In 2024 and 2025, I followed a simple but disciplined AMEX credit card strategy.

The result?

I spent around ₹4,01,250 across my AMEX cards, earned 1,12,578 Membership Rewards points, transferred them to Marriott Bonvoy, and redeemed 108,000 Marriott points for a 5-day stay at Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa, Sri Lanka in November 2025.

The cash price of the same stay?

Depending on the dates, it was roughly ₹1,40,000 to ₹1,70,000.

That means my credit card points gave me a value back of around 30% to 42% on my total spends.

Sounds crazy, right?

Let me show you the full maths.

The Story: From Regular Spends to a Beach Vacation

This was my first-ever Marriott redemption, and honestly, it was a banger.

A luxury beach resort in Sri Lanka, ocean views, Marriott hospitality, and a stay that would have otherwise cost me well over a lakh in cash.

But the best part?

I did not earn these points by doing anything unrealistic.

I used a mix of:

• Welcome bonus points
• Monthly milestone bonuses
• AMEX Gyftr multiplier spends
• Referral points
• Platinum Travel milestone points
• Bought points
• Regular card spends

The strategy was simple: route planned spends through the right AMEX card at the right place.

Part 1: The Boost Month

In one strong month, I earned 42,778 AMEX MR points by spending around ₹97,450.

This came from three AMEX cards:

1. AMEX Gold Charge Card
2. AMEX Platinum Travel Card
3. AMEX MRCC Card

Here is the complete breakdown.

1. AMEX Gold Charge Card

Points Earned

Amount Spent

So from the Gold Charge Card, I earned 7,093 MR points with an outflow of ₹22,430.

2. AMEX Platinum Travel Card

Points Earned

Amount Spent

The Platinum Travel Card gave me the biggest boost in this month: 29,775 MR points.

3. AMEX MRCC Card

Points Earned

Amount Spent

The MRCC added another 5,910 MR points.

Boost Month Summary

So in one month, I spent approximately ₹97,450 and earned 42,778 MR points.

That was the foundation of the entire redemption.

Part 2: The 6-Month AMEX Playbook

After the boost month, I followed a more structured AMEX strategy for the next 6-7 months.

The goal was simple:

Use each card where it gives the best return.

1. AMEX Gold Charge Card Strategy

For the AMEX Gold Charge Card, I used Gyftr 5X.

The normal earning rate is:

Base reward rate = 2 MR points per ₹100
Gyftr 5X reward rate = 10 MR points per ₹100

Monthly plan:

6 transactions × ₹1,000 = ₹6,000 monthly spend

Points earned:

₹6,000 × 10 MR / ₹100 = 600 MR points
Monthly bonus = 1,000 MR points

Total = 600 + 1,000
Total = 1,600 MR points per month

For 6 months:

₹6,000 × 6 = ₹36,000 spend

1,600 MR × 6 = 9,600 MR points

Gold Charge Summary

2. AMEX MRCC Strategy

For the MRCC card, I used a mix of Gyftr 2X and monthly milestone bonuses.

The normal earning rate is:

Base reward rate = 2 MR points per ₹100
Gyftr 2X reward rate = 4 MR points per ₹100

Monthly plan:

First ₹6,000 spend:
4 transactions × ₹1,500 = ₹6,000

Additional spend:
₹14,000

Total monthly spend = ₹20,000

Points calculation:

On ₹6,000:
₹6,000 × 4 MR / ₹100 = 240 MR

Monthly bonus for 4 transactions = 1,000 MR

On additional ₹14,000:
₹14,000 × 4 MR / ₹100 = 560 MR

Monthly ₹20,000 milestone bonus = 1,000 MR

Total monthly points:

240 + 1,000 + 560 + 1,000 = 2,800 MR points

For 6 months:

₹20,000 × 6 = ₹1,20,000 spend

2,800 MR × 6 = 16,800 MR points

MRCC Summary

3. AMEX Platinum Travel Strategy

For the AMEX Platinum Travel Card, I used Gyftr 3X and also worked towards the milestone.

The reward rate:

Base reward rate = 2 MR points per ₹100
Gyftr 3X reward rate = 6 MR points per ₹100

I spent approximately:

₹24,000 per month

Over the period, I hit around:

₹1.90 lakh milestone spend

Regular points earned:

₹1,40,000 approx eligible multiplier spend × 6 MR / ₹100
= 8,400 MR points

Milestone bonus:

15,000 MR points

Platinum Travel Summary

Part 3: Total Points Earned

Now let’s combine everything.

Regular 6-Month Strategy

Then I added my boost month and referrals.

So the final total was:

34,800 regular points
+ 15,000 milestone points
+ 42,778 boost month points
+ 20,000 referral points
= 1,12,578 MR points

Part 4: Total Money Spent

Now let’s look at the actual outflow.

So the total spend was:

₹2,95,800 + ₹97,450 + ₹8,000
= ₹4,01,250

Part 5: The Marriott Redemption

I transferred my AMEX MR points to Marriott Bonvoy and booked a stay at:

Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa, Sri Lanka

Redemption cost:

108,000 Marriott points

Cash price of the same stay:

₹1,40,000 to ₹1,70,000

This was for a 5-day vacation in November 2025.

Part 6: Value Back Calculation

Now let’s calculate the value I received.

Total outflow:

₹4,01,250

Value of hotel stay:

₹1,40,000 to ₹1,70,000

Value back percentage:

Value back = Hotel cash price / Total outflow × 100

Lower-end value:

₹1,40,000 / ₹4,01,250 × 100
= 34.9%

Higher-end value:

₹1,70,000 / ₹4,01,250 × 100
= 42.4%

So my actual value back was approximately:

35% to 42%

If you consider only the rounded spend of ₹4,00,000, the maths becomes:

₹1,40,000 / ₹4,00,000 × 100 = 35%

₹1,70,000 / ₹4,00,000 × 100 = 42.5%

That is how I got nearly 35%-42% value back on my AMEX spends.

Final Summary

Final Thoughts

This was not a random points jackpot.

It was a planned AMEX strategy.

I used welcome bonuses, milestone bonuses, Gyftr multiplier spends, referral bonuses, and Marriott redemptions together. Individually, none of these looked life-changing. But when stacked properly, they turned regular spending into a luxury beach vacation.

The biggest lesson?

Credit card rewards are powerful only when you use them with planning.

Spend unnecessarily, and points become a trap.

Spend intentionally, and points can turn into experiences you would otherwise hesitate to pay cash for.

For me, that experience was a 5-day stay at Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa in Sri Lanka.

Cash price: ₹1.4L-₹1.7L
Points used: 108,000 Marriott points
Total AMEX strategy spend: ₹4.01L
Value back: around 35%-42%

And yes, for a first Marriott redemption, this one was absolutely worth it.