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Author: Sandra MacGregor

By Sandra MacGregor

🗓️

Updated: August 17, 2023

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Best for:

  • Travel rewards
  • Welcome bonus offer
  • Travel insurance
  • Shopping coverage
  • Exclusive entertainment access

About The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

Right off the bat, it’s important to note that this is a travel rewards card. Cardholders earn Marriott Bonvoy® points, which can be redeemed for free stays with no blackout dates at over 7,000+ of the world’s most desired hotels. You can also transfer points to frequent flyer miles with a wide selection of airlines, including Aeroplan. The potential for those who travel frequently is obvious. Plus, with a reasonable $120 annual fee, the bar isn’t too high for applicants with a good credit score.

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card: At a Glance

Feature
Details
Annual fee
$120
Recommended credit score
Good; Excellent
Annual interest rate
20.99% on purchases and 21.99% on funds advances
Qualifying annual income
None
Rewards
Earn 5 points for every dollar in eligible Card purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® and 2 points for every $1 in all other Card purchases.

Card features and benefits

The biggest selling feature of this credit card is the potential to earn points that can be used towards free nights at over 7,000+ of the world’s most desired hotels. Here’s the earning structure:

Earn five points for every dollar in eligible card purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® and two points for every $1 in all other card purchases.

When you charge purchases to this card, your points can add up quickly—and exponentially when you use the card to purchase at Marriott Bonvoy®* properties.

How to redeem Marriott Bonvoy® Points

Unlike some rewards programs, there isn’t a straightforward points-to-dollars equation to share. This is because, although there are no blackout dates, there are differently rated properties (hotels on a scale of 1 to 8 categories), and standard, peak, and off-peak seasons. In other words, your points are going to go further at certain times of the year and spent on certain things at certain properties. That said, it doesn’t take a calculus degree to see that Marriott Bonvoy® points have a fair value.

However, a points program is only as good as its redemption process. After all, who cares how many points you accumulate if you can’t redeem them easily? Because these points are Marriott Bonvoy® branded, redemption is a breeze. Simply go to Marriot.com and use your points when you reserve (and don’t forget to earn 5 points on the dollar by putting that reservation on your card!). You can also use points to buy travel experiences, merchandise, gift cards, tickets to events and more. Or instantly redeem points for dining out, spa experiences, drinks, and more. It’s an incredibly flexible program, allowing you to put points towards almost whatever you want.

It is worth noting that the points are also transferable to more than 40 different airline partners, so if you want to offset a flight cost, you can do that too. The transfer ratio is 3:1 for Aeroplan but it will depend on the airline. As an incentive, you’ll get an additional 15,000 points per 60,000 points transferred.

Pros and cons of The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card comes with a super generous Welcome Bonus, many easy opportunities to earn more points and fair values on redemption. The annual free night reward every year after your first anniversary alone justifies the annual fee, and cardholders get other perks like purchase protection, special events access, and travel insurance.

But speaking of travel insurance, this package is lacking the all-important travel medical coverage. Also, while these points can be transferred to flight partners, the program is not as flexible as say, a cash-back program.

A big benefit for cardholders is the complimentary upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy® Silver Elite status. This means that, when you stay at Marriott International properties, you’ll get little luxuries like 10% bonus points on stays, priority late checkout, free in-room wifi, exclusive member rates and access to a dedicated elite reservation line.

Pros

Pros

  • Annual free night award — Receive an Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide every year after your first anniversary
  • Earn points with every eligible card purchase
  • Complimentary upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
  • Flexibility to transfer to other frequent flyer programs
  • Includes travel insurance
Cons

Cons

  • Annual fee—$120
  • Travel medical insurance not included

Other perks of the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card also carries other perks of value to the frequent traveller. As a cardholder, you receive:

  • An Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide every year after your first anniversary.
  • Receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card. These can be used towards attaining an automatic upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite status.
  • Complimentary upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy® Silver Elite status membership, which offers big benefits to cardholders.
  • Enjoy an automatic upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite status when you reach $30,000 in purchases on the Card each year or when you combine 10 qualifying paid nights within one calendar year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from your card.
  • Travel insurance: Travel accident, car rental theft and damage, flight delay, baggage delay, lost and stolen baggage, and hotel/motel burglary insurance. Note that travel emergency medical insurance is not included, so that will be an extra expense.
  • Shopping coverage: American Express Buyer’s Assurance Protection Plan doubles the manufacturer’s warranty up to a year on many purchases, while the Purchase Protection Plan gives up to 90 days of protection from damage or theft on many retail items.
  • Exclusive entertainment access: American Express Invites and Front of the Line benefits give cardholders exclusive access to pre-sales and special events.

Marriott Bonvoy® Points hotel redemption rates (subject to change)

Hotel category 
Off-peak
Standard
Peak
1
5,000 points
7,500 points
10,000 points
2
10,000 points
12,500 points
15,000 points
3
15,000 points
17,500 points
20,000 points
4
20,000 points
25,000 points
30,000 points
5
30,000 points
35,000 points
40,000 points
6
40,000 points
50,000 points
60,000 points
7
50,000 points
60,000 points
70,000 points
8
70,000 points
85,000 points
100,000 points

The bottom line: Is the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card worth it?

Frequent travellers—particularly those who already purchase in the Marriott Bonvoy® brand family—need this card. The sign-up bonus and benefits are outstanding and easy to redeem, and it’s clear that the more you use it, the better your travel will be. The free annual night reward sweetens the pot even for those without a packed travel roster, so at the very least, The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card should be on the shortlist as one of the cards in your wallet.

Learn more about the The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card FAQs

  • Can I transfer Marriott Bonvoy® Points to airlines?

    +

    Yes, it is possible to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy® points to other frequent flyer programs. In fact, you'll get a 15,000 point bonus from the Marriott Bonvoy® program when you transfer 60,000 points to a frequent flyer program. For Aeroplan, the transfer rate is one Aeroplan point for every three Marriott Bonvoy™ points. However, it's far faster to earn Aeroplan points by using one of the best Aeroplan cards in Canada. It’s easy to rack up the rewards: earn Aeroplan Miles for every dollar spent on your credit card, plus you’ll earn twice the Miles for purchases made at Aeroplan-affiliated partners when you use your Aeroplan credit card and present your Aeroplan membership.

  • How do you redeem Marriott Bonvoy® Points?

    +

    Redemption is easy and flexible. Login to the Marriott Bonvoy™ portal and you can redeem your points a number of ways: search and book free nights at participating properties, bid on exclusive events with Marriott Bonvoy Moments™, transfer points to another frequent flyer program, and more. You can also swipe and pay with points at major retailers, or redeem Marriott Bonvoy® points on 200+ global airlines and car suppliers around the world. There's even an Instant Redemption Award -- a benefit that allows you to redeem Marriott Bonvoy® Points as a credit against your bill upon check-out at participating properties. The choice is yours!

  • What do you need to get approved for a Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card?

    +

    At a minimum, you must be a Canadian resident and have a Canadian credit file. You must also be the age of majority in the province or territory where you live.

  • How many points does it take for a free night at Marriott?

    +

    It depends on the hotel tier and season. If it's a Category 8 Hotel that you're booking the peak season, it could cost as much as 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points. But a Category 1 Hotel in the off-season could be as little as 5,000 points. However, in 2023, this system will end and Flexible Point Redemption Rates will completely replace Previous Hotel Categories (1-8) and Redemption Rates classified as Off-Peak, Peak, or Standard. This means the amount of Marriott Bonvoy® Points needed to reserve a Stay is more flexible and more closely aligned with Hotel Rates — based on availability, seasonality, etc.

About our author

Sandra MacGregor
Sandra MacGregor, Freelance Contributor
More from this author

Sandra MacGregor has been writing about finance and travel for nearly a decade. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications like the New York Times, the UK Telegraph, the Washington Post, Forbes.com and the Toronto Star. She spends her free time travelling, and has lived around the globe, including in Paris, South Korea and Cape Town.

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