While hotel cards don't often get the big spotlight, some have incredible offerings that make them more worthwhile than others.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is one of those hotel cards that offers a lot more than what initially meets the eye. Being a business card, it shouldn't appear on your personal credit history and won't impact your 5/24 status, but will still provide a lot of incredible benefits worth noting.
Incredible Elevated Offer: 5 Free Night Awards
Similar to its personal Chase counterpart, this card also currently has an incredible elevated welcome offer: earn 5 free night awards (worth up to 50,000 points each) after spending $8,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of opening your account. Historically speaking, I believe this is the best offer (in terms of pure point total value) we've ever seen for this credit card, as it's typically only offered 3 FNAs / a combination of FNAs + points.
Using these free night awards, you can book several nights at quality Marriott properties for completely/close to free (some properties charge resort fees). While some accommodations may cost more than 50,000 points a night, you can top off these certificates with up to 15,000 additional points per night. If used with a plan in mind, you can save an estimated $300 per night with these certificates—I'm saving ~$1,500 for my family's upcoming Europe trip during peak travel season!
Marriott Bonvoy Business® Earn Structure
This card earns decently when spending at Marriott properties, but has poor rates elsewhere.
- 6x points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®
- 4X points at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping
- 2X points for every $1 you spend on all other eligible purchases
Marriott points do not come close to the same value as Chase, AMEX, or Capital One points/miles. Consequently, I would never put any non-Marriott spend on this card since I could earn a lot more by using other cards.
The Offer: Earn 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Points After Spending $8,000 in the First 6 Months
This card currently has a new sign-up offer: earn 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy® after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months of opening your account. Using these awards, you can book a variety of incredible hotels across the world with Marriott's extensive footprint, where some ideal sweet spots can deliver extraordinary value (like the option below).
Free Night Award Every Anniversary
On that note, Marriotts around the world rarely run less than $125 per night (the annual fee of this business card). Consequently, this FNA can basically help you break even on this card in one single swoop, whilst providing some other useful Marriott benefits along the way.
7% Booking Discount: Double-Dip on Savings
As a cardholder, enjoy a 7% discount on eligible direct bookings, stacking on top of the already exclusive rates available to Marriott members. You must book under the Amex Business Card Rate and there are no caps to the savings you could get through this benefit.
Receive 15 Elite Night Credits Each Calendar Year
Just by having this card, cardholders also receive 15 elite night credits each calendar year. This can be an incredibly useful way to kickstart your Marriott points journey and synergize with personal Marriott cards, which also give you an additional 15 elite nights per year (meaning with this card and a personal Marriott card, you could start each year with 30 Elite Nights!).
With both a qualifying Marriott personal and business card, you can start with 30 nights—60% of the way there to Platinum status with Marriott!
Automatic Marriott Gold Elite Benefits
Cardholders automatically receive Marriott Gold Elite status each year they are an active cardholder. While still relatively low on the totem pole, Marriott Gold gives you primarily 25% bonus points on stays, room upgrades, and 2 pm checkouts (subject to availability).
Is The Marriott Bonvoy Business® AMEX Card Worth It?
For anyone who stays in hotels more than once per year, this card could be worth considering. With its fantastic welcome offer and annual free night award (for up to 35,000 points), it can help save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on hotel stays for years to come. Additionally, as a business card, it won't count towards 5/24 status, which can be incredibly useful for those interested in maximizing their credit card potential.
