.

Buy Back Your Royal Jordanian Status (aka BA Silver)

Helena received an interesting email this week. Last year, she successfully matched her Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold status to Royal Jordanian Gold Sparrow.

Why?

Royal Jordanian are a member of oneworld, and Gold Sparrow is the equivalent of British Airways Silver, meaning free seat selection anytime, Business Class lounge access for her and a guest, Business Class check in, etc.

Royal Jordanian were essentially selling access to their programme at the time for $149. Well for her, her Royal Jordanian status expired in the middle of August, but she received an email this week offering her the chance to buy back her status for $350.

If you took part in this status match, check your emails for your offer. $350 more than double the cost than the original status match, but if you travel regularly then this could make sense considering British Airways can charge up to £150 for simply selecting a seat.

You can actually still do a status match to Royal Jordanian (click here). If you have status with another airline or hotel, then you have a high chance of being able to match it to RJ. Status on offer is equivalent to British Airways Bronze or Silver, and costs $49 and $149 respectively. You can find the full list of airlines and hotels you can match from here.

Sam

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